Daily Devotions

Today’s Bible Verse For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14 (NIV) Courage What are character traits? Character traits are defined as the individual qualities or attributes that make up a person’s overall character. Every person possess many different character traits. Today, let’s look at Esther, and one of her most well known character traits. And that character trait is courage. The type of courage I am talking about is moral courage. It is the kind of courage described the story of Esther. It is the kind of courage that exposes you to ridicule, criticism, and the judgment. Esther is a great example of how costly it is to be courageous. When the opportunity came to either show up or shy away, Esther rose to the occasion in order to save her people. We will all come face to face with similar times in life where risk and fear confront us head on. The Bible tells us many times to “fear not” because God knows every day there will be an opportunity for fear to make us crawl under the bed, hide in the closet, and retreat from the battle. Following God and His Word takes courage and a decision to move out of our comfort zones. It is easy to say we will

This Week’s Memory Verse Peter Walked on the Water Toward Jesus  Matthew 14:29b (NLT) Peter Walked On Water Hey Kids! Is it for real that Peter walked on water?  Yup, he really did until he started to be afraid.  Yeah, when Peter saw the giant waves and winds so strong that it could blow him away, he sank!  Yikes!  He believed more in the power in the waves and wind than in the power of God! God gave Peter faith to do the impossible.  But Peter opened the door to fear to come into his heart.  So, instead of going closer to Jesus, Peter sank, and he could not get to Jesus. You know like when some of you around your friends and they don’t believe that Jesus is cool like you do.  You even heard them talk bad about a kid that read the Bible and go to church!  So, like Peter you open the door to fear.  You are afraid that your friends will not hang out with you.  You lose your voice and courage to tell them about Jesus.  Fear took away your courage to do something for your friends to come to Jesus.   Did you ever had an awesome idea or a great solution, but you don’t tell anyone because you are afraid what people will say about it?  Or have you ever wanted to join a team like sports, dance, cheerleading, robotics, gaming, or any kind of team but you are afraid the kids will laugh at you? You have a choice to let fear control your

Today’s Bible Verse Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life. Ephesians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭(TPT) The Resting Place When was the last time you rested? Truly rested? Often when people think of resting, they think it means stopping what you’re doing, taking a break, being out of touch, or things of that nature. Yet, as Ephesians 3:17 reveals, true rest comes as we allow the resting place of His love to be our very source and root of our life. The Hebrew word selah means “to pause in His Presence.” In addition to that, it also means to be “recharged in His presence.” This is what we receive as we draw from Him: His presence and His love. This brings forth transformation in our life. The rest we need and have access to as believers leads us to be secure in the Lord, to trust Him in all we do. When we open our hearts to a life of faith in Him, we experience this deep love that brings transformation. The love of God within us leads us to be secure in Him. In that security, there is a depth of trust in who He is in our lives. Even in the most challenging of days, seasons, testings, and trials, we will find rest in the life of Christ. This brings us confidence, peace, and a

Today’s Bible Verse Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s busting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. Isaiah 43:18-19 (MSG)  It’s Never Too Late! It’s no secret, life can get tough at times. It’s also no secret that just like God has a plan for our lives, the enemy has his own assignment for our lives. He comes to steal, kill and destroy, daily.  As we navigate life on a daily basis, different circumstances and situations may take place. Sometimes good and sometimes not so good. The human brain has a natural tendency to give weight to, and remember, negative experiences or interactions more than positive ones. The problem is, when we do this, we mentally paralyze ourselves, which sometimes shows up naturally, and keeps us from moving forward.  This verse tells us to “FORGET ABOUT what’s happened”, STOP living in the past! We must be ALERT and PRESENT. There is a BRAND-NEW thing that God is wanting to do in our lives, if only we would look ahead to the NEW that God is doing, because it’s bursting at the seams! It’s time to begin again. (Nicole Farmer) An Uncommon Life Terah, the father of Abraham, set out for Canaan with his family (Lot, Abram & Sarai). The final destination was supposed to be Canaan, the land of promise. However, as we

Today’s Bible Verse When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.  For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Mark 5:6-8 (NKJV) About How Long Does It Take? The description of the demoniac in Mark 5:1-20, is one of the most pitiful and wretched of anyone mentioned in scripture up to that point.  The description is raw and brutal, a picture of torment, bondage, and despair.  People tried to subdue him, yet even chains could not restrain him.  Having lost complete control of his mind, he is inhabited, possessed, and oppressed by demons.  Without rest and without sleep, day and night he wanders by himself in the mountains, howling and crying out in his pain and despair.  Without peace of mind, he beats himself repeatedly with rocks.  His body is battered, adorned with scars, bruises, open wounds, dirt and dried blood.  His is filthy and unkept, a terror to himself and to others.  Without friends or family, he lives among the tombs.  Even in life he is relegated to the land of the dead.  He is a man without peace, without a home, and without hope.   After reading this text and getting a revelation of this man’s description, I began to ask myself how long did the devil have this young man in bondage?  How long had he been tormented?  How