“Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
Matthew 26:42 (NKJV)

JULY 28 - His unmistakable scent; his legendary stride; his fury, his anointing — when Elijah appeared at Elisha’s field, no one could mistake what had happened. The coat of the fiery prophet Elijah was symbolically presented to Elisha, signaling to everyone that Elisha was to follow the prophet of God. At the time, Elisha’s livelihood was his team of oxen and his plow. When the man of God arrived, however, Elisha burned his plow until it became ash and roasted his oxen for a commemorative meal. There could be no retreat, just as there would be no retreat for Jesus when it came time for the Father’s will to be done on the cross. Jesus, as well as Elisha, walked confidently into the will of God. The will of God is not as mysterious as it may seem.

First Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us exactly what God’s will is for our lives: “Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” God’s will is contained in those explicit instructions: Don’t be like the world… Embrace God’s way of thinking… Always be joyful… Keep on praying… And always be thankful.

We fulfill God’s will when we follow these commands. To live in such a way means we must be thoroughly finished with our own way of living. We must burn the bridges to our own righteousness, troubles, and time constraints. The bridge of God’s Word that lies in front of us transports us to God’s will. The secret, nonetheless, is to remain firmly on the bridge.

Father, I thank You that I am not conformed to this world, but I am transformed by the renewing of my mind, and I prove what is Your good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Family Scripture Reading

Romans 16

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Posted under Sacrfice

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
Proverbs 27:17 (NKJV)

JULY 27 - If the relationship between Joseph and Jesus had not given birth to change, foretelling something new, then their close association as parent and child would have been completely unnecessary. So, with schooling behind Him, wood chips now intriguingly clung to Jesus’ fingertips, the pegs hammered straight, just as Joseph instructed. Change and growth compellingly marked the relationship between Joseph and Jesus, the carpenter and his apprentice. Joseph’s firstborn Son was willing to learn how to work as an adult, convincing others by His presence to live honest and pure.

If you are not changing and growing as a result of your relationships, then what is the point of continuing  them? Is there something beyond the fishing trips and the shopping sprees?We must not allow mediocrity to penetrate our lives through the influence of mediocre relationships! Such influence may appear benign, but like cancer, it is indeed deadly.

If you are going to be thrust into a dynamic future, then you must surround yourself with dynamic, excellent individuals who might sometimes even make you feel uncomfortable, as was often the case with the master and his apprentice—father and Son. These individuals compel you, by their very presence, to unearth the excellence within yourself. Embrace their correction and allow them to be honest with you. By doing this, change is inevitable.

Father, I thank You as iron sharpens iron, I sharpen those I call friend.

Family Scripture Reading

Romans 15

Featured Resource

Flourishing Financially - CD

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Posted under Relationship

“Tune your ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure.”
Proverbs 2:2-4 (NLT)

“I love all who love Me. Those who search for Me will surely find Me.”
Proverbs 8:17 (NLT)

JULY 26 - Wisdom is available to everyone. Unfortunately, pride keeps many people from reaching for God, causing them to stay imprisoned in their situation. Ask anyone who is in debt, without a job, or in a troubled marriage, “How much time do you spend pursuing God’s Word?” Their answer will be the same—little or none at all.

As His ministry began, Jesus, “Wisdom Himself,” saturated the pages of God’s Holy Word, dumbfounding Israel’s scholarly priests with practical lessons for the young and old. And as He walked in that wisdom, respect for His ministry grew. Solomon tells us, “Wisdom is the principal thing.”

Without wisdom, we cannot fulfill the will of God for our lives, nor can we live above the circumstances of life. Wisdom is the ability to accurately apply God’s Word to every situation. What kind of life do we want? Our answer determines the type of action we need to take. We must take the wisdom of God and apply it, like lotion of aloe, to those areas where we need improvement.

The Word of God can be applied to all situations, but only those willing to embrace God’s thoughts experience true wisdom from Heaven.

I tune my ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding. I search for them as I would search for lost money or hidden treasure. I love wisdom and humble myself by reaching for God’s understanding.

Family Scripture Reading

Genesis 28

Featured Resource

Flourishing Financially - CD

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Posted under Wisdom

“From this time on, the sword will be a constant threat to your family, because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. But you have given the enemies of the Lord great opportunity to despise and blaspheme Him, so your child will die.”
2 Samuel 12:10, 14 (NLT)

JULY 25 - As He matured into a man, Jesus undoubtedly began to realize His mission on earth—to provide forgiveness for the sin of all mankind. But God’s forgiveness through Christ does not override the consequences that come from my sin. Just because I repent for my sin does not mean I won’t experience the consequences of that sin. This was the case for David. When Nathan confronted David over his sin with Bathsheba, David repented and made this declaration, “I have sinned against God and God alone.” Although David repented, the sword did not leave David’s family and his infant son also died
(2 Samuel 12:10, 14).

Forgiveness does not mean God wipes away the consequences of our sin—it simply means He wipes away the memory of the sin we committed, like marks wiped away from a glass (Psalm 103:12). But I must face up to the consequences of my decisions and accept them, knowing they are a result of my own construction. I go to God to clear the shame, guilt, and memory that stem from my lack of obedience, but I do not expect God to remove the harvest of my wrongdoing.

God is just, and the law of sowing and reaping works both ways. Life returns to me exactly what I put into it. And that is a truth I must embrace, otherwise, I get angry at God for not removing the varied consequences of my choices.

Father, I thank You that You forgive me. I understand that human consequences exist, even in the face of divine forgiveness, and I humbly accept the harvest of my decisions.

Family Scripture Reading

Romans 14

Featured Resource

Flourishing Financially - CD

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Posted under Consequences

“You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
Colossians 3:13 (NLT)

MARCH 11 - The bitter herb found on the Seder plate, usually foul-smelling horseradish, helps Jews around the world deal with the remembrance of the bitter things that happened before and during their flight from Egypt. One of the most effective weapons hell possesses is bitterness. God gave us the mighty weapon of forgiveness to combat bitterness. Bitterness wipes the smile from the heart and siphons passion from someone who desires to serve God and love His people. It paralyzes the gifts and abilities God placed within us.

In order to experience true happiness, we must overcome any offense that Satan brings our way. People will utter unkind words concerning us, hurt us, and even betray us. Yet, we must respond in faith and forgive anyone who wrongs us. Through forgiveness, we defeat the spirit of bitterness, conquering it once and for all.

Understanding how much Jesus forgave us is crucial when it comes to us forgiving others. We cannot afford to harbor offense within our hearts. Unforgiveness leads to sickness and disease within our bodies. We must be quick to follow the words of the apostle Paul, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32). By following this instruction to forgive, we can walk free from bitterness (and its foul smell) and live tenderhearted, peaceable lives.

Daily Confession

Father, I thank You that I make allowance for the faults of others and I forgive those who offend me.

Day 11: Audio Confession

Family Scripture Reading

Ecclesiastes 9

Featured Resource

The Great Exchange - Book

Many believers are unaware that they do not have to be held prisoner to the fearful, accusatory, and worrisome thoughts that race through their minds on a daily basis. Since these thoughts sound like their own inner voice, people entertain them and then find themselves tormented by guilt, fear, rejection, anger, and unforgiveness.

But God not only instructs us to choose our thoughts – He tells us exactly what we should think about to experience God’s best for our life!

Through hard experience and extensive study of God’s Word, Dr. Robb Thompson has learned how to replace Satan’s thoughts of fear and failure with God’s higher thoughts of life and victory. Now he passes on this vital lesson to you. So get ready to take control of your thought life. It’s time to renovate your mind with the Word of God!

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction
1 From Conformed to Transformed
2 Identified With Jesus
3 The Key to Victory: Understanding Righteousness
4 God Has Already Qualified You!
5 Let Go of the Past
6 The Life-or-Death Power of Words
7 Eliminating Confusion From Your Life
8 Scriptural Strategies for Conquering

Posted under Forgiveness