Word of the Day

Saturday , October 16, 2004

Sat, 16 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time,” declares the LORD .
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
Jeremiah 31:33 (NIV)

Lord, You made this covenant with Israel and You made it with me. I come to You and ask You to put Your law in my mind. Write Your law on my heart. I declare that You are my God! I declare that I am Yours! In the midst of everything, Lord, I submit myself to Your for Your purposes. Amen!

Friday, October 15, 2004

Fri, 15 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:12-13 (NIV)

Lord, forgive my unbelief and help me to turn to You - the Living God. May I be and encouragement to those around me today. Protect me from the hardening that comes as a result of my deceiving myself about the extent of my sin. Thank you that the debt has already been paid through Jesus sacrifice. Move me to action that demonstrates Your love toward those who are hurting. Amen.

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Thu, 14 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

…"And why shouldn’t I be depressed when the city, the city where all my family is buried, is in ruins and the city gates have been reduced to cinders?”
Nehemiah 2:3b (MSG)

Lord, break the strongholds over Indianapolis. Rid us of this oppressive spirit. Turn our depression into joy and draw all of us back to you. Open our eyes and raise our city from the ashes.

Amen.

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Wed, 13 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom”
Isaiah 40:28 (NIV)

Lord, I praise You that You do not grow tired or weary! I cannot say the same for myself. Lord, I am tired today. I am weary of the same old routine. Shake me up, Lord! Awaken the passion that I have for You! You ARE the Everlasting God! You ARE the Creator of the ends of the earth! You are beyond my comprehension. That is where my focus needs to be today. Not on myself, or my circumstances, but on the reality of You. …. Amen

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Tue, 12 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
Zephaniah 3:17 (NASB)

In our midst is a God willing to be demonstrative in His emotions toward us. This God deeply desires that we recognize His character and allow Him to be Himself around us. Let’s welcome Him today with expectations that as He comes near, we will find out more about Him. There is healing in His wings, and hope abounds wherever He is. Receive healing, and a restored soul, as you come nearer to Him.

Sunday, October 10, 2004

Sun, 10 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

Not to us, O LORD, but to you goes all the glory
for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
Psalm 115:1 (NLT)

Lord, humble us. Let all glory go to you, for it is yours.

Amen.

Saturday , October 9, 2004

Sat, 09 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

“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. 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.”
2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)

Lord, I don’t feel that I have everything I need for a godly life. But Your Word says I do have everything I need through Your divine power and because of what I know about You. These verses say there is a way out of the muck and the mire that I so easily get sucked into. Lord, I confess that I do not exercise my knowledge of You and actively walk in the Truth. I announce that I am seeking You today and choose to walk in ways that are contrary to the corruption of the world. I choose to walk toward You and in Your divine power. … amen.

Friday, October 8, 2004

Fri, 08 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

Battered she is, and brokenhearted. Grieving for the covering she needs. Lonely for the day when pain will be no more. In a fit of consternation, momentary blindness, she sits unaware of the pain her husband wills himself through, just to be near, to draw near, her. Sorrow and pain, grief and remorse He feels through her soul because He knows her well. So well. Knows her identity, knows she is worth contending for.

She is priceless. We are priceless. The body of Christ in the reach of your arms and the sound of your voice must today hear her destiny which is over her. Speak loudly. Declare in all your works the mighty name of God.

For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. Isaiah 54:5 (NASB)

Thursday, October 7, 2004

Thu, 07 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succed in their ways, when they carryout their wicked schemes.”
Psalm 37:5-7(NIV)

Lord, today I choose to commit my way to You. I trust that you will make my righteousness shine like the dawn in a world where the wicked seem to be the only ones who succeed. Help me to be still. To wait patiently for You. To reflect Your light into the darkness. Amen.

Wednesday, October 6, 2004

Wed, 06 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

“Teach me, O LORD , to follow your decrees;
then I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding, and I will keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.
Fulfill your promise to your servant,
so that you may be feared.”
Psalm 119:33-38 (NIV)

Lord, my heart longs to follow You in this way. Teach me! Give me understanding! Direct me in the way You would have me to go. As this day is bound to be filled with all sorts of things that want my attention – only You are worthy of that. Turn my eyes away from the worthless things that cry out to be noticed and accepted. Unfold Your plans for me and give me wisdom and courage to walk in that direction. AMEN

Tuesday, October 5, 2004

Tue, 05 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer‘; but you are making it a ‘robbers’ den.’” Matthew 21: 12-13 (NASB)

Heretic! Shout it with me now! He was seen as so renegade, so oblivious to reality. But He knew just what would be an acceptable sacrifice, and exactly what was not. As exemplified by the texts He quoted. When Jesus does His violent acts, they are frequently seen out of context. His was the acceptable sacrifice. Mine – ours, church – is not. Are you ready to face the abominations He sees? Looking at Jeremiah 7 should cut us to the core. Then in the fury of His love He says, “I, even I, have seen it.”

Tell me, or even better, tell Him, when was it you were last greivously offended at His bold stance against the seemingly useful, mild infractions in your life? That offense is calling Him heretic, just as they did. It declares His stance against yours. It is your temple after all, right?

Are you ready? He knows what worship is. He knows about sacrifice, and offering, and heresy, and the church. He invites you to experience Him and invites you to settle for nothing else.

(ref., Isaiah 56 and Jeremiah 7.)

Monday, October 4, 2004

Mon, 04 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

“Look here, you people who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog–it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.”
James 4:13-16 (NLT)

Lord, help us to focus on what you’ve set before us for today. Open our ears, hearts and minds so that we may follow you and not our own desires. Amen.

Sunday, October 3, 2004

Sun, 03 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.”
John 13:1 (NIV)

Lord, show me the full extent of Your love. What is that like? Sometimes it is hard to slow down enough to receive. Once I slow down, I start to just ask You questions, and ask for Your help in things. This time, Lord, I choose to slow down for the purpose of listening and receiving. Show me the full extent of Your love. I empty me of me, and await the freshness of Your Holy Spirit. Amen

Saturday, October 2, 2004

Sat, 02 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form,”
Colossians 2:8-9 (NASB)

Our call as a church and as a bride of Christ is singular. Before Him, rejoice. Perhaps we can in the presence and awe of God respond with the responsibility our vested authority dictates, being diligent to expose our flesh for exactly what it is. Our responsibility is to set ourselves apart by the priviledge of the grace of God. Let no man tell you it is easy. Let no man tell you that it is already nearly done. Because tradition will gladly inhabit the room we give to worship every moment we dumb it down. In that room you may also find fear and shame. Or other old friends who are jealous of the new One you have met – and are meeting again for the first time today. Gently, I remind you: He too is jealous. He loves you and His love is profound. It is healing. It is enough to discard all the sham and drudgery and broken dreams. God Himself awaits you; will you not respond personally?

Friday, October 1, 2004

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0000

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven. Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don’t become weary and give up.”
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NLT)

Lord, let us become better witnesses. Help us to strip away our sin that hinders us from being better witnesses. Help us to keep our eyes on Jesus and finish the race set before us. Amen