Our Daily Devotional
September 1, 2009 by Pastor Bobby
Filed under Discussion
Click the link above (title) to read Pastor Bobby Amezcua’s Daily Devotional.
Warrior Center Christian Fellowship - Bellflower, CA | A local church with a world vision
We are a local church with a world vision.
And I want you to know, dear friends, that everything that has
happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For
everyone here, including all the soldiers in the palace guard, knows
that I am in chains because of Christ. (Phil 1:12-13 NLT)
Prayer: LORD, some days I struggle to deal with the hardships of my
life. So much has happened, so much has been lost, and so many
“could be’s” never happened. But all those things have value. They
have brought me closer to You, allowed others to see what You have
done in the circumstances, and taught me invaluable lessons I could
not have learned any other way. So I say, “Thank You”, for
“everything that has happened to me”. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble
or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
(Mat 13:21 NIV)
Prayer: LORD, circumstances of life may cause me to fall down or
fall back, but I do not ever want to fall away from You. Help me
grow deep roots in You so that when difficult times come, I will
survive and continue to grow in the solid ground of our
relationship. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
What about me? Have I been faithful? Well, it matters very little
what you or anyone else thinks. I don’t even trust my own judgment
on this point. My conscience is clear, but that isn’t what matters.
It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. (1 Cor 4:3-4 NLT)
Prayer: LORD, so much of what I do is influenced by what others
think, even when I am trying not to let it happen. Help me not be so
concerned about what others think, but be more aware of what You
think about me. I want my conscience to be clear with You and live
in such a way that I am in right standing in our relationship,
because that is what matters most! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
When we tell you this, we do not use words of human wisdom. We speak
words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain
spiritual truths. But people who aren’t Christians can’t understand
these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them
because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the
Spirit means. We who have the Spirit understand these things, but
others can’t understand us at all. How could they? For, “Who can
know what the Lord is thinking? Who can give him counsel?” But we
can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
(1 Cor 2:13-16 NLT)
Prayer: LORD, I have wondered why some people can’t “get it”. But
they will never “get it” until they “get” You. So rather than
struggle with arguments and discussions that accomplish nothing,
help me pray for them to “get” You first. Before that, the details
we would argue about are irrelevant. But then, when they are in
relationship with You, they will be able to “get” the other things.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Some went off in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. They,
too, observed the Lord’s power in action, his impressive works on
the deepest seas. Their ships were tossed to the heavens and sank
again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror. They reeled and
staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end. “LORD, help!”
they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for all his
wonderful deeds to them. (Psa 107:23-24,26-28,31 NLT)
Prayer: LORD, careers and business pursuits can be exciting when
things are successful. But storms and challenges can come that cause
success to fail and hopes to fall to the depths. When all seems
lost, help me remember to pray and look to You for rescue. Help me
trust You in everything that concerns my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where
they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives
ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and
he delivered them from their distress. Let them give thanks to the
LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
(Psa 107:4-6,8 NIV)
Prayer: LORD, when circumstances leave me in distress or without
family or home, help me not despair, but remember to pray. You can
rescue me from distress and restore my life in ways I could not
imagine. Help me trust You in everything that concerns my life. In
Jesus’ name, Amen.
Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered
affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and
drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their
trouble, and he saved them from their distress. Let them give thanks
to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
(Psa 107:17-19,21 NIV)
Prayer: LORD, when things that were at first enjoyable become habits
and addictions that begin to take over my life, help me remember to
pray. You can free me from anything that would hold me if I am
willing to surrender it. Help me trust You in everything that
concerns my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King. I am the LORD, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. (Isa 43:15-17 NLT)
Prayer: LORD, things that seem so big and bad today will one day be nothing more than a memory. They will cease to be, but my relationship with You will continue forever. So, when I face challenges that appear formidable, help me remember that You are greater than anything I could ever encounter. You can make a way when there is no way, even if You have to part a sea! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man
who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitful-
ness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. (Mat 13:22 NIV)
Prayer: LORD, things that are alive reproduce after their kind, but
environmental conditions must be right. When the stresses of life
would hinder or choke our relationship, help me do whatever I must
do to change my environment. I want to produce good fruit in You,
according to Your life that is in me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit
the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the
exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would
seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is
not far from each one of us. (Acts 17:26-27 NIV)
Prayer: LORD, as I think about the new year, I feel some anxiety
about the future – where I should live or what I should do. It feels
uncertain at times, but You already know those things and You are
closer than I feel. So, help me not be anxious about the future, but
rest in the certainty that even if You feel far away, I will find
You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.