Daily Hope Devotional

“You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.” (John 8:31b-32 NLT) Truth be told, you can’t even fathom your full potential. Only your Creator can. Only God, the One Who made you, knows all you are capable of being. Your parents, your spouse, your friends, your boss — they only get a glimpse of your potential. Only God knows what you’re truly capable of. You use such a small fraction of your brain. You don’t need more intelligence. You need to use more of the intelligence you already have! Most people live for the approval of others. They spend all of their time worrying about what others think of them. Your life has been limited by replaying tapes in your head of people who lied to you. They may not even mean to lie to you, but they still do. They’ve told you that you can’t do something or that you shouldn’t even bother because you’re not worth much anyway. You’ve played these tapes over a

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 NIV) Are you down in the dumps? Do you need a mood elevator? Put down the piece of chocolate cake. Don’t have a pity party. Pick up your Bible instead. You need a Word break! God gave us the Bible to encourage us. One way you can think of the Bible is as a mood elevator. The Bible says in Romans 15:4, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” (NIV). Everything in Scripture is written for our encouragement. That’s a big statement — but it’s true! Even the tough parts of God’s Word are there to ultimately encourage our lives in the right direction. That’s why we need to spend time alone with God every single day. Whether it’s your daily devotion

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’” (Matthew 4:4 NIV) God wants us to apply His Word and let it change our lives, but it starts with studying God’s Word. How do you do it? Yesterday I gave you two general principles for Bible study that apply to any Bible study method. 1. Ask the right questions. 2. Write down your observations. Today, I’ll share three more. 3. Apply God’s Word.  You move from the “what” to the “so what” and do what the Bible says. The ultimate goal of all Bible study is application. In other words, how will this Scripture change my life? We never settle for understanding alone. We want to apply the biblical principles to our daily living. Interpretation without application is abortion! You stop the process before it comes to fruition. All of our Bible study efforts really don’t have any value if, in the final analysis, we don’t become more like Christ. In fact, yo

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.” (Psalm 119:18 ESV) Studying God’s Word will change your life if you put what you learn into practice. But it all starts with your willingness to study His Word. The Bible says, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law” (Psalm 119:18 ESV). God has so much He wants to show us, but we must be willing to look into His Word with open eyes. So how should we study God’s Word? Effective Bible study, no matter what Bible study method you use, has five parts. I’ll look at two today and three tomorrow. 1. Ask the right questions.  Learning to study the Bible is learning to ask good questions from the text. There’s no limit to how many questions you can ask of the Bible, because there’s no limit to its wisdom and insight. The deeper you dig, the more gold you’ll find. Asking questions of the text you’re reading will help you look at the text through a whole new set of eyes. Suddenly, every ti

“Understanding Your Word brings light to the minds of ordinary people.” (Psalm 119:130 CEV) Everyone needs light. You need physical light to make sure you can see the world around you, to avoid running into obstacles. Through his Word, God wants to provide light for your mind, too. The Bible says, “Understanding Your Word brings light to the minds of ordinary people” (Psalm 119:130 CEV). God wants to give light — His light — to every single person. He wants to light up our minds with the truth of who He is and His next step for our lives. Biblical meditation is often the key to turning on that light. You have to soak your mind in the light. Biblical meditation isn’t losing your mind to the universe; it’s focusing it on the Word of God. When you do that, you bring light to your life. Through His Word, God helps you to see life through a different perspective. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a Light on my path” (NIV). God’s Word gives us direction in li

“He chose to give us birth through the Word of Truth.” (James 1:18a NIV) God wants to use His Word to give you a fresh start in life. Without God’s Word, we could never be saved. We wouldn’t be headed for Heaven. We wouldn’t know about Jesus’ death on the cross. We wouldn’t know about God’s purpose for our lives. Without the Bible, we can’t know God. God wants to give you all of that — but it starts with his Word. Through the Bible, God recreates our lives. When I feel like I’m at the end of my rope, God uses the Bible to give me a fresh start, a do-over. The Bible calls it being “born again.” James 1:18 says, “He chose to give us birth through the Word of Truth” (NIV). The Bible is often compared to a seed. Once the Bible takes root in your heart, it begins to sprout and grow and bear fruit. As God’s Word does that, God changes your life for the better. Jesus says this in John 6:63 about his Word: “The Words I have spoken to you — they are full of the Spirit and life.”

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35 NIV) The Bible is the most despised, derided, denied, disputed, dissected, and debated book in all of history. It has been under attack for centuries, for everything you can imagine. Yet the Bible is still the most read, most published, and most translated book in the world. And, most importantly, it’s still changing the lives of those who apply what it teaches. One of the reasons I believe the Bible is God’s Word is that it has survived so many attacks throughout history. Despite all the attacks, today the Bible is the greatest single source of culture. It’s the greatest single source for music, art, and architecture. If you take the Bible out of culture, you would destroy most of the major music, artwork, and architecture of the past 2,000 years. Even much of our English language comes from the King James Bible. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words w

“No prophecy ever originated from humans. Instead, it was given by the Holy Spirit as humans spoke under God’s direction.” (2 Peter 1:21 GWT) The Bible is the most read book in history. It’s also the bestselling book in history and the most translated book in history. Yet it’s more than that. It’s also God’s Word — God’s very breath. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (NIV). That means the Bible isn’t just a good idea. It is God’s Word to us. One of the reasons I can know that the Bible is true and trustworthy is that it has thousands and thousands of prophecies that have come true and will come true in history. Every one of the Bible’s prophecies have either come true exactly as God predicted or will come true sometime in the future. The Bible contains more than 300 prophecies about Jesus alone — all written 1,000 years before He was born. The Bible prophesized about when He’d be

“Praise Him, you highest heaven and the water above the sky. Let them praise the Name of the Lord because they were created by His command. He set them in their places forever and ever. He made it a law that no one can break.” (Psalm 148:4-6 GWT) Someone may have told you at one time that the Bible isn’t scientifically accurate. That person is wrong. He’s either never studied the Bible or never studied science. God sets up the laws of science; He made sure that his Word doesn’t contradict those laws. Johannes Kepler, the famous mathematician and astronomer, once said, “Science is simply thinking God’s thoughts after Him.” In other words, God established the laws of physics, and then we discover them. The Bible wasn’t meant to be a scientific textbook. You don’t study the Bible to build a rocket. And the Bible doesn’t use scientific language. But the Bible never gives bad science! Not once during the 1,600 years in which the Bible was written does it give bad science. In fact,

“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:27 NIV) Only God could have put the Bible together. It’s 66 books written over 1,600 years by 40 authors — and it has one theme. Having a single unified theme is one of the reasons we know that the Bible is God’s Word. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is all about God redeeming man, and Jesus is its star. The fact that the Bible has only one theme is nothing short of a miracle. It’d be one thing if one person wrote the Bible. The Koran was written by one person, Mohammed. The Analects of Confucius were written by Confucius. The writings of Buddha were written by Buddha. You’d expect them to be uniform. The Bible, on the other hand, was written by 40 different people, at every age and in every stage of life, on three continents. And they all wrote the same story — Jesus’ story. Prophets and poets, princes and kings, and sailors and soldie

“For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18 NIV) You may have heard someone say, “I trust Jesus, but not the other guys who wrote the Bible.” There’s a problem with that logic. Jesus trusted the Bible — every Word of it! He taught that the Bible was a unique book, above all the others. Jesus said in Matthew 5:18, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (NIV). Jesus said the Bible will last until the end of time. It will accomplish what God wants to accomplish in this world. In John 10:35 Jesus said, “We know that Scripture is always true” (NIRV). Jesus proclaimed the truth of the Bible. And when Jesus talks about the truthfulness of the Bible, we need to listen. When Jesus

“Whoever looks intently into the perfect law … and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:25 NIV) If you’re serious about being spiritually strong and mature, the greatest habit you can develop is memorizing Scripture. In fact, the Bible says in James 1:25 that it’s one of four habits that leads to a blessed life: “Whoever looks intently into the perfect law … and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do” (NIV). • Read your Bible. “Whoever looks intently …” • Review the Bible. “… continues in it …” •Remember the Bible. “… not forgetting what they have heard …” • Respond to the Bible. “ … but doing it …” You don’t want to be a spiritual baby anymore. It’s time to grow up and live the blessed life you’re meant to live. Hiding God’s Word in your heart is an important way to start. You may not think you have a good memory, but you rem

How to Get Better Reception of God’s Word “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” (James 1:19b-21 NIV) Let’s say you’re a gardener. You’ve learned that you can take the exact same seed and plant it in three different locations and get three different results. In one spot, you’ll get giant tomatoes. In another, you’ll get small tomatoes. And in a third, you’ll get nothing. What’s the difference? It’s not the seed; it’s the soil. The soil must be prepared for the seed. The same is true when you hear God’s Word. Your heart has to be prepared for the Word. If you get up late, have trouble finding a parking spot, and are irritated as you rush into church, you’re probably not going to hear God’s voice! You’re not in a receptive mood. That

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV) Everybody you see this week has a hidden hurt. And everybody you meet this week needs a massive dose of hope. When you share hope, you’ll have a willing audience. The hope that best helps people is the hope from somebody who says, “Been there, done that.” That’s how God wants to use you. God wants you to be a hope dispenser by sharing your experiences and what God has done for you. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:15, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (NIV). God wants you to be His witness. Most people are scared to death to be a witness. They think a witness means they have to explain why Jesus died on the cross, quote Scripture verses from memory, and know a bunch of theology and doctrine. You don’t have to know a single Bible verse to be a witness. Do you know the differenc

“We have spoken frankly to you; we have opened our hearts wide.” (2 Corinthians 6:11 GNT) When you talk about your pain with other people, you’re going to have a willing ear — particularly if you’re talking about pain that the other person is going through at that moment. But for God to use the pain that’s happened in your life for the good of other people, for His purposes, and for your benefit, you have to be authentic. You can’t sugar coat it. You can’t fake it. You can’t pretend. You’ve got to be real and honest about the hurts in your life. The best example of this is the apostle Paul. As you read through the New Testament books that Paul wrote, you see that he is honest about five things in his life that we don’t normally like to talk to other people about. Paul single-handedly revolutionized the Roman Empire. Christianity spread all over the world because he was willing to be honest about things that we’re not willing to be honest about. What are they? To help other peop

“We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God.” (Romans 8:28 NLT) When you read the Bible, probably the most boring parts are the genealogy lists. Have you ever read them? They’re a great cure for insomnia. But there’s actually significance in those boring lists, because one of the proofs that Jesus was the Messiah was that He would come through the line of King David. The interesting thing about the genealogy of Jesus is that it’s the only one in the Bible that has women listed in it. Women in ancient genealogies were almost never mentioned, yet four women are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. And, when you look at these women, every one of them had a very painful story to tell. Tamar was a mess. She was seduced by a relative. She had two husbands, and they were both total jerks. Her story is quite explicit and full of scandal. She had a terrible reputation. Rahab was actually a prostitute. But she also did the right thing in he

“We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God.” (Romans 8:28 NLT) One of God’s great promises in the Bible is Romans 8:28: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God” (NLT). It’s one of the most well-known verses in the Bible. It’s also one of the most misunderstood. What does this verse promise to us about recovery and growth? First it says, “We know.” In other words, we’re not guessing, we’re not hoping, we’re not wishing, we’re not desiring. We know for certain. We can be confident. We can stake our lives on it. What do we know? “We know God causes ...” That means your life is not an accident. There’s no such thing as random chance. There’s no such thing as bad luck. Our lives are not a result of fate. There is a grand design behind everything. “We know that God causes everything ...” If we just stopped there, that would make God the author of evil, and God is not the author of evil.

“He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same comfort with others in trouble. We share in the terrible sufferings of Christ, but also in the wonderful comfort He gives.” (2 Corinthians 1:4-5 CEV) Your greatest ministry will flow out of your pain — not out of your strengths or your talents but out of the painful experiences of your life. It is your weaknesses that help other people in their need, not your strengths. A great example of this is the apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul says that he was in a time of his life when he was so discouraged that he was ready to kick the bucket. He despaired of life itself. He was ready to give up on life. He was ready to crawl in a corner and die. And Paul was probably the greatest Christian who ever lived except for Jesus! But Paul was able to say this in 2 Corinthians 1:2-5: “I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace! Praise God, the Father of our Lo

“Be alert. Continue strong in the faith. Have courage, and be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13 NCV) Many people are intimidated by the fact that they are tempted, like they shouldn’t even be in that situation or that they should be able to control it. But you shouldn’t feel guilty about temptation. It’s not a sin to be tempted. It’s a sin to give in to temptation. The Bible says that Jesus experienced every temptation known to man, but He didn’t sin. Temptation is not a sin. It’s how you respond to it that matters. The Bible says we need to flee temptation: “Be alert. Continue strong in the faith. Have courage, and be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13 NCV). To “be alert” means to know what tempts you so that you can stay away from it. There are two things you need to stay away from: tempting situations (circumstances) and tempting associations (people who tempt you). One of Saddleback Church’s pastors, John Baker, says, “You hang around the barber shop long enough, you’re going to get

“He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.” (Psalm 103:3-4 NLT) You’re going to stumble in life. It’s a fact! But the key is not trying to live a perfect life. The key is to face and let go of your failures quickly. Don’t cover them up, don’t blame others, and don’t excuse yourself. Own up to it. Here’s the thing: It’s easy to confess and forsake a sin from five years ago. It’s far more difficult to confess and forsake the ones you just did. If you are in an argument, you don’t want to confess your sin at that moment. That’s your ego interfering! But the key to spiritual growth is to confess your sin instantly. Let it go! Don’t let sins pile up in your life. Take out the garbage on a daily basis. How do you do that? One of the ways is self-examination. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11:31, “If we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way” (NLT). God says you can either judge

“I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.” (Philippians 3:13-14 NCV) I believe in setting goals. I’ve set them all my life, because goals are simply statements of faith. The Bible says, “The just shall live by faith” and “Without faith it’s impossible to please God” and “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” and “According to your faith it will be done unto you.” God always operates in your life by faith. That’s why you need goals in your life, because a goal is a statement of faith. A goal says, “I believe God wants me to accomplish something by a certain date.” If you don’t have a date, it’s not a goal. It’s a wish. It’s a dream. It’s a desire. But wishes are a dime a dozen; they’re worthless. The only thing that will change your life is setting a goal. You’ve got to wake up fro

“Now dear children, continue to live in fellowship with Christ.” (1 John 2:28 NLT) I grow several kinds of grapes at my home. If those grapes are disconnected from the vine, they’re not going to grow or bear fruit. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV). You cannot bear fruit in your life if you’re not connected to Jesus on a regular basis. This is true in all your relationships. If you don’t spend time with your husband or your wife, you’re going to be disconnected. You’ve got to do what you did when you were first in love. You need to date your mate. If you don’t spend time with your spouse, you’re going to lose your intimacy because you’re disconnected. This is also true with God. You have to spend time with God in order to be close to Him, to feel His love, to sense His presence in your life. I’ve been walking with the Lord for more than 40 years, and

“I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.” (Philippians 3:13-14 NCV) Your past is past. You are not your past. Your past influences you, but your past does not define you. What matters today is not your past. I don’t care what you’ve done, who you did it with, or how long you did it. That’s not you. Satan will tell you it’s you, but that’s not the truth. What matters today is what direction your feet are headed right now. If you want to grow, you must stop focusing on your past and focus instead on the future. Focus on what you want, not what you didn’t want to happen to you. Focus on your goal, not your habits. This is why diets don’t work. When you’re on a diet, what are you focused on all the time? Food. You think far more about food on a diet than you do when you’re off the

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4 NIV) Have you noticed that if you go without food for a stretch of time, you start feeling a little weak? If you go a bit longer, your mind starts getting a little groggy. Go a little longer, and you start feeling cranky. If you go even longer without food, you start feeling lethargic. The same is true with God’s Word — the food for your soul. The Bible says, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 NIV). God’s Word is as necessary to your soul as food is to your body. If you don’t get into the Bible, you’re going to start feeling lethargic. You may say, “But I go to church every week.” If the only spiritual input you get in your life is the weekend message, then you’re having a banquet once a week and fasting the rest of the week. No wonder you’re weak and groggy and cranky! Whatever you put into your body and your

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18 NIV) In Genesis 32, Jacob had wrestled all night with a man, who was actually God. Genesis 32:27 says, “The man asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘Jacob,’ he answered” (NIV). What a strange request. God obviously knew Jacob’s name. Whenever God asks you a question, it’s never for His benefit. He already knows the answer! The reason He asked this was that He wanted Jacob to admit what he was. In ancient times, names were chosen for their meaning, not for how nice they sounded. So you could be named after a profession like a baker or a carpenter or a smith. You could be named after a relative or you could be named for the situation you were in. Jabez was named “painful” because he came in a painful birth. But parents mostly named their kids based on their character. When people said their name, they were telling someone what kind of person they were. Jacob’s name means “deceiver.” A

“Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” (Romans 6:13 NLT) Have you ever wondered why doesn’t God answer your prayers immediately? There are a couple of reasons. The first reason is that He wants to know if you’re really serious. There’s a difference between a desire and a whim. When you have preschoolers you learn this. They ask, “Daddy, can I have this?” You answer, “No,” and they forget it. If they keep saying it over and over, it’s not a whim; it’s a desire. God doesn’t answer whims. If you don’t care about praying about it more than once, it’s a whim. So God wants to see if you really mean business. The second reason is that God is not a vending machine where you put in a prayer and the answer immediately pops out. God doesn’t serve you; you serve Him. If God a

“We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete.” (Hebrews 12:2 CEV) When I’m driving, I tend to get distracted easily. My wife constantly says, “Rick, keep your eyes on the road!” One time I got so distracted I actually missed a flight to a speaking engagement because I missed the turnoff to LAX. By the time I drove to Canada, I figured I had missed a turn at some point. Some of you have spiritual ADD. It’s even easier to get spiritually distracted than physically distracted, to get your eyes off the Lord. Some of you have started down the road to recovery, but you’ve relapsed into your old patterns of grief, guilt, shame, habits, hurts, and hang-ups because you took your eyes off the Lord. Remember when Peter was walking on water? As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was doing the impossible. But when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked down at the water, he sank. The reason why some of you are sinking today is that you’ve got your eyes on you

“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ NASB) The best way I can define “meekness” for you is this: Let go, and let God. How do you let go and let God? First, you have to make Jesus the manager of your life. The problem is, we usually want to be the manager of our own lives, and so we argue and disagree with God. We think we know what’s best. The reason you’re under a lot of stress is that you’re constantly fighting God in your mind — “I know God says to do this but I want to do that instead!” Every morning when you wake up, you have a decision to make: Who’s going to be in charge of your life? Who’s going to be in control — you or God? Who’s going to call the shots — you or God? Every day, moment by moment, you are making that decision. When you choose to make yourself the manager of your own life, it causes conflict, confusion, and stress. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone wishes to come afte