Daily Devotional: October 18 – Stand Firm

For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me dwell in darkness, like those who have long been dead – Psalm 143:4

Move a plant away from the light and it will shrivel up and die. Move away from God (who is light) and you begin to perish. The longer we spend away from God, the more we die inside – life becomes meaningless and worthless; we start to live in confusion and spend our time doing purposeless things; we immerse ourselves in work and fill our time with things that start to control us as we become addicted to them. Things such as having more success or making more money do not satisfy without God. When we shift away from God, our lives shift out of God’s control. As our lives shift out of His control, it moves into the enemy’s control, and a life in the enemy’s control is a life out of control! The enemy’s attack on your life is a bait to get you to shift away from God. Do not let him get that satisfaction. He may attack but he has no victory! You shall overcome as you keep strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

I will not let the troubles of life hinder my relationship with God































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Daily Devotional: October 17 – Mind the Specifics

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness – Psalm 143:10

Knowing the general will of God is one thing, but knowing the specific will of God is quite another. The specific will of God is embedded within the general will of God. For example, we may know that God wants us to go minister in a particular nation in general. But the specifics of how to get there, where to stay, to whom we minister, and what message to bring are important things to know, for these are the details that determine whether we are successful in our mission. Too many times, we hear from God, and we go full steam ahead without pausing to get instructions; without asking God to teach us how to do His will. When Jesus sent out the seventy disciples, He gave them specific instructions on how they were to behave. We too need specifics! Failure to understand the specifics can lead to failure, which them makes us doubt whether we heard from God in the first place.

I will dig into specifics of the things God desires for me to do 






























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Daily Devotional: October 16 – Upward Trajectory

Answer me speedily, O Lord; my spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, lest I be like those who go down into the pit – Psalm 143:7

Who are those whose lives are sure to have a downward trajectory? Who are those whose lives wind downwards towards the pit instead of upwards towards heaven? It is those who continually miss the mark and sin. We all miss the mark when we do not know what God wants us to do; we miss the mark when we act based on worldly wisdom instead of godly wisdom. The good news for us today is that God has promised never to hide his face from us (Ezekiel 39:29). By being in right-standing with Him through Christ, we do not have to worry about whether He wants to speak to us and guide us. He is ready to answer us in our hour of need so that our spirit does not fail and so we do not miss the mark. All we need to do is pray. When we do, He will answer speedily.

Prayer will change the trajectory of my life through His guidance






























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Daily Devotional: October 15 – Walking Prisoner

Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name; the righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me – Psalm 142:7

Our spirits may be inhabited by the Truth and therefore live in freedom; our bodies may be physically unrestricted by prison walls or boundaries, but our souls may be bound up in the prison of our own choosing. Just as a prisoner is not free to do whatever they desire, so too are those whose souls have been held hostage by the residue of the jarring experiences of life. Still, not all captivity is negative! We are meant to be held captive or hostage by Christ. We are meant to be prisoners of His love in the sense that his love so captivates us that we gladly and willfully surrender to Him. If we are not prisoners of God’s love, we will be prisoners of the love of something else – be it the love of money, the love of power, the love of sex, etc. When we are imprisoned by Christ’s love, our prayer is to remain captive. When we are imprisoned by something else, our prayer is for Christ’s love to take us out of that prison.

Nothing else should hold my soul captive except for Christ’s love





























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Daily Devotional: October 14 – Cave Experience

Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul – Psalm 142:4

David went from playing music in the public court of the king to praying for his life in the lonely confines of a cave. Did this happen because he did anything wrong? Not at all! It happened because the king was jealous of him – he was jealous of his accomplishments and the fact that David’s fame was growing. David found himself in a cave because the king wanted to end his life. When the king turned against David, many people that David knew turned their backs on him and went into self-preservation mode; they did not want to risk the wrath of the king. Let me ask you: Have you been treated unfairly like David? Are you being persecuted or deserted because you chose to do what is right? If so, take heart from David’s cave experience. He did not stay in the cave but ended up becoming king just as God promised! Take heart from knowing that no man can stop God’s promises from coming true in your life.

A man’s wrath may send me into a cave, but no man can make me stay there




























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Daily Devotional: October 13 – One Mustn’t Grumble

I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble – Psalm 142:2

Some people claim that we shouldn’t complain to God. Their view is that we are nothing compared to God and that complaining is a sign of disrespect. They see themselves as lowly servants and no more.  David did not subscribe to or accept this viewpoint, and neither should we. There is a difference between duty and status. Our duty is to serve God, but our status remains as His children. Children are meant to have a close relationship with their parents. A part of the outworking of our relationship with Him is the freedom to complain when we do not understand – just as our children complain to us when they do not understand. When we cry out to God, we open the channel of dialogue, which can then lead us to understand and repent. If we stay silent, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to grow in our relationship with Him and we secretly build up resentment towards Him. Friend, it is okay to pour out your complaint before Him.

God doesn’t want me to wear a mask around Him




























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Daily Devotional: October 12 – Wickedness Trap

Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I escape safely – Psalm 141:10

To be wicked is to be twisted. Twisted actions come from twisted thoughts, and twisted thoughts come when we fail to understand, appreciate, or imbibe the words of God. It is possible for us to act wickedly just because we do not have an accurate understanding of Gods word. It is also possible to act wickedly because it is a cultural norm. We do not have to fall into the trap of wickedness. We can settle in our heart not to do those things that go against what God desires. We can stay clear of people who think and do things that are contrary to God. We can examine ourselves to see if our thoughts and actions have become twisted. If we do not wish to set a trap for ourselves, we need to pay attention to God’s words to understand the intentions behind His instructions, principles, and commandments. If we do this, we will escape from doing wickedness in His sight.

I can escape the trap of wickedness by paying attention to God



























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Daily Devotional: October 11 – Tough Love

Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it – Psalm 141:5

If you have broken a bone, you have the option to do nothing, take painkillers to numb the pain, or to go to a surgeon. Taking painkillers makes you feel good temporarily, but a permanent solution can only take place when you go to the surgeon. Today, too many people would rather feel good than be good. They forget that feeling good is only a stop gap to being good. We must encourage (give each other courage) and strengthen each other to be good. Sometimes, the “medicine” we must take to be good tastes nasty, yet we shouldn’t refuse that medicine when it is needed. Can you think of when you went through a hard time, but it made you the person you are today? We shouldn’t avoid hard situations, hard conversations, hard decisions, when they are necessary. We or the person may hate it in the present, but in the end, it is a kindness.

I will love in a way that benefits everyone in the long run


























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Daily Devotional: October 10 – A Strong Heart

Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies – Psalm 141:4

Why are believers inclined to do evil? It is often because of the presence of a weak heart. A weak heart is a heart that has neither been strengthened in the word of God. It is a heart that has not had His truth truly sunk into it! We tend to rationalize our behavior when our heart is weak. A weak heart asks questions such as, do I have a reason, do they deserve it, am I justified in doing evil? Conversely, a strong heart asks one key question: Is this the will of God or is it not? Thus, while a weak heart leads to feuds, and returning evil for evil, a strong heart leads to forgiveness, turning the other cheek, and reconciliation. While a strong heart can make us seem weak to some people, the truth is that being strong in heart makes us meek. Being meek carries an enormous weight of blessing that comes from God. As it is written, the meek shall inherit the earth. Today, choose to strengthen your heart so that you are not inclined towards evil.

I will strengthen my heart, so it is inclined to good things

























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Daily Devotional: October 9 – Shut Your Mouth

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips – Psalm 141:3

The quantity and quality of our words have an inordinate impact on the trajectory of our lives. When king David says to set a guard on his mouth, his prayer is that his words may be few. He knew he did not need to react and respond to everything people said. There is a reason God has given us two ears and one mouth – we should seek to listen at least twice as much as we speak. When king David asks God to keep watch over the doors of his lips, he is asking that God dictate what comes out of His mouth. When we choose to speak, we should seek to speak the truth (as dictated and allowed by God) and not what we feel or think. The trajectory of our lives wind upwards when God determines when we speak and what we speak. It winds down when we speak our mind. Remember, what is on your mind may be foolishness! Allow only wisdom to give way to foolishness.

Only God will determine when I speak and what I speak
























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