I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Freedom
Philippians 4

 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. v13

While the devotion explicitly focuses on physical needs and material desires.  Yet for me there is a broader implication.  Every person will experience up and downs in life, times of plenty and times of want - whether this be financial provision, health, relationships, etc.  Paul reminds us that God is what carries us through these peaks and valleys.

In the last days, God writes to the church in Smyrna and sums it up this way:

I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! Revelations 2:9

Even when we have success, it is not through our own hands.  See post here and the reference to Deuteronomy 8:

You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."  But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. v17-18

Earlier in Philippians Paul refers to his worldly gains as garbage in comparison to Christ:

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. Philippians 3:7-9

Additional references on material focus here and via John 10:10.

My Prayer:  Lord Jesus, what an awesome God.  You provide everything that I need and in an abundance that is indescribable.  Thank You Jesus for providing abundantly and to the full.  I am not worth such blessing.  I am easily distracted and consumed by the world - please forgive me.  Help me overcome and turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Heal her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
  

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

The Games We Play
Romans 8

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.  But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life^[ because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. v5-11

It is amazing how I listening to David Platt's series "Abide" and today's devotion focuses on governing the mind through the Spirit.

I am reminded of Pastor Scott's sermon how we find happiness.   He used the Sermon on the Mount for the series and specifically for this sermon he focused on Matthew 5:6:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

My Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You designed us to crave and You alone can fulfill our desires and cravings...You provide for all our needs and You bless us when we come to You.  I have experienced this in my own life - what an awesome God You are. I am not worth all the ways You have blessed me...I continue to battle with fits of rage...please forgive me Jesus.  Thank You for Your grace and patience that You have dispensed already but I need more!  Help me overcome my sin and turn towards You instead.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Strengthen her bone density.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin, and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Demons - Dec 16, 2015
Ephesians 6

The devotion today and through verses below Paul speaks of the darkness that is all around us in the world.  He encourages us to be strong "in the Lord and in His mighty power".

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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.  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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

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 Lord’s people. v10-18

Paul provides guidance in these verses about HOW to "be strong in the Lord" - faith in God, and the Holy Spirit.  For more specifics, David Platt has provided excellent guidance through a sermon series "Abide" and the core of how to "put on the full armor of God" starts with renewal of the mind in Romans 12:2.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an amazing God You are - You have heard my prayers and delivered...Thank You Jesus!  You have strengthened Lisa and myself.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worthy of how You bless me again and again...You are so full of grace for me yet I am often not full of grace for others, in particular Zach.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others and dispense grace towards them as You do for me.  Give me strength. Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects of chemo and radiation.  Please give her a good doctor's appt this morning with an "all-clear" about her cancer.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin, and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Our Fathers Acceptance
Psalms 139

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. v6

Today's devotion encourages me to focus daily on renewal of the mind (Romans 12:2).  God is indeed the source of all knowledge, wisdom, and understanding and if we focus on Him and our relationship with Him we can be assured that we are equipped for God's plan for us...indeed as the devotion states we are freed from fear, the need of approval, acceptance, etc....we KNOW God love us and that is sufficient to carry us.  

See also posts here on knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an incredible God You are...You are worthy of ALL of my attention...yet I am easily distracted...and I very often lack grace and patience of others...please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin...help me turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin, and serve You Jesus.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

His Will Be Done
Haggai 1

You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”  v9-11

The prophet Haggai's message from the Lord is quite appropriate for today's devotion because in the book of Haggai, although the Jews are allowed to return to Jerusalem after being in exile in Babylon, they fail to focus on God's glory and He who rescued them, and instead focus on their own desires. Of course if we fail to focus on the glory of God, He knows how to get our attention! 

See also posts here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an awesome God You are...full of compassion, mercy, patience, etc. for me...yet I am wholly undeserving!  I lack patience for others...please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin...and serve You - this is why exist!  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.

A Saving Voice Needs a Willing Mind
Philippians 4

Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. v8

Today's devotional triggers thoughts about how I came to be a believer....many people come to believe in Jesus through crisis and by seeing how God rescues them grow in their relationship with Jesus.  Yet I came to Jesus not so much through crisis but through a desire to live with a higher purpose...I was doing OK but felt God's hand.  Unfortunately, even with crisis in my life I never REALLY got to know Jesus (see also yesterday's post).  I am extremely grateful for Christ's patience with me as I got to know Him better by trying to make "every effort".  

We MUST be rooted in Christ during all times to be prepared for the times when we are tested.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what a great God You are that You are my protector and I can trust in You to protect me in all things at all times.  You are for me and jealous FOR me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such a God - I fail to be bold in Your service in many ways - including sharing the Good News of You to others...forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and all side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin and serve You! Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

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.

Satan is as deadly as Cancer
Ephesians 6

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. v12

There is certainly no doubt that evil is real, on the "prowl", powerful, and very deceptive - we must protect ourselves.  The devotion today devotes little focus on how.  Yet the verses before and after verse 12 speak directly to how we can protect ourselves and Romans 12 and other verses get more specific in this regard.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11

...

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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

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 Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:13-18

...
Do not conform 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. Romans 12:2

 ...

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

We MUST be in the word, stay rooted to Him, etc. - see also Deuteronomy 6, John 15.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You alone are my protector, in all things and all circumstances.  Thank You for You protect me daily...I know You are slow to anger and abounding in love...Thank You!  I am not worth such protection and love yet You are full of mercy anyway.  I often fail to be the man You intend for me - I should be sharing the Good News about You all the time yet I don't - please forgive me.  Help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me be more bold.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and serve You!  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Very truly I tell you, 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. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.

The Main Thing
John 5

Very truly I tell you, 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. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. v19-20

The theme the author pursues is one of living as Christ does by following Him, His desires, and His will.  This only comes when we are rooted in Him and know Him.  Another theme I see that is implied in today's devotion is parenting - the verse in John specifically refers to God the Father and Jesus as the Son but I believe this also refers to earthly fathers and sons (or daughters).  In my role as a father, I must be Jesus to my sons because I am the primary influence in their life.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I love you and I love what You have done for me - You have modeled Fatherhood for me by being the Heavenly Father that I desire to be for my own sons....how great You are!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love myself...I fail to be bold in my faith...to share the gospel, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus - help me turn from such sin towards You.   Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and You! Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Same Is Not the Enemy
Hebrews 13

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. v8

Worry and stress are bad habits that indicate my trust in earthly matters - I MUST lean on and trust in Him for ALL things.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You indeed are great and You bless me well beyond what I deserve and You always provide in all matters...I am never in want because of You. Yet I worry and stress anyway...please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith. Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer, including the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

Passion
1 Timothy 4

Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. v14

The devotion today focuses on passion in life, and more importantly on God's abounding love and passion for us.  If we even dwell on God's love and passion for us and if we seek Him out and glorify/please Him, we will lead a blessed life.

The devotion also talks about how our passion in life enables us to accomplish things...yet missing from the devotion is how passion for God is the secret ingredient for all things....to ensure we set out to accomplish the right things...to be in God's will.  Again, we exist to glorify God.

My reference to 1 Timothy emphasizes my second point about the devotion that we are to develop and use our spiritual gifts - see also the following:

• 2 Timothy 1 
• 1 Corinthians 12
• Study and scriptural references on spiritual gifts

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an awesome God You are that You have such abounding love and passion for us....as well as grace, compassion and mercy...Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love and blessings - I often fail to dispense grace and love as You do - please forgive me Jesus.  Help me overcome and turn from such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength and also love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith, and develop and use my spiritual gifts.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and most importantly serve You. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.

Satan Hates to be Seen
Hebrews 1

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. v3

Today's devotion encourages us to feed ourselves not just by food, water but also by the Word of God which as the above scripture states "sustains all things".  Part of the sustenance that God provides is protection from Satan for Just as Jesus was evil to repel Satan in the wilderness by quoting scripture (see Matthew 4), we too will defeat sin in our lives by being rooted in God and His word (John 15).

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God and You are the ultimate sustainer and protector...I need no other provider, no other God except You.  Yet too often I worry - please forgive me Jesus.  Thank You for how You have been so gracious and patient with me but I continue to worry and be impatient.  Forgive me and help me turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith. Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the remaining side effects from chemo and radiation.   Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, Dustin, and You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[W]hatever 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.

Noble
Philippians 4

[W]hatever 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. v8

Today's devotion is a powerful reminder that God calls us up...and we must stand up to be the men God calls us to be...there is an earthly price but a heavenly reward.


As we are called up, we know that God is holy so we must be holy (1 Peter 1:16)....We must desire to make our heavenly Father proud (see also post yesterday).  We are also Christ's ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) as He calls us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and bring others to Him (Matthew 28:16-20).

Key to thinking about "such things" as referenced in the Philippians verse is a renewal of the mind (Romans 12:2) through scripture , reading, prayer, relationships with other believers, and through service to others and Him.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the definition of noble...in all ways and even this definition falls short of Your greatness.  You lived solely to please Your Father and to save Your children...yet out of Your humility came greatness that we should all aspire to...You call us up...to be more like You, to please You, and to bring others to You.  Thank for being such a savior and guide - I am not worth such a God.  I wimp out often...procrastination, excuses, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You, and follow You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer, including the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me be the husband, father, son, and man You intend for me.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, Dustin, and You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in.

Dad Son Relationship
Isaiah 5

The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. v7

This morning's devotion gave me a new found appreciation for the role God plays as my heavenly father. As I desire for my son to make me proud when he demonstrates Godly qualities, God has this same desire for me.  As a believer, I've always known that I wanted to please God but this morning this has taken on a new meaning - and I have a greater desire to make my Father in Heaven proud both as son of Him and as a earthly father of Zach and Dustin.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

...

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

My Prayer:Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God - author of all creation, full of compassion, mercy, love, etc., and the best Father anyone could ever ask for.  Thank You for being everything that I could ever ask for and need in a Father.  You are always there, have guidance for all the days in my life, never let me down, etc.  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am not worth such a Father.  I disappoint...my worry, stress, anxiety, etc. continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me be the father You intend for me.  Help me be the son You intend for me.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.