JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(Psalm 5:3) “O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer…”
Whether you dread mornings or cherish them, there’s no denying that “dawn” brings the chance for a new day, a fresh start, and perhaps even a reset.
Like springtime, the sun’s rays cast a glimmer of hope and renewal, even on the foggiest, gloomiest, and rainiest of mornings.
(Lamentations 3:22-23) reminds us “the Lord’s mercies never fail and are restored with every rising sun”… while (Psalm 30:5) says that “while weeping stays for the night, joy comes in the morning”.
Life style coaches often advise people embarking on a lifestyle change to start their day with a “positive, affirming routine”.
Whether that’s meditation, a workout routine, or a healthy breakfast; starting the day “right” leads to a strong noon, and that momentum carries through until nightfall.
Similarly, starting your day in prayer, by bowing heart, mind, and soul to the Lord of the universe, can propel your day from being “ho-hum” to “positively sparking” with the fire of the Holy Spirit welling up within you.
On this first day of October I want to start its first week with a commitment to prayer.
There is an old proverb that says "seven days with out prayer makes one weak"… so for the next seven days, here are some quick, encouraging morning prayers that can help you get your focus in the right place as you begin your day.
For the next seven days I want to lead you in a prayer each morning that will help to make each day stronger than before.
1. A Prayer of Gratitude
Heavenly Father, thank You for who you are!
You made the heavens and the earth, the land and the sea, the fish that swim in the waters and the creatures that crawl upon the shores, and you made me.
Your Word says I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
That I am the apple of your eye; and that you have great favour for me!
Help me, Lord, not to take any of this for granted.
I know that I do not deserve the blessings you choose to bestow upon me, yet You trust me with them anyway.
You do this because you love me, because you are perfect and good, and because your ways are infinitely higher than my own.
Thank you, Father God, for breath in my lungs and the warmth of the sun on my skin.
Thank you for my salvation; for the forgiveness and justification I experience because of the gift of your son, Jesus Christ.
Help me to hold this gratitude in my heart all day long, to overflow with the joy of it as I share it with others in all that I think, say, and do.
In your holy and precious name I pray, Amen.
Good Day!
(1st Thessalonians 5:18) "In everything give thanks… for this is the will of God...for you."
Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking had a brilliant mind.
He has been compared by some to Albert Einstein.
But unfortunately he had a rare degenerative disease called "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis", or "ALS", for short.
The disease left him virtually paralyzed.
But he learned to use a computer with the tips of his fingers and was able to communicate his calculations and thoughts.
Now before he became ill, he described his life as a “pointless existence.”
He drank too much and did very little work.
But after discovering that he had only a few years to live, life suddenly took on an urgency and a new meaning.
And he was actually happier than he was before.
He explained the paradox this way: “When one’s expectations are reduced to zero, one really "appreciates everything" that one has".
When you’re told that you only have a "limited time" left to live, it transforms your whole perspective on living.
Things you overlook suddenly become meaningful… the laughter of children, a sunrise or sunset, the love of friends and family, or just a walk in the park.
I have noticed that some of the most miserable people in the world are those who believe that life “owes” them.
They’re never happy, because they never believe they get what they deserve.”
We are living in a world today where much of society lives with a sense of "entitlement".
"I have a right", or its all about "my rights", or "I deserve better" or.... and on and on it goes.
The sad part of this, is that these people are repeatedley "never happy" no matter what comes their way they always want more and always expect more.
The apostle Paul was in prison with no hope of getting out when he wrote, “In everything give thanks… for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
What was he saying?
Simply this… instead of competing, comparing, and complaining… focus on the good things God has given you, enjoy them, and develop an attitude of gratitude.
(Philippians 4:8). Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praise worthy…think about such things.
Today, lets be thankful for the air we breath, the health we have, the food we eat, the love of family and friends, the bed we sleep in and the roof over our heads.
It may not be the biggest and the best… but its more than what two thirds of the worlds population has.
Today… be thankful!!!
Good Day!
(Nehemiah 8:10) “The Joy of The Lord is my strength”
Joy is that uncontainable, unexplainable feeling of delight that is written all over our faces.
Joy can lead to spontaneous dancing or skipping, and might even cause us to high-five everyone around us.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.”
For many, it is that quality of Christian life that makes you feel a “godly contentment” in everything you do, say, think, and feel.
However, for some, finding joy is that one element of life that always seems just out of their reach –…something they are constantly pursuing, but always coming up empty.
Trials and hardships in life can make it especially challenging to find joy in life, but the Bible gives us the confidence that joy is possible and achievable even in the darkest of times.
This is because joy isn’t based on our happiness, but in our “relationship with and our trust in God”.
As stated earlier from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, joy is an emotion brought on by success, good fortune or even the knowledge that something you have been hoping for will be yours.
Many might see that definition and think that happiness is synonymous with joy, which can be true in some sense,
However there are marked differences between joy and happiness.
Happiness is defined as a “state of well-being and contentment.
It may include a pleasurable or satisfying experience and can sometimes be associated with the feeling you get when something desired is gained, then you are truly happy.
“If I just get that job; if I just win the lottery; if I just marry the right person and start a family, I will be happy.”
Once you get what you have been hoping and praying for, then the feeling will begin and everything around you becomes easier to get through.
However, joy is an emotion that can be experienced while waiting for that long-awaited prayer to be answered, or when all chaos is happening around you.
Joy carries an inner sense of peace and contentment inside of you in all circumstances, even when you don’t know what is around the next bend.
Happiness has a set point where it begins; usually with “fulfilled” expectations.
Joy can happen at any time and can still be felt even when what you thought would make you happy does not.
If you are struggling keeping your inner joy alive and it seems impossible to be joyful in the current situation you are in, the Bible has some words of wisdom to help you forward.
Several verses in the Bible contain the subject of joy, and peace is associated with them to clarify that when you have joy, peace is right there with it.
(Romans 15:13) “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”
(Ecclesiastes 9:7) “Go and eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works”.
Confident joy comes with knowing that God approves of your obedience to His will, which can be viewed as eternal joy that only comes from God.
(Proverbs 10:28) “The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing”.
(1st Peter 1:8-9) “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls”.
The bible has great encouragement concerning joy even in the face of trials tests, sufferings and discouragement.
There are several verses encouraging as to be joyful, or to have joy even in the face of sadness.
(James 1:2-3) “Consider it joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance”
(Psalm 27:6) “And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore, I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord,”
With the verses listed above, it seems that joy is possible even when facing the trials of life.
Yet many question, wonder and ask “how can you have joy when you are dealing with the loss of a loved one, facing a personal health crisis, or even enduring the nationwide trials in recent years”.
The answer is you can be joyful in painful circumstances because unlike happiness, joy is found in God and not your wants and needs being fulfilled.
In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah says that joy from the Lord brings strength: “Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength’” (Nehemiah 8:10).
Joy is possible because difficult situations encourage us to draw closer to the Lord for strength, hope, and guidance on how to proceed forward.
Trusting Him brings joy.
Trusting in God takes the stress of having to deal with the problems and circumstance that are causing your negative emotions.
Joy doesn’t have to resemble jumping up and down as you go through hard times, but it can look like a quiet confidence and peace, and hope that things will get better, or even remembering that you aren’t alone in this struggle.
It can be a quiet confidence that God is with you and brings people into your life to help comfort you.
Your prayers may not be answered as you would hope, or maybe a painful curveball has entered your life that seems to have knocked the wind out of you.
But joy, not happiness, reminds you to stay encouraged and know this situation will turn out for good to the glory of God, as Paul encourages in (Romans 8:28) “for all things work together for good to those who love the Lord”.
Following is my prayer to the Father in heaven for you.
You can can use it today to help you retain, restore and even develop a deeper joy in your life while going through good and bad times.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being with us as we go through the tough situations of life today.
We know, as you said in Your Word, that just because we are Christ followers, doesn’t mean we are exempt from struggle.
However, instead of letting situations take the joy that we could have, I pray that we instead, renew our joy by trusting Your way and Your path ahead for us.
Help us look for and find joy in everything we experience, knowing that as we experience the good You promise to bring to this situation, our inner joy will begin to grow and impact not only ourselves but those around us.
Thank you for being with us in these troubling times and help us be a carrier of Your peace to the world around us, through being joyful in all situations.
In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.
Many may see that happiness and joy go hand in hand, but God’s Word reveals that having “joy in the Lord”, is what keeps you going through struggles and hardships.
Joy connects with peace while in a painful situation, remembering that God knows everything ahead and uses every situation for our good as we are called to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
So, even when we don’t know how “tough circumstances” will get better, and with tears streaming down our faces, let us pray for God’s joy to come into our lives to strengthen us for each breath, each step, and each day ahead.
“The joy of the Lord is our strength”.
Good day!
(Isaiah 55:12) "You shall go out with joy."
Did you know that you "can choose" to be joyful?
In spite of circumstances around you, you can choose to put a smile on your face and face the day with joyful purpose.
Generally speaking, there are three kinds of people:
1) Those who feel bad about feeling good.
They believe we’re not supposed to be happy, just responsible.
2) Those who rain on your parade because your joy bothers them.
Often these folks have been hurt by life and anger simmers just beneath the surface.
3) Those who lift your spirit and breathe life into you.
But doesn’t the Bible teach us that believers are supposed to be different from nonbelievers?
Yes, but not "negatively different… we are to be “positive”, thats what makes us “peculiar"!
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Piety implies aspects of reverence, external action, and religiosity, any of which may be well-intended or used in a showy, inappropriate manner.
Proper piety is that God is glorified when we live our lives with peace, contentment hope and expectation, not looking like you just sucked a lemon, go around looking sad and sober… or dress in sack cloth to look spiritual.
Peter says we will be “a peculiar people called forth to show (and share) the praises of Him who has delivered us out of darkness unto His marvellous light” (1st Peter 2:9)
We are to be witnesses of His love, His strength, and His joy.
In fact the bible says that joy is a gift given to the children of God.
(Nehemiah 8:10 Says “the joy of the Lord is our strength”.
Nehemiah encourages Gods people stop grieving and instead celebrate the goodness of God, because divine joy gives inner strength and resilience.
And unless you commit yourself to walking "in the joy of the Lord", all you’ll ever be a witness of is "Sad Sack Living" and negativity… and no one wants to be a part of that.
Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).
If you’re thinking, “That’s easy for Paul to say… he doesn’t have my problems” think again!
When Paul wrote those words, he was in prison with no chance of getting out.
For him, "joy was a decision", "not a reaction" to circumstances.
You ask, “How could Paul be joyful in prison?”
It’s because he understood that true joy comes from devoting yourself to something bigger than your own interests.
True joy calls for three things:
a) making a conscious choice to focus on God’s goodness every single day.
b) reaching out to bless others every chance you get.
c) understanding that joy produces strength, which explains why your joy is the devil’s primary target.
When you lose your joy, you lose your strength and he wins… so today wipe that frown off your face, put a smile in its place and choose to be joyful!
Good Day!
(Psalm 105:19) “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.”
When Joseph was a teenager, God gave him a vision that one day he was going to be a leader of people.
But Psalm 105 tells us that God sent Joseph into Egypt fettered with irons and shackled with chains from his teenage years, well into his thirties.
The Bible records that the Lord tested Joseph as he was thrown into a pit by his brothers, then taken from a pit to a prison, and from a prison to the palace.
Joseph was created to be a “world changer”, but first he had to go through the a “character development.”
God works according to His own timetable.
And when you understand that, you’ll be able to understand with peace what you are going thru and where you are right now, while getting to where He wants you to be.
Furthermore, God may not answer all your questions; at least not in the way you’d like Him to, but be assured He is working.
And since what He’s working on is often bigger than you can comprehend, He often won’t give you details you can’t handle.
That’s why we must be a people that walk by faith and not by sight. (2nd Corinthians 5:7)
Several times Paul asked God to heal him of a physical condition the he was dealing with, and God said to Him, “my grace is sufficient for you”. (2nd Corinthians 12:9)
Think… if God had told you all the things you’d have to go through to get to where you are right now, could you have handled it?
He knows how long it’ll take and how hard it’ll be… that’s why He’s often silent when we are pounding His gates with questions and doubts.
If He showed you your whole life in advance you’d probably give up before you even start.
Joseph discovered during his time in prison that when God gives you a vision and you commit yourself to it, there’s no “opt-out clause”.
His story is one of a promised future designed by God and brought to pass “in Gods timing.”
It’s a story for all of us to read, understand and take to heart.
So stop projecting into the future.
When you live in the past, you end up with a case of the “if only’s”.
And when you try to live for tomorrow, you get a case of the “what ifs”.
We each need to live for today, “one day at a time”.
Remember the popular hit song,
“One day at a time sweet Jesus, that’s all I’m asking of you.
Just give me the strength, to do every day what I have to do.
Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus, and tomorrow may never be mine.
Lord help me today, show me the way, one day at a time”.
What should you do?
Trust God to work things out for you according to His timetable.
(Jeremiah 29:11) “I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and give you a future not plans for evil”
Good Day!
(1st Chronicles 4:10), "And God granted him that which he requested."
In (1st Chronicles 4:10), we read: "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that Thou would bless me indeed and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou would keep me from evil that it may not grieve me’! And God granted him that which he requested."
There is something specific about this prayer.
The first 9 chapters of 1st Chronicles in the Old Testament Bible list the genealogy of the Hebrew tribes, beginning with Adam and ending with Israel's ancient return from captivity.
Interrupting the long list of descendants from Adam is a short commentary about a man named Jabez in (1st Chronicles 4:9-10).
Then the listing of the descendants continued as before.
This story seems to stick out like a sore thumb, so it brings up the question, does it have more meaning than it seems and what is so significant about Jabez and this prayer, that it would pop up in the middle of a boring dialogue about the descendants or the genealogy of Israel?
The prayer of Jabez is composed of four parts or requests that I believe has bearing upon the lives we live today as we move forward in our relationship with God.
#1) Jabez asked God to bless him.
Jabez is asking God to bless him greatly, exceedingly, or abundantly.
Apparently Jabez has learned something about his relationship with God that stands out as something that God wants the readers of this text to truly get a glimpse of and understand.
An awareness that God can and will provide for him beyond all that you can ask or imagine… but He is leaving it up to God as the to the means of the blessings.
This prayer is similar to the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples to pray with the focus being that, "Thy will”… Gods will be done.
#2) He asks God to enlarge his territory or increase his ability to make a living.
Jabez is asking that God would give him :more influence and opportunity”, to bring glory to God.
He is making a bold request asking God to give him big things… such as enlarging his wisdom, understanding, humility, patience, love and joy.
It also includes asking God for good health, to enlarge his physical strength, and improve his character.
The idea here is that God wants people to have large goals.
Think big… do exploits for the Kingdom of God.
(Daniel 11:32) tells us “the people that know their God will do exploits”.
He wants people to reach and stretch, instead of cowering or accepting what they have.
#3) He prays that God will be with him and stay close.
Somehow Jabez knew that his success was directly linked to a closer relationship with God…asking that God's hand would be with him to lead him, protect him, strengthen him, and to work all His works in him.
Since he had asked for so much, he also wanted to have God's help in handling his new responsibilities.
And he was acutely aware that as he surrenders his success to God, there will be the divine help needed.
4) Lastly, Jabez asks that God keep him from harm so that he will be free from pain.
Apparently Jabez was no stranger to pain in life.
Even His name is translated meaning “sorrowful and painful” in the original Greek and Hebrew.
So Jabez asked God to keep Him free from having to endure pain and free from causing pain to others.
Jabez prayed that in receiving God's blessings, he would not fall into the temptation that happens to many successful people whom begin to think that life is all about them… and tend to develop a disregard for their fellow man.
Temptation and selfishness can lead a person to harm others, as well as themselves.
This part of the prayer asks God to prevent Jabez from doing harm or causing pain.
This prayer also relates to the phrase in the Lord's Prayer: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
The “prayer of Jabez” reveals something that many people do not understand.
And that is that there is only "one God" and "He" should be the center of our lives!
God wants to bless every life!
God is "no respecter of people" (Romans 2:11)
That means that what God does for one person or individual, He is willing to do for others as well.
Like Jabez, we must first "make the choice" to invite God into our life and ask for His blessings.
I’m not advocating a “formula prayer” to somehow coerce God into granting His blessing unto us but rather,
I want to clearly take into account the heart and the mind-set and the motivations of the person praying to God for blessing, and his or her relationship with God.
Jabez wants to succeed and increase his sphere of influence for God.
The "specific sphere of influence" is not important.
What is important is that when we reach for goals and accomplishments in this life, we must make sure that God is on our side.
(Proverbs 16:3) says, "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established."
It is critical to understand and practice this in a close relationship with God.
Further, it is equally important "to stay close to God" and rely on His continued support and guidance throughout life.
Jabez clearly knows this and prays specifically to the One who can protect him from evil and pain… that is God.
At the end of the verse it is clear that God approved of Jabez's prayer by granting it.
It is also important to see that Jabez was passionate in his plea to God… "He cried out to the God of Israel."
When was the last time you were "passionate in your prayers" to God?
God wants to hear that we need Him through passionate prayer.
The “Prayer of Jabez” reminds us that everybody struggles with choosing to rely on himself or God.
Whether you are a focused Christian or just searching to find out more about God, “life is a growing process”.
However, it is very clear in reviewing “the Prayer of Jabez”, (as well as the rest of the Bible), that God is faithful in caring for those who seek Him.
If you are looking to start a relationship with God or improve your existing relationship with Him, start with prayer.
God answers prayers when you trust Him. (1st Chronicles 5:20) "He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him".
(James 1:6-7) "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man, think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord”.
The Bible tells us that we are not just to pray, but rather to pray "believing".
If we are specifically told to believe when we pray, then it must be possible to pray and not believe.
Not all prayer brings results.
Only "believing prayer" or "prayer mixed with faith" moves God and receives from Him.
Jesus said, “Therefore, I say unto you, whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, "believe that you receive them", and you shall have them”. (Mark 11:24)
Good day!
(1st Thessalonians 4:14) "We believe that Jesus died and rose again."
The greatest truth concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the subject of the resurrection of Jesus.
It is that truth, that gives power to our faith.
However there are some whom try to debunk that truth saying it never happened.
Some say that because the Gospels were written two to three hundred years after the event, the story was either falsified or embellished.
But history and archaeology disproves that and we now know that the Gospel letters of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, go back to the authors whose names they bare, and that the testimony of the resurrection goes back to the decade in which it took place.
My point being… there was no time for legend to develop!
Some say that the disciples experienced visions or hallucinations because Christ promised to rise from the dead and they fully expected Him to.
But in the speculation of hallucinations, there is no incident where five hundred people from different backgrounds ever saw the same vision at the same time.
And what about the two disciples on the Emmaus Road who walked and talked with Christ after His resurrection, then ate supper with Him (Luke 24:13)?
Were they hallucinating too?
Here's another thought.
When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost about his so called “great hallucination,” or the resurrection of Christ… he was standing only ten minutes away from the tomb (Acts 2:24).
Thousands of people believed… others heard it and didn’t believe.
Did no one think of walking down the street to check it out?
You would think that those conspiring Sadducees would have taken every opportunity to show that this was simply a hallucination.
Listen folks, the biggest reason people “don't believe”, is because
“they choose not to believe”.
Rather than choosing to believe the Gospel, they reject the light (truth) and chose darkness.
(John 3:19-21) “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed."
Remember this folks!
Just because you choose not to believe it, does not mean that it did not happen.
An old cliché says “there are none so blind, whom will not see”.
Ask yourself this question… according to a 2026 assessment from the “World Christian Database”, there are almost one billion people in the world today who profess faith in Christ and belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Can they all be delusional?
How about you, are you willing to open your eyes and see?
The evidence is there, you just have to choose to believe it.
Good Day!