Daily Hope Devotional

“He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things  He planned for us long ago.”  (Ephesians 2:10b NLT) If you want to get your joy back, you 1) admit it’s gone, then you 2) analyze the cause. Then, 3) correct what’s wrong, and 4) get an attitude of gratitude. There are three more steps to recovering your joy that we’ll talk about today. First, you have to spend time with God every day. It may be hard to imagine that God wants to spend time with you. He’s got a whole lot of things going on, doesn’t He? But throughout Scripture, God invites us to come into His presence. And there’s a joy that comes when we spend time with God in a daily quiet time, because we learn to hear His voice and find out what He wants us to do with our lives. The more time you spend with God, the deeper your friendship with Him develops. Second, you need to find a way to give back. The Bible says this in Ephesians  2:...

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT) If you feel overwhelmed or confused about a decision that you’re trying to make, you’re probably caught up in yourself and not God’s voice. The Bible says, “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33a NIV). He is not the author of confusion. So if you’re feeling confused, guess what? It’s not God’s voice speaking in your life. If you’re a parent, do you want your kids to feel pressure or confused when you ask them to do something? No. You want them to understand what to do and then respond in obedience. God the Father wants the same thing for and from us. The only time pressure could be legitimate is if God’s told you to do something, and you ...

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will never pass away.” (Luke  21:33  NIV) Many times we wonder if an idea that came to us   is instruction from God, a deception from Satan, or just something we want to do. It is extremely important to know the difference and how to discern God’s voice, because it can have eternal consequences. A lot of evil gets blamed on God when people say, “God told me to do it!” The Bible says in 1 John 4:1,  “Don’t believe every message you hear just because someone says it’s a message from God. Test it first to see if it really is”  (LB). Does the idea you’ve got in your mind right now agree with the Bible? Because God’s will never contradicts God’s Word. God doesn’t say one thing and then change His mind and say another thing. If He said it, it’s true, and it will always be true. God is consistent. He isn’t moody. He doesn’t change His mind. He will never tell you to violate a principle that He’s alread...

“The seeds that fell in good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit. ”  (Luke  8:15  TEV) God speaks to people who decide they’re going to do what He tells them to do, even before He tells them. It’s saying, “God, if You want me to move, I’ll move. If You want me to get married, I’ll get married. If You want me to leave this job, I’ll leave this job. Before You even tell me, my answer is ‘yes.’ Whatever You want me to do, I will do it.” Luke  8:15  says,  “The seeds that fell in good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit ”  (TEV). I used to study this parable of Jesus and think it was talking about four kinds of people: those who are resistant, those who are shallow, those who are busy, and those who are good. But this parable actually repres...

“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.”   ( Luke 8:14 NIV) You can’t hear God if your mind is crowded with other thoughts or concerns — particularly worries, plans, and activities. If you’re always listening to the radio or the tv, when God calls you, the circuits are going to be busy. You’ve got to eliminate the distractions. Jesus says in Luke 8:7,  “Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked the plants”  (CEV). The kind of soil with weeds in it was actually planted with crops and begins to grow. But as it grows, weeds grow up around it, and the weeds begin to choke out the life of the vegetable or the plant, so it never bears fruit. Here’s what Jesus says is the meaning of Luke 8:7:  “ The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s wo...

“The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don’t have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As soon as life gets hard, they give up.”  ( Luke 8:13 CEV) During the springtime, all the grass in Southern California turns green, the wildflowers and poppies bloom, and it’s really pretty. But the moment the rains stop, the hills turn brown again. Why? Because the grass has no roots. It can’t go down deep enough to get water from the springs that are deep beneath the ground. When there are no roots, when a plant is in shallow soil, it may initially sprout and look good, but it doesn’t last. The plants wither quickly because they don’t have roots. Luke  8:13  says,  “The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don’t have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As s...