July 1 Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
TRUST
We can know Him and trust Him with our daily life. Jesus is the resource for our life. He is faithful, he does listen and He will be our strength and protector. Help is always near, we are never alone and Jesus loves each one of us as if there was no one else.
July 2 Psalm 55:22
Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.
ANSWERS
The world is full of questions. We struggle to find the correct answer to our problems and many times wind up frustrated and disappointed. Stop and pray. Talk with Jesus about your problems and give Him the time and trust to answer you. He will. He will tell you what you need to do to deal with your troubles.
July 3 Psalm 138:7
Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will preserve me against the anger of my enemies. You will clench your fist against my angry enemies! Your power will save me.
DAILY
Life is lived one moment at a time. Our relationship with Jesus equips us to live our life this very moment. He will not let us be destroyed. He will not fail to help us. Jesus is life and in Him we find the resources to appropriate and activate His life in us.
July 4 1 Corinthians 4:10-13
Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you are so wise! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are well thought of, but we are laughed at. To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, without enough clothes to keep us warm. We have endured many beatings, and we have no homes of our own. We have worked wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. We respond gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash – right up to the present moment.
JOY
Joy is a gift from Jesus and is never something we find in the world. Surrender and obedience always conquers the bluff and bluster of impending doom. Rejoice in your life and His strength.
July 5 2 Timothy 2:16-17
Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid godless, foolish discussions that lead to more and more ungodliness.
REALITY
Life is real and it demands my attention and hard work. Salvation in Christ is a reality and it is a gift from the Lord. My salvation is not to indemnify me against eternal separation. Salvation gives me access to the Father so that I can be the person the He created me to be. In this world hard work is required.
July 6 Hebrews 12:1-4
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.
LIFE
Life is a marathon not a sprint. What we do each day is important and how we relate our spiritual knowledge with our daily life impacts others.
July 7 Deuteronomy 4:30-31
“When those bitter days have come upon you far in the future, you will finally return to the LORD your God and listen to what he tells you. For the LORD your God is merciful – he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.
FORGIVENESS
Sometimes we lose our way. Pride seeks to keep us on the wrong track. If you are not as close as you once were stop right now and simply ask Jesus to bring you back to where you should be. Jettison pride. Follow Jesus.
July 8 Psalm 94:12-13
Happy are those whom you discipline, LORD, and those whom you teach from your law. You give them relief from troubled times until a pit is dug for the wicked.
DISCIPLINE
You and I want to run our own lives. Too often we don’t look for the Lord’s way until we are in trouble. Oh we say all the right things but our heart does otherwise. Jesus knows our heart and He knows when we need help to return to the guided path. His discipline equips us to do that.
July 9 Proverbs 3:11-12
My child, don’t ignore it when the LORD disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
DISCIPLINE
Who is it causing your pain? What are you tripping over? Ask the Lord if He is trying to get your attention. Could it be that hate has you sidelined? Is there someone you have mistreated? The Lord will lead you on the right path. Let Him have His way with you.
July 10 Acts 14:21-22
After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned again to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that they must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations.
TRIALS
The normal Christian life includes many difficulties and tribulations. All around us is a lost world and we struggle to make sense out of it. Jesus struggles with us and He will never leave us. In the midst of adversity we have a right to grow. Adversity can show us the kind of person that we’ve always known we should be. Adversity is not a description of what kind of Christian we are. It is a testimony to who we belong to.
July 11 Psalm 69:1
Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
PRAYER
Conversation with Jesus is important. It is always important. We often forget the great need for relationship with Christ when things are going well. Then in the midst of trouble we remember our need for His help. Pray then at your point of need and when things get better remember your need for prayer. Spend time with Jesus all the time.
July 12 Romans 8:1
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
SALVATION
Jesus gives us the gift of salvation. When we claim it He commits to us for eternity. Our eternal relationship is eternal. I belong to Him not based on what I’ve done but because of what He has done. Lord thank you for your gift of salvation.
July 13 Psalm 73:3
For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
NEED
Jesus will meet our needs. He will not shortchange us. We were not given life to experience constant deprivation; we have everything we need in Christ. When heartache hits and the green-eyed monster of jealousy comes calling go to Jesus and talk with Him about your pain and He will meet your need.
July 14 James 1:6
But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
TRUST
We can trust the Lord. Our value is ensured by His faithfulness. Do not be fooled and especially never think that your life isn’t special. We belong to Him and He lives in us. Our life counts and we are worthy in Jesus.
July 15 Romans 5:3-5
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us – they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
TRUTH
Our life is valuable. We are encouraged by the Holy Spirit to move towards Jesus. Whether we are rich or poor, winning or losing we can keep growing. Jesus loves us and we can function day by day with this knowledge. As we live life we will be astonished at how much we can do when we live day by day. Today is important. What we do now counts.
July 16 Romans 8:17-18
And since we are his children, we will share his treasures – for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.
SUFFERING
Suffering is real. Suffering is part of the normal Christian life. Jesus walks with us through our suffering and equips us to withstand the destructiveness of this world. We are not alone. Jesus is Lord.
July 17 Psalm 73:17-20
Then one day I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I thought about the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, swept away by terrors. Their present life is only a dream that is gone when they awake. When you arise, O Lord, you will make them vanish from this life.
SUFFERING
Our suffering is just for a short time. Let us lay aside the fears and cares and worries of this life and share Jesus with all of those we meet. Sharing Christ will change my life and cause me to begin looking at the lost with a heart of concern.
July 18 Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
CALLED
If a person belongs to Jesus they are called. This call demands a response. The thoughts and activities of our lives are the response that we make to the call of Christ to follow Him.
July 19 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
SUFFERING
When we have trouble and are suffering it is real. Our confidence in Jesus is not an admonition to discount the impact of suffering and trouble. Our confidence in Jesus is an affirmation of our faith. We suffer and we survive because of our fellowship with the Lord. He is in control and we are under His protection. We can stand, we can rejoice, we can live relevant and valuable lives because Jesus is Lord.
July 20 2 Timothy 2:12
If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us.
ENDURANCE
We have those days when it seems that our problems are overwhelming. Nothing will change, the pain will never end, and the failure is so catastrophic that we feel in our hearts that we are losers. All I can say is that is the time when we must simply hang on. We never have complete knowledge. We cannot divine the future. But we belong to the one who owns the future. Hang on because Jesus is Lord.
July 21 James 1:2-3
Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
TROUBLE
Most of us never look for trouble, it comes unbidden. Most of us do not make preparations for joy, it comes unbidden. Life happens. What we can make preparations for is to grow in our time with the Lord and let Him have control of us. As He controls us our heart will constantly rejoice and we will face the activities of life with a clear sense of His presence and our value. We have much to offer. We are partners together with the Lord in our world.
July 22 James 1:12
God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
ENDURANCE
Endurance is not required to be pretty nor do we receive a grade. Endurance is showing up. Am I praying? Am I changing? Is Jesus the center? These are the basics of endurance. For a moment, a day and sometimes longer we may be overwhelmed and on the sideline but still we pray. When all else has failed still we pray. We endure.
July 23 1 Peter 1:7
These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
FAITH
We hold on not because we are strong but because we have the unshakeable confidence that the Lord Jesus is holding on to us. We bend but do not break. We fail but do not lose. The world turns its back upon us but the sweet warmth of the face of the Lord Jesus looks on as we struggle and survive. He will not fail us. He will not leave us. He will not assign us an ignominious task. Jesus is Lord.
July 24 Psalm 73:26
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
LIFE
We cannot see tomorrow. We cannot change the past. We can live now. Whatever we face we can succeed and survive. Jesus is with us. He will give us His strength to face the difficulties of today.
July 25 Psalm 55:16-17
But I will call on God, and the LORD will rescue me. Morning, noon, and night I plead aloud in my distress, and the LORD hears my voice.
ANSWERS
Yes is the answer when we have a need. Yes the Lord will be with us. Yes the Lord will strengthen and comfort us. Yes the Lord will see us through. Yes we will always be in His family. Yes, yes, yes, Jesus loves us.
July 26 Psalm 138:3
When I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me the strength I need.
ANSWERS
Needs come from us and answers come from Jesus. He will answer you and His answer will always meet your need. Jesus is Lord and we belong to Him. Do not falter and do not fear for the Lord is with you.
July 27 Romans 8:2
For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.
FREEDOM
Real freedom stretches through eternity. Jesus is able to meet the needs of each one of us as if there were no other of us. Take your needs to Jesus and He will meet them.
July 28 2 Corinthians 10:3
We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods.
WAR
Remember that the world, the flesh and the devil are seeking to discourage and destroy you. You do not have the strength to defeat these authorities by yourself. Only Jesus can provide the strength you need to fight the fight of faith. Go to Jesus every day and ask Him for strength to face that day.
July 29 Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
THOUGHTS
The battle is in our minds. Our hands and our feet are controlled by what we think. Our attitude is controlled by our heart. Lift up your mind and heart to Jesus and ask Him to change what you think about. Think about Him. Think about the wonderful blessings that Jesus has place in and on your life.
July 30 Colossians 1:13
For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.
LIGHT
We live and walk in the light. Jesus is the light of the Lord God come to us. Read His Word, let Him have control of your mind and heart and bend your knee in service to Him. Live your life as a child of the King and know that you are precious and beloved.
July 31 James 1:21
So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls.
ETERNITY
Claim the power that Jesus has given you and let Him clean your mind. Once our minds are properly focused our hearts will get right. A pure heart will do things that honor Jesus. Honor Jesus by the way you life.
