The Christian's Guide To A Godly Life 40 Day Devotional (Revised)

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The Christian’s Guide

to a
Godly Life©
A 40 Day Devotional for Spiritual Transformation
By G.W. Martinez
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Table of Contents:
Introduction: 4
Part I: Our Motivation. 7
Chapter 1: God’s Unfailing Love. 8

Day 1 – 4
Chapter 2: God’s Amazing Grace. 18

Day 5 – 7
Chapter 3: God’s Compassion for His People. 27

Day 8 – 11
Part II: Our Foundation. 39
Chapter 4: The Trust of God. 40

Day 12 – 16
Chapter 5: Faith. 57
Day 17 – 19
Part VI: Our Devotion 68
Chapter 6: Prayer: Our Response to God. 69

Day 21 – 23
Chapter 7: Honoring God with Worship, Thanksgiving and Praise. 81

Day 24 - 26
Part V: Our Transformation 93
Chapter 8: Godly Conviction. 94

Day 27 – 30
Chapter 9: Growth and Transformation. 116

Day 31 – 34
Part VI: Our Obligation 133
Chapter 10: Meeting the Needs of Others. 134

Day 35 - 38
Chapter 11: Living a life that Brings God Glory. 155

Day 39 – 40
Conclusion 167
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Introduction:
One of the most challenging aspects of our spiritual journey is to fulfill what we
and God desire for our lives, namely, to be transformed everyday into the
likeness of Christ. The external requirements of obedience to God’s word are
difficult enough, but to effect a transformation in our hearts that leads to a
permanent transformation of our lives is something that is not only difficult but
can be truly said to only come through supernatural intervention.
What this study intends to do is to help us to grow by helping us develop

conviction according to the hierarchy of our spiritual needs. The way God has
created us we are products of our spiritual perspectives and convictions. God
created us with a hierarchy of spiritual needs, where certain needs take priority
over others; and by developing conviction and fulfilling our most important
spiritual needs, we can build on them, resulting in a faithful and glorious Christian
life.
The most important thing that we need to understand is that all spirituality begins
within the heart:
Prov 4:23
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life. NIV
Without our hearts, attempting to live the Christian life will be futile. It may serve
the temporary purpose of giving us the opportunity of living life by God’s perfect
principles, yet unless the heart grows, in the end it will be a vain attempt that will
result in living a hypocritical life. Like Jesus said:
Mark 7:6-7
6 He [Jesus] replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites;
as it is written:
"'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain ;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.' NIV Parenthesis and italics mine.
God has created us to live first by our hearts and then by our actions. When we
are fully convinced of God’s truths in our hearts, we live lives of strong faith and
love that produce deeds that bring God glory. If we are not grounded fully in the
truth, we will find the Christian life a series of rules and traditions that have lost
their meaning; resulting in a religious rollercoaster ride, which constantly take us
from the heights of spiritual victory, to the depth of spiritual despair. Until our
internal selves are full of faith and the love of God, we will be blown here and
there by every emotion, idea, desire, and temptation, becoming slaves to our
internal nature and powerless against our external circumstances. We will
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become slaves to anything and everything that competes for God’s lordship in
our lives, such as: our jobs, the economy, money, our spouse, our kids, our
emotions, our sin, and whatever else competes with our devotion to God. We
will become easily distracted, ultimately leading to a fruitless life: As Jesus said in
the Parable of the Sower:
Mark 4:18-19
8 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of
this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and
choke the word, making it unfruitful. NIV
On the contrary, God has designed us so that when our more important spiritual
needs are met, we are able to live faithfully and consistently adhering to the
requirements God expects from our lives as Christians. What I mean is that if we
have weak faith, we will not be able to live faithful lives; but if we have strong
faith we will be strong till our last breath. If we struggle in our trust of God, we
will be weak in our obedience to Him; yet if we trust God, nothing will be
impossible for us. If we lack love, we will not be able to faithfully serve others;
but if we love deeply we will be able to share in God’s love, as well as share that
love with others. Therefore, we must be transformed in our hearts, if we want to
be transformed in our lives.
This study is designed to influence the hierarchy of our spiritual needs, by

helping us develop conviction on each spiritual level of our hearts; and by doing
so we will be sufficiently strengthened to make lasting changes in our lives. The
hierarchy is as follows:
Obligation Living a life that

Glorifies God
Transformation
Godly Conviction
Devotion
Walking with God
Foundation Trust in God/ Faith in God
Motivation God’s Love
When we build and strengthen one foundation, then can we build on it to

sufficiently strengthen the next. On the other hand, if we do not establish strong
foundations on the most important aspects of our spiritual walk, we will not be
able to sustain the convictions that we need to live a godly life. Therefore, just as
a master builder raises a structure to withstand the test of time; as we build, and
God helps us to build, we will create a life that will not only stand the test of time,
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trials, temptation, and trouble, but will ultimately end in the glory of God, both in
this life and the next.
So I say, strap yourselves in and be prepared for a journey that will last 40 days.
It will be full of joys and struggles, as we wrestle with our hearts to gain the
conviction that God wants for us and that will help us to grow ever so close to
Him. I suggest that we take time to memorize the scriptures at the end of each
day’s study, or at least meditate on them as the day moves on. Each study ends
with a decision that we make to ourselves and to God, which will help us commit
ourselves to the convictions and principles that God conveys to us in scripture;
as well as a practical application of the principle that will help us to begin living
these convictions in our daily life. Younger Christians may find it beneficial to do
one study per day, while older Christians may find that doing a few studies at a
time more beneficial. I have also added additional studies at the end for
additional inspiration and growth.
I myself can testify that I am a changed man due to the hundreds of scriptures
that you will find in this study; and I continue to review and meditate on them to
this day. I hope that they will have a similar or greater impact in your life, and I
pray that your transformation will fulfill our ultimate purpose in this life as
Christians, namely, to bring God glory in all that we are and in everything that we
do, for now and until eternity. To God be the glory, forever and ever, Amen.
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Our Motivation
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Chapter 1: God’s Unfailing Love.
Day 1: God is Love
1 John 4:16
16…God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. NIV
God describes Himself in one word. Even though He has all of His amazing
attributes, His amazing abilities and his awesome, majestic, powerful, and
omniscient qualities, He describes Himself in one word, and that word is love.
Love is the embodiment of who God is and everything that God does. When it
comes to creation, even destruction, it is all manifested out of the love that God
has and the loving being that He is.
God created us because of His love for us. His being, out of the overflow of love,
created us as objects to love. We would not exist if God was not love, for we
would have no reason to exist. This is why we have the capacity to love. As
God has created us as the objects of His love He has endowed us with the
capacity to love Him back. This capacity is seen very clearly in us when we are
born and as children, when we are at the most innocent stage in our lives. We
were born out of love and created to love in a symbiotic relationship with our
Creator. As the Bible says:
1 John 4:7-8
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who
loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not
know God, because God is love. NIV
Without God, there is no love, and without love there is no connection with God.
This is why so many people have lived their lives without a relationship with God,
because they refuse to love.
One reason it is difficult to love is because of the increase of wickedness in this

world. This is the direct result of being the recipients of the consequences of sin
in a fallen world. For example, I have been in relationships where other people
have been betrayed the love I gave them. When I experienced this
unfaithfulness, I hardened my heart to loving in that way ever again. The
hardening of my heart developed made it difficult to love the same way again.
Consequently, being in a world with fallen souls with weak morals, being hurt
again and again was commonplace, and my heart grew harder and harder. It
was only by being exposed to the pure love of God, that my heart could come to
life again, and be able to fulfill my capacity to love.
Another reason it may be difficult for us to understand how to love and to grasp
the love of God is because many of us have been exposed to parental figures
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that fared way below any standard of holiness and were not very good examples
of God. God’s attributes include unconditional love, abundant compassion,
patience, kindness, gentleness, mercy, grace, providence, security,
encouragement, and the like. Unfortunately, our parents, though I am sure they
tried, fell short of ever displaying these qualities consistently in our lives. I don’t
necessarily blame them, because being part of a fallen world; they are weak in
their natural selves to sustain any semblance at godliness. Yet, the unfortunate
result of being exposed to these “not so great” parental examples is a much
distorted picture of God and a difficulty in trusting Him; and consequentially a
difficult time in loving Him due to the hardness of our hearts.
Yet how do we again tap into our God given capacity to love God and accept His
love? The Bible has the simplest and the best solution:
1 John 4:19
19 We love because he first loved us . NIV
Our capacity to love and the ability for that love to grow is dependent on our
exposure to the great and amazing love of God. Therefore, we must be
overwhelmingly exposed to God’s great love in order to melt the coldness of our
hearts and again breathe life into our souls. The more exposure we have
available to us of the love of God the more our hearts will melt at His very
presence. Our greatest examples of this are the vast amount of scriptures that
testify to the awesome love of God.
These first few weeks of this 40 days study, we will embark on an adventure
through the Bible in search of the great love of God. We will look at all of the
amazing qualities of God’s love, so that by doing so, our hearts will melt and fall
in love with our great and awesome God. We will look at how unworthy we truly
are of God’s love, to help us to appreciate Him more. And we will look at how
God has demonstrated His love to us, so that we will have proof to help us truly
believe in how much God truly and abundantly loves us, His children.
Question for reflection:
If God were willing to let Jesus die to regain a relationship with us, then what
does that say about the extent of God’s love for us?
Decision:
I will seek to more deeply understand God abundant love for me.
Scripture Memory:
1 John 4:16
16…God is love . Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. NIV
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Practice:
I will reflect on God’s great love for me today.

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Day 2: God’s Unfailing Love
Psalms 33:5
5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
NIV
The first quality that we see about God’s love is that it is unfailing. Unfailing,
means never ending, and everlasting; in other words nothing in this universe can
ever prevent or hinder God’s love. Therefore, if God loves us, his love is an
unstoppable force that nothing in the world can ever hinder from reaching us, and
most importantly, it will never fail us.
When people love it is unsecure and untrustworthy because of our limited ability
as human beings to sustain our love. One guarantee of human love is that it will
fail at one time or another. The guarantee we have with God’s love is that it will
never fail, because God has no limitations, and nothing in the universe can ever
stop God. As the Bible says:
Rom 8:38-9:1
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV
The Bible is full of scriptures of God’s unfailing love. Here are a few that we can
reflect on to begin our journey toward spiritual transformation with the right
perspective in mind:
Psalms 32:10
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.
NIV
Psalms 33:18
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, NIV
Psalms 52:8
8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love
forever and ever. NIV
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These scriptures only begin to touch the hem of what encompasses God’s great
love for us. This is why I have added additional scriptures in the appendix to help
us to continue to reflect on the truth of God’s love and begin the spiritual
transformation that God so desperately desires of us. Our goal is to know God’s
love fully so that we in turn can fully love. It is a pursuit that must never be
abandoned and one that we should pray for every day. As Paul says:
Eph 3:14-19
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in
heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he
may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted
and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp
how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this
love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the
fullness of God. NIV
What does God’s unfailing love mean to you?
Decision:
I will trust in God’s unfailing love, no matter what my circumstance.
Scripture memory:
Psalms 32:10
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him. NIV
Practice:
No matter what today’s circumstances, I will believe that God’s love is always
with me.
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Day 3: God’s Eternal Love
Psalms 100:5
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
NIV
God being eternal, has and expresses eternal love for His creation. This means
that as long as God lives He will continue to shower his love for mankind and His
creation, and because God lives forever, His love endures forever. How many of
us questioned how long another person’s love would last, especially when they
would eventually discover our shortcomings and weakness and know our
deepest darkest secrets? Well, God already knows our deepest darkest secrets,
has seen us at our worst and yet continues to deeply love us from the day we
were created till now, and well into the future.
The ultimate sign of God’s love was to let Jesus die for us. Jesus did not die
because of how good we were, Jesus died because of how bad we are; not
because of our devotion but because of our ingratitude. This is what makes God
truly perfect, because His love is unconditionally perfect.
Another benefit of God’s enduring love is that because He loves eternally He

wants us to love Him eternally and therefore grants us eternal life to do so. God
is so driven to love us forever that He would let his son die on a cross to remove
what would prevent us from being able to be the objects of his love for eternity,
namely, sin. God loves us despite our sin, even though our sin may hinder us
from loving Him back. As the Bible says:
Rom 5:6-8
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the
ungodly . 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good
man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. NIV
And,
2 Cor 5:20-21
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God. NIV
God will go to any length to win our hearts back to Him. He sent Jesus to earth
to teach us, love us, and to die on a cross to for our sins; because God’s eternal
love will overcome any obstacle to His relationship with us.
Therefore, let us take time to reflect on the God’s eternal love so that we can do
our part and return that love in an eternal relationship with our Maker
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How does it make you feel to know that God has always loved you, whether as a
sinner, and now as a Christian, and that His love will never end?
Decision:
I will fully believe that God’s love for me will never end, no matter what I do, and I
will thank Him daily for it.
Scripture memory:
Psalms 118:1
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever. NIV
Practice:
I will meditate on God’s eternal love today and thank Him for devoting Himself to
me forever.
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Day 4: God’s Mercy and Grace.
Micah 7:18
18 Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy. NIV
God’s love has many qualities, yet none has a larger impact in our lives than His
mercy and His grace. You see, God’s love is unfailing, and God’s love is eternal,
yet we, being fallen creatures and limited in our abilities, constantly fail God, hurt
God, and take our love away from Him. God’s love is so great that in response
to our moral frailties, He takes the high road and provides mercy, forgiveness
and an abundance of grace. God’s love is so immense that it is against His
nature to not love us because of our weaknesses.
Jesus expressed God’s heart toward our shortcomings best when nailed to a
cross he says:
Luke 23:33-34
34 … "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
NIV
As a father looks at his child when the child fails, is rebellious or even takes their
love a way, God looks at us with a heart full of mercy and grace, understanding
and replying with the phrase “I forgive you, for I know you do not know what you
are doing.”
I have a two year old son, who loves to play the game, “I am not going to give
you love until you give me what I want” (I actually know many adults like this, but
for now let’s stick to the topic of children). Consequently, when I take something
away from him that I believed to be dangerous or unsafe, he’ll get angry and
want to pull away. I try to explain it to him, but he is angry at me for taking away
what he wanted. I try to give him a hug and he runs away from me. I pick him
up, and he struggles to get away from me. Does it hurt? Heavens, yes! Yet,
what goes through my heart and mind? “I forgive you, son, for you do not know
what you are doing.”
God’s overwhelming love for us would determine that God does not want us to
sin, not because of what it does to Him, but because of what it does to us, and
His heart reaches out to love and protect us. When we do sin, His heart is one of
mercy and grace because His love rises to a higher level of understanding of our
moral struggle.
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This is directly contradictory to the world and to traditional religion that uses the
threat of eternal punishment as a motivation for us to be obedient. The world
and traditional religion says, “Don’t do wrong or you will get punished, and if you
do wrong the punishment will be severe.” The God of the Bible says, “Don’t do
wrong because you will hurt yourself, yet even if you do wrong I will love you,
have compassion on you, forgive you, and help you.”
Though this may be difficult for many of us to grasp, we must accept that God’s
love is not determined by our perception. Whether we believe it, feel it,
understand it, accept it or not, God’s love is here to stay. The truth is that my
feelings change day to day but God’s love never changes. Yet, due to our trust
in our perception over God’s truth we battle back and forth trying to believe
whether God’s love is real. We are totally convinced one day, and the next day
in doubt as to whether God really loves us.
What prevents us from accepting what the Bible says about the unconditional
love of God, is the same thing that prevents our children from doing what we say
that will benefit and protect them; namely rebelliousness. We decide to believe
and trust ourselves (our perception), and how we feel (our emotion) over God’s
truth. Only when we truly humble ourselves and trust what God says over what
we perceive will we truly be able to accept and grasp God’s great mercy, grace
and love for us, and receive the incredible blessings that come from this belief.
Here are a few scriptures that testify to the love and mercy of God for his
children. When we decide to believe what God says in scripture over our own
feelings, will we be able to understand God’s mercy and grace and truly find help
in our time of need:
Ex 34:5-7
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the
compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and
faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion
and sin. NIV
Isaiah 55:7
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon. NIV
Eph 2:4-10
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive
with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have
been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the
heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might
show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in
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Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this
not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can
boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. NIV
In conclusion, God’s love is unfailing, eternal, full of mercy and grace, and there
is and never will be anything that I can ever do to prevent God from loving me.
God’s love is always waiting for us, and is always there for us because it is
impossible for God to deny His nature, because God is love. If we devote
ourselves to Him we will be showered with His love, if we turn away He will be
waiting in expectation to overwhelm us with His compassion and grace. As the
Bible demonstrates in the parable of the Prodigal Son:
Luke 15:20-24
"But while he was still a long way off , his father saw him and was filled with
compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed
him.
21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I
am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on
him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf
and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and
is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. NIV
What kind of response does God want from us for letting Jesus die on the cross
to forgive us all of our sins?
Decision:
I will accept God’s forgiveness, mercy and grace no matter what I feel or believe.
Scripture memory:
Romans 9:16
16 It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.
Practice:
No matter what mistakes I make today, I will claim the grace, mercy and love
God has for me.
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Chapter 2: God’s Amazing Grace.
Day 5: Why We Need Grace.
Jer 2:13
13 "My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water. NIV
There is no greater demonstration of God’s great love for us than in His sacrifice
of Jesus for our sins. Grace is defined as receiving a gift when one does not
deserve it. What we sometimes forget or fail to realize is that we not only did not
deserve any gifts from God, but we deserved the most heinous punishment that
anyone could ever receive because of our rebellious lives of sin.
God has feelings, as we have feelings, and it is even said that we have feelings
because we are made in God’s image. It makes sense that God, being perfect,
has emotions that can never be minimized, invalidated, distracted or ignored. In
other words, God does not harden His heart to avoid feeling deeply painful
situations, nor does He use defense mechanisms, as we do in our attempts to
avoid feeling our pain. God feels deeply, passionately, fully and perfectly, and
when we sin, the hurt in God’s heart is of the deepest, most painful experiences
that any being can ever experience. God, who experiences this heartache, does
not keep silent, but communicates these feelings to us through the pages of
scripture:
Gen 6:5-7
6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was
filled with pain . NIV
Jer 14:17
17 "Speak this word to them:
"'Let my eyes overflow with tears
night and day without ceasing;
for my virgin daughter — my people —
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow. NIV
It is no wonder God feels this level of pain. To God, sin is equated to

unfaithfulness and abandonment, and therefore our passionate God feels deeply
pained by our sinful lives. God constantly compares his pain at our sin to the
pain one would feel in an unfaithful relationship:
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Hos 1:2
2 When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go,
take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness , because the
land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD." NIV
Jer 3:20
20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
so you have been unfaithful to me, O house of Israel,"
declares the LORD. NIV
Because sin is equal to unfaithfulness to God, then it merits the most severe
punishment imaginable, in proportion to the pain that we have caused Him.
For example, I have a friend, who I shall call Sarah. She was the picture of
absolute joy and radiance on her wedding day. She declared her vows to her
love, was married before God, and joyfully committed herself to this one
individual for the rest of her life. A few weeks after coming back from her
honeymoon, she discovered a new bride’s worst nightmare; she discovers that
her Prince Charming, was actually a toad. She discovered that her spouse was
having an affair the entire time she was dating, engaged and married (a
devastating yet common situation).
Imagine how you would feel being in Sarah’s shoes. Imagine the pain of betrayal
and the enduring heartache that accompanies such a traumatic experience.
What we must understand is that God has to endure the feelings that accompany
our constant unfaithfulness when we as Christians sin again, again and again, or
settle for a half-hearted relationship to him. It is true that God forgives us, but he
feels the pain of our unfaithfulness without measure. Though He knows that, “we
know not what we do,” He still has to watch, feel and endure as we go through it.
Along with the unfaithfulness of our sins, God also compares sin with
abandonment. The pain of being abandoned is a pain that can rival the pain of
unfaithfulness, in intensity and depth of despair. When someone you love
abandons you there is a sense of lost love and hurt that is very difficult to recover
from. The abandonment can be subtle, such as emotional and physical neglect,
or blatant, when the person leaves you and takes their love somewhere else.
We experience these pains deeply, especially when our level of trust is so great,
that it is unimaginable and unbearable to us to ever lose this person we love so
dearly. Yet God feels this pain all of the time because of our refusal to love Him,
our Father and Creator, and especially when we turn our backs on Him:
Isa 59:12-13
12 For our offenses are many in your sight,
and our sins testify against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:
13 rebellion and treachery against the LORD,
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turning our backs on our God,

fomenting oppression and revolt,
uttering lies our hearts have conceived. NIV
We must soberly understand that like a jealous or abandoned spouse, our sin
angers God to no avail. Though this is not a pleasant thought, it is the reality; our
unfaithfulness incurs God’s wrath. God will destroy the sinful, because of His
righteous indignation and because of His overwhelming justice. Our sin will bring
us what our deeds deserve, which is a horrific thought, because God who does
not lie will judge those who disobey Him. As the Bible says:
Ps 90:11
11 Who knows the power of your anger?
For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. NIV
Heb 10:31
31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. NIV
We must see our need for grace by meditating on our deep sinfulness, in order to
be grateful for the grace that God has given us. We must see our powerlessness
so that we can truly depend on God’s powerfulness and desperately reach out for
His mercy and grace. You see, only when we are broken and truly see our
depraved hearts and destitute situations can we see our need for God’s grace.
Today we have meditated on our sinfulness and the depravity of the human
heart. It was not meant to discourage us, but to sober us to truly be grateful for
the amazing gift of grace that God has given to us in Jesus Christ.
How grateful should we be for Jesus dying on the cross, and saving us from the
impending punishment that was brought upon us by our sinful lives?
Decision:
I will communicate to God my gratitude daily, in word and action, for Jesus’
sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins.
Scripture memory:
Eph 2:4-6
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive
with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have
been saved . NIV
Practical:
I will thank God today for the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for my sins.
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Day 6: God and His Amazing Grace.
Rom 5:8
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. NIV
In all of God’s wondrous love, He found a way for us not to have to receive the
full punishment and wrath for our sins; yet it came at a great sacrifice for Him.
Because of our rebelliousness and our plight, only the death of someone sinless
and perfect could atone for our sinful and self-serving lives, and the punishment
that our lives incurred. It would mean that God would have to send his son to
earth to die for the sins of the world.
Far be it from me to say that I fully understand what that would be equivalent to.
To leave heaven and come to earth, I can probably imagine it being similar to
you or I becoming a cockroach, to live amongst other vile and disgusting
creatures and living in the cesspool of a city’s sewer system. For Jesus to
exchange His glory for ours, and come to earth, was a true sacrifice:
2 Cor 8:9
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet
for your sakes he became poor , so that you through his poverty might become
rich. NIV
Phil 2:5-7
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing ,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. NIV
Then the sovereign and all powerful creator of the universe sets about living and
residing among his creation. He was humiliated, disrespected, beaten, spat
upon, ridiculed, mocked, and rejected by His very creation; and He, full of all of
the power in the universe, and an unconditional love for His creation, stood there
and took it:
Isa 53:3
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not. NIV
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Jesus, as God in the flesh, being morally perfect in every way, was accused of
wrongdoing, of blasphemy, and even declared to be punished by God for His
evil:
Isa 53:4
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted. NIV
He took the beatings, maltreatment, ridicule and torture designed for the worst of
criminals; barely recognizable when they had finished with Him:
Isa 52:14
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him —
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness — NIV
Finally, He was given over to death, mocked until His last dying breath:
Matt 27:39-40
39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and
saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save
yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" NIV
God sacrificed all of this, all in the hope that one day we would return to Him, re-
establish our relationship with Him, and live a new life devoted to righteousness:
1 Peter 2:23-24
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins
and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. NIV
Therefore, God, because of His unfailing, and overwhelming love for us, when
we had turned our backs on Him and became His enemies, sacrificed everything
to have a relationship with us. What we must also understand is that God did
this only for us, to save us from the impending doom that was hanging over us,
rescuing us from a punishment that would soon be discharged against us:
Rom 5:9-11
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be
saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies ,
we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having
been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we
also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received reconciliation. NIV
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God has demonstrated what true love is, because He laid down His life for us.
When we were His enemies, Christ died for us, truly demonstrating how much of
a Father, God, and friend He is to us. Now that we are his children, how much
more help do you think we will receive from God? If I do good to my enemy, how
much more will I do for my friend? Because of this we know we will be saved, we
know we will receive the help we need in this difficult life, and we know God will
do whatever it takes to get us to heaven. As the Bible says:
Phil 1:6
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus. NIV
Questions for reflection:
If God were willing to go to these lengths to have a relationship with us, to what
lengths will He go to help us make it to heaven?
Decision:
I will honor Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross by dedicating myself to a life completely
devoted to God.
Scripture memory:
Rom 5:8
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. NIV
Practice:
Today I will thank God for Jesus’ sacrifice and show Him my gratitude by striving
to be righteous in all the circumstances I face today.
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Day 7: God’s Grace for the Christian.
Rom 8:32
32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he
not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? NIV
If God were willing to go to any and all lengths to love us, what will He not do for
us? How much am I worth to God, that He would sacrifice so much, all to have a
relationship with me? Though it may be difficult to grasp, if God was willing to
sacrifice what was most precious to Him to have a relationship with me, to win
me back from a life of sin and destruction and to provide me the opportunity to
live with Him eternally, will he not also provide me the help that I need to
overcome the obstacles that I face every day, the providence to supply what I
and my family need, the wisdom to help me make the best decisions, guidance
for my life that will benefit me and my family, and finally the strength to persevere
through any difficulty until I see Him in heaven?
For example, I was once in a foreign country, and I met a young man in the
marketplace who wanted to sell me an old, beat up wristwatch for ten dollars. I
laughed because the watch was broken, and one of the watch hands was
missing. After I laughed, this young man raised the value to fifty dollars. I began
to laugh harder because it was getting silly. Then the he continues to raise the
price to one hundred dollars. By this time it was not funny anymore and I thought
that he was either confused or a little out of his mind. What I later found out from
his mother was that this watch was given to him by his older brother when he
was on his death bed, and the more I laughed the more I reminded him of his
brother. The more I laughed the more he remembered the true value of the
watch, and the price had to match its value. What we must consider, is that if
God paid for our lives with the sacrifice of Jesus, how valuable are we to God?
Priceless!
There is no greater symbol to remind us of the great love of God and how
valuable we are to Him, than the cross of Christ. This is why the apostle Paul
took it so seriously and made every effort to keep the cross emblazoned in his
heart:
Gal 6:14
14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which
the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. NIV
The cross is the culmination of all of the great love of God in one act. It inspires
us, challenges us, convicts us, and reminds us of how deeply we are loved by
God. Internalizing the great sacrifice God has made for us is difficult at times
because of the hardness of our hearts, but internalize it we must.
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Once the cross is emblazoned in our hearts, we will begin to see the truth about
our present situation much more clearly. You would think that God ended his gift
giving by showering His grace to us at the cross; but this is far from the truth. By
lavishing us with His grace at the cross He has shown us that He will continue to
shower his grace upon us, His adopted children, every day, and will continue in
the afterlife:
2 Cor 9:7-9
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all
times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. NIV
Heb 4:16
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. NIV
Therefore God will provide us with everything that we need in this life, no matter
how big, or how small; and he has sacrificed His son on the cross to prove it.
God truly loves us, will truly provide for us, will help us in trouble, will protect us
and will get us to heaven, and He has demonstrated that He will do anything for
us, by sacrificing His son on a cross for us.
The condemnation that we so rightly deserved is no longer hanging over our

heads. God continues to provide for us by showering us with grace on a daily
basis to meet every one of our needs. God will continue to shower us with his
grace for eternity, as we pass from this life to the next. The important question
that we must now ask ourselves is, after all that God has done for us, how can
we ever doubt the great love of God and His desire to meet all of our needs? As
the Bible says:
Rom 8:32
If God were to put a price tag on your head, what do you think He would write on
the ticket?
Decision:
I will let go of my worries, and will put my trust in God who loves me, and has
proved it by letting Jesus die on the cross for me.
Scripture Memory:
26
Heb 4:16
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
NIV
Practice:
I will meditate on how much I am truly worth to God today and will thank Him for
His amazing grace.
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Chapter 3. God’s Compassion for His People
Day 8. Acknowledging the Love of God.
God describes himself as having an unfailing love for his people, an ever-lasting
compassion for his children, an unending supply of mercy, and an eternal
passion to be close to his treasured possession. God has given everything to his
people, even sacrificing his son to convince us that there is no one who has more
passion and desire for our prosperity than our Almighty God and Father. He did
all that could be done; He has given all that He could give; and He has proven all
that needs to be proven. All so that he can convince us of two undeniable truths:
that He is God and that He loves us.
Yet, as you may relate, in my day to day life I find it difficult to believe that there
is anyone out there who truly cares for my plight, who is really concerned for the
daily stress I feel, who would really understand the turmoil I face on a daily basis,
and who would truly help me to overcome the mental, physical, emotional,
stress-filled challenges that I face every day.
I wonder to myself, “If God’s love is so great, why is it that I still wake up in fear
as to the different challenges that face my family and me on a daily basis? Why
is it that I am so concerned over the overwhelming details of my life; the ones
that I try to control, and which have changed me into a perfectionist, a control
freak, a worry wart who truly has no self control, consumed by things that rob me
of my joy, hope, love, my relationships and my life?”
Also, I think to myself, “Why am I so worried about so many things? Things such
as bills, the weather; worried about my health or the health of my children; my job
or lack of job; my future, my retirement, or my nest egg; my business; my spouse
or lack of spouse, my parent’s health and needs, my siblings and their problems,
my children and their problems; my lack of happiness, how much I hate my job,
my guilt, my sin, my life, and so on, and so on and so on…”
If God’s love is truly as great as he says it is, then when life hits, why do I not
feel, as if there is all knowing, all powerful, all loving God who has made me the
true object of his desire, and who will watch over me during the storms of life?
Either God has lied, or I have refused to believe the truth. Since it is impossible
for God to lie, then the trouble, not surprisingly, lies with us; by us, meaning our
perception and conviction about the truth. Since what we perceive is usually our
reality, it is no wonder that if we do not perceive God’s love in our life we don’t
feel it either. As for conviction, we have conviction, even deep conviction, yet
unfortunately we believe strongly in that which according to God is not true,
namely that life is big, and God is small.
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What I mean is, if I was truly convinced that God, the almighty and powerful
creator of the universe, is full of unfailing, eternal, everlasting love, desire and
passion for me, his child, wouldn’t common sense dictate that I would have very
little to ever be concerned about, worried about, to fret about, to be unhappy
about, to fear about, to complain about, to ruminate about, grumble about, get
bitter about, get angry about, sin about, or to curse God about? If I truly believed
that God is on my side, fighting my battles, protecting me from harm, providing
for me and my family’s every need, guiding me in my decisions, and watching
over my every step, wouldn’t I be in an eternal state of joyous celebration, rarely
concerned about anything? Yet our lives are wrought with concern, worry, fret,
unhappiness, negativity, complaints, grumblings, bitterness, anger and a whole
lot of sin!
The problem, of course, lies in our hearts. Though our minds may be convinced
of the love of God, our hearts truly dictate our lives and reveal what we are really
made of and what we truly believe. In our heads, we mentally acknowledge the
“cliff notes” of who God is, His love for us, and what he can do. Yet we forget to
connect our hearts to our head and to let it flow to the rest of our lives. It’s like
wiring the lights around your house during Christmas time, and forgetting to plug
it into the outlet. We do a lot of work yet there is no enlightenment. There is no
conviction.
In other words, in my mind I believe that God loves me, He is all powerful, and
He cares about my situation. Yet, when I face my big problems it doesn’t seem
like God even likes me that much, or that He is strong enough to handle my
situation, or that He even cares that much at all.
What we must understand is that the cause of the inner conflicts that are caused
by our doubt and worry comes from our attempts at self-preservation that
compete with God’s lordship in our lives. This is why God’s love must never be
limited to the mind. Only a deep, heart driven conviction can overcome the
constant temptations we face, that come at us both internally and externally. Our
minds alone are just not strong enough to resist the onslaught and barrage of
negative influences that we face daily, in this life.
More importantly, God does not tolerate double-mindedness. He demands that

our devotion to Him consume every part of our heart, mind, and soul:
Matt 22:37-39
37 Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. NIV
Because God will not tolerate this type of “double-mindedness” we must get our
hearts and our minds in line with what God desires and the truth about the God
that we serve. Suffice it to say, being wholehearted in our minds and hearts,
will not be easy. The reason is that Jesus Christ has already died for us, and if
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that is not enough for us to be totally convinced of the extent God is willing to
sacrifice for us and love us, then our hearts have been hardened as a result of
living a spiritually double life. To change such a heart will take supernatural
intervention; intervention that can only come about through prayer. Only prayer
can help us because only God can change such a hardened heart. As God says
in scripture:
Ezek 11:19-20
19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove
from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will
follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I
will be their God. NIV
In the modeling process, a piece of glass that hardens in a flawed shape must be
broken and again put through the fire to be transformed. Our prayer must move
God to break our hearts to reshape us in the image of our Savior. This may
mean that God will put us through the fire to refine us. One way or another we
will be broken. The level of pain we endure in the breaking and refining process
will be dependent on whether we pursue brokenness or if do nothing, and wait for
God to break us. As a friend of mine once said, “We can humble ourselves and
receive the hand of God, or we can be stubborn, resist and receive the foot of
God.” The choice is ours.
Question for Reflection:
How can we show God that we truly believe He loves us as much as He says He
does and has demonstrated it by His sacrifice on the cross?
Decision:
I will wholeheartedly honor Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross by living a life free of
worry, fret, and distraction, and proclaim God’s great love for me every day.
Scripture memory:
Rom 8:32
Practice:
I will deny every thought steeped in doubt and worry from my mind today, and fill
my mind with thoughts of God’s great love for me.
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Day 9: God’s Compassion
Ps 103:2-5
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits--
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. NIV
What is compassion? Is it not a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another
who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate that
suffering? God’s compassion stems from the feeling God has, of deep sympathy
and sorrow for us, His children, who have been stricken with misfortune, and who
illicit His deep desire to alleviate our suffering. The following are some scriptures
describe the extent of God’s compassion for his people;
Psalms 103:13
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; NIV
Isaiah 49:15-16
15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me. NIV
2 Cor 1:3-4
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so
that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have
received from God. NIV
God has also displayed his unchanging compassion and mercy for his children
throughout history as an example for us to put our trust in him:
Ex 3:7
7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have
heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about
their suffering. NIV
31
2 Chron 30:9
9 If you return to the LORD, then your brothers and your children will be shown
compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD your
God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you
return to him." NIV
Luke 12:6-7
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by
God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you
are worth more than many sparrows. NIV
When Jesus came to earth,his display of compassion was so great and

commonplace that it was frequently documented by his followers:
Matt 9:36-37
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were
harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. NIV
Matt 14:14
14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and
healed their sick. NIV
Matt 15:32
32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these
people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do
not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way." NIV
Matt 20:34
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they
received their sight and followed him. NIV
Mark 1:41-42
41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I
am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was
cured. NIV
Sometimes we may feel as if we are all alone in this universe, with the great
responsibility for fending for ourselves and our families. We feel as if we are to
face all of life’s challenges with the little strength that we have; a battle that is
extraordinarily difficult due to our human limitations and our lack of influence over
overwhelming forces, such as death, disease, natural disaster, a bad economy,
etc.
What we must realize is that God, who is in total control of the universe, longs for
us with a deep compassion, which drives Him to help us and our families through
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the challenges of this life, no matter how great or small; to ultimately finish the
race, and win the prize that awaits us in heaven.
God sees our challenges and our despair, and because of His compassion, He is
moved to influence our lives and the lives of those around us, whether Christian
or not. Our greatest challenge is our lack of perception of God’s work in our
lives, and our nature to doubt His great compassion for us. Yet it is our faith in
God’s love for us that will give us the strength and hope to persevere through
life’s trials and finally receive our reward in heaven.
Therefore, we must persevere, we must have faith, and we must trust in the great
love of God that is proclaimed throughout scripture. Only when our hearts are
convinced of God’s great love and compassion, will our hearts go through an
upheaval, which will influence every area of our lives. If we believe in God’s
compassionate love, then we will trust him; if we trust him, we will obey him.
Then all that awaits us is glory. As the Bible says:
Isa 30:18
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him! NIV
What do you think inspires God to have so much compassion for you, His child?
Decision:
I will wholeheartedly trust in God’s compassion for me, and thank Him for it every
day.
Scripture memory:
Psalms 116:5
5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion. NIV
Practice:
Today I will thank God for His great compassion, and fall on His compassion
whenever I fall short of His commands.
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Day 10: Out of the overflow of the heart…
We cannot deny that God carries an immeasurable amount of compassion for his
children. In human history, God has shown his concern about the suffering, the
misfortune, the failures, successes, and the salvation of the people of His
creation. God has even been concerned with our hunger, thirst, happiness,
sadness, health, understanding, jobs, relationships, families, etc. The fact that
God is concerned with our concerns, no matter how insignificant, is in line with
the depth and breadth of his compassion:
Ps 139:1-4,16
O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD…
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be…NIV
We have a God that does not change. This means we have a God that is
concerned about us, the same way he was concerned for our ancestors. As he
was concerned for them and the multitude of significant and insignificant things
that plagued them every day, so he has a deep and undying compassion for us;
and yes, he is concerned about the multitude of significant and insignificant
concerns we face every day.
Why do we continue to fret, worry and fear? Simply, we either forget or neglect
that God is with us, and take matters into our own hands. In other words, though
we know that the designer of our universe has a deep love, compassion, mercy
and longing for our prosperity as his children, when we face difficult times God,
who is invisible, is unfortunately not the first one that we turn to for help. We turn
our attention to what we perceive to be more reliable things, like our intellect, the
help of other people. Granted, those things are useful, but we neglect God,
because an invisible being does not seem, in our minds, to be the most reliable
plan when we really need one. That is, until our plans fail, our best advisors
abandon us, and we realize that we have no one else to turn to.
What is interesting is that if God were to physically materialize and help us in our
every day endeavors, routines, responsibilities, and troubles; and if God were to
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physically be with us at our jobs, at home, outside, inside, shopping, on the

Internet, etc., our lives and hearts would be radically different, our conviction
would be solid, and we would live and feel differently.
Yet, we must accept the reality that God is with us, spiritually, everywhere we go,
and that He is with us in everything that we do. He is at constant work in our daily
lives and completely engrossed in our affairs. He blesses us, and provides for us,
helps us and protects us. As He declares in scripture:
Isa 43:1 – 3
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you ;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior… NIV
When we do not grasp and trust in God’s unfailing love the consequences are
obvious: We worry, fret, get angry, get upset, we are impatient, we are rude, we
are not gentle, we get obsessed, we grow weary, we grow tired, we are
depressed, we become burdened, become bitter, resentful, restless; constantly
complaining, envious of others, we whine, we are negative, we are critical, we
carry a cloud of sadness where we go; there is little optimism, lots of fear, lots of
insecurity, and a whole lot of sin. As this scripture in Jeremiah so eloquently
explains:
Jer 17:5-6
5 This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives. NIV
Yet there are great benefits for the man or woman who trusts in the love of God.
As the scripture in Jeremiah also says:
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Jer 17:7-8
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit." NIV
The choice to trust in God’s great compassion is a choice that we face every day,
and which we must take seriously because it will have far reaching
consequences both in this life and the next. Will we depend on the everlasting,
immeasurable, unyielding, unstoppable, immense, and exciting love of God and
respond by putting our trust in Him? Our actions will reveal our answer.
Why does trusting God bring such deep security, confidence and joy in our lives?
Decision:
No matter how difficult the circumstances I face in life, I will put my trust in God’s
compassion and love for me.
Scripture memory:
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in him.
Practice:
Today, I will put my trust in God’s compassion by praying to Him and thanking
Him for all of the circumstances and blessings in my life.
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Day 11: God’s Compassion is Trustworthy.
In our Bible reading we come across many examples of those who grasped
God’s immense and unfathomable love and compassion and responded by
putting their trust in Him (i.e.: Enoch, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, etc.). Of
course they were blessed in this life and the next. Or, on the contrary, we have
seen examples of those who were too stubborn and hard of heart to accept the
humble truth, and were condemned to live a cursed life, (Cain, Pharaoh, Saul,
etc.).
The following are some examples from the multitudes in heaven who can attest
to the truth of God’s love and who encourage us to trust that love in our daily
struggles:
Jesus:
John 14:1
14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. NIV
Matt 6:25-26,33
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or
about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the
body more important than clothes?... 33 But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
NIV
Matt 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is
light." NIV
Paul:
Phil 4:4-7
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be
evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. NIV
1 Thess 5:16-18
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. NIV
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Heb 4:14-16 (The Hebrew writer)

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For
we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was
without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that
we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. NIV
Peter:
1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up
in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. NIV
We are faced with a persistent and pertinacious choice to make in our lives every
day; a choice whose consequences will reach into every aspect of our lives and
govern our thoughts. Will we continue to be those who are controlled by the grip
of fear and worry, enslaved to a hard heart toward the One who has sacrificed all
to have us as his treasured possession? Or will we be stubborn and unyielding
toward anything that will deny us from accepting and enjoying the unending and
everlasting; the immeasurable and unfathomable; the ever enduring and far-
reaching love that our great God and Father has lavished on us and which is at
our disposal whenever, wherever, and for whoever needs it? After all, Jesus did
not die for the angels or the spirits in the heavens. On the contrary only to us
does the Bible say:
Rom 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved
us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
We have the ability to prioritize, and revolutionize our lives. Yet only if we are
doggedly determined to accept God’s deep love for us, not only in our heads but
deep within our hearts; putting God first as the greatest obsession of our lives,
trusting Him, and making Him the source of our security, satisfaction, fulfillment,
protection, love, help and sustenance. It may take years of daily being exposed
to God’s love to begin to even grasp the hem of the depth and greatness of the
love of God. Yet it is a journey that is worth every second. What we must do
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now is begin the journey by choosing to accept the truth of how powerless we are
without him, and choosing to put our trust, and dependence on Him, relying on
the love, mercy and compassion that He has so freely demonstrated for us
through the cross of Christ.
What are the characteristics of someone who trusts God, even through difficult
times?
Decision:
I will imitate the spiritual examples of the men and women in the Bible who put
their trust in God, in the situations I face on a daily basis.
Scripture memory:
1 Peter 5:6-7
7 Cast all your anxiety on him [God] because he cares for you. NIV Parenthesis
mine.
Practice:
I will meditate on the life of a person of the Bible that demonstrated an

unwavering faith in God, today.
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Our Foundation
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Chapter 4: The Trust of God
Day 12: The Foundation of the Christian Life
There has been much research done to discover the basic needs of human
beings in the populated world. After much research a model was developed
describing a hierarchy of human needs, which describe the four basic human
needs in order of human necessity. The most basic and important of our needs
begins with physiological needs, such as: food, water, etc.; followed by safety
needs, such as: shelter, clothing, security, etc.; then love and belonging needs,
such as: family, romance, acceptance, etc.; and last, esteem needs, such as: self
worth, self-perspective, respect of and by others, etc. This model describes the
human condition, and how these priorities will dictate how humans will respond to
life; generally sacrificing lesser needs in order to have their most important needs
fulfilled.
There is also a spiritual hierarchy of needs, one which determines the

development and growth of the human spirit. At the foundation of all other
spiritual needs and the source of our spiritual growth, spiritual knowledge, godly
conviction and our pleasing of God is also that which is at the heart of everything
we do and everything that we become in the spiritual realm; the only true
foundation which influences every area of our spiritual lives, namely, the
unequivocal trust of God. Above all else, our trust in God will determine the
outcome of all else in our spiritual lives, all of our efforts at godliness and our
pursuits at holiness.
Trust is an integral part of our lives, especially because the center of our survival
on this planet depends on our relationships with other human beings. And, as
most of us have experienced, trust is essential in the building of relationships. It
only makes sense that in creating us God has instilled the proclivity toward
relationships in our innermost being. God is a relationship, with Him, Jesus and
the Holy Spirit as the participants. God also created us with the purpose of
having a relationship with Him. We, by being made in his image, are inclined to
develop similar relationships with others and with God Himself. Consequently,
since we are designed for relationships then we are subsequently wired to trust;
either trust in God and/or trust in others.
The Attributes of a Life of Trusting God
As a building without a foundation is unstable, so our spiritual stability is

dependent on our trust in God. The trust of God manifests itself in different
ways, the greatest of which is faith. The trust of God and faith are so similar that
they can almost be considered equal, because if we don’t trust God, we will not
have faith in Him. Consequently, if we do not have faith in Him it will be
impossible to please him. As the Bible says:
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Heb 11:5-6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes
to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek
him. NIV
Our spiritual response to faith, such as: prayer, obedience, love, hope, servitude,
etc. are also all fueled by an individual’s trust in God:
2 Peter 1:5-8
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to
goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,
perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in
increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in
your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. NIV
Also, the source of all sin can be linked to our lack of trust in the Lord. As a
matter of fact, when we sin, we choose to put our trust in another god, the god of
self and selfish gratification. By doing so, we choose to turn our backs on God,
in out right rebellion:
Isa 59:12-13
12 For our offenses are many in your sight,
and our sins testify against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:
13 rebellion and treachery against the LORD,
turning our backs on our God…NIV
To put our trust in anything else other than God is also the definition of idolatry.
Therefore any trust or obedience to another “god,” in contravention to God’s
commands makes us idolaters:
Jer 2:5-6
They followed worthless idols
and became worthless themselves.
6 They did not ask, `Where is the LORD,
who brought us up out of Egypt…? NIV
Ultimately, our trust in God is what will determine our steadfast obedience. If we
trust we will obey wholeheartedly and He will make our righteousness complete:
Ps 37:5-6
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
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the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. NIV
A relationship without trust is a relationship based on illusion. A relationship with

God, the mother of all relationships is based fully on our trust of Him. To say that
we love God, but not trust Him, is a lie. It is a lie that God will expose in due time
to help us see the truth clearly, and so that we could put our trust fully in Him.
God will determine if our level of trust for Him is adequate, by looking at our faith,
our righteousness, and our undivided devotion to our loving and faithful God of
this universe.
How can trusting in God improve our relationship with Him and with others?
Decision:
I will trust in God by relying on Him for the fulfillment, satisfaction, security,
providence, protection, sustenance, etc. of my life.
Scripture Memory:
John 14:1
14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me [Jesus].
NIV Parenthesis mine.
Practice:
I will trust in God for all of my needs today, by going to God first in prayer, and
relying on His direction for my life.
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Day 13: To Trust in God Means Acknowledging and Accepting the Truth
Ps 22:9-10
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.
What is the most interesting and mysterious ideas is that God wants us to
depend on him for every need, no matter how high on the human hierarchy of
needs, and no matter how desperately crucial they are to us. Like babies, God
wants us to depend on Him for everything, even our food, water, and shelter:
Matt 6:31-32
31 So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or
`What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them. NIV
God’s has designed human existence with the caveat that only subordinate to
him will we experience prosperity, fulfillment and eternal salvation. In other
words, God created us and designed our lives to only work right, work correctly
and be the most holistically healthy if we are completely and totally dependent on
Him. Only with trust can we reach this level of dependence.
Yet, what does it mean to trust? A simple definition is to rely upon or place
confidence in someone or something to meet our human needs. It follows that
the trust of God is to rely upon or place confidence in God for our every human
need and desire, no matter how primitive or how high on the chain of human
needs.
However, what we must awaken ourselves to is the fact that we rely on God for
all of our needs whether we perceive it or not. We are spiritually bankrupt
without God, and no matter what imaginary world we create in our minds, the
truth is that all food, water, shelter, protection, employment, family, etc., that we
need and desire is under God’s control and we have it because God has deemed
it His intention for us to receive it and therefore has allowed us to have it. He has
provided all things in life for us and allowed all of life to transpire the way that He
has inclined to have it. As the Bible says:
Acts 17:25
25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he
himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. NIV
Reflect on this for a moment: The only reason that we are alive to today is that
God has allowed us to live another day. Someone that was here yesterday is not
here today, and someone here today, will not be here tomorrow. Who is to say it
will not be you? It is all determined by the whims and predilections of God.
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Therefore, whether we perceive it or not, we are dependent on God for every

aspect of our existence and every breath that we take. To trust in God is to
humbly accept and acknowledge the truth, especially in the deepest part of our
hearts: The truth that we alone are powerless and completely spiritually indigent
and destitute; totally dependent on God’s mercy for our survival and subsistence.
To accept and acknowledge this truth is the mother of all convictions that will
motivate us to live a life fulfilling God’s will in all of its forms. He knows best,
because he is God and we are nothing. As the Bible says:
Isa 40:17
17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing. NIV
The trust of God humbly acknowledges that God is all-powerful, all knowing, all
present, and is in total control of the entire universe. It also acknowledges that
we are powerless in all areas of life and that we cannot live a life that is
worthwhile without our dependence on our merciful and loving God. To trust God
is to acknowledge the truth. It is to have a deep conviction that the self-reliance
and self-dependence of the world is a mockery and a deceptive belief against
what is right, because God is all, and we are nothing. As we are nothing, we
have life only in a symbiotic relationship with our Creator, if by His mercy He
would accept us. With Him, we thrive, without Him we die.
What are situations or events in our life that remind us of our powerlessness as
human beings and how desperate for God we really are?
Decision:
I will acknowledge and accept the truth of how powerless, destitute, and
desperate I am without God; and I will fully rely on God for my all my needs,
every day of my life.
Scripture memory:
Ps 62:7-8
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge. NIV
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Practice:
I will pray and thank God today because I understand that only with Him can I
and my family survive; my life have meaning; and what I do be worthwhile.
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Day 14: Wholehearted Trust is the Only Acceptable Trust.
Prov 3:5
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; NIV
To trust in God is an all or nothing endeavor. We must devote ourselves to the

whole truth, with our whole hearts. If we do not, we will face the battle that
ensues when other “gods” battle for a place of worship within our hearts.
As Jesus says:
Luke 16:13
13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. NIV
God will never share His throne with another master. He will never compete for a
place in our hearts because in reality He knows we desperately need Him
whether we accept it or not. For us to double-mindedly struggle over which “god”
to follow in our lives at any particular day or moment in time is foolish and a
temporary distraction from our acceptance of the truth.
Double-mindedness ensues when we waiver between our devotion to God and

our desire to follow other gods. Yet, no matter how sincere it seems, to divide
our devotion between God and something else is outright rebellion against God.
For example, how would you like your spouse to waiver between his or her
affections and intimacy with you and having affections and or being intimate with
someone else? The insidious nature of double-mindedness is revealed when we
put ourselves in God’s big shoes. Yet, regardless of whether we accept it or not,
scripture declares that God will not tolerate a divided heart:
James 4:8-9
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you
sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. NIV
Rev 3:15
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either
one or the other! NIV
To wholeheartedly trust in God is to put our life in God’s hands. It is to take

whatever we treasure and sacrifice on the altar of our faith. It is to let God
provide our treasure, our satisfaction, our fulfillment, our sustenance, our
subsistence, our joy and our life. God demands pure, wholehearted trust in Him;
and He will settle for nothing less. It is to renounce anything that will compete
with our love and devotion to our God. It is to acknowledge God knows best and
that we will always put His advice over our own. It is to wholeheartedly make
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Him Lord, and Lord of all. As Jesus so aptly put it:
Matt 10:39
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will
find it. NIV
What are the “gods” that are currently competing with God’s lordship in your life?
What are you going to do prevent them from interfering with your devotion to
God?
Decision:
I will wholeheartedly trust God and be wholeheartedly devoted to God, and show
it by my actions.
Scripture memory
Prov 3:5
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; NIV
Practice:
I will show God that I trust and love him wholeheartedly by praying for and
involving Him in everything that I do today.
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Day 15: To Trust in God is To Obey Him.
1 John 5:3
3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not
burdensome…,NIV
The ultimate proof of our trust in God is our steadfast obedience to Him. If we
trust in God, we show it by doing what He says. There are multitudes of opinions
that I can follow, and what I do follow will define what I put my trust in. For
example, If God says to be pure, and I am impure, I do not trust God but trust
something or someone else that tells me it is best to be impure.
In these daily battles for our trust, it is important that we understand that God has
placed the decision making power well within our control. As the Bible says:
Gen 4:6-7
7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is
right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master
it." NIV
1 Cor 10:13
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is
faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you
are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
NIV
Rom 8:13-14
13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit
you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who
are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. NIV
With God’s help, I can stand up under any influence, because God has given me
the power to overcome. Thus who I choose to trust and follow is up to me, which
subsequently means that I will be held fully accountable for the decisions that I
make.
I cannot escape the fact that I have evil desire. Yet, I do have a choice to trust
the enticement driven by my evil desire, or God’s righteous and loving direction
for my life. The enticement could have come from Satan, my sinful nature, or
from the world; yet what God is most interested in is: when the influences come,
who am I going to trust, and who am I going to follow?
What is sad is that a good portion of the time we choose to trust everyone and
everything, except God, especially after knowing and acknowledging that God
has given us everything, even giving his Son over to be sacrificed to redeem us
from our worthless life of sin and destruction. God has created us and provided
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for our daily needs since our birth; God has nursed us when we were sick,
protected us when we were in danger, strengthened us when we were weak and
loves us every waking moment of every day of our entire lives. Yet we continue
to trust the false enticement that come from the world, the flesh and Satan;
enticements that promise much but deliver little. What we must do is to
remember the love of God, so that we can think clearly and put our trust in the
God that the Bible continuously testifies has our best interest in mind:
Ps 57:10
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies. NIV
Ps 103:11
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him; NIV
Rom 8:28
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose. NIV
To trust in God is to obey our righteous, powerful, wise, mighty, glorious and
loving God; the God who created us, and who knows what is best for us. To not
obey, is to not trust God and to call God a liar, for we are declaring that He is not
what He says He is in scripture:
Ex 34:6-7
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the
compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and
faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion
and sin. NIV
On the contrary, if we call ourselves Christians we should be fighting every

waking moment to put our trust in God and obey Him. For this reason, it makes
sense to read our Bibles often, especially because God has designed it to help
us to obey Him and to build up our faith in Him. As scripture says:
Josh 1:8
8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and
night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be
prosperous and successful. NIV
Rom 10:17
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is
heard through the word of Christ. NIV
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Jesus, Our Ultimate Example
To trust God is to return our love to Him through our obedience. It is to show our
love of God through our proclamation that He is what He says He is which we
prove by living our lives according to His wishes. We do what pleases Him, and
that makes God happy. Because trust and love exist in a symbiotic relationship,
then if we love God, we will trust Him; and if we trust Him we will obey Him.
There is no better example of this than Jesus. As he says in scripture:
John 8:28-29
29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do
what pleases him." NIV
John 10:17
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life — only to take it up
again. NIV
John 14:31
31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my
Father has commanded me. NIV
Jesus showed his love for the Father by doing exactly what God commanded him
to do, even though it meant dying on a cross:
Phil 2:8
8 And [Jesus] being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death —
even death on a cross ! NIV Parenthesis and italics mine.
Therefore, like Jesus, we show our trust in God by obeying Him; and we have the
best reasons to obey Him: God’s unfailing love and His deep compassion for us,
His children. Also, because of His infinite wisdom, we must obey Him because
only He knows the way, the truth and the life that we can live that will please and
glorify Him and provide us with an eternal, fulfilling life:
John 14:6
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me. NIV
John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may
have life, and have it to the full . NIV
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What better God to serve than the one who came down to earth as a human
being, to meet us at our level; sacrificing himself for our salvation; and being our
greatest fan until we meet Him again in heaven? God is truly unique, and we
must honor Him by our obedience. To love God is to obey Him, to obey Him is to
honor Him, to honor Him is to glorify Him.
Why is the death of Jesus on the cross, the ultimate foundation of our trust in
God, and our greatest motivation for obeying Him?
Decision:
I will trust in God’s love and God’s power over anything else, including myself,
sin, Satan, and the world, and prove it by obeying His commands.
Scripture memory:
1 John 5:3
3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not
burdensome…,NIV
Practice:
Today I will thank God for all of the things that He has done in my life that show
His power and His great love for me; and I will strive to obey Him in every
circumstance I face today.
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Day 16: Trusting God Above Ourselves.
Ps 131
1 My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
To many people, our perception is reality. What we see, hear, touch, reason, or
understand is what we believe to be true, and what we therefore put our trust in.
Perception is an important human quality, because what we perceive influences
our attitude, and our attitude influences our emotions and actions.
Perception Attitude Emotions/Actions
Yet, is our perception trustworthy? How many of us have been a situation where
we were so sure a situation was one way, and to our embarrassment we
discovered it was completely different than we could have ever imagined? For
example: has anyone ever waved at you, and you waved back, only to discover
they were waving at someone behind you? How ridiculous did you feel? Or how
many of us have believed something so strongly that we held it as truth only to
look back decades later and scratch our heads in trying to understand why we
ever thought that way?
Perception is one of the most deceitful elements we live with as human beings
and one of the biggest enemies against faith. Obviously, for a human being to
trust in his or her perception of a situation so much that they do not consider or
listen to opposing viewpoints is foolish and driven by pride. To take it a step
further, I believe, for an individual to completely only rely on his or her own
perception in any situation is foolish and destructive.
The reason I say this is for the following reason: A human being is one of billions
of people on this planet; and knowledge of the universe is so vast and constantly
changing that obviously, all of the knowledge in the world cannot ever be known
at a particular place in time by one person. The only individual to ever
acknowledge that He knows all and sees all and understands all at whatever
place, and at whatever time is God, and for good reason.
On a smaller scale, every individual is different, with a different history, different

experiences, different values, different opinions, etc. For one individual to say
that what he or she believes is the only right and the only truth is living outside of
the confines of reality and completely out of touch. He or she is a speck in this
vast universe, a universe based on one undeniable spiritual truth, which is, that
the vast majority of life resides outside of every person’s perception.
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In other words, we have very little reason to put our confidence in anything,
really, because there are forces at work and an abundance of information that we
do not know, which exist in spite of our beliefs, or our perception of them.
When a person says, “what I see, or what I hear or what I believe is right,” to give
oneself that much credit is not only arrogant, and self-deceived but also
potentially dangerous, because he or she is getting real close at putting himself
or herself in place of Deity. Rather what one should say is, “This is what I think is
right, but I am most likely wrong, and I am open to other opinions, because there
is probably a lot more information out there that I do not know about or fully
understand.”
David understood this and his humility allowed him to accept the powerlessness
and limitations of his own perception. This inspired him to utter the words we
read in the scripture above:
Ps 131
…I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
The Pursuit of God’s Reality
Let us consider the statement we described above:
“The vast majority of life exists outside of our perception.”
Besides the obvious truth that we all can accept from this statement we can also
deduce a few conclusions from it. This statement would explain why God cannot
be seen, or experienced, yet can exist in our minds and hearts, juxtaposed in the
foundation of our faith. We cannot perceive Him, which is understandable
because of our extreme limitations as human beings. Yet, by accepting the truth
of the statement above, we can accept Him and what He says to us even though
we are restricted in our awareness of Him. As Peter described:
1 Peter 1:8
8 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,
NIV
Or let us consider miracles in the Bible that defy the currently accepted physical
laws of the universe. We cannot perceive a man walking on water, yet if we
humbly accept the statement above, we can still accept it. We can accept it
since a miracle resides outside of the confines of our perception, yet within the
realm of possibility. We may not understand it, or it may not follow the perceived
laws of nature, but if we accept that there are laws at work that we do not know
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or understand, then accepting the truth about miracles is not that difficult to do.
On the contrary, if we only rely on our perception, then miracles will have no
place in our lives; an unfortunate obstacle that prevented some people in the
Bible from believing in Jesus:
John 10:25-26
25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in
my Father's name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not
my sheep. NIV
Mark 16:14
14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for
their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him
after he had risen. NIV
Matt 13:58
58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. NIV
This also explains why so many people have difficulty believing in a God they
cannot see. Their pride tells them that if they cannot perceive it with their eyes,
ears, or their intellect, then it doesn’t exist. They believe that if it exists outside of
their awareness, then it cannot be possible. Yet, in order to reach that
conclusion, this person has just implied that they have the ability to know all, see
all, and perceive all. This is a bold assumption because they have just claimed
to be God!
Another conclusion that can be drawn from the previous statement is that if the
vast majority of life exists outside of our perception, then we, as humans, are
very insignificant indeed. We are like specks of dust on the surface of the earth,
with very little influence over anything, anywhere or anytime. The idea pertaining
to our insignificance is a theme that is consistent throughout the thousands of
years of written Scripture and which God constantly has to remind us of. As the
Bible says:
Isa 40:15
15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust…
Job 25:6
6 how much less man, who is but a maggot-
a son of man, who is only a worm!" NIV
Ps 39:5
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
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Each man's life is but a breath. NIV
Isa 40:22
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers. NIV
Isa 2:22
22 Stop trusting in man,
who has but a breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he? NIV
In conclusion, for us to ever trust our perception would be foolish because of our
limitations at understanding, our defective intellect, our sinful nature, our deceitful
hearts and a host of other reasons; and the truth will always elude us because of
our human limitations. We should trust ourselves with less than a grain of salt,
because the probabilities that we are wrong greatly outnumber any chances that
we can be good judges about anything that is right, anything that we try to
perceive as correct, or anything worthwhile.
Only when we accept how limited and powerless we are as human beings can
we submit ourselves to the true God of this universe. There can only be one God
in our hearts who is truly in control of all existence. To believe otherwise will
create a foolish competition for our devotion that will forever rage in our hearts, a
battle whose very existence means we have already lost the war:
Luke 16:13
As a poet once, very eloquently said, “There are two undeniable truths in this
world: there is a God, and I am not Him.”
What are the benefits of accepting the reality of our powerlessness and the
submitting ourselves to the sovereignty of God?
Decision:
I will accept my human limitations and submit myself fully to God’s sovereignty;
by trusting God’s principles over my own perception.
Scripture memory:
Isa 2:22
22 Stop trusting in man,
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who has but a breath in his nostrils.

Of what account is he? NIV
Practice:
Today I will choose to trust in God and his principles above what I perceive, no
matter what I think.
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Chapter 5: Faith
Day 17: Faith in a Faithful God
Heb 11:1-2
11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not
see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. NIV
God has demonstrated an immeasurable love for His creation as well as shown
us that He is both trustworthy and has our best interest in mind. We now have
adequate reasons to put our trust in God; and consequently, being able to trust
God, we now have a sound and secure foundation in order to put our faith in
Him.
What is the difference between faith and trust? Though they have the same
foundation, they are distinctly different in their application. Trust is the action of
confiding in someone or something, while remaining uncertain of the outcome of
that trust. On the contrary, faith is being sure of that which we hope for and
certain of what we do not see. For example: I can trust in my spouse to love me
and be there for me for the rest of my life, yet I cannot guarantee that she will.
In spite of my lack of being sure, I put my trust in her anyway, though I do have
the potential of getting hurt. Faith takes it to a greater level where my belief is so
strong and my wife so trustworthy that I can guarantee that she will be faithful to
me the rest of my life.
Though this would not make sense from a human standpoint, it makes absolute
sense with God. This is because to be able to be so sure as to guarantee
someone’s trustworthiness you need a completely trustworthy, unlimited, perfect
being to be able to have faith in. Therefore, faith is only possible with God,
because only God is powerful enough to overcome any obstacle in order to fulfill
His promises; and God being perfect, it is impossible for God to make a promise
and not keep it. As the Hebrew writer said:
Heb 6:17-19
17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very
clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did
this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly
encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
NIV
Being perfect in His very nature, God is the only being that we can rationally
have faith in. If I try to have faith in a limited, powerless, faulty, morally deficient
being, like another human being, I will be greatly disappointed. I can trust
another person, but I can only intelligently have faith in God.
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One aspect of God that makes it possible for us to have faith in Him is His
unlimited sovereignty over the universe. Consider these scriptures:
Isa 40:22,25-26
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
25 "To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing. NIV
Jer 10:12-13
12 But God made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
13 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses. NIV
Acts 17:24-27
24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and
earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by
human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life
and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men,
that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for
them and the exact places where they should live. NIV
God’s sovereignty over the universe is so awesome it makes it possible for us to

put our faith in Him. He never lies, and will never die; Doesn’t cease, never
sleeps; Never fails, is never frail; Is never weak, and always in His peak; Never
fears, always hears; He never changes his mind, and yet always kind. What
better God to put our faith in?
Therefore, our faith will be determined by how much we believe God to be God,
and how much we believe the great promises he has made to those who believe.
If we choose not to believe, the ones who will be missing out will be us, when
God reveals Himself to all mankind in all of His power and glory. Whether we
proclaim his lordship, or we stubbornly refuse to put our faith in Him, in the last
day every knee shall bow, and the truth will be fully known. As the Bible says:
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Rom 14: 11
11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.’” NIV
Why do we, as human beings, need someone like God in our lives, who is all-
powerful, all-knowing, all-present, full of love for His creation, and who is perfect
in every way shape or form?
Decision:
I will fully put my faith in God’s sovereignty and love, all the days of my life.
Scripture Memory:
Heb 11:1-2
11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not
see.
Practice:
Today I will meditate on God’s great power and great love so that I can fully put
my faith in Him.
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Day 18: Faith in God’s Faithful Promises.
Heb 10:23-24
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he [God] who promised
is faithful. NIV Parenthesis and italics mine.
God, being perfect in every aspect of His being, having sovereignty over the
universe, and having a desperate love for us, is the only being we could ever
truly have faith in. He is infallible, and we can be sure and certain of whom He is.
Being a perfect God, everything that comes from Him is perfect. This means that
all of the promises God makes are as perfect as He is because He is putting His
own existence on the line to fulfill those promises. As the Bible says:
Heb 6:16-19
16 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what
is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the
unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,
he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things
in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope
offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for
the soul, firm and secure. NIV
The Hebrew writer explains that when we make a promise, we confirm that
promise by our character, and competence. For example, if I were to intelligently
invest in a financial project, I would invest it based on the character and
competence on the people who were managing the project. I would look at other
projects that they have done and how much success they have had in the past,
in the hope that they will be consistent with this project. If there was doubt on
either one of those characteristics then it would be hard to trust the project will
succeed, and it would consequently be unwise for me to invest with them.
God is absolutely perfect in His character, and perfect in His track record of
success in whatever He has undertaken. It is impossible for God to lie; therefore,
all He has promised must be fulfilled because of the very nature of His existence.
Last, because there is nothing in the universe to stop Him, it is a guarantee that if
God promised it, then it will happen. Therefore, with God’s perfect character,
perfect competence, and sovereign power, we can be sure that if God has
promised it, it will undoubtedly come to pass.
Another reason why God expects us to have faith in His promises is because of
the perfect relationship He has with us. In a relationship, love is communicated
through promises that those involved in the relationship consistently strive to
fulfill. For example, how do I know that my wife loves me? I know because she
promised to be with me always, to share life with me, to live with me, to be
faithful to me, to make a family with me, to strive to be my close friend all of the
days of our lives on earth, and much more. As she attempts at fulfilling all of
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those promises, I feel her love for me. A relationship with God, the mother of all
relationships, is our greatest example of how true relationships work. God
makes promises, we make promises. We strive to show God we love Him by
fulfilling those promises, and He always fulfills His promises, showing us His
perfect love for us.
Therefore, we trust God’s promises because God Himself is trustworthy, and

because God’s love is the driving force at fulfilling all His promises; a love the
Bible says conquers even death:
Rom 8:38-39
There are many examples in the Bible of those who trusted God at His promise
and were rewarded for their faith. One such example was the patriarch
Abraham:
Rom 4:18-22
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of
many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 19
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as
dead — since he was about a hundred years old — and that Sarah's womb was
also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of
God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully
persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why "it
was credited to him as righteousness." NIV
Even in an impossible situation, God expected Abraham to trust in His promise;

and by doing so, Abraham became our example of faith. Abraham believed God
and His promise over his perception of his situation, and was able to experience
God’s glory at the fulfillment of that promise. A fulfillment that strengthened him
and prepared him to be tested a second time:
James 2:21-24
21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he
offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were
working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the
scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to
him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. NIV
The question for us is: will we put our trust in God’s promises over our perception
of our situation? Will we, like Abraham, continue, in spite of our seemingly
impossible situation, to put our faith in our God, who eats the impossible for
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breakfast? Only then will we truly have faith, only then will we truly see God’s
glory, and only then will we, like Abraham, truly be God’s friend.
As a bridegroom showers his bride with promises of love and dedication for their
future lives together, so the Bible is full of promises that declare God’s love for
us. Here are only a few:
Ps 37:3-4
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart. NIV
Ps 34:19
9 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all; NIV
Psalms 16:11
11 You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. NIV
Mark 11:24-25
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have
received it, and it will be yours. NIV
John 3:14-16
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be
lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. NIV
John 6:35
35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never
go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. NIV
John 8:12
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
NIV
John 14:1-4
14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my
Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am
going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4
You know the way to the place where I am going." NIV
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2 Cor 4:17-18
17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that
far outweighs them all. NIV
Phil 1:6
completion until the day of Christ Jesus. NIV
Phil 4:18-19
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ
Jesus. NIV
2 Thess 3:3-4
3 But the Lord is faithful , and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil
one. NIV
1 Cor 1:8-9
8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of
our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son
Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. NIV
1 Peter 5:10-11
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after
you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm
and steadfast. 11 To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. NIV
Rev 21:3-4
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is
with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will
be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There
will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things
has passed away." NIV
How does it benefit us to trust in God’s promises over what we think is best?
Decision:
I will trust in God’s promises in scripture, over what I think is best.
Scripture memory;
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Heb 10:23
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he [God] who promised
is faithful. NIV Parenthesis and italics mine.
Practice:
Today I will meditate and thank God for the great promises that He has made for
my life.
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Day 19: Strengthening our Faith.
Rom 12:3
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself
more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in
accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. NIV
To have faith is a gift from God, because only with God can we have faith. Only
God is perfect enough that we can be certain of what we do not see (God), and
sure of what we hope for, (His precious promises). God, in His infinite wisdom
gives us a measure of faith, which we start with and are responsible to help grow.
Yet, how do we find the help we need in order to see our faith go from a fledgling
mustard seed, to a heart full of faith? The Bible has the answers:
Rom 10:17
First, we see that faith comes from the gospel message. Further research into
the scriptures gives us a description of that message:
1 Cor 1:18
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God. NIV
The Bible describes a message describing our sovereign God, who has loved us
and redeemed us by sending His son to die on a cross for us. Because of this
sacrifice, we accept the proof of God’s great love for us and we put our faith in
Him, while he continues to fulfill His promises for us. When does our faith grow?
When by constant exposure to that message we believe more in more in the
depth of love that God has for us and in his power to fulfill His promises; and we
therefore trust Him and put our faith in Him, evermore.
1 Cor 10:11
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as
warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. NIV
Also, the Bible gives examples for us to read about, describing faithful men and
women who had the courage to put their faith in God. Their inevitable success,
serves as a goads for us to put our faith in the Lord.
Faith can also grow from internal and external sources. For instance, internally,
faith can be given through the Spirit:
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1 Cor 12:7-10
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the
message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the
same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, NIV
The Spirit gives us faith by allowing us access to the mind of God:
1 Cor 2:10-16
10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among
men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same
way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not
received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may
understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words
taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual
truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the
things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he
cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual
man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's
judgment:
16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord

that he may instruct him?"
But we have the mind of Christ. NIV
The Spirit allows us to see things through God’s perspective, from God’s eyes,
and therefore, helps our eyes understand more of the breadth of God’s awesome
love and His awesome power. The more we understand God’s great love and
power the more we are compelled to put our faith in Him.
Externally, faith can come from the encouragement of others:
Rom 1:11-12
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you
strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's
faith . NIV
What do others around us encourage us to do? Put our faith in God of course.
They testify to our wonderful God and his amazing deeds and the rewards for
putting our faith in Him.
Also, the tangible manifestation of the benefits that come from other people’s
example of faith serve as a great inspiration to us, and a motivation to put our
faith in God:
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Heb 13:7-8
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the
outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith . 8 Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever. NIV
By hearing the message of the cross, by meditating on the promises of God in

scripture and seeing their fulfillment in the lives of our faithful heroes, our faith will
grow. By the Holy Spirit allowing us to peek into the mind of God and see things
through His eyes, our faith will grow. By the encouragement of others to put our
faith in God, and especially by their examples of the rewards for doing so, our
faith will grow. God truly, has supplied us with more than we need to see our
faith explode into a mustard tree leading to eternal life.
Therefore, we have a perfect God to put our faith in, perfect promises to rely on,
a perfect message in the scriptures to remind us, and the perfect Spirit inside of
us to guide us every day of our lives. Our pursuit of faith is without excuse, and
is blazing a trail of excitement and adventure at our every step. Yet, this will
mean taking full responsibility for the growing and strengthening of our faith by
choosing to place our faith and trust in Him. We need to ask the question that
Jesus asked two thousand years ago, yet still rings true:
Luke 18:8
However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" NIV
What rewards did the men and women of faith in the Bible reap from putting faith
in God?
Decision:
I will put my faith in my perfect God, His perfect promises, His perfect message,
and rely on the help of His perfect Spirit within me.
Scripture memory:
Rom 10:17
Practice:
Today I will seek to strengthen my faith by reading about His perfect promises,
hearing his perfect message and praying to God that His Spirit will continue to
help my faith to grow.
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Our Devotion
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Chapter 6: Prayer: Our Response to God.
These past few weeks, we have seen what God’s love really is. By accepting his
love and accepting his sovereignty, we have the foundation to trust Him. If we
trust Him and we humbly accept our limitations and powerlessness, and correctly
forsake our trust in own perception, submitting ourselves to the power and mercy
of God, then, we can put our faith in Him. When we see our desperate need for
God in our daily lives, we reach out to Him, and respond to Him in prayer.
Day 20: Access to the Father
Deut 4:7
7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the
LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? NIV
God has created us with the need for a relationship with Him. In other words, to
be able to live a holistically healthy and fulfilled life is only possible through a
symbiotic relationship with Him. It is as if there is a missing piece inside each and
every one of us, and only through a relationship with God can we be complete.
We have all been created with a need and desire for eternal things, as the writer
of Ecclesiastes says:
Eccl 3:11
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the
hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
NIV
God has provided a way to get to Him, whenever we need Him, whenever we
want Him, and whenever we desire Him. That way is through prayer.
Our Greatest Obstacle
It took a lot for God to provide this because we damaged God’s original plan of
being with us in the Garden of Eden:
Gen 3:22-24
22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing
good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from
the tree of life and eat, and live forever." 23 So the LORD God banished him from
the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After
he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden
cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the
tree of life. NIV
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Also because of our disobedience, we created a barrier between us and God due
to our propensity and perpetuation of sin and rebellion:
Isa 59:1-2, (12-23)

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear…
God, who deeply desires a relationship with us, demolished the barrier by coming
down in the form of man and dying for the sin of the world:
1 Peter 2:24-25; (2 Cor 5:21)

and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you
were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and
Overseer of your souls…
become the righteousness of God.
God removed the barrier that kept mankind from having an intimate relationship
with Him, as demonstrated metaphorically in Matt 27:
Matt 27:51-52
51 At that moment [Jesus’ death] the curtain of the temple was torn in two from
top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. NIV Parenthesis and italics
mine.
Later on, the Hebrew writer explained to us what this meant:
Heb 10:19-23
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place
by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the
curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of
God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having
our bodies washed with pure water. NIV
The curtain blocked the way to the Holy Place, from anyone except the high
priest, who had to be purified in order to enter. God tore the curtain in two at
Jesus’ death, and through the tearing of Jesus’ body, provided purification for us,
allowing us to enter the Most Holy Place. Through Jesus’ death we now can all
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have access to the Father wherever, whenever, and however we need Him; and
we access Him through prayer.
Therefore, because of God’s mercy we have access to a relationship with Him.

The almighty creator of the universe is eager and attentive whenever we pray, to
listen to our concerns, and to hear our requests. He has sacrificed much in order
to make it possible. We need to honor Him for what He has done by devoting
our lives to the one thing that He has provided that gives us the direct line to his
undivided attention, namely, prayer.
How does it make you feel to know that we have access to the ear and attention
of the creator of the universe whenever we pray to Him?
Decision:
I will devote myself to a life of prayer, showing God how deeply grateful I am for
His love for me.
Scripture memory:
Deut 4:7
7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the
LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? NIV
Practice:
I will pray today, every opportunity I get, because I am grateful and excited for
the opportunity I have to spend time with God.
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Day 21: Walking with God.
Gen 5:21-24
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And
after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and
had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch
walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. NIV
We, as powerless human beings, and now as Christians, have unlimited access
to the loving, compassionate, kind, and awesome, powerful, omniscient,
omnipresent, Creator of the universe. Yet, what should we do with that
knowledge? Well, when we are thirsty we look for water, when we are hungry,
we look for food, when we are sick we look for medicine, when we are tired, our
bodies long for rest. Spiritually, we are thirsty, hungry, sick, and we are tired,
and common sense would say that we should look for what spiritually fulfills all of
these needs in our lives; and that is and will only ever be, God.
It follows that our lives should be filled with the overwhelming desire to seek God.
Prayer is the automatic response when we fully understand our powerlessness
and see our desperate need for God to meet our daily needs, wants and desires.
Prayer is more a state of being than an action; a state that we are in when we
truly acknowledge the reality of how destitute we are without God, how desperate
we are for Him, and how we will not go through life without Him. When we have
this perspective, we are compelled to pray, because we see our need God for the
wisdom to make every decision and for help in times of need.
It only follows that as destitute as we are we need to desperately cling to God

every second of every day. This is what the Bible describes as walking with God:
Mic 6:8
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. NIV
Before my son was two years old he clung to his mother every single minute of
his life when he was awake or asleep. It was tiring for my wife, yet God never
tires of our desperation for Him. God never sleeps, never tires, never stops
loving us, and will never leave us.
Like newborn babies, we need to desperately cling to God in a daily walk with
Him. What does this look like? Well, since we all have daily needs, it only
makes sense that we go to God to have those needs fulfilled. On the other hand,
if we can meet our own needs, we must understand it is because God has put it
within our reach; and therefore we need to thank God for putting it within our
reach. If it is not within our reach, we need to ask God to bring it within our
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reach. Therefore, to walk with God means that our lives are filled with repeating
two basic actions: asking and thanking. If we don’t have it, we ask, if we do have
it, we thank Him for it.
Also, in the book of Micah it says walking with God is dependent on one very
important qulity, humility. The Bible says we are to walk humbly with our God.
This means that we are to trust in his unfailing compassion for us; we are to trust
in his omnipotent sovereignty; we are to have more faith in Him than in our own
perception, and we are to acknowledge the truth: that we cannot live a life that is
worthwhile without Him.
For example: try to imagine being at the lowest level of poverty and being
completely destitute. Yet, you also have a kind and generous Father who is rich
beyond belief; a father who has always demonstrated His love and generosity in
your life over and over again. What will you do in your difficult situation? Will
you go to others, or go to other things to help you? Will you go to addictive
behavior to forget your pain? Will you run away from your problems? Will you
reject His help, even though He offers it to you every day?
The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Do I walk humbly with God?” We can
determine the answer by asking ourselves: How much do I pray? How often do I
engage in asking of God and thanking God? How often do I go to the Bible to
help me to make decisions in my life? We call ourselves Christians, and we say
we have a relationship with the Father, yet where do we truly go to first when we
need help? And when we have things that we need, do we thank God for it daily,
acknowledging that we would not have it, if He did not allow us to have it?
Other signs to look for to determine if we are humbly walking with God are asking
ourselves, “Do we worry or are we at peace?” “Are we frustrated or are we
faithful?” “Are we impatient or are we grateful for what we have and hopeful for
what God has to offer?”
God looks at us as that kind, generous and wealthy Father, who has compassion
for us and is saddened by our plight. God may wait to help us to allow us to
receive the humbling consequences of our actions to bring us back to our senses
and help us stay in touch with reality. Yet, God is a patient and loving God,
whose door is always open for us to go to Him in our time of need. As the
Hebrew writer says:
Heb 4:15
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How has God demonstrated to us that He so desperately wants to help us in the

challenges we endure as human beings?
Decision:
I will acknowledge my powerlessness and walk humbly with my loving God.
Scripture memory:
Mic 6:8
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. NIV
Practice:
Today I will go to God in prayer, acknowledging how desperately I need Him;

walking humbly with Him throughout my day.
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Day 22: The Power of Prayer
James 5:16
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. NIV
What we may have overlooked is the incredible and amazing power that is at our
disposal whenever we pray to our God. If we have access to the Father, and the
Father is all powerful, all knowing, all present and the Master of the universe, it
consequently means that we have access to that kind of power in our lives every
second of every day. Jesus puts it best when teaching his disciples he
eloquently said:
Matt 19:26
26… "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
NIV
Jesus tried, ever so hard, to communicate to his disciples that though man is
limited, when you tap into God, everything becomes possible, because nothing is
impossible with God.
For example, if your life was that of a car, then God is the designer. God has
designed some ordinary, yet dependable cars and He has designed other sleek
and beautiful cars; He has made big cars and little cars, some slow cars and
some fast cars. The problem with these cars is that once created they have no
life to get them from one place to the next. They only have potential that is
useless unless driven by someone else. They have no direction as to their next
destination, and they have no ability to decide when they should go. In other
words, they have no power and no direction, and therefore, useless.
God is the designer, God is the manufacturer, and God is the one who puts gas
in our tank to get us going, as well as directing us to where we need to go.
Consequently, He is the one that maintains us and takes care of us. Only with
God will our lives to go anywhere, and only with God can we get to where we are
going.
We also have the special privilege of tapping into, not just power to help us in our
daily lives, but power to do miraculous things; things that go against the laws of
this universe. God, who created the laws of this universe, can break them
whenever He pleases. How else could a man walk on water, or more importantly
be raised from the dead? Yet, we have access to this power:
Eph 1:18-22
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you
may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who
believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he
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exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right
hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and
dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in
the one to come. NIV
The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at our disposal because of
our access to the Father. This means that there is no situation or challenge that
we face in our lives that we cannot overcome, with the help of God. The
possibilities are endless for the potential that we have. Therefore, we should
always go to God first with our issues and problems, because God, if He deems
it so, will help us with all of the power of the universe.
Is there something that we feel powerless against? Then we should pray. Is

there a sin that we are having trouble giving up? We should go to God for help.
Is there a difficult situation, a troublesome experience, a challenging encounter,
or an impending fear we do not want to come to pass? Then we need to put our
faith in God, because only He has the unstoppable power to come to our aid.
If you have trouble believing this, consider these scriptures:
Isa 40:12, 22, 25-26

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?...
…22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in…
…25 "To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing. NIV
There would not be a universe if it were not for God. There would not be a you
or me if it were not for God. How can we doubt that God will be able to help us,
when He created us? Not only so, but God also has a deep desire to help His
children and not even death can stop Him. As the apostle Paul said:
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Rom 8:38-39
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Since nothing is impossible for us when we tap into God through prayer, what
should we be praying for?
Decision:
I will claim the power and might that God provides for me as His child in this
world, by putting my faith completely in Him in prayer.
Scripture memory:
Matt 19:26
26… "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
NIV
Practice:
Today, I will pray for all of the concerns in my life that are impossible for man but
possible with God.
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Day 23: Responsibility in Prayer
Eph 6:18
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. NIV
We must understand that, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Our
access to God’s power was not meant for us to attain all that we need and want
and then go on our merry way. It was also meant to help others on this planet
that undergo desperate and troubled times. Our Christian brothers and sisters
are undergoing the same troubles and hardships that we are going through:
1 Peter 5:8-9
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith,
because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the
same kind of sufferings.NIV
God has ordained that we help our brothers and sisters by interceding to God to
come to their aid:
Eph 6:18
The best and ultimate help that we could ever give someone is to pray. When
we pray, God’s amazing power is unleashed, and provides what people
desperately need, especially that which is beyond our influence. As the apostle
Paul demonstrated, we share in our brother’s and sister’s struggle when we pray
to God for them:
Rom 15:30
30 I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to
join me in my struggle by praying to God for me…NIV
Jesus also encouraged us to pray for the desperate and destitute to receive help
from God, because only God could come to their aid:
Matt 9:35-38
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were
harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his
disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the
harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." NIV
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You see, God’s gift of immeasurable power for us, was given to provide all we
need for our lives; but it also came with the responsibility to provide for the needs
of others. When we think about it, If God is abundantly wealthy beyond belief,
and we are also because of our access to Him; should we not be as generous
with that wealth to others the way that God has been to us? I think for this
reason we can live blessed lives, because like Paul said:
Acts 20:35
35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help
the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more
blessed to give than to receive.'" NIV
On the other hand, to not help someone by not praying for them potentially
violates the principle the Bible espouses concerning our responsibility of helping
others that we see are in need:
Prov 3:27-28
27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
"Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" —
when you now have it with you. NIV
Because we have it in our power to act, thanks to tapping into God’s power in
prayer, we have a responsibility to pray for others in need. Even the prophet
Samuel considered it a sin to not pray for his people:
1 Sam 12:23-24
23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to
pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. NIV
God has ordained that His love be shared with the world through those that
believe in Him, and call themselves His followers. And there is no greater way to
share that love than to intercede for others, by unleashing God’s power in their
lives. Though we may be limited in our influence, by relying on God and
petitioning Him to come to the aid of others, we step into a different realm, where
all is possible, and the miraculous is inevitable. Yet this great power is available
to help the world, only if we humble ourselves, fall on our knees and go to God in
prayer.
In conclusion, because we accept our plight, and we know we have a loving

Father, we go to him in prayer. He desires for us to walk with Him, by humbly
accepting our desperate need for Him in our lives. We walk with Him, by living a
life of asking and thanking, relying on Him to meet our most important needs.
Also, we have unlimited access to God’s incredible power, which we can use
help ourselves, as well as fulfill the responsibility to help others. Yet all this
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possible, only by first accepting the desperate situation we are in, which will drive
us to our knees in prayer. Once there, we can see God in His true light and He
will provide the help we need in this journey and the continual pursuit of faith. As
the Bible says:
Ps 62:11-12
1 One thing God has spoken,
two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong ,
12 and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Surely you will reward each person
according to what he has done. NIV
What needs from: Christians, your family, and the world, do you know about that
you can bring before God in prayer?
Decision:
I will devote myself to praying for the needs of others around me, whether
Christians, my family or the world.
Scripture memory:
Eph 6:18
Practice:
Today I will pray for God to fulfill the needs of my family, my spiritual family and
the needs of this world.
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Chapter 7: Honoring God with Worship, Thanksgiving and Praise.
Day 24: The Worship of God.
John 4:24
24 “…God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” NIV
The awesome and powerful God that we serve created us to have a relationship
with Him. The interaction between us and God is one where God loves us as our
father, and we as honor Him as His children. The similarity stops there because
part of our relation to God entails something that can only be conveyed to a
majestic, perfect, awe inspiring and holy being like God; namely, the act of
worship.
Worship is defined as a profound fear, respect, love and devotion accorded to a

deity. Why is God the only one that can be worshipped? Because only God is
above everything, has created everything, knows everything, is everywhere at all
times, is perfect in every way, and is holy. Worship can only be given to those
who deserve it; and when we worship God we are declaring the fact that He does
deserve it, because He is God.
God not only wants for us to worship Him, He expects it, because this is part of
His requirement of engaging in a relationship with Him. As the Bible says:
Ps 29:2
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. NIV
Ps 96:9-10
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." NIV
Ps 100:2
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs. NIV
Luke 4:8
8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"
NIV
John 4:23
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
NIV
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We are to render ourselves before God, bowing to His every need and desire;
confessing our ungodliness and honoring His holiness. Why do we do this?
Because God is everything that we want to be. God is all that we were created
to be, and because of our powerlessness, and our sinfulness, we have fallen
short of being all that God truly is. We say, “God is what I want to be, but it is
impossible for me to be.” Yet for God we say, “God is all that I long to be, and is
impossible for me, but totally possible with God to be, because He is much
greater, stronger, more powerful, more pure, more holy, and more perfect, than I;
and for that I honor, praise and worship Him.”
Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth
The Bible says that we are to worship God in spirit and in truth, yet how does that
translate into our spiritual life? One aspect of worshiping in spirit is the worship
of God with all of our hearts; something that the Pharisees failed to do:
Mark 7:6-7
6 He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is
written:
"'These people honor me with their lips,
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.' NIV
Yet something that Jesus taught us as the only way to truly worship God:
Matt 22:37-38
37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. NIV
Our love for the lord and therefore our worship is to consume our entire heart,
soul and mind. God is to be placed as the most important thing in our life, and
the devotion to everything else forsaken. As Jesus so plainly explains to us:
Luke 14:32-33
33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot
be my disciple. NIV
To worship God in spirit we must serve God with all of our heart, mind, soul and
strength, devoting all of ourselves to fulfilling any act of obedience that He
requires of us. The lifestyle that God expects from us is a life in continual pursuit
of truth, fulfilling the other half of our act of worship toward God.
To worship God in truth is to worship God by His true standards and His true
direction for our lives as Christians. This would seem like a simple pursuit, since
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the Bible is available to just about everyone on this planet. Yet, even with the
availability of the Bible, the world has devised countless ways of following God,
and countless interpretations of His expectations for our life. Regardless, we
must search for the truth, follow the truth, and uphold the truth.
We begin our pursuit, with the source of everything that we know about God, and
the wellspring of truth, namely, the Bible:
John 17:17
17 Sanctify them by the truth ; your word is truth. NIV
Col 1:4-6
5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven
and that you have already heard about in the word of truth , the gospel 6 that has
come to you. NIV
In the word of truth we are to learn and rely on the principles espoused by our
Lord and savior, Jesus Christ:
John 18:37
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I
was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth . Everyone on
the side of truth listens to me." NIV
John 14:6-7
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me. NIV
To live the truth is to apply the principles that Jesus taught us in our daily life.
Does He ask us to walk on water, drive out demons, perform miracles like raise
the dead? No, but He does ask us to imitate the spiritual qualities in His
character and life that are inspired by the Spirit of God:
Gal 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. NIV
Col 3:12-14
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each
other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which
binds them all together in perfect unity. NIV
Therefore, we find the truth in the word of God, we learn the truth from the
principles that Jesus taught us, and we live the truth by imitating the life of Christ.
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All this, accompanied by a whole hearted devotion that encompasses the mind,
the soul and all our strength; as we honor God for being the perfect, holy, and
awesome God that He is. Needless to say, this will take sacrifice, and sacrifice
of the type that we only see in Jesus; yet a sacrifice that will truly end in the
fulfillment of our worship of God in spirit and truth. As the Bible says:
Rom 12:1
12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies
as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of
worship. NIV
What are some obstacles that prevent you from worshiping God in spirit and
truth; and what are you going to do to remove these obstacles?
Decision:
I will worship God wholeheartedly and pursue truth all of the days of my life.
Scripture memory:
John 4:24
24 “…God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” NIV
Practice:
Today, I will give my whole heart to imitating Jesus in all of the circumstances
that I face today; proclaiming all of God’s greatness in spirit and truth.
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Day 25: Giving Thanks to God.
Phil 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. NIV
Consequently, the acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty and His grace leads

to giving God thanksgiving for all that we have. We thank Him because without
Him we would have nothing, or we would have a whole lot of everything bad.
Also, we thank Him because we are unworthy of anything good He has given us,
because we truly only deserve what is bad.
It is an undeniable truth, that a person who truly trusts God, and who truly
acknowledges how truly powerless and indigent he or she is, is a thankful
person. When one fully accepts the reality of his or her desperate need for God,
and God’s gracious response of salvation through the blood of Christ, the heart’s
overwhelming response is gratitude. This is why the Bible exhorts us to thank
God at all times and in all circumstances, because by doing so we will
acknowledge and stay in touch with the reality of God’s providence and truth
about our subsistence:
Psalm 105:1
1 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done. NIV
1 Thess 5:18
18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
NIV
Col 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. NIV
To not thank God reveals a heart that does not trust or believe God. When our
hearts are convinced of the truth of our desperation and indigence, and of our
complete dependence on God for our survival, sustenance, and at the chance at
a full life, the overwhelming response of our hearts is to give thanks. On the
contrary, when the heart is deceived into thinking that we subsist by our own
merits or by the help of other things; we tend to forget to give thanks to Him who
is truly the source of everything that meets our needs in this life. Why would we
ever thank God, when we believe what we have is provided by our own strength,
or the strength of something or someone else?
According to scripture, a lack of thankfulness is evidence of our pride and

idolatry, and it is the spark that begins the fire of sin and rebellion that eventually
leads to our ultimate destruction. As the Bible describes:
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Rom 1:18,21
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness
and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, …
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave
thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were
darkened… NIV Italics mine.
Lack of thankfulness reveals a lack of trust in God that prevents growth in

conviction and in true godliness:
2 Peter 1:7-9
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you
from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has
forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. NIV Italics mine.
The deceptive idea, that we have provided for ourselves, or that some idol
(money, fame, resourcefulness, assets, business, etc.,) provides us with all of
our needs, is the same destructive force that chokes the truth out of us, makes
us ungrateful, sinful and hardens our hearts toward our loving and faithful God.
As scripture says:
Heb 3:12-13
12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns
away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is
called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. NIV
If we are not in a state of constant thankfulness it reveals what is truly in our

hearts, namely, that our hearts are not truly convinced of God’s love for us, His
sovereignty in our lives, His sovereignty over the universe, and our
powerlessness without Him. In other words, we don’t really believe the truth that
God loves us with an undying love, He provides everything in our lives, and that
we are desperately dependent on Him for everything; because if we did believe
it, every other word out of our mouths would be used to thank God.
By thanking God we are acknowledging his sovereignty and His unfailing love for
us. We are saying that yes, God truly is the source of every great and worthwhile
thing in this planet and in our lives. We are declaring that only God so loves, that
He is abundantly generous with his gifts; and that only God is so powerful that He
can provide us with whatever we need, whenever we need it, to meet all of our
needs. As Paul says:
2 Cor 9:7-8
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all
times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. NIV
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And as the writer of Hebrews says:
Heb 4:16
All that we have is by God’s providence, because we cannot provide for

ourselves. We are unworthy to have whatever we have, and we thank the Lord
for it. And we thank Him, and thank Him, and thank Him…
What has God done in your life that He deserves daily, abundant thanksgiving
for?
Decision:
I will strive to thank God, everyday, for the rest of my life.
Scripture Memory
1 Thess 5:16-18
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. NIV
Practice:
Today I will thank God for giving me another day at life, for the cross of Christ
that forgives my sin, His abundant love and friendship, and for the hope at one
day being with Him in heaven.
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Day 26: The Praise of God.
Ps 100:4-5
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise ;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
his faithfulness continues through all generations. NIV
While thanksgiving is the acknowledgement of what God has done, praise is the
acknowledgement of who God is. Praise is the declaration of the mighty and
holy characteristics of God, who deserves acknowledgement for being God. We,
as Christians, exist for this purpose because God deserves acknowledgement;
and the world needs to know who He is. As the Bible says:
1 Peter 2:9
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of
darkness into his wonderful light. NIV Italics mine.
As Christians, it is now our responsibility to declare the praises of God to the

people of this world. We declare the glory of God through our lips, and through
our lives:
Ps 47:6-7
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise. NIV
Heb 13:15-16
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise
— the fruit of lips that confess his name. NIV
Phil 1:9-11
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge
and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may
be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of
righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God.
NIV
What should we be praising God for? Everything that is good in our lives or in
the existence of this planet is from God, and is a testament to His character.
Therefore, we praise God for everything: God is loving, good, patient,
peaceable, joyful, kind, gentle, compassionate, generous; He is pure, holy, and
righteous; He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent; and He is powerful,
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amazing, miraculous, wondrous, majestic, mind-blowing, jaw-dropping and just

flat out awesome!
We must understand that the praise of God is not optional. Throughout the Bible,
we are commanded by those who have served Him and walked closely to Him, to
praise God for His wonderful character. Even in the book of psalms, there are
over 200 references pertaining to the praise of God. Here are just a few to
meditate on:
Ps 9:1-2
I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonders.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. NIV
Ps 18:49
49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
I will sing praises to your name. NIV
Ps 22:22-23
22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! NIV
Ps 30:4-5
4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning. NIV
Ps 33:1
Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him. NIV
Ps 66:8-9
8 Praise our God, O peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
9 he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping. NIV
Ps 92:1-3
It is good to praise the LORD
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and make music to your name, O Most High,

2 to proclaim your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp. NIV
Ps 100:4-5
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise ;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
his faithfulness continues through all generations. NIV
Ps 103:20-22
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, O my soul. NIV
Ps 145:3-7
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise ;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness. NIV
Ps 150:6
Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
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praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD. NIV
To devote ourselves to God is to devote ourselves to meeting His needs and

desires. We must understand that praise is part of our relation to God, and we
are able to commune with Him only if we come to Him in praise. Like a spouse
that is showered with compliments and encouragement, so God is encouraged
by our declarations of His mighty being and the acknowledgment of the splendor
of His existence. Without praise, we cannot maintain a strong, growing
relationship with God.
As a matter of fact, if we truly understood and had a good grasp of the amazing
gift we have been given, namely, to walk with the sovereign and merciful creator
of the universe, all of our thoughts and all of our words would be overwhelmed
with the praise of God. You see, praise comes from a heart that is engrossed in
God, a heart that is overwhelmingly grateful for the opportunity to commune with
our creator, and a heart that thoroughly understands how unfathomable it is that
God would want to have a relationship with us.
Also, a side benefit to praising God is that it reminds our hearts of whom we are
serving and how amazingly awesome He is. Unfortunately, with all of the
influences that are competing for the attention of our hearts, like Satan, the
world, our sinful nature, etc., we can be distracted from the reality of the glory of
our God. By praising God, we are reminded of the truth of who God is, and we
are humbled by the realization of how unworthy we are to be in His presence.
Therefore, though are hearts may be dull, we can continue to come to God in
praise; and just the act of giving God the glory that is due Him can help break the
hardness of our hearts. As the prophet Isaiah discovered when He was
confronted by the glory of God:
Isa 6:5
5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips , and I live
among a people of unclean lips , and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD
Almighty." NIV
We will praise God because we understand how immeasurable unworthy we are

to have a relationship with God. We will praise Him because we acknowledge
the immeasurable qualities of our Lord. We will praise Him because we were
created to declare His wonders to the world. And we will praise Him, even if our
hearts our hard, because we understand that by praising God, we will again be
exposed to the splendor of His holiness, which will render our hearts before Him.
As the Bible says:
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Ps 147:1
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him! NIV
Why is it that by praising God, our relationship with God grows?
Decision:
I will praise God, everyday, for the rest of my life; and forever in the afterlife.
Scripture memory:
Ps 147:1
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him! NIV
Practice:
Today, I will recount all of God’s amazing qualities, and praise Him for them all.
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Our Transformation
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Chapter 8: Godly Conviction
Day 27: The Power of Conviction.
Conviction is a common word that carries very uncommon implications. As a

word it has merit and may even inspire, but can be quickly forgotten. As an idea
that is buried deep in the heart of an individual, it can become an unstoppable
force that can make an individual accomplish feats that can only be considered
superhuman.
What is conviction? It is the act of being totally convinced of something to the

point that it leads to a change of perspective, a change of emotion, a change in
behavior, and ultimately a change of life.
It is an indispensable tool for a Christian. If one could be totally convinced of the

ultimate truth, namely, God’s truth, one would develop deeply rooted beliefs that
will compel an individual to strive for an outstanding godly life that will reach into
the afterlife. As Peter puts it:
2 Peter 1:5-11
your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ..10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the
more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things,
you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. NIV
Or how Paul describes:
Col 1:22-23
22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to
present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation- 23 if you
continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in
the gospel. NIV
Unfortunately, as one has the ability to develop conviction on what is right and
good, one also has the ability to develop conviction that will lead to the Dark
Side. These type of convictions are just as powerful, and can direct individuals
to accomplish supernatural feats, even give their lives for they believe is right.
This because they are convinced, beyond doubt, that what they believe is the
ultimate truth.
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We have all heard stories, or read the news about individuals who are so
convinced that what they are accomplishing is the ultimate right that they will give
their lives in an effort to kill as many people as possible, so that their message of
truth can ring throughout the world. They will destroy themselves, their families,
and others over what they believe is an idea that is more important, and more
sacred than any other in the world.
In a subtler and less extreme display of distorted conviction, we can live lives
convinced of things, which God holds to be altogether untrue. The result is that
we live double minded lives which wage a daily war for our loyalty between what
we believe in our hearts and what God says to be true. The sad truth is that one
will always win out, and true faith cannot be fulfilled with a divided heart:
Luke 16:13
For example, all of my life I have been bombarded with the propaganda of the
world that says, “There is no one you can rely on but yourself!” And to an extent,
in a world without God, this may be true. On the contrary, as a Christian, God
has taught me that I am powerless without Him, and the only way to live a
fulfilling life that is worthwhile is to depend solely and completely on Him and not
my own strength. An example that Jesus demonstrated so eloquently:
John 5:19-20;(John 5:30; 8:28)

19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by
himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the
Father does the Son also does. NIV
Our lives as Christians are plagued by the immoral proclivities of our hearts,
caused by corrupted conviction which has been influenced by the cesspool of a
world that we have lived in the many years of our non-Christian lives. Our efforts
must now be to develop the right convictions, based on God’s truth, that will
destroy and overshadow the old, and compel us to live a truly righteous life.
As a small amount of radioactive material can power an entire city, it can also
destroy the same city. Similarly, conviction is a powerful substance that must be
handled with extreme care. Conviction’s power comes from its ability to cause a
human being to change his or her perspective, which leads to a radical change of
life direction. There is nothing more difficult than to change a person’s mind to
start living a completely different life. This is especially true in areas a person
holds most dearly in their lives. Yet to be convinced of a belief to the level of
developing a deep conviction, a person’s priorities are reorganized to the point
that there is nothing of greater importance than fulfilling one’s purpose.
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Conviction leads to change of perspective, which leads to a change of action,

and then leads to a complete change of life pattern. It is not an action that
happens a few times, but one that persists years after the conviction was
developed. The convictions grow stronger with the repeated actions, as the
benefits or consequences of such actions are experienced by the individual and
more deeply convinces the individual of their validity.
Conviction also provides the courage to accomplish things that we in our natural
selves would be unlikely to attain. The reason for this is that our conviction is so
strong that we are willing to die for what our belief proclaims. By not fearing
death, all other minor fears fall to the wayside of our purpose. We are
unashamed of what we are doing, because shame holds very little control over
the person who is ready to sacrifice self. Pain no longer deters us, because pain
holds nothing over the person willing to endure the ultimate suffering for their
cause.
Conviction’s power is immeasurable because of its ability to thrust an individual

into superhuman levels not understood by philosophy or science. We have all
heard of the adrenaline driven woman who heaves a car in an attempt to save
her dying child.
Conviction also brings a determined, unstoppable, relentless, tenacious attitude

that rises above obstacles, criticism, rejection, and fatigue. The purpose is
deeply rooted and cannot be dissuaded from its goal. The head and nose
become hard, the neck becomes stiff and the fist becomes like iron in the
constant breaking of barriers and limitations that keep their ideals from their
ultimate goal. If the belief is not of God, the person can be jeered as being hard
headed, hardnosed, stiff necked, and iron fisted. If the belief is right, than the
insults just fan the flame that propel an individual to greater and greater heights
of faith and eventually result in the glory of God.
What we must understand is that conviction is the impetus that drives the
Christian life. Conviction is also what will help us to remain true to the faith, by
developing roots that grow deeper and deeper, helping us be firmly grounded in
what is right and true; with the ultimate goal to become like Jesus in all of his
glory:
Eph 4:12-13
… 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God
and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
NIV
Why must we be careful about what or who is influencing our and our family’s
lives and the belief system that we are developing?
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Decision:
I will pursue strong conviction in what is true and right, namely, God’s truth.
Scripture memory:
Col 2:6-7
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7
rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness. NIV
Practice:
Today I will meditate on God’s truth, and commit myself more to fulfilling it in my
life.
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Day 28: Godly Conviction vs. Worldly Conviction.
The power of conviction cannot be denied, but it can be impersonated to the

point of deceiving those who claim to have it. I have experienced firsthand
examples of this in various churches, of which I will take a liberty to use myself
as the ultimate example.
I, a converted atheist, have been going to church for more than twenty years. For
the first 15 years of my Christian life I never missed a day of reading my Bible, I
never missed a church service, and I was late to church only twice in that 15 year
period. I shared my faith with strangers just about every day, of which one week I
invited over one thousand people to church. I gave contribution consistently, and
I increased my special yearly missionary contribution every year. I helped lead
hundreds of people to Christ and taught tens of thousands of people. I
eventually became a minister serving the church with all of my heart. As a single
man I maintained absolute purity, and I eventually married a Christian woman, by
the age of 31, with the joy of knowing that I was going to the altar, a virgin.
The church I am a part of, as many others, underwent a radical change in

structure. The ultimate change that resulted was the rapid decline of any
attempts at accountability. For one reason or another, accountability was the first
to go, and it was very evident that it was gone. People suddenly felt as if
accountability was an intrusion on people’s privacy and no longer felt it was their
place to question or counsel. Some felt, that unless the advice was solicited they
would not share it, thinking “who wants to hear unsolicited advice anyway?”
I considered myself a man full of conviction, with a strong belief that my

motivation was pure, and that after being a Christian for as long as I had, that I
had left the milk and was on a strict diet of solid spiritual food. The lack of
accountability, so I thought, should not make a difference in my life because my
convictions ran deep. I thoroughly felt that external motivations had little to do
with the devoted life that I spent so many years building, to the glory of God.
Well, after the loss of accountability, the first thing to go was my Bible study. I
stopped studying my Bible every day. I believed that God had never
commanded us to read it every day, only to obey it daily, therefore I was no
longer tied to that rule, since in my mind it was a gray area anyway. By that time,
I must have read the New Testament about one hundred times, and read the Old
Testament half as much, so I reasoned there is enough in my head to last me a
few decades. Yet, after the changes, I thought, “If I read the Bible a couple times
a week, that should be fine.” It eventually became a couple times a month, and
then, even less than that.
The next thing to go was evangelism. I thought, the Bible never commands how
often I should share my faith, only that it is a good thing to do. Well, if I don’t
have to do it daily, then I don’t have to get up the courage everyday to meet
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strangers, or to share my faith every time I rode the train, went to work or was
around new people. I went from sharing every day, to sharing a few times a
year. I went from having a few Bible studies with potential new converts, every
day, to having one study every few years.
The next to go was my discipline. I no longer made it to church early, but rather
late. I felt, lateness was never condemned in the Bible; it was a humanistic
expectation therefore it did not matter anyway.
The last thing to go was my fellowship. Though the Bible did exhort me to
encourage other disciples, and even to do it daily, I reasoned that my wife is a
Christian, and I automatically encourage her daily, therefore there is no need to
reach out to my brothers and sisters to see how they were doing and inspire
them toward love and good deeds. The fifty phone calls I made daily were
whittled down to about ten, then to about one, then to none. I stopped calling at
all and I stopped returning calls. I encouraged people at church only when it was
convenient, and eventually, I stopped that as well, going to church only once or
twice a month. When at church, the five minutes before church was over was my
time to leave, because I did not want to be bothered hearing about people’s lives
and their many problems.
Where years before I was the poster child for a committed Christian, in a few
months I became what I had always condemned. Would I consider myself
lukewarm? I think I was worse, especially when I was exposed for what I really
was. I always felt I had a deep love for God, and I had demonstrated it by my
radically devoted life. Yet, after the accountability was gone, my actions revealed
something that I always dreaded: that although I had done many things, this
scripture rang true in my life:
Revelation 3:1-2
… I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2
Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your
deeds complete in the sight of my God. NIV
No matter how devoted I felt, and how strong I believed I was, or how close I
believed I was to God, once the accountability was gone, I became a completely
different person. The shameless truth that is revealed by my actions was that
after fifteen years of a radically devoted life, I did not have true godly conviction.
I still believe I had some conviction because I did things I normally would not do, I
reached heights I never thought humanly possible, and accomplished much few
others could have achieved. Nevertheless, if my convictions could not last the
test of time or the change of environment then my convictions were based on the
wrong things.
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How shameful do I feel to know that all that worked so hard for was built on the
wrong foundation? Though I gained wisdom, and habits that I still carry today,
the foundation was made of sand and came crashing down around me. After all
that I did, I had nothing to show for it. As the Bible says:
1 Cor 13:1-3
13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only
a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can
fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing . 3 If I give all I possess to the poor
and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. NIV
Though I do regret much, I am grateful for what God has exposed in my life. I
am grateful because God saved me from the ultimate consequences that have
befallen those who did not take warning:
Matt 7:21-23
21 "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to
me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name
drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, `I
never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' NIV
I use myself as an example, but I know hundreds whom I have spoken to who
have shared of their lack of devotion, lack of Bible study, lack of prayer, lack of
fellowship, etc., and the alternate lifestyle they created for themselves after
accountability had disappeared.
The ultimate truth is obvious and needs to be proclaimed from the roof tops: If
our lives have made a significant change from our previous level of devotion to
an alternate, different, less devoted, and ultimately lukewarm lifestyle, due to a
change in external circumstances, then I dare say:
WE SERIOUSLY LACK GODLY CONVICTION!!!
Or if we are one way in front of others, at church, at social gatherings, etc. but we
are a completely different person when we are alone; indulging in sins that we
know are wrong but that we have again become slaves to, then I dare say:
WE SERIOUSLY LACK GODLY CONVICTION!!!
Jesus, who sees the heart, had this to say about those who claimed to be godly
people but were not; a situation that, unfortunately, may be true of Christians
today:
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Matt 15:8-9
8 "'These people honor me with their lips,
9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.'" NIV
Any Christianity that is based only on external displays of piety, external

motivations, goads, requirements, external expectations, or accountability, and
which cannot stand on its own two feet on a foundation of deep conviction,
sincere, and genuine inside and out, is not of God and will be put to the test and
shown for what it really is:
Matt 7:24-27
24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it
did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears
these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who
built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds
blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." NIV
1 Peter 1:6-7
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to
suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith-of greater
worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved
genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
NIV
Even entire churches will be tested:
1 Cor 3:10-15
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is
Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly
stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the
Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality
of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one
escaping through the flames. NIV
Therefore we must be honest with ourselves, and honest with God about where
our convictions lie. Then and only then can God create an upheaval in our lives
that will establish a foundation of true godly conviction; which will last us for
eternity.
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Was there ever a time when you were more devoted than you are now? What
convictions do you need to develop to make sure you are not distracted from that
level of devotion?
Decision:
I will pursue true, godly conviction all the days of my life.
Scripture memory:
Matt 7:21
21 "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Practice:
Today, I will honor God by striving to fulfill His will (holding to His principles) in
everything that I do.
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Day 29: Building Godly Conviction.
Now that we have made the effort to expose our true motivations we can begin to
live life building true godly conviction. We should not feel sad because of the
truth of where our hearts are, for we are not the first to be exposed for building on
the wrong foundation; as the Hebrew writer said:
Heb 5:12-14
12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to
teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not
solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted
with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who
by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. NIV
The Hebrew church was close to thirty years old when Paul said this, and it must
have hurt!
The question we need to now turn our attention to is: What builds conviction?
To build conviction is not as difficult as we think. If we were to look
introspectively we would see that we have developed much conviction in our
lives without necessarily being conscious of the process. Nevertheless, one of
the simplest ways to develop conviction is through repetition.
Much of what we believe is because we have heard or seen examples in our

lives repeated over and over again. Many of our traditions, we adhere to just as
strongly as our parents do because we have experienced those traditions year
after year till these traditions became part of us. Our ideals are based on ideas
that have served us over and over again with consistent results that have
convinced us of their validity.
Let’s face it, if someone were to tell you that the president was assassinated, you
would find it hard to believe, but after ten people were to tell you the same thing,
with similar details, and you see it on the news, and read it in the newspaper, you
begin to start spreading the news yourself. You have been convinced, by the
testimony of many people, even though you were not there yourself. Your new
conviction compelled you to speak up about what you now believe to be true.
In order to develop godly conviction, what must I repeatedly expose myself to?
Godly principles of course. This, consequently, means that to gain spiritual
conviction we must be constantly exposed to the source of all of our knowledge
of God, namely, our Bible. What I mean is, if conviction comes from repetition,
then the more I am exposed to something spiritual the more convinced I would
be of it. Common sense would then say that if in the Bible I find truth, the more I
read my Bible the more convinced I would be of the truth, and therefore the more
godly conviction I will possess.
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When you survey the Bible, it is obvious that there is no scripture in the Bible
commanding Christians to read the Bible every day. Yet, there is no denying
God’s command toward obedience and his exhortation to utilize the Bible to help
fulfill that daily obedience:
Josh 1:7-8
8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and
night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be
prosperous and successful. NIV
Ps 119:9-11
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you. NIV
Deut 17:18-20
18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll
a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be
with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere
the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these
decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the
law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time
over his kingdom in Israel. NIV
1 Cor 15:1-2
15:1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which
you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are
saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have
believed in vain. NIV
Col 3:16
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one
another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with
gratitude in your hearts to God. NIV
Heb 2:1
2:1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so
that we do not drift away. NIV
Heb 11:5-6, Rom 10:17

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes
to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek
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him… 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the
message is heard through the word of Christ. NIV
James 1:25
25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and
continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be
blessed in what he does. NIV
It is undeniable that God has encouraged us to be exposed to the Word because

by doing so we will deepen our godly conviction, which will consequently compel
us to a steadfast obedience.
Reading the Bible is not a command, but it is a tool that God uses to help us
develop spiritual conviction, which in turn will make us be more rooted and help
us to stay faithful till death, providing more guarantees that we will reach our
place in heaven.
For example, if we eat healthy, then our health will improve. If we eat healthy on
a daily basis, then consequently, we will be at our best physically. Similarly, if we
read our Bible our godly conviction will develop, and consequently, if we read our
Bible daily then our godly conviction will grow astronomically.
If I miss a day of reading, I am not in sin, but it will invoke a basic principle of life:
the more you do something the more habitual and easy it will become; the less
you do something, the harder it is to do, and the harder it is to start doing again.
If I don’t read I am building habits that will work against my desire of building
deeper spiritual conviction. Yet, if I read daily, I am building habits that will get me
to heaven.
I will strive to read daily because then I will become stronger spiritually. I will be
in tune with God Almighty; exposed to His love, His power, His compassion and
His strength, which will help me be a more obedient child of His, and will
ultimately bring Him glory.
Seeing that the only truthful information we have about God and Jesus are found
mainly in the Bible, it only makes sense that we go to scripture to hear the truth.
The world bombards us with lies, Satan bombards us with lies, and our sinful
nature bombards us with lies. In the midst of all the lies, we should cling to the
only truth that we have in this world; the truth that people have given their lives
throughout history to protect, namely, God’s word.
Do you want godly conviction? Read your Bible. Do you want a lot of godly
conviction? Read your Bible a lot. Do you want a conviction that grows daily,
building a solid foundation that will make you immovable to Satan’s attacks, and
more guarantees you finishing the race to receive the crown of life? Then read
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your Bible every day, and stand back and watch what God does with your life.
As God says:
Isa 55:10-11
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty ,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. NIV
What are the blessings and benefits that come from reading the word of God
daily?
Decision:
I will strive to read and meditate on God’s word every day of my life.
Scripture memory:
James 1:25
25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and
continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be
blessed in what he does. NIV
Practice:
I will make time in my day, today, to read my Bible and meditate on what I am
learning.
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Day 29: Training Ourselves to be Godly.
1 Tim 4:6-8
7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train
yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has
value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
NIV
Imagine that there were no church. Imagine there were no Bible conferences to
attend. Imagine there were no mid-week service, or spiritual devotionals; no
revivals, no Sunday school, no prayer meetings, and no Christian lunches.
Imagine that you were the only Christian on this planet. Would you be able to
maintain your spiritual fervor, strengthen your godly conviction, grow in your
understanding; keeping a single-minded, wholehearted spiritual perspective on
life, and ultimately make it to heaven?
I dare say that some of us would, and some of us would not. A very few of us
would keep our spiritual fire even though we would have no help from anyone
outside of ourselves. Many of us, though, would let our spiritual fire die out, and
settle for a mediocre, double-minded, traditional Christianity, that eventually
leads to unfruitfulness.
Jesus expounded on these same principles when he explained the meaning of

the Parable of the Sower:
Luke 8:11-15
11 "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those
along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away
the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those
on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but
they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall
away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they
go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they
do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and
good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
NIV
Here Jesus describes the lives of people who receive the Word, their response to
the Word in their lives, and the consequences of their responses. He mentions a
person’s responsibility (response – ability), regarding their response to the Word
of God.
15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who
hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. NIV
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The noble and good-hearted person, who hears the word, did not, like the others,
allow external circumstance to dissuade them from developing the conviction that
allowed him or her to retain the word of God. The Bible says that they
persevered, meaning, that they continued in their pursuit regardless of the
external (and internal) obstacles that they faced. Their convictions were
developed independent of their external circumstances, and by persevering
produced fruit that brings God glory.
What we must understand is that our spiritual conviction and growth cannot be
dependent on people and things around us. We demonstrate our convictions to
people and situations around us, yes, but the development of those convictions
and the internal transformation into the likeness of Christ must never be
determined by our external circumstances.
We as Christians, are fully responsible for getting ourselves to heaven by

developing our own deep, godly conviction, and with the help of God and His
Holy Spirit, maturing ourselves in Christ. We must train ourselves to be godly, by
taking all of the resources God has given us; and with prayer and the Holy Spirit,
grow our own convictions, persevering regardless of the obstacles, and ultimately
make it to heaven.
For example, when children are born they are fully dependent on their parents to
meet their basic needs such as being fed, sharing love, and having their diaper
changed. As children grow up, though they become more independent, they are
still dependent on their parents to teach them and guide them to develop their
own values, standards, beliefs and habits. As they get to young adulthood they
seek to use the foundation provided by their parents and build upon them, or
adapting them, adding to them, or even exchanging them to fit their own
perspectives on life. When they reach full adulthood, they no longer depend on
their parents, but rather choose to involve their parents in their lives, even to take
care of their parents who have reached their frail years.
How weird or sad would it be for a healthy adult man or woman to continue to be
dependent on their parents for their basic needs, when they are fully capable of
doing it on their own? Or how sad would it be for a healthy man or woman to
choose to be dependent on others around them in order to meet all of their other
needs, that they should be mature enough to maintain themselves?
Then why do we tolerate it as Christians? Many of us depend on others to feed

us spiritually, either through a church service or through Christian counseling.
Yet we refuse to pick up our Bibles and train ourselves to be godly. We know
what we need: to read the Bible more, pray more, thank God more, etc., yet we
refuse to do it ourselves. Then we wonder why we are weak spiritually; we
wonder why we are so vulnerable toward sin; we wonder why we have such a
proclivity toward a hard heart; and we wonder where our passion and motivation
has gone.
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Not suprisingly, similar things happened to the Christians in the Bible:
Heb 5:12-14
12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers , you need someone to
teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not
solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted
with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who
by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. NIV
The Hebrew church was over 30 years old, and Paul rebuked them for their lack
of conviction! What was their problem? Though they had been in church and
around church for over 30 years, they did not mature because they did not
devote themselves to utilizing all of the resources God had put at their disposal
that would mature them in Christ. They did not train themselves to be godly.
Training Ourselves to be Godly
God has placed ample and sufficient resources to help us train ourselves to be
godly. Yet, these resources, though many, are useless without a willing spirit.
We must be willing to pursue godly conviction if we are going to grow and mature
in Christ. That willingness is translated into making every effort to do all that we
can to grow, in order that we could make it to heaven:
Luke 13:24
He said to them, 24 "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because
many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. NIV
2 Peter 1:5-8
2 Peter 3:14
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort
to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. NIV
Our willing spirit will also help us undergo the suffering, that, like exercise, we
need to undergo to truly grow stronger in our spiritual conviction:
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Rom 5:3-4
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character,
hope. NIV
1 Peter 4:1-3
4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the
same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2 As a
result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but
rather for the will of God. NIV
James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything. NIV
Heb 12:11
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it
produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained
by it. NIV
Once we have a willing spirit, and are committed to persevering through the
external and internal obstacles that we encounter along the way, then we must
commit ourselves to training ourselves to be godly.
The dictionary defines training as, “the process of bringing someone to an agreed
standard of independent proficiency by constant practice and instruction.” Those
are a lot of words, but the keys to training are repetition in practice and
instruction, with the goal of being able to accomplish the task independently, and
proficiently. In other words we need to repeatedly expose ourselves to God’s
resources, such as: the word, prayer, the Spirit, etc., (instruction), and then
repeatedly put to practice what we learn until it becomes natural for us
(proficiency).
The good thing is that God has made it easy for us by putting all of the resources
we need in one place, namely, His Word:
2 Peter 1:3-4
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that
through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption
in the world caused by evil desires. NIV
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2 Tim 3:15-17
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting
and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work. NIV
Col 3:15-17
And Paul declares, that the need for constant practice is the road to maturity in
Christ:
Heb 5:13-14
14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained
themselves to distinguish good from evil. NIV
Paul was one of the greatest biblical examples of what it means to train
ourselves to be godly. He demonstrated the attitude and dedication needed to
grow his conviction, so the he too could make it to heaven:
1 Cor 9:24-27
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the
prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the
games goes into strict training . They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we
do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man
running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body
and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be
disqualified for the prize. NIV
Therefore we have a responsibility as Christians to get ourselves to heaven.

God will not judge us together based on our support group, rather He will judge
us on our own. He will not look to others to judge our faithfulness, but rather, He
will look to see how you or I utilized all of the spiritual resources He provided for
us to help us make it to heaven. God has truly made it simple. As the song
goes, “Read your Bible, pray every day and we grow, grow, and grow. Don’t
read your Bible and pray every day, and we (our convictions) shrink, shrink,
shrink…”
If your life physically depended on you reading your Bible, what efforts would you
make to read it?
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Decision
I will commit myself to making every effort to train myself to be godly; utilizing all
of God’s resources to do so.
Scripture memory
1 Tim 4:6-8
7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train
yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has
value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
NIV
Practice:
Today I will read my Bible, pray and utilize God’s resources, to help me practice
applying God’s principles in my life.
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Day 30: Holding to the Word of God
Luke 8:15
15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who
hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop . NIV
To truly hold to the Word of God in spite of all of the obstacles that we face
internally and externally is one of the greatest challenges of the Christian life. To
persevere regardless of the tempting excuses that we would like to use to justify
our actions, while resisting Satan’s attempt at trying to distract us from our daily
exposure to the truth is a very hard thing to do. Many of us have fallen by the
wayside while others have forsaken the truth altogether. And it is never a
random and sudden change of behavior; we drift little by little from reading the
Bible until our hearts grow hard and we lose the desire to hear the truth and we
use excuses to justify our behavior until our faith weakens and we either
succumb to the worlds influence or we repent and recommit ourselves to our
devotion to the Word of God.
We must always remember that it was the Bible that originally taught us the truth
and the reason we are saved Christians today. To ever think that we are going
to make it to heaven without consistent exposure to God’s word is a proud and
self-deceived attitude. It comes from an immature and naïve perspective that we
have placed over everything that we know is true; one that persuades us to take
the control of our life out of God’s hands and to try to do things ourselves. As the
Bible says:
Gal 3:2-3
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain
your goal by human effort? NIV
How can one win a spiritual battle that is beyond our earthly powers to overcome,
without the help of the spiritual weapons God has provided for us in Scripture?
As Scripture says:
Eph 6:10-17
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor
of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that
when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you
have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled
around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with
your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all
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the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God. NIV
Our entire spiritual armor: truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation and the
sword of the Spirit, all have their foundation in scripture. Believing we can make
it to heaven without the help of God’s word makes no common sense, and is a
belief that can only be accepted by those who are determined to commit spiritual
suicide, by returning to a life of slavery under sin:
Gal 4:9
9 But now that you know God — or rather are known by God — how is it that you
are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be
enslaved by them all over again? NIV
We need to come to our senses and remember that Satan’s ultimate ploy is to
distract us from the truth and to do all that he can to lead us away from it:
Rev 12:9
9 The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or
Satan, who leads the whole world astray. NIV
Satan works very subtly in distracting us with the ultimate goal to steal or choke
God’s Word out of us. What better way of doing this than by helping us justify
our excuses as to why we don’t read the Bible, making it more and more difficult
to ever pick it up? As the Bible says:
Mark 4:15,18-19
15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon
as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in
them…18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the
worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things
come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. NIV
No matter how many excuses we use: laziness, lack of motivation, no time, etc.,
the heart of the matter is that we do not see the seriousness of our situation. The
Bible is the only source of truth in this world and therefore our lifeline. By letting
go of our lifeline, it is only a matter of time before we meet our impending doom
and lose our soul to Satan’s schemes.
On the other hand, if we think that without reading our Bible on a constant and
continual basis we will be able to continue in our faith strong and firm; to rise
above the humanistic and external influences to our faith; to be able to be more
devoted in your love for God, his people and this lost world; to avoid the external
influences that are constantly bombarding our life; and evade Satan, who has
made us his target, then I must share that we are truly deceived. Even the
greatest men in the Bible (Abraham, Moses, David, the Prophets, the Apostles,
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etc.) stumbled greatly without the help of God’s word and its influence in their
lives.
Therefore, we need to watch out, because Paul’s warning always ring true:
1 Cor 10:12-13
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! NIV
For the rest of Christendom: the hundreds and thousands of Christians, like
myself, who are not as strong and who have a desperate need for God and His
word to help us make it to heaven; for us this scripture rings true:
Heb 10:23-25
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is
faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and
good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of
doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day
approaching. NIV
What is it going to take to help us to truly commit ourselves to reading and

meditating on God’s word on a consistent basis?
Decision:
I will cling to God’s word as my life line in this world.
Scripture memory:
John 8:31-32
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching,
you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set
you free." NIV
Practice:
Today I will proclaim my desperate need for God by reading my Bible to find out
what His direction is for my life.
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Chapter 9. Growth and Transformation.
One of the greatest challenges that we face as Christians today is the difficulty in
growing spiritually and changing our habits to those that more reflect the likeness
of Christ. This challenge stems from the hardness of our hearts, which makes it
difficult to develop the conviction that we need that will ultimately lead to a
change of life. True change needs to begin with a transformation at the heart
level which in turn is followed by an external change of life. Yet, in order for that
inner transformation to occur, our hearts must adhere to a new perspective and a
new way of thinking. As Jesus says:
Luke 5:37-38
37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins . If he does, the new wine will
burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new
wine must be poured into new wineskins.NIV
We must throw away our old way of thinking, and now adhere to a new
perspective, namely, God’s perspective, seeing things through His eyes. This
means prioritizing what is really important in life, focusing our minds on spiritual
things, understanding that there is a spiritual battle that rages around us, and
putting our trust in God’s Spirit that dwells inside of us. Only then can we truly
be able to fully realize the transformation that God has in store for us; the
transformation that He is effecting right now, even as you read this book. As the
Bible says:
Phil 1:6
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
NIV
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Day 31: Spiritual Priorities.
Mark 12:29-30
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind and with all your strength.' NIV
The Bible says that our love for God should consume all of our heart, all of our
soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength. Yet, what does this look like? The
Bible gives us a few examples:
Ps 73:25-26 (Asaph)
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. NIV
Ps 63:1 (David)
O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water. NIV
Hab 3:17-19 (Habakkuk)

17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights. NIV
Phil 3:8 (Paul)

8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing
greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.
I consider them rubbish , that I may gain Christ…NIV
Here we see four men, Asaph, David, Habbakuk, and the apostle Paul, all men
made of flesh and blood as we are, yet they demonstrate that it is possible and it
is beautiful to be completely consumed with a relationship with God. Asaph said,
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“There is nothing I desire on earth beside you…” David was so consumed with
God that his soul desired God as his body desired food and water! He felt he
could not live without God, and he desperately needed God as if he was in the
desert with no water. Habakkuk did not care of the calamities of life surrounding
him (and they were serious calamities); his joy was not in anything of this world,
but solely in his God, who is beyond this world. Paul considered everything in
this world as rubbish (a.k.a. garbage) compared to the surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ. These men were true, positive examples of what Jesus said:
Matt 6:21
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. NIV
A treasure is something of great importance to us; it only makes sense that we

consequently place our hearts there. For these men, their treasure was truly in
God, and therefore their hearts were with Him. They realized what a great
treasure they truly had in God that their hearts were not only with Him but their
hearts became consumed with Him.
Is that how we feel? Does this describe us? Out of all of the various situations
we are involved in, can we truly say that there is nothing on earth we desire more
besides God himself? Can we truly say that everything is garbage compared to
being in a relationship with God?
Or, are we consumed with our everyday situations and problems; consumed with
our ambitions, such as our desire for success, riches or the comforts of life; or
relying on them for our security, satisfaction and fulfillment? Maybe it is an
earthly relationship that we desire that is consuming our hearts and minds, or it
could be that we are consumed by anger, resentment and bitterness. It could
also be that we are attempting to be in control of a situation that is beyond our
control and we are consumed with worry, anxiety and fret. Whatever it is, if it is
not God, then we are on a path away from God, which will only end in
fruitlessness, and ultimately, death:
Mark 4:18-19
18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of
this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and
choke the word, making it unfruitful. NIV
It all begins by deciding where our treasure will be. Are we looking for our
treasure in things of the earth or is it truly stowed away in heaven? What is of
the greatest importance to us? Is it our families, our health, our career, our
future, our comfort, our success, or our happiness? Or is it our great and loving,
powerful, strong, amazing and awesome God?
How will we know what is most important in our lives? Our actions will reveal the
truth. As the Bible says:
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Prov 27:19
9 As water reflects a face,
so a man's heart reflects the man. NIV
And,
Luke 6:45
For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. NIV
What do our actions reveal about us? We have already seen the lives of men
who were consumed with God. Are our actions similar to their actions? If we
need more examples here are a few more to stimulate our hearts:
Gen 5:22-24; Heb 11:5 (Enoch)

22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300
years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years.
24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away…
For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. NIV
Ex 33:9,11 (Moses)
9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at
the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses... 11 The LORD would speak to
Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. NIV
Ps 42:1-2 (The sons of Korah)

42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God? NIV
James 2:23-24 (Abraham)

23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. NIV
Do our actions come close to the previous eight examples that we have read
about? If they do not, then we have to take a serious look at where are treasures
are and consequently where our hearts have been.
How do we begin to grow in our spiritual lives? By putting our treasure where it
belongs, with God; by loving God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength; by
being passionate toward God and not sharing our passions with anyone or
anything else. When God takes the center of our life, then there will be spiritual
change in our lives.
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Do we really want to know the secret of how to grow our spiritual life? Make God
our life, and then use everything else, our family, our career, our future, our
relationships, our hobbies, and our ambitions, as opportunities for us to glorify
God. And with this, the Bible declares:
1 Cor 10:31
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God .
NIV
What will help us to have a deep, consuming passion for God, the way the men
and women of the Bible had, and which God is looking for?
Decision:
I will have only one all consuming love in my life, and that is God and God alone.
Scripture memory:
Ps 73:25-26
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. NIV
Practice:
I will devote myself today to prayer, meditating on God’s word and on His
creation, so that I can fan into flame an all encompassing and passionate
relationship with God.
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Day 32: Inner Spiritual Victory.
Matt 23:25-26
26… First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be
clean. NIV
In order to achieve spiritual transformation, once our priorities are set straight, we
need to turn our attention to what God requires of us. Some things are self
evident such as our continual love for God and walk with God, which we have
spoken about. Also, as Christians we also know that we are to somehow love
and render service to others. Yet, before delving into the external things we
need to do, we have more internal spiritual victories to achieve. This is because
only when we are aligned with God on the inside can we express true Christianity
on the outside. In other words, only when our minds, our spirits, and our
obedience is aligned with our heart’s desire to please God can we overcome the
internal obstacles created by our sinful nature, and the external influences from
the world and Satan.
I would admit that without our sinful nature, the world and Satan’s influence,
growing and showing our true godliness and holiness to the world will be as easy
as breathing or blinking our eyes. This is what it will probably be like in heaven,
where we will have all of the motivation (desire) without any opposition (Satan,
the world, our sinful nature, etc.). Yet, on earth, we do face these obstacles, both
externally and internally and we need to be able to protect against the spiritual
attacks that we face in order to continue in our efforts at living a transformed
spiritual life. The good thing is that God has armed us for these attacks:
Eph 6:10-18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor
of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that
when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you
have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled
around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with
your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all
the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep
on praying for all the saints. NIV
God has given us spiritual armor to protect us against the onslaught of spiritual
attacks from the heavenly realms. The Bible says that flaming arrows will come
as well as evil days. We protect against them with righteousness, the gospel,
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faith, salvation, and prayer to protect ourselves and those fighting a similar battle
around us. Unless we rely on these spiritual weapons we will fall prey to the
onslaught of Satan’s attacks, and we will never be able to see God’s glory.
Let us consider our spiritual armor:
Righteousness
Righteousness is our willingness to do what is right in all circumstances.

Contrary to popular belief it is not perfect obedience to God’s law because it is
impossible for us to obey God perfectly due to our sinful nature. The heart of our
righteousness as Christians is our willingness and our attempts to do right, and
where we fall short, God steps in to complete our righteousness:
Rom 8:1-4
8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the
law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was
weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of
sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in
order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do
not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. NIV
Yet, it begins with our willingness. If the willingness is not there, it is only a
matter of time, until our hearts will drift away from the Lord, hardened by sin’s
deceitfulness and eventually turn away from God:
Heb 3:12-13
12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful , unbelieving heart that turns
away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is
called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. NIV
Righteousness, has at its core the hatred of sin:
Prov 8:13
13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech. NIV
Rom 12:9
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. NIV
Heb 1:9
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy." NIV
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Matt 5:29-30
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better
for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into
hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is
better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into
hell. NIV
And, our continued practice at righteousness will mature us in Christ:
Heb 5:13-14
13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the
teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature , who by
constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. NIV
The Gospel, Faith, Salvation and Prayer
The gospel, faith and salvation are all anchors for our souls that help us put our
trust in Him. Consequently, all three are found in the Bible:
1 Cor 15:1-2
15:1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which
you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are
saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have
believed in vain. NIV
Rom 10:17
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message , and the message is
Prayer is our ability to intercede for ourselves and for others. It is one of the
greatest weapons we have in our battle for our personal righteousness, because
when we are tempted, through prayer we receive direct help from God:
Matt 26:41
41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing,
but the body is weak." NIV
Heb 4:15-16
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we
are — yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with
confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of
need. NIV
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Our salvation gives us the hope that we need to protect our hearts and minds,
which motivates us to stronger faith and love:
1 Thess 5:8
8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and
love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. NIV
Col 1:5
5 …the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in
heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth…NIV
And, if being armed was not enough, God also watches over us and protects us
when we are attacked:
1 Cor 10:13
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is
faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you
are tempted , he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
NIV
We have armor to protect us, spiritual weapons which to fight with, and God’s
protection for battle. The last thing we need is the spirit of perseverance:
1 Tim 4:15-16
16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do,
you will save both yourself and your hearers. NIV
Heb 10:36-39
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will
receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while,
"He who is coming will come and will not delay.

38 But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him."
39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who
believe and are saved. NIV
Perseverance is the ultimate key to getting us to heaven because if we do not

give up, God will never give up on us. He will do all in His power to give us the
strength to overcome any obstacle, sin or struggle, and the inspiration to
continue the race until we make it to heaven. With God’s help, there is no
temptation, sin, struggle, force, power, obstacle or being that can stop us from
making it to heaven; yet only if we persevere.
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Therefore, we have everything that we need to win the spiritual battle that ensues
around us. To fail is inexcusable and to prevail is inevitable. The key to
ultimately winning this war is the understanding that, with God, we have the
mother of all secret weapons. As the Bible says:
Rom 8:31-32
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be
against us? NIV
How can we show God that we will persevere in running the spiritual race and
making it to the finish line in heaven?
Decision:
I will use all of the spiritual resources God has provided to me to stay faithful all
of the days of my life.
Scripture memory:
Rom 8:31
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be
against us? NIV
Practice:
Today I will strive with all my might and God’s power to stay faithful to my God
and live a life pleasing to Him; persevering, even in difficult circumstances.
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Day 33: Winning the Battle of the Mind
Matt 12:34-36
35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the
evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. NIV
Though, we have all that we need for life and godliness, we are unfortunately still
overcome by many temptations, and we succumb to many of Satan’s schemes.
Why is this so? It is because our foundation is weak, and we allow things in our
minds and hearts that destroy what is good, ultimately spreading like a virus:
Matt 6:22-23
22 "The eye is the lamp [window] of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole
body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full
of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
NIV Parenthesis and italics mine.
You see, the battle begins by what we allow in our minds and can be either won
or lost in the mind. This is why God exhorts us to prepare our minds so that the
battle will be to our advantage:
1 Peter 1:13-14
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope
fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. NIV
Rom 8:5-8
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that
nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds
set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind
controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It
does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful
nature cannot please God. NIV
Though there are many things beyond our control, the one thing God has allowed
within our control is our mind. What we think is what we have allowed ourselves
to think. If we allow ourselves to think thoughts of the kind God expects us to
think, then we will make a decisions based on godly truth:
Phil 4:8
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. NIV
And our lives will reflect the godliness in our thinking:

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Rom 12:2
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind . Then you will be able to test and approve what God's
will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. NIV
On the contrary, if we allow our thinking to be distorted and become depraved,

our lives will reap the consequences of such a mindset:
Rom 1:21-23
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave
thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were
darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and
exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal
man and birds and animals and reptiles. NIV
Eph 4:17-19
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as
the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking . 18 They are darkened in their
understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that
is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. NIV
Matt 12:33-35
33 "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit
will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can
you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the
mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in
him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. NIV
If we allow our minds to believe in that which is not true; if we allow ourselves to
doubt God’s love and his power; if we entertain the thought that temptation will
fulfill that which only God can fulfill, we will reap a life separated from God. On
the contrary, if we persevere, and only believe that which is true, namely, the
great love and sovereignty of our great and mighty God and Father, then we will
bring glory to God. As the Bible commands us:
2 Cor 10:5
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to
Christ. NIV
Col 3:1-4
3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things
above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on
things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden
with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will
appear with him in glory. NIV
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2 Cor 4:18
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is
seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. NIV
How are we supposed to think? I can take the perspective of many different
people, and I will see things differently. Yet, as a Christian, I need to seek God’s
perspective on the way I perceive every situation in my life; because only God’s
perception is truly reality.
The great thing is that God has given us the ultimate resource to firmly keep our
minds on His perspective and show us when our minds go astray, namely, His
word:
Heb 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged
sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges
the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. NIV
Therefore, my life needs to be devoted to seeking to understand God’s

perspective, so that I will be able to make true and godly decisions in every area
of my life. I need to keep my mind on things above, because only then can I
keep God’s perspective. I need to continually expose myself to the source of
spiritual things, which obviously means that I need to read the Bible and pray on
a consistent basis. I need to meditate on things above such as: God, heaven,
the angels and the spiritual realms, because only then can I truly have the right
perspective on the earth, and be an ambassador for Christ for the ultimate glory
of God.
How can you utilize spiritual sources in order to fill up on godly thoughts and
things that come from God’s perspective?
Decision:
I will set my mind only on godly things and take captive every ungodly thought
and make it obedient to Christ.
Scripture memory:
Col 3:1-2
3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things
above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on
things above, not on earthly things.
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Practice:
Today I will reflect on God’s perspective of things, and reject every ungodly,
untrue, and destructive thought that tries to enter my mind.
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Day 34: Godly Principles and the Fruits of the Spirit.
Rom 5:5
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into
our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. NIV
With our passion for God ignited, and armed with the gifts God has given us to
live victorious spiritual lives, our next step is to grow our spiritual lives toward the
continue pursuit of being like Jesus. When we became Christians we received
the gift of the forgiveness of our sin; yet, we are still in need of transformation.
This is because there is a great disparity between our faith, understanding, trust
and wisdom, and that belonging to Jesus. It would have been nice of God to
provide us with all of these things at the time of our decision to follow Him; yet,
God decided it was sufficient enough to provide for us with His Holy Spirit to
produce in us the changes that we need, during the period of time that we have
while we live on the earth.
God has given us His Holy Spirit to be able to work internally in our hearts to
develop certain fruits of his character that do not come naturally to us:
Gal 5:22-23
faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
NIV
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and

self-control are all descriptions of who God is, and by giving us of His spirit it
makes sense that the spirit will produce these fruits in us as well.
Yet, the Spirit of God, though powerful, will not overpower us and force us to
become these things against our own will. It is in association with our decision to
pursue these qualities that God Spirit effects these changes; yet only if we are
willing. As the Bible says:
Rom 8:14
14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.NIV
Gal 5:25
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit .NIV
Eph 4:30
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the
day of redemption. NIV
These scriptures do show that the decisions we make have an influence on the
work of the Spirit in our lives. Therefore, our lives must be focused on growing in
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all of the fruits of the Spirit, which means the pursuit of a life that is more loving,
patient, joyful, kind, gentle, etc. We also need to pray for God to effect these
changes in our lives as often as possible, as well as, expose ourselves to
scriptures that show us the faithful examples of the men and women of the Bible,
especially Jesus. Though our efforts will not create the change, our willingness
will facilitate the Spirit’s work in our lives to transform us into the likeness of
Christ:
2 Cor 3:17-18
18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being
transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the
Lord, who is the Spirit. NIV
Where we fall short, the Spirit will take up the slack and align our desire for
change with God’s will. This creates a supernatural transformation in our lives:
Rom 8:26-27
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what
we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that
words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of
the Spirit , because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's
will. NIV
As the Spirit intercedes to God for us in prayer, it is our responsibility to align our
decisions and actions in line with that of His Holy Spirit, by pursuing a life of true
righteousness and holiness:
Rom 8:5-6
…but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what
the Spirit desires. NIV
…Ridding ourselves of all things that go against God’s purpose for our lives:
Rom 8:13-14
13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit
you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, NIV
…And, pursuing a life motivated by the purpose of pleasing the Spirit of God:
Gal 6:7-8
8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap
destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap
eternal life. NIV
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Therefore, with the help of God’s Spirit to help us in our daily pursuit of a holy life,
we cannot fail in our desire to live a life that is pleasing to God, and one that will
end in our eternal salvation. Where we fall short, the Spirit prays for us; where
we fight to stay righteous, the Spirit will give us the power to overcome. Again,
with God’s help there is no defeating us, as the Bible says:
Prov 21:30
30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the LORD. NIV
In conclusion, we have all we need to arm ourselves to win the spiritual battle: we
have the pursuit of righteousness and God’s completion of it when we fall short;
God’s message of salvation through the Bible’s declaration of the gospel; and
faith, to shield us from Satan’s daily attacks. We pray in the Spirit for God to
come to our aid, relying on God’s love and protection of us; preparing our minds
for action, by taking captive every thought until it aligns itself with Christ, and
setting our minds and hearts on things above until we see the Lord. Last, we
keep in step with the Spirit by pursuing the godly qualities that describe God in all
of His righteousness and holiness. Only then can we truly have an internal
victory, establishing a foundation of true godly conviction, which will effect a true
spiritual transformation in our lives; setting the battlefield to our advantage, and
leading us to the glory of God, which we, as Christ’s ambassadors, so
desperately and passionately desire, deep within our hearts.
What resources can you utilize to help you keep in step with the changes the
Holy Spirit is trying to make in your life?
Decision:
I will live a life devoted to keeping in step with God’s Holy Spirit, by pursuing the
fruits of the Spirit in my daily life.
Scripture memory:
Gal 5:25
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. NIV
Practice:
I will set my mind on what God’s Holy Spirit desires, and strive to live the fruits of
the Spirit in every circumstance I face today.
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Our Obligation
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Chapter 10: Meeting the Needs of Others
1 John 4:12
12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his
love is made complete in us. NIV
One of the greatest ways that we can glorify God is by exposing this world to the
great love that he shares with us as Christians. As the scripture says, no one
has ever seen God, but by sharing His love with others, people receive a clear
picture of who God is, and how amazing He is, and they are more motivated to
put their trust in Him. God’s love is the crowning display that proves that we are
disciples of Jesus:
John 13:34-35
34 "A new command I give you: Love one another . As I have loved you, so you
must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if
you love one another." NIV
You see, since God no longer speaks directly to the world, and Jesus no longer
physically walks the earth, God has put it on us to demonstrate to the world who
He really is. We do this by sharing His amazing love with other Christians, the
poor and destitute and to a spiritually lost world; the love that drives men to their
knees in praise of God.
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Day 35: Sharing God’s Love with the Family of Believers.
John 21:16
16 Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." NIV
What is amazing about a relationship with God, that is different from most of the
other pagan religions, from the time of Abraham till Jesus, is that our relationship
with God is not only vertical but horizontal. In other words, it is not only enough
to please God and worship Him, but, He wants us to demonstrate our love for
Him by our love for our fellow man, especially those that belong to the family of
believers. As John so eloquently says:
1 John 4:7-18
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who
loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not
know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us:
He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also
ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one
another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
… 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever
lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete
among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in
this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out
fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made
perfect in love.
There is no escaping the absolute responsibility that we have as Christians to

love our brothers and sisters who are believers. As a matter of fact, as John put
it, God says that we cannot even say that we love Him unless we love His
children:
1 John 4:19-21
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates
his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has
seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this
command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. NIV
You see, it is in our nature to be selfish, and to keep our relationship with God a
personal affair. Yet, this is not the relationship that God is asking for, and to live
this selfish life is to deny that we truly love God at all. On the contrary, the kind
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of love God asks is that of a life devoted to our love of God, and the
demonstration of that love by loving others, especially his people. Consider
these scriptures:
Gal 6:10
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to
those who belong to the family of believers. NIV
Phil 2:1-4
2:1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort
from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being
one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but
in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not
only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. NIV
Gal 5:13-15
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to
indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is
summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." NIV
Eph 4:2-3
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. NIV
Eph 5:1-2
5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of
love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God. NIV
Col 3:12-14
other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another .
Rom 12:9-10
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above
yourselves. NIV
The heart behind all of these scriptures is a life driven by a love for God that is
demonstrated by a love for His people. We can understand this, if we put
ourselves in God’s big shoes. For instance, if you were in a relationship with
someone you would expect them to love your children. Also, in your family, you
would expect for your children to love each other. How would feel if you
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discovered that your children simply hated each other? God feels very strongly
about those who do not love His children as much as he does; as well as feeling
very strongly about the way we love one another. Not only is it ungrateful and
arrogant on our part to not love others, but we are saying that we are better and
deserve more than someone who was just as much a sinner and as lost as we
were.
To not love our brother of sister, is to say to God that He is crazy or stupid to love
everyone as much as He does, and to love us all the same; because in our
minds, some of us deserve more love than others. As harsh as this sounds there
is no escaping the truth of our arrogance and pride when we do not love others,
which completely goes against everything that God stands for and the sacrifice
on the cross that was made for us all.
True devotion to God means a complete devotion to His people, serving them in
all possible forms. We must show God that we are truly His disciples by loving
one another, demonstrating these characteristics in our Christian lives:
Acceptance:
Rom 15:7
7 Accept one another , then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise
to God. NIV
Service:
Gal 5:13-14
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to
indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. NIV
1 Peter 4:9-10
10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully
administering God's grace in its various forms. NIV
Submission:
Eph 5:21
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. NIV
Encouragement:
1 Thess 5:10-11
11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you
are doing. NIV
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Heb 3:12-13
13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none
of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. NIV
Inspiration and fellowship:
Heb 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good
deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,
but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day
approaching.
NIV
Avoiding slander and gossip:
James 4:11
11 Brothers, do not slander one another . Anyone who speaks against his brother
or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. NIV
Hospitality:
1 Peter 4:9
9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. NIV
Humility:
1 Peter 5:5
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another , because,
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble." NIV
Not passing judgment:
Rom 14:13-14
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another . Instead, make up
your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. NIV
Harmony:
Rom 12:16
16 Live in harmony with one another . Do not be proud, but be willing to
associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. NIV
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Carrying each other’s burdens:
Gal 6:2
2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. NIV
Teaching and admonishing:
Col 3:16-17
Honesty:
Col 3:9-10
9 Do not lie to each other , since you have taken off your old self with its
practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge
in the image of its Creator.
NIV
Peacefulness:
1 Thess 5:13
13 …Live in peace with each other. NIV
Confessing and praying:
James 5:16
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you
may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. NIV
And finally,
Love:
1 Peter 4:7-8
8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of
sins. NIV
We have been called by God to show our love and devotion to Him, by sharing
His love, in all of its form, to our fellow brothers and sisters. In other words,
whatever way God has been to us, we are to be to other Christians, because we
are overflowing with gratitude for the love mercy and grace God has shown us.
Jesus’ words still ring true when He conveyed what the greatest commandments
were in the entire Christian religion, and we will do well never to forget them:
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Mark 12:29-31
29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord
our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is
this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than
these." NIV
What are some practical ways that you can show other Christians God’s love for
them?
Decision:
I will devote myself to sharing God’s love with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Scripture memory:
1 John 4:12
12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his
love is made complete in us. NIV
Practice:
I will think of ways to meet the needs of my brothers and sisters in Christ, and
today I will fulfill at least one.
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Day 36: Sharing God’s Love for the Poor and Destitute.
Gal 2:10
10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very
thing I was eager to do. NIV
Throughout history God has consistently demonstrated his concern and

compassion for the poor and destitute, and He has urged us, as His people, to
take on His heart by helping those in need:
Deut 15:4
4 However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your
God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you…NIV
Deut 15:7-8
7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that
the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward
your poor brother. 8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he
needs. NIV
Deut 15:11
11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be
openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
NIV
It only makes sense that a god like our God, who is so deeply driven by
overwhelming compassion, should have such a deep concern for the poor and
needy. Throughout scripture we see a God who is constantly rooting for the
underdog and for those who have a great difficulty helping themselves.
Let’s put ourselves in God shoes for a moment: Imagine you have been endowed
with abundant wealth and you discover that many of your children throughout the
world are sick and starving; unable to help themselves due to the overwhelming
challenges of their situation. Would it not prick your conscience to help those
who have difficulty helping themselves, when you have the abundant ability to
come to their aid? Though they may be estranged from you, are they still not
your children who still have the potential to rekindle a relationship with you in the
future? Like God, wouldn’t we have compassion on our children, filled with the
understanding that they truly do not know what they are doing?
Well, God is truly concerned for the plight of the poor and destitute and He
charges us, as His messengers to show them His true love for them in all of its
glory. God’s wants us to show the world of His love for them, so that one day
they too will put their trust in Him; and He shows His love by meeting their need
through us. Jesus is truly the greatest example of this:
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Mark 1:32-34
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-
possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many
who had various diseases. NIV
Mark 1:40-42
40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are
willing, you can make me clean." 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out
his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42
Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. NIV
Matt 14:14
healed their sick . NIV
Mark 6:33-34
34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them
many things. NIV
Mark 8:1-3
8:1 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to
eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 "I have compassion for these
people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.
NIV
Matt 9:35-36
Jesus’ compassion drove Him to meet the needs of those around Him. Because
Jesus is no longer around, and there are still people in need, His compassion for
them continues to drive Him to meet their needs, through us, His people. This is
a very serious charge God gives us, one that will be used as a standard for
judging us on the last day:
Matt 25:32-46
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people
one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will
put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by
my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I
was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited
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me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after
me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and
feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a
stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we
see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least
of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry
and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not
clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a
stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least
of these, you did not do for me.'
46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal
life." NIV
Therefore, we do not have the option of neglecting our responsibility of helping

those in need, whether in the family of God or in the world. To not do so would
mean we do not have God’s interest in mind. Yet to do so we will demonstrate to
God and the world our true love of God and God’s true love for us. As John
says:
1 John 3:16-19
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And
we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material
possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the
love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but
with actions and in truth. NIV
Helping Those in Need
There will always be people in need. It can overwhelm us when we acknowledge

the needs that are everywhere around us, whether in our families, in the family of
God; in our neighborhoods; in our cities, in different states, in different countries,
and throughout the world. If we have the heart of God the needs of those around
us will be of great concern to us. Unlike God, we have little influence of how to
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help everyone. Yet, God has given us all that we need to truly unleash His
power to help as many people as possible, no matter what the circumstance or
how near or far away they are. This power is with us through prayer. As Jesus
said:
Mark 10:27
27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God;
all things are possible with God." NIV
Where we are limited in our influence to help another person that is ten thousand
miles away, we have unlimited power to help them by interceding for them before
God in prayer. Therefore, the first and most important thing that we should do to
help others is to pray for them, because by praying for them, God’s amazing and
unlimited power is unleashed to help meet their exact need in the perfect way.
As the apostle Paul said:
Phil 4:20
Jesus. NIV
Once we have unleashed God’s power to help those in need, we can also utilize
our talents and abilities in our attempts at helping meet the needs of others. As
Peter said:
1 Peter 4:10-11
10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully
administering God's grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do
it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with
the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through
Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. NIV
Consider all of the abilities and opportunities that God has bestowed on you,
whether skill, wealth, relationships, etc. If God was gracious enough to bestow
them on you, how are we going to utilize the blessings that come from those gifts
to help meet the needs of others?
In conclusion, God has a concern for the poor and needy and He is determined
to help them because of His overflowing compassion. Yet, God has put it on us
to go through the world and help those who cannot help themselves. He has
equipped us with everything that we need to do so by giving us the special gift of
prayer and bestowing upon us great opportunities and wonderful gifts. Last we
must take our charge seriously because we will be judged by how much we take
on God’s heart and fulfill His desire to help those in need. Fortunately, we have
the best example to help us, namely, our big brother, Jesus:
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2 Cor 8:8-9
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet
for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become
rich. NIV
What talents, gifts and opportunities has God bestowed upon you that you can
use to help the needy throughout the world? How are you going to translate
those abilities into action that will help others?
Decision:
I will devote myself to fulfilling God’s desire to help the poor and needy around
me and throughout the world.
Scripture memory:
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in
truth. NIV
Practice:
Today I will pray for the needs of the people around me and the needs of the
world, and I will consider how to use my abilities to help others, taking action on
the plans that I make.
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Day 37: Sharing God’s Love with All People.
Gal 6:10
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people… NIV
God’s love is so perfect and complete that it is not restricted only to those that
follow Him. No, the Bible says that God loves all of mankind and eagerly desires
for all men to receive His love. This is why His love is perfect, because He
perfectly loves everyone the same, both believer and unbeliever, and He is just
as eager to share His love for those who don’t follow Him as much as those that
do.
God desires to share His love with a fallen world, and again, He uses us, His
followers, to share that love with believers and unbelievers alike:
Matt 5:43-48
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the
evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you
love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax
collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing
more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your
heavenly Father is perfect. NIV
God showers good on those who are unbelievers as much as to those who are
believers. God asks us to follow His example by doing good to all people, not
only our friends and family, but everyone; even our enemies. Only then will we
be loving perfectly and completely, the way God loves perfectly and completely.
God also explains that to show our love for others is so important to Him; it is the
second and greatest commandment:
Matt 22:37-40
37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and
the Prophets hang on these two commandments." NIV
We sometimes only want to show love to those who we like, or those who we
trust, or those who are like us, etc. Jesus had to denounce a similar attitude of a
man who wanted to justify this type of lifestyle:
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Luke 10:27-37
27 He [An expert in the law] answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and,
'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my

neighbor?"
30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when
he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and
went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the
same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So
too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other
side. 33 But a Samaritan , as he traveled, came where the man was; and when
he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an
inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave
them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will
reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the
hands of robbers?"
37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." NIV Parenthesis and italics mine.
By sharing the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus conveyed that we are to do
good not only those who: we respect, or those we trust, or those we care about,
or those we know, are our neighbors. Jesus is declaring that, “all people are our
neighbors.” In other words, we cannot live life in a bubble, only associating and
taking care of those in our inner circle. We cannot be an island, nor have a
secluded island only associating with those who we like. Though this may be the
standard way of living in our society, it is unlike God, who truly loves anyone and
everyone who has ever walked on this planet.
How are we to show God’s love to all those around us? God show his love for us
by meeting our needs. How are we to show our love for the people of this world?
By meeting their needs, of course. We know that human beings have immediate
basic needs such as food, water, health and shelter, but they also have deeper
needs such as the need for love, security, acceptance and belonging. Then they
have the long-term, deeper spiritual needs such as a relationship with God,
spiritual encouragement, spiritual understanding, and the hope of eternal life.
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To truly share God’s love to a lost world, we are to meet the needs of others the
way God meets the needs of others. If people need food, water, and shelter, we
help provide these things. If people need love, acceptance and belonging, we
provide that too. If people need a relationship with God, we point the way; if they
need spiritual encouragement, we provide the words; if they need spiritual
understanding, we preach and teach; if they need eternal life, we teach them the
truth.
This will take sacrifice, yet this is what we signed up for when we became
Christians. As the Bible says:
2 Cor 5:14-15
14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all,
and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer
live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. NIV
We no longer live our lives devoted to our own needs; we live for God now.
Jesus died to redeem us from a worthless life, and now we work for Him. We are
to be Jesus’ disciples here on the earth, representing him in all of his glory.
Therefore, like Jesus, who was compelled by his love for God, to meet the
physical and spiritual needs of those in this world; his sacrifice, and the love that
he demonstrates to us, now compels us to go out and be Jesus to the world.
I will not put a priority on which needs are most important in the grand scheme of
things, because it seems when you read scripture that Jesus was meeting
people’s needs in every way that a need existed. One thing that is clear, though,
is that a main driving force for Jesus, to meet the needs of others, was the
overwhelming compassion that he felt for the people of this world:
Matt 9:36
Matt 14:14
healed their sick. NIV
Matt 15:32
32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these
people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do
not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way." NIV
Matt 20:34
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they
received their sight and followed him. NIV
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Mark 1:41-42
41 Filled with compassion , Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I
am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was
cured. NIV
Mark 6:33-34
34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them
many things. NIV
Luke 19:41-42
41 As he [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it… NIV
Parenthesis and italics mine.
Like Jesus, It follows that our driving motivation should be our overwhelming
compassion for the people of this world. Unfortunately, this is difficult for many of
us because our hearts have been hardened, due to living in a hardened and
depraved world. Yet, with the help of God we can regain our soft hearts again.
As He says in scripture:
Ezek 36:25-26
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you
your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. NIV
God has shown, on numerous occasions, His power and desire to help our
hearts to be softened so that we can love and share our love the way that He
shares His love for us. As we live life on this earth, doing good to all people,
meeting the needs of those around us, whether physical, emotional or spiritual,
we need to pray to God to continue to soften our hearts in order that we can truly
convey the love that God so eagerly desires to shower on this lost world.
Therefore, we must accept our role as those who have been endowed with the
responsibility to share God’s love to all people of this world. We are to love
perfectly and completely, the way God loves perfectly and completely. We are to
break out of our inner circle to shower the world, friends and enemies alike, with
the love that God so eagerly wants to convey to everyone. Finally, our driving
motivation will be Jesus’ motivation, compelled by His sacrifice and the
compassion that drove Him to meet every need in every form in every way.
Why do you think God shares His love with everyone on the planet and not only
to the select few who follow Him?
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Decision:
I will love more perfectly and completely by sharing God’s love with all people in
this world.
Scripture Memory:
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. NIV
Practice:
Today I will pray that God fill my heart with the compassion that He has for the
people in this world.
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Day 38: Sharing God’s Love with a Spiritually Lost World.
1 Tim 2:2-4
3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved
and to come to a knowledge of the truth. NIV
God wants to share His love for all of mankind, by meeting their needs in all
forms. One of mankind’s greatest needs is their need for a relationship with
God. God created us, and designed us to only be truly be fulfilled, and be
holistically healthy by having a relationship with Him. On the contrary, to not
have a relationship with Him, would create in a human life a major void or chasm
that men and women alike, will strive to fulfill, but will fail, because it was only
meant to be filled by God. Therefore, all of man’s needs would never be fulfilled
unless man has a true relationship with God.
It follows then, that as Christians, one of the greatest ways which we can share
God’s love for mankind is by introducing men and women to God. Not only so,
but we also share God’s love by helping men and women to understand God’s
love for them, helping them to put their trust in God, which in turn will strengthen
their faith in God, which will lead to their devotion to God, and ultimately lead
them to glorify God both in this life and the next. This was Jesus’ mission on
earth:
Matt 1:20-21
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because
he will save his people from their sins."
NIV
Luke 5:31-32
31 Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a
physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but
sinners, to repentance." NKJV
Rom 5:6
6 For while we were still sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. NIV
Luke 19:9-10
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." NIV
And, He, consequently, passed this mission on to us:
Matt 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations , baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and
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teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age." NIV
Like Christ, we share God’s love with this world by helping men and women
know God. And like Christ, we are to convey the good news of God’s love for
mankind, in the hopes that men will wholeheartedly devote themselves to Him.
As the Bible says:
Acts 17:25-28
26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the
whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places
where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps
reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. NIV
God being the Father of us all, is desperately searching for us and greatly
desires to rekindle a relationship with us by redeeming us from a life of sin. We
are lost because our sins have separated us from our perfect God. As the Bible
says:
Isa 59:2
2 But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear. NIV
And our sins have, consequently, plunged us into a life of darkness:
Matt 4:16
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned." NIV
Jesus’ sacrifice was made to pay for our redemption:
1 Peter 2:23-25
and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you
were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and
Overseer of your souls. NIV
2 Cor 5:21
become the righteousness of God. NIV
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Now God has called on us, like Paul, to be the ambassadors of his message of
peace to the world and help others to know the great love that God has lavished
on us:
2 Cor 5:18-20
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in
Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the
message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors , as though
God were making his appeal through us... NIV
To share God’s love for this world is to share God’s message of love by helping
men and women to know the God who would go to any length to have a
relationship with them. It is to share the message of a God that longs for the
people of this world, and of a God that sheds tears until He is reunited with His
children. It is to share God’s desire to take every man and woman that ever lived
to heaven, to live an eternal life in a relationship with their maker, who truly loves
them with every ounce of His being. It is the message that will fulfill the heart of
every person, and will allow them to live a life of true righteousness and holiness.
It is the message that many are searching for, yet few find because of the
obstacles placed before them by the forces of evil and all of the negative
influences in the world today. It is the message that God has given us, His
ambassadors, to share with a lost world that shines a light of hope for all men
and women to see. As the Bible says:
Matt 5:14-16
14 "You are the light of the world . A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it
gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in
heaven. NIV
Why is it that the greatest gift we could ever share with mankind is to introduce
people to God, and help them, attain a relationship with God?
Decision:
I will devote myself to helping men and women have a relationship with God, and
help them understand the great love He has for them.
Scripture memory:
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1 Tim 2:2-4
3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved
and to come to a knowledge of the truth. NIV
Practice:
Today, I will help someone get to know God and the great love that God has for
mankind.
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Chapter 11: Living a Life that Brings Glory to God.
When we think of an obligation we think of something that we are compelled to

do because we feel the need to show our appreciation by reciprocating the
generosity someone has displayed toward us. It only follows that because we
have been given such a great gift in the forgiveness of our sins, a relationship
with God, and the chance at salvation, we feel obliged to respond by showing
God our appreciation for what He has done. The way that God ultimately wants
us to do this is to live a life that brings Him the glory He deserves:
Isa 43:6-7
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth —
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made." NIV
God has created us and designed a life for us that will bring Him glory both on
earth and in Heaven. God wants us to glorify Him in everything that we do:
1 Cor 10:31
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
NIV
Among all of the things that can be done that bring God glory, there are three
distinct areas stand out among the many. They are: our continual transformation
into the likeness of Christ; meeting the needs of others by sharing God’s love to a
fallen world and our daily examples to this world of the love of God and the
character of Jesus.
We have spoken previously about the transformation that we must undergo in

order to bring the glory that God deserves. We see examples of this spiritual
transformation and the ensuing glory that it brings to God:
Gal 1:22-24
23 They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now
preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." 24 And they praised God because
of me. NIV
The Bible also conveys how we bring God glory by sharing his love to the world,
unifying all of His people, under one voice:
Rom 15:5-6
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of
unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and
mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. NIV
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Now we shall turn our attention to the outward responsibility that we have of
bringing God glory through our spiritual example, which results in demonstrating
to world the existence of God, and His desire to have a relationship with them.
By our example, He wants us to convey that His love is real, unfailing, and
abundant and that He is ready and willing to share that love with all who would
seek Him; sharing all this, through us, the people of His glory.
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Day 39: Glorifying God as an Ambassador for Christ.
2 Cor 5:20
20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. NIV
An ambassador is a representative for someone else; an agent that represents

the needs of another person. The apostles considered themselves as
representatives of God, and took on the mantle of being the examples of Christ
for the world. Paul, in particular, took this responsibility very seriously, and he
taught others to do the same:
1 Cor 11:1
11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. NIV
Phil 3:17-18
17 Join with others in following my example , brothers, and take note of those
who live according to the pattern we gave you. NIV
2 Thess 3:7-8
7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example . We were not
idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it.
On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would
not be a burden to any of you. NIV
1 Tim 4:12
12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an
example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. NIV
Titus 2:6-8
7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching
show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be
condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have
nothing bad to say about us. NIV
Though we are not apostles, we are called by Jesus to imitate his life and be the
light to this world that brings glory to God:
Matt 5:14-16
14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it
gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in
heaven. NIV
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John 13:12-16
13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now
that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one
another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done
for you. NIV
1 Peter 2:21-24
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an
example , that you should follow in his steps.
Ultimately, our Christianity will be based on how well we imitate Christ in this
world:
John 13:34-35
34 "A new command I give you: Love one another . As I have loved you, so you
must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if
you love one another." NIV
1 John 2:6
6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. NIV
What are we to imitate in Christ to help us live lives that ultimately bring God
glory? Are we to walk on water, heal the sick, drive out demons or perform
miracles? Though these seem like powerful testaments, God has conveyed in
scripture that these things are futile:
Matt 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your
name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then
I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' NIV
It is the heart of Christ that God wants us to imitate, whose qualities encompass
the spiritual life:
Gal 5:22-23
faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
NIV
Col 3:12-14
other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.
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2 Peter 1:5-8
Also, we are to live a life of such purity, and such a life that is above reproach,
that those around us will not be able to say anything bad about us:
Col 4:4-6
5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every
opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how to answer everyone. NIV
Eph 5:3
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any
kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.
NIV
1 Peter 2:11-12
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from
sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the
pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good
deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. NIV
The Bible describes us as God’s workmanship, to be displayed for all of the world
to see. We are to represent Him by conveying to the world His heart, and His
mind, by the daily examples that we show as we live in this world. Our lives are
God’s tablets, where He inscribes the undying love that He has for this lost world;
and, it is our lives that will testify to the world that there is a God, and that He
longs to share His eternal love to all who will come to Him.
It is a badge of honor to be considered an ambassador for Christ; yet, it is a role

that carries great responsibility. You see, we must consider whether our
examples are drawing others to God or pushing people away from Him. For
example, if you call yourself a Christian, and are not wholeheartedly pursuing a
life imitating Jesus in all of his spiritual qualities, then the only badge we will
receive is the label of hypocrite, and God will be rejected because of it. Yet if we
make every effort, to love as Jesus loved, to give as he gave, to feel as he felt,
and to sacrifice as he sacrificed, then the world can only experience that which
was experienced when the son of God walked the earth, namely, the glory of
God.
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Therefore, by carrying the name of “Christian” we have stepped into a lifestyle

where only a wholehearted effort is acceptable, especially when it comes to our
convictions and certainly when it comes to our example. To bring God glory in
this world we must live lives imitating Jesus in all of his spiritual qualities. Love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control,
humility, and compassion should overflow from our lives the way that it did from
his. With all that God has given us to help us live the godly life, our continual
pursuit of these qualities will only result in true glory to God; and will ultimately
produce in this world the glory that is due Him.
How does it make you feel to know that you are God’s ambassador here on the
earth, representing God in all of His glory?
Decision:
I will devote myself to being an example of Jesus and his spiritual qualities to the
world, to bring God the glory that He deserves.
Scripture memory:
1 John 2:6
6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. NIV
Practice:
Today, I will seek out living a life imitating Jesus’ spiritual qualities so that I can
set the best example of Jesus to the world.
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Day 40: The Ultimate Purpose of the Christian Life.
Mark 12:30
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind and with all your strength. NIV
Most of our lives, we have been searching for a purpose for our lives, one that
has a deeper meaning than just existing on this planet. We felt that our lives
were meant for something; something meaningful and worthwhile that would give
us a true reason to live. We searched for this purpose in things like relationships,
a career, a job, a hobby, in school, and in many more things, only to find
disappointment at every turn; because though these things could preoccupy us
for a moment, they would ultimately fail at fulfilling our spiritual desire for a
meaningful life.
Then we find God, and we feel that we see our purpose clearly. We are full of
excitement, and we are hopeful to see what God will do with our lives. The
overwhelming joy and excitement that drives us, motivates us to share the good
news with everyone around us; telling them of the great purpose that God has in
store for our lives. We devote ourselves to learning more, growing more, and
doing more for God. We surround ourselves with more and more people who
call themselves Christians to glean as much as we can from them, astounded at
the miraculous experiences they recount of God’s work in their lives. We are at
the pinnacle of our joy, and we feel that we have what we have always been
looking for. Never again will we feel lost; never again will we feel empty; never
again will we feel confused because we have found the ultimate treasure in
Christ.
Fast forward, five, ten, or even twenty years. We have been doing, and learning,
and experiencing, changing and growing. Yet, we begin to feel a slight hint of an
old feeling that we thought would never return. We begin to feel unfulfilled, and
maybe a little empty. We quickly disregard it, knowing full well that such a feeling
is impossible now that we have found God. Then the feelings begin to grow. We
begin brooding over our boring lives, seeking meaning out of the monotony that
encompasses the Christian life: going to church every week, giving contribution
to the church and to the poor, sharing our faith, reading our Bibles, praying, going
to Bible study, attending revivals and conferences, etc. Then we begin to think, “
Is this it?” Or, “Is this what I have sacrificed my life for?”
Now our lives are at a crossroads. We have been living the Christian life, yet we
are as empty and unfulfilled as we were before we became Christians. “What
happened?” we ask. “Is it me?” we consider. “Or could it be that Christianity is
not what I expected it to be?” We are busier now than we have ever been, yet
nothing that we do can bring us the fulfillment that we so desire. All of a sudden
the world begins to entice us. A career, fortune, fame, success, a relationship,
etc., begin to look very appealing, and actually begin to convince us that they will
162
help us be fulfilled. Or other things such as drinking, drugs, sex, pornography, an

illicit affair, etc. seem to offer us an exciting alternative to feeling the gnawing
feeling that is eating us up inside. We know this path is wrong, but what are we
to do? We are at the worst place imaginable: now that we are Christians, we are
still stuck living a life of complete emptiness, but now we are not even able to
even temporarily gratify our inner cravings by the indulging in the sins of the
world. We feel confused, we feel lost, we feel miserable, and utterly hopeless.
The Heart of the Matter
John 6:35
35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never
go hungry , and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. NIV
When we read this scripture, we see a promise from Jesus of complete spiritual
fulfillment; one that promises to satisfy the cravings of our soul. And not only this,
there are many others:
Ps 37:4
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart. NIV
Ps 63:5
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; NIV
Ps 73:25
And earth has nothing I desire besides you. NIV
Phil 4:19
Jesus. NIV
John 10:10
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full . NIV
The Bible promises, and God delivers, a fulfilled life; one that fills the empty void
that fills our hearts. Then why do we, as Christians, still feel as empty and as we
did when we were lost? Why do we feel like if there is no possible way to have
God in our lives, and maintain the joy the He promises with this relationship?
The answer is simple and lies in the center of this scripture:

163
Rev 2:4-5
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the
height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If
you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place.
NIV
Similar to our experience, the church in Ephesus was doing what they were
required to do, yet they lost their true purpose and motivation for doing it. They
began with an excitement similar to ours, and they ended up confused and lost,
similar to us. What happened? Plain and simple: Just like us, they had forsaken
their first love.
Yet, how can this be, since we still love God, still worship Him, do things in His
name, and have made God the center of our lives? It is an interesting paradox.
Yet Jesus clears the confusion when he says:
Rev 2:5
5…Repent and do the things you did at first…NIV
Do you remember what God required from us in exchange for our salvation,
when we were first introduced to Him? Do you remember what we proclaimed as
we committed our lives to Him at our conversion? Do the words, “Jesus is Lord”
help us recall the depth of the commitment that we made when we first came to
know God? The following scriptures may help jar our memory:
2 Cor 5:13-15
and therefore all died . 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no
longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
NIV
Luke 14:33
33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot
be my disciple. NIV
Luke 9:23-25
23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny
himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save
his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. NIV
Or did we forget what Jesus required of every person whom he ever called to be
his disciple:
Luke 5:11
11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. NIV
164
Luke 5:27-28
"Follow me," Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed
him. NIV
Luke 18:22
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him [Rich young ruler], "You still lack one
thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven. Then come, follow me." NIV Parenthesis and italics mine.
Phil 3:7-8
7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What
is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. NIV
When we first met God, and understood His love, grace and mercy, we gave up
everything, because we knew that God’s treasure was worth far greater than
everything that we had. Also, God would not settle for anything less, so when
God said give up everything, he meant everything, including: our desires,
dreams, ambitions, aspirations, talents, comfort, opinions, money, material
possessions, relationships, etc. Jesus wanted us to put our old self to death, so
that it would never return and compete against our devotion to Christ.
When we began this race, we crucified our old life, putting it to death, and
devoted ourselves to Christ. The overwhelming gratitude that we had, motivated
us and filled us up with an inexpressible and glorious joy, a joy that filled our
hearts and all of our days. Our lives were still challenging, but that was
overshadowed by the overwhelming fulfillment that we experienced at
understanding our unworthiness of having a true relationship with God.
What happened between then and now? Before God was awesome; before God
was amazing; a life with God was the greatest treasure on earth. Now we feel
unfulfilled, we are bored, we are not joyful and we are struggling with emptiness
in our hearts. Before, “God” was the center of our life; now “we” are the center of
our thoughts. How did “we” get to be more important than “God?”
It is unclear when it happened, or unclear why it happened, but it is obvious that

it did happen: our self has been resurrected and is now trying to share the throne
with Christ. We feel hopeless and unfulfilled with our Christian walk for this
simple reason: Christ will not bless our lives, because he refuses to be part of a
life that shares his throne with the god of self. As the Bible says:
Matt 6:24
24 "No one can serve two masters . Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve
both God and Money. NIV
165
Here Jesus speaks of money, but it could be anything. The item is not the issue,
our hearts are the issue. Jesus refuses to share his throne with another God;
and until we put ourselves to death, we will live Christianity without Christ. How
ironic that we complain that the world has taken Christ out of Christmas, when
we have the audacity of taking Christ out of being Christians.
Only when we die to ourselves, can we see the true glory of God, and experience
a fulfilling relationship with Him. You see, fulfillment, joy, love, satisfaction,
security, etc. are all secondary byproducts of having a wholehearted, and single-
minded relationship with God. Having God is the entire pursuit, and because we
have God, we will reap all of the benefits of a relationship with Him. Once we
understand that God is all that we want, we will feel as if we have received the
world, because we understand that we have the best this world could offer in
Him.
If God is not enough for us, we might want to consider why we are pursuing God
in the first place. God is not just enough, He is all, and He is greater than all.
God is immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine. God is searching
for the men and women who will love Him, and pursue Him with this heart,
sacrificing everything in order to have Him; the way He has sacrificed everything
for us.
What is our ultimate purpose in our Christian life? God is our ultimate purpose.
Seeking Him, knowing Him, loving Him, pleasing Him, understanding Him,
walking with Him, glorifying Him and being downright passionately engrossed in
Him is the entire purpose that consumes the true Christian life. As the Bible
says:
Rev 7:11-12
…They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
"Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!" NIV
What sacrifices are you going to make in order to allow Jesus to truly be the Lord
of your entire life?
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Decision:
God will be the consuming passion in my life; and I will die to myself and make
Jesus Lord of my life always.
Scripture memory:
2 Cor 5:13-15
and therefore all died . 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no
longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
NIV
Practice:
Today I will die to myself, and live a life completely and passionately engrossed
in my loving and awesome God.
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Conclusion
Hopefully these past forty days have given us a new perspective, which will begin
the spiritual upheaval of our character and ultimately our lives. Our
transformation will begin with our change of mind; and armed with the truth, a
sound foundation, and a passionate heart, it will only be a matter of time until
God changes us more and more into the likeness of his son, and we will be able
to partake in the blessings of the sons and daughters of God.
Heaven awaits, and I know that you, like I, plan to be there. Yet, it will take a
herculean effort on our part to remain steadfast to the Word of God, holding onto
God’s principles with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. My hope is that this
forty day study was the beginning of the laying of a foundation of deep and true
conviction that sets the stage for all of the good things to come. With that, I bid
you farewell, and god speed toward your goal of attaining that for which the world
trembles and falls prostrate in awe, namely, the crown of glory that will be given
us when Jesus Christ is revealed in all of his splendor and holiness. To him be
the glory, forever and ever, Amen.

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1

The Christian’s Guide

Part I: Our Motivation. 7

Chapter 1: God’s Unfailing Love. 8

Chapter 2: God’s Amazing Grace. 18

Chapter 3: God’s Compassion for His People. 27

Part II: Our Foundation. 39

Chapter 4: The Trust of God. 40

Part VI: Our Devotion 68

Chapter 6: Prayer: Our Response to God. 69

Chapter 7: Honoring God with Worship, Thanksgiving and Praise. 81

Part V: Our Transformation 93

Chapter 8: Godly Conviction. 94

Chapter 9: Growth and Transformation. 116

Part VI: Our Obligation 133

Chapter 10: Meeting the Needs of Others. 134

Chapter 11: Living a life that Brings God Glory. 155

What this study intends to do is to help us to grow by helping us develop

This study is designed to influence the hierarchy of our spiritual needs, by

Obligation Living a life that

When we build and strengthen one foundation, then can we build on it to

Chapter 1: God’s Unfailing Love.

Day 1: God is Love

One reason it is difficult to love is because of the increase of wickedness in this

Question for reflection:

I will reflect on God’s great love for me today.

Day 2: God’s Unfailing Love

Question for reflection:

What does God’s unfailing love mean to you?

I will trust in God’s unfailing love, no matter what my circumstance.

Day 3: God’s Eternal Love

Another benefit of God’s enduring love is that because He loves eternally He

Question for reflection:

Day 4: God’s Mercy and Grace.

Question for reflection:

Chapter 2: God’s Amazing Grace.

Day 5: Why We Need Grace.

It is no wonder God feels this level of pain. To God, sin is equated to

turning our backs on our God,

Question for reflection:

Day 6: God and His Amazing Grace.

Questions for reflection:

Day 7: God’s Grace for the Christian.

The condemnation that we so rightly deserved is no longer hanging over our

Question for reflection:

Chapter 3. God’s Compassion for His People

Day 8. Acknowledging the Love of God.

More importantly, God does not tolerate double-mindedness. He demands that

Question for Reflection:

Day 9: God’s Compassion

When Jesus came to earth,his display of compassion was so great and

Question for reflection:

Day 10: Out of the overflow of the heart…

physically be with us at our jobs, at home, outside, inside, shopping, on the

Question for reflection:

7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

Day 11: God’s Compassion is Trustworthy.

Heb 4:14-16 (The Hebrew writer)

"For your sake we face death all day long;

Questions for reflection:

I will meditate on the life of a person of the Bible that demonstrated an

Chapter 4: The Trust of God

Day 12: The Foundation of the Christian Life