Daily Hope Devotional

“I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.” (Philippians 1:18b-19 NLT) When things are falling apart, don’t try to work it out yourself. Just let God put the pieces back together. If you’re facing a problem, you’ve got two options: You can worship or you can worry. That’s it! This is what I call the faith factor. Paul says in Philippians 1:18-19, “I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance” (NLT). In that one verse, Paul gives several sources of strength so you can stay positive and happy in tough times. First, you have to keep God’s perspective on your problems. Paul says, “For I know.” It’s what you know that keeps you going. Paul knew God was working in the midst of his struggle, and he kept God’s bigger perspective. Secondly, Paul had people praying for him, and it kept him going.

“It does not matter! I am happy about it — just so Christ is preached in every way possible, whether from wrong or right motives. And I will continue to be happy.” (Philippians 1:18 TEV) You can be happy no matter what happens in your life if you don’t let others control your attitude. In Philippians 1:15-17, Paul talks about four kinds of people who were affecting his ministry while he was in prison in Rome. There were some who he considered comrades and who encouraged him in his ministry. Others were criticizing, competing with, or conspiring against his ministry. “Some of them preach Christ because they are jealous and quarrelsome, but others from genuine good will. These do so from love, because they know that God has given me the work of defending the gospel. The others do not proclaim Christ sincerely, but from a spirit of selfish ambition; they think that they will make more trouble for me while I am in prison” (Philippians 1:15-17 TEV). Few things rob your happiness f

“I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News” (Philippians 1:12 NLT) If you want to be a happy person, you need to look at every problem from God’s viewpoint. Happy people have a larger perspective. They see the big picture. When you don’t see things from God’s point of view, you get discouraged, frustrated, and unhappy. No matter what’s going on in your life — the good, the bad, and the ugly, God is working out a plan. Paul knew this. He says in Philippians 1:12, “I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News” (NLT). Ever since Paul became a Christian on the road to Damascus, he had dreamed one great dream: He wanted to preach in Rome, the center of the universe at the time. His dream was to preach the Gospel in the most important city in the world. But God had another idea. Instead of sending Paul to Rome t

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11 NIV) I want you to think of somebody who irritates you — maybe somebody you’ve got a strained relationship with or who just rubs you the wrong way. I have two questions for you: One, do you pray for that person? Or do you just complain and grumble and nag and nitpick? If you prayed more, you’d have a lot less to grumble, complain, nag, and nitpick about. It’s your decision. Does nagging work? No. Does prayer work? Yes. So why do you do more of the thing that doesn’t work than does? Paul says in Philippians 1:4, “Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy” (NLT). Paul didn’t just pray for people in his life; he prayed with joy! There are

“I thank God for the help you gave me.” (Philippians 1:5a NCV) Developing an attitude of gratitude does not come naturally. We are not by nature grateful people. We are by nature discontented. We always want more or something different. In the book of Philippians, Paul was writing to the church that he started in Philippi, where a woman named Lydia opened up her home and, along with others, welcomed Paul to the city. The Philippian church even helped fund Paul’s missionary journeys. In Philippians 1:5, Paul says, “I thank God for the help you gave me” (NCV). The thing is, Paul didn’t have a good time in Philippi. In fact, it was one of his roughest churches to get started. When Paul went to this city to start a church, he was beaten, whipped, humiliated, falsely arrested, thrown into prison, and survived an earthquake. Then, he was politely asked by the city leaders to leave town. Yet Paul told the believers, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God” (Philippians 1

“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.” (Philippians 1:3 NLT) Study after study has linked gratitude to happiness; psychologists and sociologists have proven that the more grateful you are, the happier you are. If you want to have healthy relationships, you have to start with an attitude of gratitude. You will be far happier and enjoy your relationships more if you will develop the habit of being grateful for the people in your life. Philippians 1:3 says, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God” (NLT). That simple truth is the source of good relationships. When people stop doing this in a marriage, they crumble. When you stop remembering why you got married in the first place and the good times in your relationship and you stop being grateful for your mate, your marriage is on a long slide into oblivion. When you think of the people in your life, is your first feeling gratitude? Probably not. More often it’s, “What do they need to do for me? What a

“Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others.” (Galatians 6:4 CEV) Satan will try to steal your joy of service in two ways: by tempting you to compare your ministry with others and by tempting you to conform your ministry to the expectations of others. Both are deadly traps that will distract you from serving in the ways God intended. The Bible warns us never to compare ourselves with others: “Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others” (Galatians 6:4 CEV). There are two reasons why you should never compare your SHAPE, your ministry, or the results of your ministry with anyone else: - First, you will always be able to find someone who seems to be doing a better job than you, and you will become discouraged. - Second, you will always be able to find someone who doesn’t seem as effective as you and you will become full of pride. Either attitu

“You are coming to Christ, the living stone who was rejected by humans but was chosen as precious by God.” (1 Peter 2:4 GW) How much do you think you're worth? I'm not talking about your net worth; I'm talking about your self-worth. Don't ever confuse your valuables with your value as a person. You can be rich or poor, but it has nothing to do with your value as a person. There are two things that determine value in life: Value is what someone is willing to pay for something. Value depends on who has owned something in the past. Based on these two things, what's your value? Ask yourself, “Who owns me?” and “What was paid for me?” The Bible says, “You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to Him” (1 Corinthians 7:23a LB). You belong to God, and Jesus paid for you with His life. The cross proves your value. Nobody has ever paid a greater ransom price than God paid for you! You're acceptable, and you're valuable. Peter uses t

“Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God's Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:14a TEV) You can’t earn your spiritual gifts or deserve them — that’s why they are called gifts! They’re an expression of God’s grace to you: “Christ has generously divided out His gifts to us” (Ephesians 4:7 CEV). Nor do you get to choose which gifts you’d like to have. Paul explains that God determines that “it is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have” (1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT). Because God loves variety, and He wants us to be special, there’s no one single gift given to everyone, and no individual receives all the gifts. If you had them all, you’d have no need of anyone else, and that would defeat one of God’s purposes — to teach us to depend on each other. Your spiritual gifts were not given for your own benefit but for the benefit of others, just as other people were given gifts for your benef

“Let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:4 ESV) Be patient with God and with yourself. One of life’s frustrations is that God’s timetable is rarely the same as ours. We are often in a hurry when God isn’t. You may feel frustrated with the seemingly slow progress you’re making in life. Remember that God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time. He will use your entire lifetime to prepare you for your role in eternity. The Bible is filled with examples of how God uses a long process to develop character, especially in leaders. He took 80 years to prepare Moses, including 40 in the wilderness. For 14,600 days Moses kept waiting and wondering, “Is it time yet?” But God kept saying, “Not yet.” Contrary to popular book titles, there are no “Easy Steps to Maturity” or “Secrets of Instant Sainthood.” When God wants to make a giant oak, He takes a hundred years, but when He wants to make a mushroom, He does it ov

“We shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature.” (Ephesians 4:13b TEV) Discipleship is the process of conforming to Christ; your journey will last a lifetime. Every day God wants you to become a little more like Him: “You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One Who made you” (Colossians 3:10a NCV). Today we’re obsessed with speed, but God is more interested in strength and stability than swiftness. We want the quick fix, the shortcut, the on-the-spot solution. We want a sermon, a seminar, or an experience that will instantly resolve all problems, remove all temptation, and release us from all growing pains. But real maturity is never the result of a single experience, no matter how powerful or moving. Growth is gradual. The Bible says, “Our lives gradually [become] brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like Him” (2 Corinthians 3:18b MSG). People often

“For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from One Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,” (Hebrews 2:11 NASB) Did you know that Jesus calls you His sister or His brother? That’s a pretty amazing thing. Jesus isn’t ashamed to call you His brother or sister, no matter how messed up your life is, because you belong to God’s family. As a member of the family of God, your sin doesn’t define you anymore. It’s the difference between Alcoholics Anonymous and Celebrate Recovery. Alcoholics Anonymous is a very good program. But I think Celebrate Recovery, which was started at Saddleback Church, is a whole lot better for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it’s Christ-centered, so it stresses that your sin does not define you. If you were to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, you would stand up and say, “Hi, my name is Rick, and I’m an alcoholic,” and you would say it for the rest of your life. You let your sin define you. In

“God’s family is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15b GW) You are called to belong, not just believe. Even in the perfect, sinless environment of Eden, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18a NIV). We are created for community, fashioned for fellowship, and formed for a family, and none of us can fulfill God’s purposes by ourselves. The Bible knows nothing of solitary saints or spiritual hermits isolated from other believers and deprived of fellowship. The Bible says we are put together, joined together, built together, members together, heirs together, fitted together, and held together and will be caught up together (1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:21-22, 3:6, 4:16; Colossians 2:19; 1 Thessalonians 4:17). You’re not on your own anymore! While your relationship to Christ is personal, God never intends it to be private. In God’s family you are connected to every other believer, and we will belon

“You will all be joined together, and you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other, which will bring glory to God.” (Romans 15:6-7 NCV) There are only two ways to get into a family: You can either be born into it, or you can be adopted into it. God does both for you! It’s called being born again, and it’s called being adopted into the family of God. God does both. In Roman law, during New Testament times, you could disown a child you birthed. But if you adopted a child, you were forbidden to ever disown that child. God says you are not only born again into His family, but He has adopted you, and there is no way He could ever disown you. That’s good news! The Bible says in 1 Timothy 3:15, “I want you to know how people who are members of God’s family must live. God’s family is the church” (GW). This means church is not something you go to. Church is something you belong to. We are the family of God. Many p

“Since you are His child, God has made you His heir.” (Galatians 4:7b NLT) Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever. Our families on Earth are wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary and fragile, often broken by divorce, distance, old age, and, inevitably, by death. The apostle Paul says, “When I think of the wisdom and scope of His plan, I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God — some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth” (Ephesians 3:14-15 LB). On the other hand, our spiritual family — our relationship to other believers — will continue throughout eternity. It is a much stronger union, a more permanent bond, than blood relationships. God’s Family Lasts Forever. The Bible teaches, “To all who did accept Him and believe in Him He gave the right to become children of God. They did not become His children in any human way — by any human parents or human desi

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.” (John 13:35 NLT) The Bible says a Christian without a church home is like an organ without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. It is an unnatural state. Ephesians 2:19 says, “You belong in God’s household with every other Christian” (LB). Today’s culture of independent individualism has created many spiritual orphans — “bunny believers” who hop around from one church to another without any identity, accountability, or commitment. Many believe it is possible to be a “good Christian” without joining (or even attending) a local church, but God would strongly disagree. The church is so significant that Jesus died on the cross for it: “Christ loved the church and gave His life for it” (Ephesians 5:25b GW). Except for a few important exceptions referring to all believers throughout history, almost every time the word “church” is used in the Bible it refers to a local, visible co

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36 NIV) The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint: "I can do anything I want to do and say anything I want to say without anybody telling me what to do." Everybody else may get burned by you, but you get to do it your own way. The world says you can have your freedom, but only by being totally selfish. Yet, the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NIV). Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you’re truly free from guilt, worry, bitterness, and death. You’re free to quit pretending because you’re free to be yourself. How do you get rid of those kinds of fears? By letting God love you! The apostle John teaches that, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18a). When you realize how much God loves you, you’ll begin to live in true freedom. In fact, you worship God when y

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NASB) Some people believe calling someone spiritually lost is a put-down. But it’s not. It’s actually a great compliment to be called spiritually lost. There’s a difference between losing something and misplacing something. If I misplace something, it means it wasn’t important to me. But if I lose it, it’s valuable enough for me to try to find it. You misplace a bobby pin; you lose your glasses. People are only lost if they’re worth finding. Think of it this way: The value of a masterpiece doesn’t go down when it’s lost; it goes up. Human beings lose a lot when they aren’t connected to God. We lose our direction, God’s protection, our potential, our happiness, and our future home in Heaven — just to name a few. But there’s one thing we don’t lose: our value. God loved you enough to send his very best — Jesus. The most famous verse

"Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure." (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT) A while back, a man came into my office and said, “I’m a Christian, but I don’t feel like I’m going anywhere in my spiritual growth. I’m kind of stuck in neutral.” I said, “What do you think the problem is?” He said, “I think my problem is I just don't love God enough.” I said, “That's not your problem. Your problem is not that you don't love God enough. Your problem is that you don't understand how much He loves you.” Love is always a response to love. The Bible says, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV). When you say, “I don't love God,” it's because you don't understand just how much he really loves you. To understand your

How Could God Forget You? “[Jesus] looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name! ‘Zacchaeus!’” (Luke 19:5a LB) All of Zacchaeus’ life he’d been ridiculed and rejected, first for his appearance and then for his sinful life. But Jesus not only looked at him; Jesus also showed that He knew him by calling Zacchaeus by name. Imagine the shock Zacchaeus must have felt! How did Jesus know his name? God not only knows where you are; He knows who you are. He knows what you’re going through, why you’re going through it, and how you feel about it. He knows you better than you know yourself. He cares about you personally. The name Zacchaeus means “pure one.” That’s the last thing you would think of when you think of a corrupt government official. He was anything but pure. And yet Jesus, by calling Zacchaeus by name, was saying, “Hey, pure one, I’m coming to your house today.” Jesus was affirming what He saw in Zacchaeus, not what he was. You may be afraid to get close to Jesus because

“My friend, I ask, ‘Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did?’” (Romans 9:20 CEV) Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences — these are the five things that make you, you. I call them your SHAPE. Accepting your SHAPE — the unique way that God made you that brings glory to Him — means to believe that God knows best. It all comes down to the matter of trust. Do you believe that God made a mistake when He made you? Or do you trust Him, knowing that He has a plan for your life? Do you believe it? When you say, “God, there are things I don’t like about myself. I wish I had different hair or a different color of skin. I wish I were taller, shorter, skinnier. I wish I had more talent. I wish I could do ‘that.’ I wish I looked like him. I wish I had her smarts” and on and on. This kind of thinking is basically telling God, “You blew it! Everybody else is OK. But You goofed up big when

“Bring to Me all the people who are Mine, whom I made for My glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:7 NCV) About 20 years ago I came up with a little acrostic called SHAPE to talk about the five things that make you, you. SHAPE is the way God wired you for your life. Every area of your life is influenced by the way you’re shaped. Spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, experiences — these are the five things that make you, you. In that combination of spiritual gifts, you have heart, passion, and interests. Why do you think you have those interests? Because God gave them to you. If you’re interested in golf or hunting or sewing or art or music, where do you think you got that interest? You got it from God. He wired it into your system. If we all liked to do the same things, there would be a lot less accomplished in the world. So God made you unique, and there’s nobody else like you. Why should you even care? 1. Because your SHAPE reveals God’s purpose for you. Th

“There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 GW) When you know what you’re shaped to be, then you know what you ought to be, and you can start focusing on that and make better use of your life. The moment you step across the line spiritually, you say, “I’m going to go God’s way, not my own way. I’m going to let Him direct my life. I want to follow God’s purpose, not my purpose. I’m going to do what I was wired and made to do.” The moment you step across the line and put your faith in Christ, God also gives you four major gifts: 1) Forgiveness. Romans 5:15 says, “For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other Man, Jesus Christ” (NLT). The first thing Jesus did

“May He equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him.” (Hebrews 13:21 NLT) Once upon a time, there were some animals that wanted to start a school for animals. They decided the courses would include running, climbing, swimming, and flying. Then they decided that all of the animals should take all of the courses. That’s where the problem started. The duck was better than his teacher at swimming, but he only made passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. So they made him drop swimming and stay after school to practice running. This caused his webbed feet to be badly worn, and his grade dropped to average in swimming. But everybody felt less threatened and more comfortable with that — except the duck. The rabbit started at the top of his class in running, but because of so much make-up work in swimming, he caught pneumonia and had to drop out of school. The squirrel s

“Now you belong to Him who was raised from death in order that we might be useful in the service of God.” (Romans 7:4b TEV) God created you to help others. Regardless of your job or career, you are called to full-time Christian service. A “non-serving Christian” is a contradiction in terms. The Bible says, “He saved us and called us to be His own people, not because of what we have done, but because of His own purpose” (2 Timothy 1:9a TEV). Peter adds, “You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, Who called you” (1 Peter 2:9b GW). Growing up, you may have thought that being called by God was something only missionaries, pastors, nuns, and other full-time church workers experienced, but the Bible says every Christian is called to service. When you use your God-given abilities to help others, you are fulfilling your calling. The Bible says, “Now you belong to Him who was raised from death in order that we might be useful in the service of God” (Romans 7:4b T

“Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him.” (Romans 12:1 MSG) The Daniel Plan integrates that which we tend to separate: food, friends, fitness, focus, and faith. Tackling the five essentials together actually makes them easier. The Bible says to “take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him” (Romans 12:1 MSG). In prayerful movements, our faith and fitness connect and strengthen one another, reminding us that in God, “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 NIV). He is the giver of life and breath. When you take a walk, think of what it means to walk with God. When you get up to take a break from sitting, make a mental list of your blessings

“We will never turn our back on You; breathe life into our lungs so we can shout Your Name!” (Psalm 80:18 MSG) Psalm 80:18 says, “We will never turn our back on You; breathe life into our lungs so we can shout Your Name!” (MSG Breathing is one of the few functions of your body that you do automatically — but it can also be done mindfully. When you remember to breathe deeply, you can actually clear your body and mind. By slowing your breathing, you can lower your heart rate and your stress level! Breathing is a powerful way to strengthen your body. Mindful breathing is a reminder that your need for intimacy with God is like your need to breathe in air. King David sang, “I live and breathe GOD” (Psalm 34:2 MSG). God can breathe new life into you and your efforts to become healthier. He says, “I will put breath into you and bring you back to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 37:6b TEV). Talk It Over - What does it mean to “live and breathe God”? Why is thi

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV) As God continues to help you grow and get healthier through the Daniel Plan, you’ll want to make a regular practice of telling God “thank you” for what He is doing. The Bible tells us to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV). You see, the healthiest human emotion isn’t love but gratitude. Gratitude actually increases your immunities. It makes you more resistant to stress and less susceptible to illness. People who are grateful are happy because they are satisfied with what they have. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude reduces stress in your life and leads to greater spiritual and physical health. You can’t just be thankful when your Daniel Plan journey — or life in general — is going well. Gratitude must become a habit and

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24 NIV) Hebrews 10:24 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (NIV). Real friends bring out the best in each other. They encourage and motivate one another to reach their goals. Friends who will cheer you on to success are a critical part of the Daniel Plan. There’s an old Zambian proverb that says, “When you run alone, you run fast. But when you run together, you run far.” The Daniel Plan — and the lifetime of healthy habits ahead of you — is not a 50-yard dash. It is a marathon. Marathon runners know there comes a point when you start getting a pain in your side that makes you want to give up. But if you have other people running with you, you can find the strength to continue to the finish line. The same is true in your journey to a healthier you. The only way you’ll achieve your God-given health goals is to have others involved in your

“I honor and love Your commands. I meditate on Your decrees.” (Psalm 119:48 NLT) The temptation to abandon the healthy habits you’re learning through the Daniel Plan can be quite strong at times. Your only chance to overcome those temptations is to follow the model of Jesus. When he was tempted in Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus responded with Scripture. Jesus meditated on and memorized God’s Word. Psalm 119:48 says, “I honor and love Your commands. I meditate on Your decrees” (NLT). Biblical meditation is not about emptying your mind but filling it with truth. It simply means to read a passage of Scripture, think about it, and repeat it to yourself. It’s the first and most important step to memorizing Bible verses. No habit will help you in the spiritual dynamics of getting healthy more than meditating and memorizing the Word of God. Talk It Over - What are some of the temptations you face on your Daniel Plan journey? - Jesus overcame temptation with Scripture. What are some of Go