Daily Hope Devotional

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NASB) Changing your health habits is like driving a speedboat on a lake with your automatic pilot set to go east. If you want to reverse course, you could try to physically force the wheel in the opposite direction, but you’d likely get tired, let go, and the boat would drift back. But there’s a better option: Change your autopilot. The same is true with your health habits. To make a lasting change, you must change how you think. Behind everything you do — even your unhealthy habits — is a thought that keeps you from getting healthy. Instead, the Bible says you should “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). God wants you to learn to think like Jesus. How do you do that? You meditate on God’s Word and you ask, “Lord, how would Jesus think about this?” The more you fill your mind with the Word of God, the easier that’s going to be. “Watch over your heart with all

“You made my whole being; You formed me in my mother’s body. I praise You because You made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What You have done is wonderful. I know this very well.” (Psalm 139:13-14 NCV) God made you in an amazing and wonderful way! Psalm 139:13-14 says, “You made my whole being; You formed me in my mother’s body. I praise You because You made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What You have done is wonderful. I know this very well” (NCV). God sees you as a work of art. He does not look at you critically but with deep love. Our bodies are His workmanship. Knowing that truth, what is the right attitude toward your body? Don't reject it, and don't neglect it. Keeping your body in shape is a spiritual discipline. God created your body, Jesus died for it, the Holy Spirit lives in it, your body is connected to Christ, and it’s going to be resurrected one day. One day God will hold you accountable for how you managed your body. But He doesn’t leave you

“God gives rest to His loved ones.” (Psalm 127:2b NLT) The Bible says, “God gives rest to His loved ones” (Psalm 127:2b NLT). When you sleep, your heavenly Father watches over you in love. Sleep is God’s gift; to accept that gift is an act of trust. He restores your body and energy through sleep. One of the hidden triggers to over-eating is lack of rest. When we’re overtired, we often try to boost our energy with caffeine or sugar or carbs, which ultimately leaves us more tired than before. Trusting God enough to sleep builds your faith. Why does sleep require trust? Because we tend to overload our schedules and think that we don’t have time to get the proper amount of sleep. Jesus relaxed, and He never felt guilty about it. Even God took a day off after Creation. Who are we to think we’re too busy to get the proper rest? Talk It Over - How might giving yourself the gift of a good night’s sleep help you meet your Daniel Plan goals?  - Matthew 11:28-29 says, “Come to me,

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:1-2 NIV) As you work to become Daniel Strong, stress will undoubtedly try to pull you away from your goals. The problems of everyday life often tempt us to make unhealthy choices out of convenience or as a temporary fix for handling stress. But the truth is, problems will follow you the rest of your life. If you’re waiting to deal with stress until you make it to a new stage in your life, you’ll be waiting a long time! Colossians 3:1-2 says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (NIV). Stress is a choice. We get stressed out when we choose to focus on our own limited resources instead of focusing on the unlimited resources available

“Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise.” (Ephesians 5:15 NIV) The Bible says, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15 NIV). One of the things you’re learning in your efforts to become Daniel Strong is that real change requires you to face the truth. Behind every self-defeating behavior is a lie we believe, such as, “I can trust any food that is labeled ‘healthy,’ ‘all natural,’ ‘diet,’ or ‘fat free.’” Changing eating habits begins with developing discernment. If a food is labeled “healthy” but has 20 ingredients, 19 of which you can’t pronounce, that label is lying. Educate yourself about what is truly healthful food, like fresh vegetables, lean meat, nuts, and fruit. While it may seem confusing at first, it is really quite simple to eat healthy. Once you learn to recognize lying labels, you’ll feel empowered to make the best choices for your body. God wants you to “use your head — and heart! — to discern

“‘Test us for ten days,’ he said. ‘Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare us with the young men who are eating the food of the royal court, and base your decision on how we look.’ [The guard] agreed to let them try it for ten days. When the time was up, they looked healthier and stronger than all those who had been eating the royal food.” (Daniel 1:12-15 TEV) When Daniel refused to become unclean by eating the food of King Nebuchadnezzar’s court, he made a deal with the guard: “‘Test us for ten days,’ he said. ‘Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare us with the young men who are eating the food of the royal court, and base your decision on how we look.’ [The guard] agreed to let them try it for ten days. When the time was up, they looked healthier and stronger than all those who had been eating the royal food” (Daniel 1:12-15 TEV). Daniel didn’t just eat haphazardly, accepting whatever was placed in front of him. He was intentional about wh

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2 NIV)                                                                                                         Many of us believe we can multi-task without limits. However our brain isn’t a computer; it can’t run different programs simultaneously. When we think we are “multi-tasking,” we are actually switching rapidly between tasks. Our attention is divided. That’s why people crash their cars when they try to text and drive. And it’s why people crash in their journey to get healthy. Getting healthy the right way requires a relentless focus on God and His plan for healthy living. You must focus on what’s most important and not allow yourself to get distracted by the trivial. If Satan can’t get you to do wrong, he’ll simply wear you out with a lot of good things. He’ll get you over-committed to the good but not the best. The Bible says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2 NI

“Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11 NIV) Matthew 6:11 says, “Give us today our daily bread” (NIV). Notice the Bible doesn’t say, “Give us today our weekly bread” or “Give us today our yearly bread.” God wants you to trust Him one day at a time. You don’t need to be concerned about tomorrow until tomorrow. You don’t need to be concerned about next week until next week. This means you don’t have to stress about all the future steps necessary to make you Daniel Strong. You just need to focus on what you need to do for today. You can focus on succeeding at the Daniel Plan one day at a time. Jesus said, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34 NLT). Talk It Over - What aspects of the Daniel Plan do you tend to worry about? Why do you think that is? How might this be related to trusting God? - Why do you think God wants you to take it one day at a time? - Make a list of all your con

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7 NIV) God accepts us, despite our messy lives, impure motives, and irritating attitudes. One of the ways we reflect God’s love and bring Him glory is to accept each other just as He accepts us. This means we accept others’ quirks and look past their faults in order to see a person created in the image of God. To make the changes in your life that lead to health, you’ll need the support of your Daniel Plan group or your small group. You can’t get healthy on your own. To have that kind of critical support through your group, you’ll need to accept one another unconditionally, just as Christ has accepted you unconditionally. The Bible says, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7 NIV). This acceptance makes your Daniel Plan group a safe environment, where people are not afraid to express their fears and doubts or talk

“But what happens when we live God's way? .... We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way.” (Galatians 5:22-23 MSG) Think about this: God wouldn’t have designed your body to need physical exercise and at the same time intend for exercise to be the most grueling, tedious thing you have to do. God knows we’re all shaped differently, so He provided a variety of physical activities we can take part in. There’s an exercise out there for every one of us. The best exercise is the one that you will actually do because you enjoy it. So what do you love? What sounds like fun? Ask God to show you what it is, and give it a try, even if it takes you out of your comfort zone. Gal

“For God loved the world so much that He gave His One and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NLT) God loves you so much that He sent Jesus on a mission of love with a message of love. The Bible doesn’t say God has love; it says God is love. Love is His nature; God is love. God created the entire universe. He created this planet; He created the human race. Then, He created you because He loves you. It could be said the reason you’re alive is because God created you as an object of His love. God made you so He could love you and so that you could love Him. God’s love for you is the reason your heart’s beating right now; it’s the reason you’re breathing. God’s good news is that He loves you on your good days as much as He loves you on your bad days. He loves you when you can feel His love, and He loves you when you can’t seem to feel His love. He loves you regardless of whether or not you think you deserve his love.

“Through the Blood of His Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of His overflowing kindness.” (Ephesians 1:7 GWT) There have been a lot of great religious teachers throughout history. They’ve all had good things to say, but what makes Jesus different from every other religious teacher throughout history is the fact that he died and rose again. That’s of critical importance, because it’s not the life of Jesus that saves you. It’s not the teachings of Jesus that save you. It’s his death and Resurrection that open the door for your salvation. The Bible says we’ve all blown it. We’ve all made mistakes. None of us is perfect. That’s pretty obvious! I don’t measure up to my own standards, much less God’s. We have all sinned. The Bible also says that justice demands punishment. If you do the crime, you pay the time. If you break God’s laws, you pay God’s penalty and, according to the Bible, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is etern

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.… My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hands.” (John 10:28-29 NIV) When I was growing up, one of the things that impressed me about my dad was his big hands. I have big hands now, but my dad had huge hands! When he would do carpentry, the hammer just looked so small in his hands. My heavenly Father has really big hands. He’s got the whole world in his hands! How big are God’s hands? - God’s hands are big enough to bless you. Jesus often touched people in order to bless them. He would lay His hands on people and bless them. He does the same for you. Isaiah 62:3 says, “The LORD will hold you in His hand for all to see — a splendid crown in the hand of God” (NLT). - God’s hands are scarred to never forget you. In Heaven, the only scars will be on Jesus. Do you think God can forget you? He has a constant reminder in His nail-scarred hands. The Bible says, “Can

“I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the One in Whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.” (2 Timothy 1:12 NLT) When you’ve got something that is very precious to you, whether it’s rare, expensive, or an heirloom, and you don’t want it to be stolen, broken, or burned up, you take it to the bank and entrust it to the protection of a safety deposit box. Even more than a locked box in your bank, whatever you entrust to God, He’s going to take care of. You can count on it. He has a track record. Other people may not have a consistent track record of taking care of things for you. But whatever you entrust to God, He will take care of it. So, what do you need to entrust to God today? I’ll tell you what it is — it’s whatever you’re worrying about. Whatever you’re worrying about, you need to entrust it to the safety deposit box of God’s love. Worry is practical atheism, because it’s

“For the Word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything He does.” (Psalm 33:4 NLT) One of the great questions of life is, “Who are you going to trust?” The way you answer that question will determine whether you’re happy or miserable, whether you succeed or fail, whether you make something of your life or you waste your life. Let’s consider the options. Are you going to trust Congress? Probably not. Their credibility is kind of low right now. Are you going to trust the media? Why would you when you never know if they’re telling the truth? Are you going to trust popular opinion? Not too smart when it’s changing by the second. Are you going to trust in yourself? That’s actually pretty stupid, too, because emotions lie. If you live by your emotions, you are going to be manipulated the rest of your life by other people and by your changing moods. If you’re going to entrust your life and your future to someone or something, you’d better choose someone who has your best i

“Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (John 4:13-14 NLT) If you feel unsatisfied with your life and you want to live a fulfilled, meaningful life, you need to stop looking for satisfaction somewhere besides Jesus. We’re always looking around, trying to find something to make our lives happy and significant. We think, “If I could just wear this kind of clothes, then I’ll be cool. If I could just have plastic surgery and get this fixed, then life would be grand. If I could just get this job, I’ll be satisfied.” The Bible says in Jeremiah 2:13, “My people have done two evils: They have turned away from Me, the spring of living water. And they have dug their own wells, which are broken wells that cannot hold water” (NCV). Not only have we rejected God and not looked to Him to meet all our needs and satisfy our lives;

“The time is surely coming ... when I will send a famine on the land — not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the Words of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the Word of the LORD, but they will not find it. Beautiful girls and strong young men will grow faint in that day, thirsting for the LORD’s word.” (Amos 8:11-13 NLT) The Bible says in John 19:28-29, “After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would come true, He said, ‘I am thirsty.’ There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth” (NCV). The phrase “I thirst” was the life verse and the theme of Mother Teresa, who founded the Order of the Missionaries of Charity and Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying. In every Home for the Dying around the world, where they take in the poorest of the poor, there is a picture of Jesus hanging

“Those who hear My Words and believe in Him Who sent Me have eternal life. They will not be judged.” (John 5:24b GNT) Jesus’ death and Resurrection release us from judgment. You may imagine a day of judgment where you’re standing outside the gates of Heaven in a really, really long line, and you’re slowly moving forward, one step at a time. As you get closer, you start to sweat and wonder, “Am I going to get in? Am I going to make it? Is God going to use a giant TV screen to show every dumb or evil thing I’ve ever done? Will my every sin be exposed?” I have good news for you; it’s a promise of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that those who believe in Jesus — His death and Resurrection — will not be judged (John 3:18). Here’s the real picture: You’re standing in line waiting for the judgment. Jesus sees you and says, “I know you. We’ve been friends for years. You put your trust in Me back in 2014 at Easter. Come with Me. Get in the express lane. You get the fast track. You get to

“God says He will accept and acquit us — declare us ‘not guilty’ — if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like.” (Romans 3:22b LB) Jesus’ death and Resurrection make us acceptable to God. Would you be surprised to know that most people do not accept themselves? I’ve been a pastor now for more than 30 years. I’ve talked to tens of thousands of people, and I’ve found that most people really don’t like themselves. They wish they were different. They wish they looked different. They wish they acted differently. We don’t accept ourselves, so we spend our lives trying to find acceptance among other people. And, even more important than being accepted by other people is being accepted by God. That’s a problem. Why? Because God is perfect, and you’re not. Neither am I! God lives in a perfect place called Heaven, so He had a predicament. How does He get imperfect people in

“After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would come true, He said, ‘I am thirsty.’ There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth.” (John 19:28-29 NCV) The Bible says that as Jesus hung on the cross, He “knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would come true, He said, ‘I am thirsty.’ There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth” (John 19:28-29 NCV). When Jesus said, “I’m thirsty,” it shows how much He really loves you and me. Jesus was willing to suffer and thirst for you so that you can go to Heaven. This is called redemptive suffering — when you suffer not for your own sins but on behalf of other people. Jesus had done nothing wrong. He was perfect; yet they killed Him. Why? He died for the redemption of other

“I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43 NLT) When the criminal hanging next to Jesus on the cross asked Jesus to remember him, Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NLT). With His response, Jesus was also giving us four characteristics of salvation that we can trust and believe in. First, he said “today.” That means salvation is immediate. The moment you ask Jesus Christ to save you, it is done. When you die, you either go straight into the presence of God or you go straight into separation from God. Second, salvation is certain. He said, “Today you will.” Not “You might,” not “I hope.” Not “Let me think about it.” When God says “You will,” you will. When you accept Christ, you can be certain of your salvation. Third, salvation is a relationship. He said, “You will be with Me.” Salvation is not a religion. It’s not rules or regulations or rituals. Salvation is a relationship. That relationship doesn’t b

“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV) In Luke 23:42, one of the criminals hanging next to Jesus on the cross prayed, “Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom” (NIV). Notice that he didn’t ask Jesus to stop his pain, although he would have been in excruciating pain on the cross. By that time, Jesus was famous for doing miracles, but the man didn’t ask Jesus to save him from death, either. He said, “Jesus, remember me.” Why? Because he knew that his deepest need was salvation from sin — not just salvation to get into Heaven. He believed in Jesus. The Bible says in Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (NIV). So how do you know for sure that you’re saved? How do you know you’re going to Heaven when you die? How can you be certain? How can you eliminate your doubt? Your assurance of salvation is not by your

“God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God’s approval through Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 GW) If you were to Google this question, “Who has saved more human lives in history than anybody else?” you would find a name you probably never heard of. When Norman Borlaug died in 2009 at the age of 95, the world hardly noticed, even though he’s one of only seven people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Who was Norman Borlaug? He was an agricultural scientist who invented high yield, drought and disease-resistant crops that in the 20th century saved more than 1 billion people from starvation. Before Norman Borlaug, many countries like China, India, and Pakistan had famines every single year. Now those countries export food because of the crops that Borlaug developed. Borlaug was a Christian and a lifelong member of an evangelical Lutheran church. In fact, his faith was the driving force

“Yet now God declares us ‘not guilty’ of offending Him if we trust in Jesus Christ, Who in His kindness freely takes away our sin.” (Romans 3:24 LB) When you confess your sin to God, He does not rub it in; He wipes it out! But, there’s a right way and a wrong way to ask for forgiveness. Let me tell you the wrong way. First, don’t beg. God wants to forgive you more than you want to ask for it. You’re not waiting on God; Je’s waiting on you. Second, don’t bargain. Bargaining is saying, “God, if you will forgive me, I will never do this again!” If that’s your area of weakness, you will be back in that area of sin in a matter of hours or days. Don’t bargain with God and say, “I’ll never do it again,” because you will. Third, don’t bribe. Bribing is saying, “God, if you’ll just forgive me for this, I will …” You’ll go to church every week. You will read your Bible every day. You will tithe 15 … 20 percent! But God doesn’t want or need your bribe. So what do you do? You don’t

“The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison. I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed. Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The LORD’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The LORD is all I have, and so in Him I put my hope.” (Lamentations 3:19-26 TEV) When your world is falling apart, it’s so easy to focus on the pain, the problems, the pressure, and the difficulties. It’s the natural response. But the Biblical response is to turn your focus to God’s love. Even though you’re mad at God, you need to remind yourself how much He loves you. Focus on His unconditional love. Remember that you can’t make God stop loving you. You can complain, yell at Him, and scream at Him, but He will still love you forever. You can see this biblical approach in Jeremiah’s life in Lamentations 3:19-26. Jeremiah starts out focused on his pain: “The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison. I think of

“Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And at that moment He disappeared!” (Luke 24:31 NLT) Ever feel like God is a million miles away? The truth is, He’s not. Whatever struggle you’re going through, you can rest assured you’re not alone. You have God in your corner. But you’re not the only one who has ever wondered where God was during a struggle. On the very first Easter morning, right after Jesus’ Crucifixion, the disciples wondered the same thing. In Luke 24, we learn about one particular pair of these disciples who were walking down the road to Emmaus, talking about all that had transpired over the previous few days — Jesus’ arrest, beating, and Crucifixion — and trying to make sense of it all. They thought Jesus was the Messiah; their dream was crushed. They had heard reports that Jesus’ grave was empty. They were very confused. Suddenly Jesus Himself came alongside the disciples and joined them in their journey. Yet they were in so much grief, they d

“Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:16 LB) The first step in forgiveness is admitting your guilt. Then, you have to accept responsibility for your sin. What’s the best way to ensure that you are really accepting responsibility for your sin? You’re not going to like the answer, but you need to hear it anyway: The best way to get over your guilt is to tell one other person who loves you unconditionally and who will listen and not judge you. This is important: You don’t have to confess to another person to be forgiven. All you have to do is confess your sin to God, and you’ll be forgiven. But many of you have already been forgiven, and you still feel guilty. If you want to be forgiven, you tell God. If you want to feel forgiven, you’ve got to tell one other person. That’s the way God wired it. Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. We only get well in community! You don’t have to tell a bunch of people. You re

“The LORD gave us mind and conscience; we cannot hide from ourselves.” (Proverbs 20:27 GN) The best way to get off a guilt trip is to first admit your guilt. Don’t bury it, don’t deny it, and don’t ignore it. Just own up to it! Even when we know this truth, we still try to run from our guilt. But when you run from guilt, it’s going to catch up with you. The problem with always moving is that you take you with you. The problem is in your mind! No matter how busy you are or where you run, you’re going to be just as stressed if your stress is coming from regrets, shame, or guilt. When you finally slow down, all those feelings come crashing back in again. God doesn’t want you to live that way. The Bible says you can’t run from yourself: “The LORD gave us mind and conscience; we cannot hide from ourselves” (Proverbs 20:27 GN). You may be able to hide your guilt from everybody else, but you can’t hide it from yourself. We as human beings have an amazing ability to lie to ourselves.

“The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me — to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24 NCV) The Bible says in Acts 20:24, “The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me — to tell people the Good News about God’s grace” (NCV). Notice it doesn’t say the most important thing in life is to get married, fund your retirement, travel a lot, become famous, or pay off the house. It says the most important thing in life is to fulfill your mission. If Jesus died on the cross for you so that you can fulfill your mission and you don’t do it, that is a massive, eternal waste. God put you on Earth for a purpose. He has a mission that only you can fulfill. Part of that mission is to tell other people the Good News of God’s grace. You know Christ because somebody told you about Him. Now, who are you going to tell? If somebody died for you, wouldn’t you want to know about it? Je

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NIV) If you want to measure how much you understand grace and how much you’re living by grace, look at your giving. The Bible says, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NIV). Notice the “alls” — “all grace,” “all things,” “at all times,” “having all that you need” — those are the promises related to the person who becomes like Christ. What was Christ like? He was a giver. God loved the world so much that he gave. Until you lea