JAN. 24, 2026 The seventh Beatitude . "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Mt 5:9 NKJV The Hebrew word for "peace" is shalom; it refers to a sense of well-being that produces calmness and confidence, even in a crisis. It's assurance in the midst of uncertainty and confusion. Those who have an immovable, unshakeable, rock-solid trust in God are those who experience genuine peace of heart. How do you acquire such peace?  First, you must know what

JAN. 23, 2026 The sixth Beatitude . "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Mt 5:8 NKJV The Greek word for "pure" is katharos, from which we get our English word "catharsis." Psychiatrists talk about catharsis as the cleansing of a person's destructive attitudes. The biblical word refers to a cleansing of all impurities from your inner spirit-impurities that include evil tendencies, evil thoughts, evil desires, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride o

JAN. 22, 2026 The fifth Beatitude . "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  Mt 5:7 NKJV Mercy is more than forgiveness, less than love, different from grace, and one with justice. Forgiveness becomes operational only when a wrong is committed, but mercy is operational at all times.   Mercy leads to and produces forgiveness, but mercy is more than forgiveness.  Mercy reaches out to the weak, to the needy, and to those needing protection and direction.  Just a

JAN. 21, 2026 The fourth Beatitude . "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." Mt 5:6 NKJV Righteousness is not an optional spiritual supplement; it's a necessity for Christian living. It's something you must desire as much as a starving man desires food and a thirsty man desires water.  Are you hungry for more of Jesus?  Do you have an appetite for His Word?  Do you long to experience the kingdom of God?  If so, Jesus says that yo

JAN. 20, 2026 The third Beatitude . "Blessed are the meek [gentle], for they shall inherit the earth."  Mt 5:5 NKJV To be "meek" doesn't mean to be a doormat or to be indecisive, timid, fearful, or spineless. It does not mean to act like a loser or a cowardly wimp. Meekness is "power under control." The Bible says Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth in his day (see Nu 12:3).  Yet he was willing to go toe-to-toe with Pharaoh, to lead a grumbling people across a

JAN. 19, 2026 The second Beatitude . "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  Mt 5:4 NKJV Jesus was not necessarily speaking about mourning the loss of a loved one, but that those who mourn over their sins will receive God's comfort. When you weep over your sins and the trouble they brought to yourself and to others, you put yourself in a position to receive God's forgiveness.  True repentance does not focus on self. It's not morbid or despairing; it doesn

JAN. 18, 2026 The first Beatitude . "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Mt 5:3 NKJV What does it really mean to be "poor in spirit"? This phrase has nothing to do with finances or status. It means that you become conscious of your own spiritual emptiness-that without God, you are nothing, you have nothing, and you can do nothing of consequence or eternal benefit.  To be poor in spirit means you know that all of your self-righteousness is as

JAN. 17, 2026 Prevailing prayer . "You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."  Jer 29:13 NKJV In an old book titled Prevailing Prayer, author Eli Wigle described John Wesley's prayer life this way: "As a matter of habit and rule, John Wesley's ordinary private praying consumed two hours a day. At times he would gather his company and pray all night, or till the power of God came down.  Nothing was considered too great or too small to take to th

JAN. 16, 2026 Abounding grace . "Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more."  Ro 5:20 NKJV The Scarlet Letter is the story of a woman found in adultery and required to wear a scarlet "A" on her dress as a symbol of shame. We do the same thing, don't we? We label people based on a mistake. Sadly, it's just as true in some churches as it is in the secular culture. That isn't how God sees us and labels us. He takes off the graveclothes of sin and covers us in the garments of

JAN. 15, 2026 Live from "glory to glory" "Transformed...from glory to glory...by the Spirit of the Lord." 2Co 3:18 NKJV Beginning in 2007, the REVEAL research project surveyed the members of more than a thousand churches. They wanted to determine the percentage of churchgoers who are actually propelled by their faith to love God and love others with their whole hearts. Guess how many met these qualifications? Eleven percent! Nearly nine out of ten believers did not make the g

JAN. 14, 2026 A prayer for God-confidence. "I sought the Lord, and He...delivered me from all my fears." Ps 34:4 NKJV Father, I come boldly before Your throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace for deliverance from emotional insecurity (see Heb 4:16).  Your Word says You will make all Your grace abound toward me so that I will always have all sufficiency in all things and abound in every good work (see 2Co 9:8).  I cast down every thought of inadequacy and every imaginat

JAN. 13, 2026 Be sensitive to God's presence . "Lord...open his eyes that he may see." 2Ki 6:17 NKJV One morning in a city called Dothan, a servant of the prophet Elisha awoke and was terrified because an enemy army surrounded him and his boss. "What shall we do?" he cried. Elisha told him to chill out, for "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed for him: "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see."   And the Lord opened his eyes, a

JAN. 12, 2026 "Keep calm and carry on". "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."  Ex 14:14 NIV During World War II, the British Department of Information designed three "home publicity" posters. The first said , "Your courage, your cheerfulness, your resolution will bring us victory." The second said , "Freedom is in peril." The third and most famous said, "Keep calm and carry on." The department printed 2.45 million of the third posters, but they were never

JAN. 11, 2026 Have you been wronged? Forgive ! "Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another."  Col 3:13 NKJV When you study the lives of those who were greatly used by God in the Bible, you see that they were not spared from hurt, disappointment, or even betrayal.  The truth is, if you live long enough, you'll be wronged by someone. The question is, how will you react? The apostle Paul tells us how we should react: "Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another,

JAN. 10, 2026 The "downside" of immorality . "Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish."  Ps 39:8 KJV After his violation of Bathsheba, King David finally got honest and confessed his sin to Nathan the prophet. "Nathan said to David, 'The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However...by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme'"  (2Sa 12:13-14 KJV).  Later, David would write in the Ps

JAN. 9, 2026 Count your blessings . "All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you." Dt 28:2 NKJV An observant Jew says a minimum of one hundred blessing prayers each day, beginning with the Hebrew formula: Baruch Atah Adonai. Practicing Jews bless God when they see or experience something for the first time. They bless God for smells and tastes. And if something is pleasurable, they bless God. If you enjoy something without saying a blessing, according to the Talm

JAN. 8, 2026 Show your appreciation . "I thank my God every time I remember you."  Php 1:3 NIV Paul takes one entire chapter in the book of Romans to name the people who helped him and to express his appreciation for them. Showing that you care about people beyond what they can do for you lets them know you truly care about them. Sincere praise can energize others and cause them to spring up like wilted flowers that have just been watered. Oh, the dividends that a husband or

JAN. 7, 2026 Keep persevering and refuse to quit . "We count as blessed those who have persevered."  Jas 5:11 NIV We often think of great artists and musicians as having "bursts" of genius. But more often, they're models of painstaking patience and perseverance. Their greatest works tend to have been accomplished over longer periods and through extreme hardships.  Beethoven is said to have rewritten each bar of his music at least a dozen times.  Joseph Haydn produced more tha

JAN. 6, 2026 When your mate struggles with insecurity . "Jealousy [is] as cruel as the grave."  SS 8:6 NKJV If you're dealing with an insecure mate, you must make every effort to be accountable. It's important to voluntarily provide adequate details. After all, he or she is looking for assurance. Learn to explain your whereabouts in a casual but thorough manner. Short, one-syllable responses will provide more insecurity and leave the person to imagine various negative scenari

JAN. 4, 2026 Bible reading; the key to spiritual growth (3) "All Scripture is inspired by God."  2Ti 3:16 NCV Perhaps you wonder, "Is the Bible really inspired by God? Is it true, trustworthy, and infallible?" The answer is yes, and here are three reasons why:  (1) It is remarkable in composition .  It was composed over sixteen centuries by forty different authors, including soldiers, shepherds, farmers, and fishermen. Begun by Moses in Arabia and finished by John the Revelat