As I pray for people with health issues, I always ask them what I can pray specifically for. The majority of the time, the answer is always the same; healing. Right now, there are people that are reading this devotional that are dealing with health issues and are asking for the same prayer to be prayed.

Today’s scripture reminds us that God does restore our health and heals our wounds. In His time, in His way, for His purpose. If you have been praying for healing and have not yet received it, do not be discouraged. The same God that was with you during your health is the same God that will be with you during your trials. One day, He will restore you and heal you.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!

When it comes to Christ’s return, there are many opinions, ideas and theories. In fact, some have made a “living” predicting when Jesus will return. They boldly proclaim a date/time and when that time has passed, they change it to another day. I personally do not get caught up in the “when” of Christ’s return, but I do focus on the “why” of Christ’s return.

In today’s passage, Jesus tells us, “⁸ But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” Many look upon Christ’s return with fear because they are not prepared/ready for that day. Jesus tells us that His return is the beginning of something new. The most important day in our lives is not the day of Jesus’ return, but everyday leading up to that day. If we choose to live our lives today honoring Jesus then we have nothing to fear about His return. Live today so that you will not have to worry about tomorrow.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!

Deep inside of us is a temptation to do things that we are told not to do. For example, we feel the need to touch a wall that has a “wet paint” sign on it. We are immediately drawn to those things that we know are “forbidden”.

The same can be said for our walk with Jesus. Jesus tells us in Matthew, “¹⁷ Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. ¹⁸ Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.” It is a good reminder that when we turn to Jesus, we are to leave those past “things” behind that have been a distraction or barrier that has blocked us from Jesus. Yes, there will always be a temptation for those things that are bad for us, but Jesus reminds us to “¹⁷ not turn back”. Remember, your past will never be as good as your future with Jesus.

Yesterday, I was speaking to a group of high school students and explaining to them how the Holy Spirit moves in our lives. I gave them many examples, including how the Holy Spirit will convict us of our sin. As I look at our society, I personally believe that one of the greatest declines in our population is that of conviction.

Matthew reminds us of this point today as we read of how Judas betrayed Jesus. After agreeing to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, he looked at Jesus and asked, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” In essence, Judas mocked Jesus because he was unwilling to take responsibility for his actions. That is exactly what happens when we no longer feel convicted of our sins — we refuse to take responsibility for our actions. Take time today to confess your sins to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. Remember, thanks to Jesus, your sins are forgiven because your sins are forgotten.

Recently, I put a “thought of the day” on our Facebook page that said: “One’s funeral will define what mattered most to them.” I think that this statement is very true. I have also heard that when you look at a person’s tombstone, it is not the birth or death date that matters, it is the dash in between. What will the dash between the two dates say about you? What will the people that speak at your funeral say about you? When I perform a funeral service, I often remind the audience that the message that is given was not prepared by me, but rather it was prepared by the person as they lived each day. Was their message an example that we should follow? Was their life a reminder of things to avoid? Or, was it a combination of both?

2 Kings 13:5-6 – ⁵ Then the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before. ⁶ Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the wooden image also remained in Samaria.

I have often heard that the Lord will not give us more than what we can handle. Whether it be temptation, trials, stress or problems, God knows what we can deal with and what is too much for us. That saying is meant to serve as a comfort and encouragement to us during those difficulties. “If God knows what I can handle, then I can handle this”.  Many of us have said this and many of us have used this to persevere and triumph over those hurdles in life.

This passage talks about the Lord delivering Israel “from under the hand of the Syrians“. The Lord knew what they could handle and delivered them when it was too much for them. But how did they respond?  “⁶ Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam” the Lord delivered them, but they did not change. The Lord did not deliver Israel so that they could remain the same, He delivered them so that they could be changed. He does the same things in our lives. The Lord will always give us an “out” for our sin, the question is will we take it and be grateful for that opportunity. Or, will we continue without receiving the benefit and blessing of what the Lord has done for us?

We live in a time when marriage is under attack. The definition of marriage has been re-defined outside of the guidelines of God’s Word. Less people are seeing the need to marry, instead choosing to live together. Finally, marriages are under attack by the enemy through distractions and temptations.

My prayer for today is for the Lord to cover and bless those that are married in accordance to God’s Word and strengthen those relationships each day. I also pray for those that have been married but have had their relationships end in divorce. I pray for healing of wounds and removal of scars that were left as a result of the ending of that marriage. May all of us continue to see marriage as a beautiful gift from God that should be cared for, honored and nurtured according to God’s plan.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!