Contentment
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2), (part 3) and (part 4).

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are my refuge, rescuer and rest. You reign in majesty and splendor. You rule will know no end. You are a rock that I can stand on. You are the resurrection and the life. You revive my spirit when I am tired. You restore my life and rescue me from my enemies.”

Devotional: Responding to Jesus teachings on money leads us to a place of contentment and peace. This is rare in todays world. Our culture marinates us in the message of discontentment and need for more. Jesus desires to set us free that we could live content.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Philippians 3.11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Find Me, which brings us back to a place of gratitude each day.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Bad Money
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2), (part 3) and (part 4).

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are powerful and present. You provide generously for me. You are my protector and my priest. You are the Prince of Peace and you are pure in heart. You pick me up when I fall and you persevere with me in my failings.”

Devotional: Yesterday we saw that money is a good thing, but it can become a bad and destructive thing. And while we all realize this when we consider the excesses of riches, the Scripture brings it a lot closer to home, to our hearts. This is not because God is a kill joy, but because he wants to maximize our joy. Pursuing money as the source of our life leads to death.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

1 Timothy 6.9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Find Me, which brings us back to a place of gratitude each day.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Good Money
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2), (part 3) and (part 4).

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the only begotten of the Father who overcame death and Hell. You are omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. You open up life before me. You are the one true God who gave yourself as an offering to save us.

Devotional: So if we cannot serve God and money, but have to choose, does that make money bad? No. Christianity affirms the goodness of the material world. When God created the world he said that it was very good. In Deuteronomy he says he gives the power to create wealth as a sign confirming His covenant. So it is not bad to have money or work for money in order to take care of your needs. Where this good thing becomes dangerous is when it takes the place of God and we look to money for our joy, identity, confidence and calling.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Genesis 1.31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Deuteronomy 8.17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 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 ancestors, as it is today.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Find Me, which brings us back to a place of gratitude each day.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Where True Life Is
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2), (part 3) and (part 4).

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the name above all names, who never fails and never grows tired or weary. You are the One who draws near, and you are making all things new. You sit in the heavens and need nothing. ”

Devotional: Yesterday we saw that it impossible to be a disciple of Jesus and a disciple of money. You have to choose. Today we are going to see why: when we believe that following money is what leads us to the fullness of life, we buy into a deception that can never satisfy us. When we realize that it is following Jesus that leads us to the fullness of life, we buy into truth that deeply satisfies us.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Luke 12.15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Find Me, which brings us back to a place of gratitude each day.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Discipleship and Money
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2), (part 3) and (part 4).

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the mighty God who made heaven and earth. You are meek and humble of heart. Your gentleness makes me great. You are mindful of my weakness and that I am but dust. Your presence is more than enough for me. Your mercies are new every morning.”

Devotional: Over and over again in the Bible, when we see someone become a disciple of Jesus, they go through a deep re-orientation in the way they think about and use money as a fruit of their discipleship to Him. Peter, James, and John all encountered the power of Jesus in their business and left their massive catch of fish to follow him. Zacchaeus the tax collector is transformed from greedy to generous. The women in Luke 8, now use their resources to advance the Kingdom of God. We will see this over and over again, discipleship to Jesus reorients the disciple’s view of meaning, priorities, and usage of money.

In fact, we are going to be hard pressed to find a disciple who didn’t encounter profound changes in the way they thought about their finances. This is contrasted with the rich young ruler who we will meet in Luke 18, who wants to follow Jesus but loves money more. In Luke 16, Luke lists one of the reasons the Pharisees who rejected Jesus- their love of money- and they saw Jesus as a threat to their finances. In Luke chapter 8, Jesus teaches explicitly that our relationship to money can choke out His work in our lives.

As you read today’s text, reflect on why discipleship to Jesus changes our relationship to money. What has that looked like in your life?

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Matthew 6.24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Find Me, which brings us back to a place of gratitude each day.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Selah
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Background: Today we are going to stop and reflect. Selah is a word used in the book of Psalms that many believe reflects the idea of stopping and reflecting on what has been. This practice will help us in our awareness of God and His work in our lives.

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Devotional: Take time to look back over your last week and reflect. What has God spoken to you this week? What do you have to be thankful about? What sin do you need to confess? Where have you noticed Jesus at work in and through you? Take time to reflect on these things.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

1 Thessalonians 5. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Worship: Respond to Jesus with worship today!

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
How Can We Be Friends To Jesus?
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2) & (part 3).

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the light of the world and the Lord of all Lords. You are the lover of my soul and you draw near to the lowly of heart. You are the best leader and being with you is where I find life. You are the Lion of the tribe of Judah and you listen to my prayers.”

Devotional: It’s one thing for Jesus to be a friend to us, but how can we be friends to him? Reflecting on how can I be a friend of Jesus has been one of the most powerful motivators for change and growth in my life. In today’s Scripture, Jesus gives us insight into how we are his friends: we obey his commands. Obedience motivated by love is the way we demonstrate friendship to Jesus.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

John 15.14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Friend of God and letting that truth shape our lives.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
How Does Friendship With Jesus Change Us?
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2) & (part 3).

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are my king and you are kind. You are my keeper and my kinsmen redeemer. Your are the king of kings and your Kingdom is good news! You hold the keys of death and Hades and true life is found in knowing you.”

Devotional: They say that our lives reflect the characteristics of our five closest friends. Intuitively we know this. Our friends change us. As a parent, one of my primary concerns for my kids is related to who are their friends, because friendship has such a powerful effect on our lives, values, and development. So how does friendship with Jesus change us?

The lives of Peter and John are case studies of how friendship with Jesus changes us. Aristotle said, “Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.” The desire to be friends with someone can come in a moment, but real friendship takes time to develop- decades not days. Years of friendship with Jesus significantly transformed Peter and John and gave them a vision and the character to give their lives as a gift to the world.

Peter was known for being a loose cannon, hot one minute, cold the next. But friendship with Jesus, over the years of his life, developed him into a faithful, steady and courageous leader.

John was known as a son of thunder, because of his quick temper. But friendship with Jesus, over the years of his life, developed him into a man marked by love.

How is the slow ripening fruit of friendship with Jesus changing you?

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Acts 4.13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Friend of God and letting that truth shape our lives.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
What Kind of Friend is Jesus?
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2) & (part 3).

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are my joy and my judge. You are just and true in all you do. All your judgements are wise and good. You joined my life with yours in the cross and the resurrection. You are Jesus, the only name under heaven by which men and women are saved.”

Devotional: We have all had good friends and bad friends, best friends and distant friends, old friends and new friends. What kind of friend is Jesus? He is the type of friend that extends friendship to us even when we are at our worst. He called Judas Isacriot his friend at the very time that Judas was betraying him. He sticks with us and is faithful to his promises. He is the type of friend you can count on. He is an encourager and a servant. He is a friend who is wise and gives wise counsel. He is a friend who believes in you and sees more in you than you see in yourself! Our text for today is Psalm 103, which lists a number of descriptions of the type of friendship Jesus extends to us.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Psalm 103.1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, 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.

6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— 18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

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, my soul.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Friend of God and letting that truth shape our lives.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Face to Face
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2) & (part 3).

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are intentional and my inspiration. You invite me into friendship with you. With you, nothing is impossible. You are interceding for me. Your creativity is infinite and you initiate with me and give me insight.”

Devotional: Moses gives us an example of what it means to be a friend of God. He had the type of relationship where he spoke face to face with God. The Bible notes that face to face is the communication of friendship. When we look into someone’s face, we see them for who they are. When they look into ours, they do the same. As Jesus has brought us into friendship with God, he wants to speak to us, as he did with Moses, face to face as a man speaks to a friend.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Exodus 33.10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Friend of God and letting that truth shape our lives.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
I Call You Friends
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2) & (part 3).

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the God for whom all of heaven sings of your holiness. There is no one like you. You are my helper and my hope. You are a healer and my hiding place. You are high and lifted up, yet you draw near to the humble. You are the head of the church and the one who holds us together.”

Devotional: Sometimes it can feel presumptuous or arrogant to think of ourselves as friends of God. Who are we to have such a privileged relationship with Him? But Jesus tells us that we are not the ones who came up with this idea, but friendship is one of the terms he uses to describe our relationship with him. And in Jesus, we see friendship with God not reserved just for high and holy men and women of long ago, like a Moses or an Abraham, but Jesus extends the offer of friendship to anyone and everyone!

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Friend of God and letting that truth shape our lives.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
With Him
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2) & (part 3).

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the God whose greatness knows no end. You are the good shepherd and you guide me with your goodness. You are filled with gladness and you are a generous giver in all you do. You give good gifts to your children and you are the guardian of my soul.”

Devotional: Being with Jesus marked the days of these disciples. Put yourself in their shoes. Each morning when they woke up, they woke up with Jesus. They would have some morning prayer with Jesus. Then they would eat breakfast with Jesus. Then they would travel to wherever Jesus was going that day. As they journeyed with long, mundane walks between towns, they were with Jesus. Then they would go out and minister with Jesus. You get the idea. Their days and their lives were defined by being with Jesus. It wasn’t limited to just a time of prayer or only a time of ministry, it included the everyday stuff of life, but it was life with Him!

Friends, this is what we are invited into as well: Our lives marked and oriented around being with Him. Let that sink deep as you read the Scripture today and as you go about your day.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Luke 8.1-3. After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Friend of God and letting that truth shape our lives.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Selah
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Background: Today we are going to stop and reflect. Selah is a word used in the book of Psalms that many believe reflects the idea of stopping and reflecting on what has been. This practice will help us in our awareness of God and His work in our lives.

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Devotional: Take time to look back over your last week and reflect. What has God spoken to you this week? What do you have to be thankful about? What sin do you need to confess? Where have you noticed Jesus at work in and through you? Take time to reflect on these things.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

1 Thessalonians 5. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Worship: Respond to Jesus with worship today! Our worship song for this week is Overcome by Jeremy Camp. It sums up so much of what we have learned this week.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Testimony and The Church
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1) & (part 2)

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You forgive sin and are faithful in all that you do. You are the first and the last. You are the Father who is building a family and fulfilling your promises. You are a friend of sinners and a consuming fire. You are the founder and perfecter of our faith. You are filled with joy and the whole earth is filled with your glory.”

Devotional: Now that we have learned about testimony, we look to our key text for this series with new eyes. If you have been reading through Luke, he has introduced us to already to the 12. Amongst them were Peter, who was a business owner and had a power-encounter with Jesus while at work. Matthew was a tax collector, known for his greed and dishonesty. He encountered Jesus and was transformed from a greedy man to a generous man. Mary Magdalene, we learn in this passage had demons and encountered Jesus and He delivered her. Each person represented here had a testimony of the way Jesus had worked in their lives.

In every town they went into, not only were they proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God in their words and their deeds, but you could see living proof of the Kingdom’s power in their unique stories.

This is a picture of the church. In the church we are a community of people who all have testimonies of the way Jesus has been at work and the power of the Kingdom of God. As you read today, think about your church or your small group and the testimonies contained in your group. How might God want to use your church or your small group as a team to show off his goodness and glory?

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Luke 8.1-3. After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Worship: Respond to Jesus with worship today! Our worship song for this week is Overcome by Jeremy Camp:

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Generation To Generation
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1) & (part 2)

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the everlasting Father, who encourages His people. You are enthroned as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You are Emmanuel- God with us and you are engaging and not aloof. Nothing can separate us from your everlasting love.”

Devotional: Our testimonies of the way Jesus has worked in our lives are to be passed on to the next generation that they might know God and his goodness and power. In today’s text we read about God parting the Jordan River and leading the people of Israel through and into their inheritance. The Lord tells them to build a memorial that the testimony of what God had done for them would be remembered and passed down from generation to generation.

As you read today reflect on what testimonies have been passed on to you as well as what testimonies do you need to pass on to the next generation.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Joshua 4.1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

Psalm 145.3-4 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 4 One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.

Worship: Respond to Jesus with worship today! Our worship song for this week is Overcome by Jeremy Camp:

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Anatomy of A Testimony
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1) & (part 2)

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the God who delightful and a deliverer. You are the door to life and my defender. Your love is deep yet declarable. You defeat demons. The worship of every human is your due.”

Devotional: Today we are going to focus on the anatomy of a testimony. This will enable you to communicate your own testimony to others. In today’s Scripture we see a man, who was born blind, healed by Jesus. When questioned the man says, “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!

And in that short simple phrase we see the 3 parts of a testimony:

  1. What was the situation (I was blind)

  2. What happened? How did you encounter Jesus? What did Jesus do? (but now)

  3. How did it impact you (I see)

As you read today, consider how you might communicate your own testimony.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

John 9,9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

Worship: Respond to Jesus with worship today! Our worship song for this week is Overcome by Jeremy Camp:

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Broken to Beautiful
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1) & (part 2)

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the God who caring and close You counsel your people are our comforter. You are our confidence and our covenant-keeping God. You never change, you are consistent. You are creative and capable. You are deserving of ceaseless praise.

Devotional: This week you are learning about the power of testimony. Sometimes we disqualify ourselves thinking that God can’t use our story because we are too messed up or too in process, What we see over and over again in Scripture is that God uses broken people to make beautiful things. Abraham was a liar. Jacob was a deceiver. Moses was a murderer. Hannah was barren. David was an adulterer. Esther was an orphan. Peter denied Jesus. Mary had demons. Paul killed Christians. And yet God worked powerfully in their lives to heal and redeem. In today’s Scripture we read Jesus’s mission statement. Note how he takes broken things and makes them things of beauty. He takes shattered lives and uses them to rebuild the world.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Isaiah 61.1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

Worship: Respond to Jesus with worship today! Our worship song for this week is Overcome by Jeremy Camp:

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Comforted to Comforter
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1) & (part 2)

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the God who is breathtakingly beautiful and better than life. You bind up the brokenhearted and you bless people. You are boundless in grace and you are building your church. You are the Bread of Life and you are brilliant in wisdom.”

Devotional: This week you are learning about the power of testimony. Often times it is the places and pains in which we have encountered the Lord that become our place of ministry to others. As you reflect on today’s Scripture, where have you encountered the comfort and saving power of God and who might He be calling you to minister to?

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

2 Corinthians 1.3 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 receive from God.

Worship: Respond to Jesus with worship today! Our worship song for this week is Overcome by Jeremy Camp:

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Stories Are Powerful
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Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1) & (part 2)

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the God who is abundantly generous and who is approachable. You are attentive to my life and my needs. You are abounding in love and almighty in power. You are active and my Abba Father.”

Devotional: This week you are going to learn about the power of testimony. Our stories are powerful. As we share the way God has worked in our lives, God is glorified, darkness is pushed back and people experience His Presence.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Revelation 12.11 They (The saints) triumphed over him (The Devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony….

Worship: Respond to Jesus with worship today! Our worship song for this week is Overcome by Jeremy Camp:

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel
Selah
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Background: Today we are going to stop and reflect. Selah is a word used in the book of Psalms that many believe reflects the idea of stopping and reflecting on what has been. This practice will help us in our awareness of God and His work in our lives.

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Devotional: Take time to look back over your last week and reflect. What has God spoken to you this week? What do you have to be thankful about? What sin do you need to confess? Where have you noticed Jesus at work in and through you? Take time to reflect on these things.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

1 Thessalonians 5. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Worship: Respond to Jesus with worship today! Our worship song for this week is So Will I by Hillsong- it sums up so much of what we have been feeding ourselves on this week.

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.

Zach Daniel