DEC. 15, 2025 Pray for a divine visitation . "Oh, that You would rend the heavens [and] come down!"  Isa 64:1 NKJV Jesus told the disciples just before He left this earth to return to heaven: "I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high"  (Lk 24:49 KJV). As a redeemed child of God, the Holy Spirit lives in you (see Ro 8:9).  But this promise indicates that you can also have the Holy Spirit resting

DEC. 14, 2025 Consult God in everything . "They did not ask counsel of the Lord."  Jos 9:14 NKJV Live with one ear toward heaven:  "Is this opportunity from you, God?"  "Are you in this venture, God?"  "Should I take this road, God?"  One time Joshua failed to do this and paid for it. Here's the story.  A group of strangers entered the camp of Israel saying, "From a very far country your servants have come" (v. 9 NKJV). Evidently, they knew God's law had made special provisio

DEC. 13, 2025 Live by the principles of God's Word . "Be careful to obey all...the Law."  Jos 23:6 NIV Entering the Promised Land, God told Joshua: "Be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses." You must identify your core values—and live by them. Swiss philosopher Henri-Frederic Amiel said,  "The man who has no inner life is a slave to his surroundings."   Your core values are the governing principles you live by.  They're the light that guides you

DEC. 12, 2025 Overcoming the fear of success . "Common sense and success belong to me."  Pr 8:14 NLT The fear of success derails many dreams. Sometimes success brings resentment from those closest to you. Being successful can also create its own anxiety; namely, you fear that you are unable to maintain your success. Then there's the fear of attracting people who want what you've got but are not willing to pay the price you paid to get it.  Solomon warned, "Wealth attracts man

DEC. 11, 2025 Blessings or cursings; the choice is yours . "Joshua built an altar to the Lord...in Mount Ebal." Jos 8:30 NKJV The Bible says, "Joshua built an altar to the Lord...in Mount Ebal..'an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool! And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord...Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal...He read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings" (Jos 8:30-3

DEC. 10, 2025 "Rescue Me". "In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles." Ps 34:6 NLT It had been twenty-five years since Fontella Bass's rhythm and blues single "Rescue Me" hit number one on the charts. She had no career to speak of, and she was penniless, tired, and cold. The only heat in her house came from a gas stove in the kitchen. She had strayed from her faith and the church where she started singing gospel songs as a child. As

DEC. 9, 2025 Accepting and appreciating your physical appearance. "Why did you make me this way?"  Isa 45:10 NLT Isaiah said that God "formed me in my mother's womb to be his servant"  (Isa 49:5 NLT).  God deliberately shaped each of us for His service. How then can we complain that we are too short, too tall, too dark, too fair, or too anything else that is unchangeable? The word "too" implies something is beyond what's desirable or more than what should be. How can anything

DEC. 8, 2025 Be an optimist (2) "In this world you will have trouble, but be brave! I have defeated the world." Jn 16:33 NCV Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, they don't have to define you or defeat you. Even if you cannot change them, you can overcome them. George Bernard Shaw wrote: "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances.  The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the cir

DEC. 8, 2025 Be an optimist (2) "In this world you will have trouble, but be brave! I have defeated the world." Jn 16:33 NCV Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, they don't have to define you or defeat you. Even if you cannot change them, you can overcome them. George Bernard Shaw wrote: "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances.  The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the cir

DEC. 7, 2025 Be optimistic (1) "God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good."  Ge 1:31 NKJV Before the age of two, Helen Keller lost her vision and her hearing. In an instant, her world went dark and silent. Then a godsend named Anne Sullivan broke through Helen's solitary confinement and touched her soul. As a result,  Helen became the first deaf/blind person to earn a bachelor's degree.  She also authored a dozen books, including a manifesto on her phil

DEC. 6, 2025 Let's honor one another . "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another."  Ro 12:10 NKJV Have you ever noticed how quick we are to accuse someone else of some of the very things we excuse in ourselves? In so doing, we practice a double standard, requiring more from others than of ourselves. Jesus said, " Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?"  (Mt

DEC. 5, 2025 "Don't compare yourself with others". "Don't compare yourself with others." Gal 6:4 MSG Paul wrote: "Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life"  (vv. 4-5). Jesus was insistent on this. After the resurrection, He appeared to some of His followers. He gave Peter a specific pastoral assignment that included great sacrifice. Peter responded by pointing at John and asking, ''Lord, wh

DEC. 4, 2025 As a parent you must be secure . "Train up a child in the way he should go."  Pr 22:6 NKJV Whether you lead at home, in church, or in business, you'll be called upon to make hard and unpopular decisions for the good of all concerned.  This is particularly so for parents.  Those who fear rejection or loss of a child's affection often "go along to get along." That's a selfish decision, because you're putting your own need to be loved and accepted above your child's

DEC. 3, 2025 God is for you! "This I know...God is for me." Ps 56:9 NKJV In his bestselling book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell defines the tipping point as "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point." It's the moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior passes the point of no return and gains acceptance. In the realm of physics, a tipping point is when an object is displaced from a stable state of equilibrium into a new state. In economics, it's

DEC. 2, 2025 Healing broken relationships. "Love makes up for all offenses." Pr 10:12 NLT Loving relationships are a cornerstone of life. They are the foundation of Christ's church and evidence that we have the love of God in our hearts. God places a big emphasis on how we relate to others, because our relationships impact every area of our lives: at home, at work, at church, at school, and during our everyday interactions.  A relationship built on love, sensitivity, and resp

DEC. 1, 2025 Keep your priorities straight . "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. " Ps 90:12 NLT When he became campaign manager for President George Bush and chairman of the Republican National Committee, Lee Atwater had accomplished the two things he wanted to do by the time he was forty years of age. Then he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Shortly before he died, he wrote these sobering words: "I acquired more wealth, power a

NOV. 30, 2025 This experience is preparing you . "The Lord, who delivered me from...the lion and...the bear...will deliver me from...this Philistine." 1Sa 17:37 NKJV Every experience in our past has prepared us for some future opportunity. God doesn't redeem only our souls; He also redeems our experiences, both good and bad. He does it by refining our character, developing our gifts, and teaching lessons that we can't learn any other way. We learn the most important lessons i

NOV. 29, 2025 Look for opportunities to "do good". "Do not forget to do good and to share." Heb 13:16 NKJV Peter describes the life of Jesus in these words: "Who went about doing good"  (Ac 10:38 NKJV). So, becoming more Christlike means looking for opportunities to do good. An anonymous author wrote: "When people are unreasonable, illogical, self-centered, and arrogant, love them anyway. When people insist that your goodness contains selfish motives, do good anyway. If you a

NOV. 28, 2025 Your words have power . "How forceful are right words!"  Job 6:25 NKJV Here are two stories from history that illustrate how the power of your words can affect others:  ( 1 ) One day an altar boy was serving the priest at a mass at the country church in his small village. The boy, nervous in his new role, accidentally dropped the cruet of wine. The priest struck him sharply on the cheek. Then in a gruff voice the congregation could hear, he shouted, "Leave the a

NOV. 27, 2025 Be sure to praise the Lord . "Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful."  Ps 33:1 NKJV Of 150 psalms recorded in the Bible, the dominant recurring theme is "praise the Lord!" The book is like a memo from psalmists that says, "Today be sure to praise the Lord."  In Psalm 34, David writes: "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shal