Who I Am In Christ Devotionals

  Lord , how my foes increase! There are many who attack me. Many say about me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah But you, Lord , are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. I cry aloud to the Lord , and he answers me from his holy mountain. Psalm 3:1-4 I am a child of the one true king. And He has gifted me with numerous prayers from the bible which can guide me in prayer. In fact, I can use all kinds of scripture to guide me in talking to God.  Today, Psalm 3 is my guide. Lord, how my foes increase! There are many who attack me. Jesus, today, there are many who more and more arrogantly attack your church, your bride. I am a member of that justified body. I need you in these attacks. They call for ungodly and unholy laws and make unrighteous pronouncements. They take your children to court.  Jesus, there are also my own thought foes which I can carry around inside my head. They spring upon me when I am weak. They accuse me. They tell me that you are far

  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13 Stress Contentment is a blessing, and it’s in my control as a believer. Really? Yes it is. How do I know? Because Paul is implying here that believers should be content. If he is saying that I can be content, then I can. How easy it is for me to not treat contentment with the full respect it deserves! Sometimes I don’t think at all about how to nurture it nor protect it. I know what it is to be rich. And I know what it is to scrape by, to wonder how the bills are ever going to get paid. I can get so anxious about possible upcoming stresses. So I build up this steam of discontent all in my head, ruining the day. Learning to be Content How do I get this contentment? I love the first few lines of the serenity pr

  I will bless the Lord who counsels me — even at night when my thoughts trouble me. I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:7‭-‬8 When I Was Troubled Psalm 16 got me out of a bad place a few days ago. It was one of those days where I felt like pulling my head into my shell and pretending I was okay. I realized it (relatively quickly) and knew I couldn't stay there. A divine interruption gave me a few minutes to pause, and I prayed through Psalm 16. It says, "I will bless the Lord who counsels me." Is that just a promise for the Psalmist? No, I think not. Why? Because the Psalms are meant to be read, sung, and even memorized by Israel and the church. The Lord is MY counselor. And not just when I (think I) have it all together. He's my counselor at night when I am troubled. God Doesn't Ignore Me Then, he says, "I ALWAYS let the Lord guide me." See, that gives me a goal in my walk with the Lord. To alw

  It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8 Is He With Me? When I take a minute to look at what blessings I have as a believer, I am in awe! Look at how this verse opens: the Lord goes before His people. He checks things out before I get there and this, for my good. How many times I've really thought or acted like the the Lord must not be paying attention! I've felt like He didn't care about what was going on in my little life. That's my ignorance for sure. He goes before me. Why? Because I am His child and He cares like that. And He sets things up as he sees fit, for His purposes. There is no such thing as deism, the idea that God made it all but isn't really present. All of scripture speaks of His presence, His interaction with His people, the covenant, His care for His children. He is with me. Now. God Matters I can think He is troubled with something more important,

  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:33‭-‬34 Trusting Jesus This verse summarizes my desire today. Seek first His kingdom. Trust Him. Anxiety goes. Believers trust Jesus. Still, I must daily reset my trust. If I don't, I shoulder my own burdens. This adds to my worry. One day without trusting Him leads to another day and to another. And the devil pounces on that. He's like a cat waiting at a gopher hole. Thank the Lord that he's on God's leash. Worry on top of worry, I dog paddle the ocean deep. But I don't have to do that ever again. Ever. Filling My Mind With True Things About Jesus I can simply seek Him and His righteousness. Trust Him. And not be anxious. What does that look like? "Be still and know that I am God," He says. That's prayer. That's

  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  Romans 8:6 I believed a lie. There is flesh and spirit. Though he has the Spirit, the believer must still contend with his flesh. The grace I have, the blessing, is this: I can set my mind on the Spirit. It is possible. I'm not practiced at it. Why? Because I got it backwards. I once believed that to set my mind on the Spirit was boring. Yes, I know I said that out loud. I thought the mind set on the Spirit was monkish: sitting around in silence, contemplating my navel. That was my impression. I believed a lie. I can get the flesh and the spirit confused. There are two choices at any given time, flesh or Spirit. Being filled with the spirit is not that we must act however we think a monk is supposed to act. We get to talk to people. We get to have fun with them. We get to eat and enjoy life. None of that takes away from setting our minds on the Spirit. My mind set on the flesh = selfi

  The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. Deuteronomy 7:22 Little By Little I am a grateful follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a child of the one-true King. I am a sheep, and He is my shepherd. And He doesn't always tell me where we're going. Nor how long it's going to take before we get there. Mostly, I have my hands full being faithful today, now. And I know for a fact that He is teaching me patience... "The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little." Little by little. I want patience. And I want it now. I'm six years old in the back seat: "Are we there yet?" In the verse He reveals a little bit about His motives. If He makes an end of your enemies immediately, the wild animals will grow too numerous for me. My thoughts about who I am in Christ were skewed. Now, usually, my enemies aren'

  Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Paul Knows the Lord's Power The Lord says don't be shy about my requests! Right? Here's what I mean... This is a prayer, written in a letter to a church from the apostle Paul. Look at this prayer. "May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace ALWAYS IN EVERY WAY." I can't tell you how many times I have rushed through these verses, never pausing to understand what they are teaching me about prayer and how powerful it is. We know from scripture that prayer is powerful. We know we can pray for others, in this case, other believers. Paul is not timid; He knows the Lord's power. Over-The-Top Request First, He establishes that he is asking the Lord of peace. That means he is going straight to the top with his request. He is asking the One who can actually deliver on the request. He's asking that they be granted peace from the Lord of peace.

  Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake, for Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. Psalms 143:11 I don't want to admit it... Sometimes my prayers are quick. Sometimes they are thought out. And sometimes they come from a deeply felt hurt. Yet, I have often failed to pray even when I was feeling those deep hurts. Why? Probably my pride. I don't want to admit it when I'm laid low. I want to act like I've got it all together, even in front of God. I get embarrassed. I must bring that embarrassment to Him and confess it. He knows it all anyway. Why do I hold back. Something about sin and hurt make me want to hide, to pretend even. To deny. He displays His righteousness... He wants me to ask Him for help! The Lord of glory. The King above all kings. Wants ME to ask for His help. He loves it. He isn't interested in me working through all of this without Him -- work, work, work without the grace. That's not Him. The Psalm above says "...for Your

  Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good spirit lead me onto level ground. Psalms 143:10 Desire to Obey Doing God's will didn't just come to me magically when I was reborn, but my desire to obey began to emerge. The Psalmist says, "Teach me..." Why? Because it has to be taught; It doesn't come in an instant download to my software. But good news. The Lord himself is my teacher. He is patient, loving, and kind. And really, He's the only one who can get through my thick skull. Of course, He uses means to teach me. Like regular reading of the bible. Also sermons preached and books written by godly men. Even an off hand comment from a child can work into my soul. Without Anxiety Here's another thing I learn from this verse: I get to  ask  Him to teach me. See, this is the Psalmist's prayer request. Some might say, "Oh, that's just HIS prayer, I don't get to use it." I reason differently. This is part of God's insp

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea... Psalm 46:1-2 He is clearly saying that I don't have to be afraid. He is present in trouble. Not so busy that He doesn't know my trouble. He KNOWS. Since He is present, I can take a deep breath. And know He is God. But what if this..? And what about that..? Though the earth be removed. And the mountains thrown into the sea. The earth removed? What? The earth being removed: that's as bad as it gets. He is present. And I am His. Now, how do I get to the part where I am not afraid when the mountains get shoved into the ocean? I don't know. But He is clearly saying that I don't have to be afraid. For I'm a child of the true God, the deliverer who brought a nation out of Egypt. I matter to one who is, who is present. He died for my sin and rose again in glory and power. (3 nails,

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with gratitude, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6‭-‬7  A believer in Jesus is... What characterizes a believer? A believer in Jesus is anxious for nothing. I love how the scripture uses words like "nothing." It leaves no out, no wiggle room. The bible says it, so this is possible for me. I CAN be anxious for nothing. How? In everything. Here's another one of those words: everything. Here's the list -- prayer and supplication, gratitude, and make requests known to God. Prayer is talking to God, not just saying words, but consciously talking to Him. What is supplication? The dictionary says, "the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly." This looks to me like I am to bug God. But with a good attitude, humbly. With gratitude. That means not hol

  Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Isaiah 35:4 Seems Like a Rotten Thing to Say to an Anxious Person I find it fascinating and annoying that the scripture often says, "Fear not." At first, it seems like such a rotten thing to say to someone who is anxious! Just stop that freight train of anxiety. Stop it. But it's a FREIGHT TRAIN. I can't stop it. Still, I believe the Word with all my heart. When I read seemingly impossible commands in scripture, I must be missing something. I'll confess this today: I have consistently downplayed the potential of the power of God in my life. Yet His power abides. He might tell me that I'm not realizing blessings because I'm not forgiving, staying angry, or even holding on to shame when He died for my sin. Even then He works. Here's the thing I've noticed. He's usually simply asking me

The Pain, Hurt, Anger, Worry I struggle. Some days feel like it's all about the pain, hurt, anger, worry. God is faithful. He doesn't leave me alone in the fight. He encourages me directly through His word. Directly. He reminds me that I am loved. That I am His child, chosen. He revives me. Breathes encouragement into my fragmented thoughts. I can read a verse, and it leaps out at me. Like this one above. It shows me that God is full of lovingkindness which He is ready to shower on me. Why? So that I may keep the testimonies of His mouth. That I may keep His word. (Plus, He builds that desire in me.) That I may obey Him. And when I obey, I am filled with joy. Usefulness too. He Didn't Say It Would Be Easy When I keep His word, His testimonies, my relationships are healthier, more loving. The verse also gives me a clue about how to pray. I get to ask Him to revive me. The implication is that He will do it. I get to confess my hurts, my cries, my disappointments, in fact I mu

  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with gratitude, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 . What characterizes a believer? A believer in Jesus is anxious for nothing. I love how the scripture uses words like "nothing." It leaves no out, no wiggle room. The bible says it, so this is possible for me. I CAN be anxious for nothing. How? In everything. Here's another one of those words: everything. Here's the list -- prayer and supplication, gratitude, and make requests known to God. Prayer is talking to God, not just saying words, but consciously talking to Him. What is supplication? The dictionary says, "the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly." This looks to me like I am to bug God. But with a good attitude, humbly. With gratitude. That means not holding resentment. Espec