Devotional Fuel to Reboot Your Mind

Daniel 2:16-18, “Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant. Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, what had happened. He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon.”

The book of Daniel centers on the profound theme of God’s sovereignty. We can gain from the lessons in life Daniel learned which were these three things: 1) Stand by one’s convictions, which often earn deep respect from others. 2) Don’t wait until a crisis occurs to learn of the value of prayer. 3) God can use you wherever God places you. I must ask myself: how much trust in God do I have? What is the source of my ultimate security? Whether the future looks bleak or hopeful, do I really trust God, or does my trust last only as long as the threat seems distant? This is what Daniel and his three friends faced in Babylon.

King Nebuchadnezzar was a tyrant, wondered about the future of his kingdom, and had a disturbing dream that troubled him. He demanded that his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers tell him what he dreamed and what it meant (Dan. 2:2). These men couldn’t and were ordered to be killed. Can you imagine this scenario? How could anyone have told this king what he dreamed without him telling what the dream was? Daniel went to the king and requested more time to tell him what his dream was and what it meant, which the king agreed to. This was a crisis point for Daniel. Instead of panicking, he went to his three closest dedicated to God friends, and they prayed together for God to answer. Daniel believed that God would give him wisdom, knowledge, show them His mercy, and tell him what to tell the king was his dream and its meaning. When we panic, we are confirming our lack of trust in God. However, prayer confirms hope in God.  David stopped and declared in gratitude, praise, and worship to God, acknowledging God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and power (Dan. 2:19-23), and thanked God for answering their request which God did. Then Daniel tells the king what his dream was and what it meant but first gives God the glory (verses 27-28) and states the fact that no man can reveal the king’s secret, but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets and has told Daniel what will happen in the future regarding the kings dream regarding the future. David listened to the voice of God, gave praise honor and glory to God in gratitude and thanksgiving for answering their prayers, and told the king what no other man could tell him, due to their fervent prayers to the only true God.

In Daniel 2:21, Daniel declares, “He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.” Recognizing God is in control and not our control of events gives us hope and the assurance of His sovereignty gives us peace.

When you are under stress, remember Daniel and his three friends when they prayed fervently and asked God for wisdom, knowledge, and the power of God to know what the king’s dream was and what it meant, and God abundantly answered, killing any panic mode. You may not feel highly intelligent or capable, but by the power of prayer, you can accomplish great things for God through God’s almighty, sovereign plan for your life. Don’t panic – pray.

Listen to Mix – From Everlasting (Psalm 90) Official Lyric Video.

Ephesians 4:2, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other’s faults because of your love.” NLT

The word “always” means perpetually, incessantly, continually, and the idea of a continuous practice carried on without being abandoned. Paul taught what the character of a worthy walk was always to be. Peter taught in 1 Peter 3:15, “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”  We are always to be prepared to tell others what Christ has done in our lives. If we had that mindset, if I had that mindset, I have to ask myself: wouldn’t I “always” then be humble, gentle, patient with others, and what is Paul stating? Really? Am I always supposed to make allowances for others’ faults because of my love for them, and then guide and motivate them to do better? Yes, he is. This is biblical truth for keeping unity in the church that Paul was teaching about in having oneness in their union with Christ by faith. We in the body of Christ complement one another, and Paul wrote this letter to strengthen and encourage the church in Ephesus and neighboring local churches. Keep thinking about what we should “always” be acting as; this verse also applies to other areas of our lives where we work and serve as we are ambassadors for Christ wherever we go.

Now look at what Paul taught Christians should do in Colossians 3:12, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” There it is again! Making allowances for each other’s faults with the requirement of remembering how much God has forgiven us. That is the key to not giving in to the temptation of anger, anxiety, and fear. If we always lived with a humble and gentle attitude towards others and were patient with their shortcomings because of our love for Christ and all He has done in our lives, “always” should be doable. It’s one thing to know the truth of the Good News of having a new life in Christ, but to live it “always” before others negates anger, anxiety, and fear, all because of having a righteous and biblical perspective. Can I always be kind, show mercy, humility, gentleness, and patience, and not be offended and not hold grudges? No, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, and by asking God to help me understand all I need to know about Him, the workings of His Spirit in my life, giving Him my worship, praise, and confessing my sins that offend Him (Ps. 139:23-24), as He knows my heart, I will get there one day at a time. How about you, which “always” do you need to work on?

Listen to Matthew West – Here And Heaven (Lyric Video).

Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” NLT

“I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” CSB

We have a garage project going on, and we’ve gone through a stack of storage bins that have items in them, to decide what to keep and what to throw away or give to Goodwill once the project is completed. The remaining items in our storage bins are valuable, hold worthwhile memories, and serve a purpose in various ways. Many of the items are meaningful treasures to keep. Storage bins store things. Biblically speaking, our heart is where God’s Word is a treasury of what we need to keep and store in our hearts. God’s Word is our antidote to sin and our path to growing in holiness. It is not to be forgotten or ignored, but stored in our hearts, just like our storage bins, for living in obedience and having God’s guidance in our lives.

What are you storing in your heart? I am realizing more and more the importance of memorizing God’s Word, as it is truth to be applied to any and every situation that encompasses us. It will not be forgotten or ignored, as the psalmist stated in Ps. 119:11. We are to have it hidden and treasured. When we understand, meditate on, review, and memorize Scripture, we will put God’s Word in our lives as a vital guide for everything we do. As Colossians 3:12-13 teaches, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.” Then Paul further instructs, in verses 16-17 (and he did this while in prison), “Let the message of Christ, in all its riches, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” I have to ask myself: do I have these verses stored in my heart, especially when someone offends me and remind myself of these words of truth?

God is primarily after our hearts and is less concerned with our behavior than with our hearts, as Jesus condemned the religious leaders in Matthew 23:28: “Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” The Pharisees and teachers of religious law were filled with greed and corruption while appearing upright and sinless. Jesus saw through their actions and saw what was stored in their hearts. They only outwardly appeared to be righteous in public (Luke 16:15).

So the question, in looking at one of our storage bins, I had to ask myself, “What am I storing in my heart as I look at this storage bin? That is the innermost place where God’s promises are stored, treasured, and kept close, from which all my actions flow – my emotions, desires, regrets, foolish words I wish I could take back, then times of pride, resentment etc. (Mark 7:20-23).

So, as I look at one of our storage bins, it reminds me to examine what is stored in my heart. How would you answer this question?

Listen to Phil Wickham, Jamie MacDonald – Flowers (with Jamie MacDonald) [official lyric video].

https://youtu.be/CfeOVWcLxP8?si=Qrf_rk8vI2JLvmvV

Luke 12:6-7, “What is the price of five sparrows – two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” NLT

Have you ever believed the lies that God has put you aside on a shelf for now, that God is not enough, and that He is not really involved in your life? Jesus used sparrows to illustrate God’s watchful care and intimate knowledge of us as His children. Heavy burdens can overcome and overwhelm us. I have been there many times. But God sees you; He sees me, and everything that is happening in the world – even to sparrows. Jesus stated in Matthew 10:29-31, “What is the price of two sparrows – one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Sparrows are very small birds and are not brightly colored. Sparrows were inexpensive in New Testament times, and always around, so they seemed unimportant. Yet sparrows were dependent upon God for their daily needs. Do you fully realize you have great value to God no matter what you can and cannot do? God’s estimate of our worth is not based on our performance, achievements, getting everything checked off on our “to-do list for the day,” or outward appearance. Yet how many times do we judge ourselves by these very things, and they then become idols when they dominate our thoughts.

 It all goes back to living the cross-centered life and preaching the gospel to ourselves every day. God showed how valuable you are to Him by sending His only Son to die for you (John 3:16). Any difficult trial or threat cannot disengage God’s love or cancel out His Spirit from within you.

Next question: Are you believing the lie that God is not really involved in your life? Jesus said in Luke 12:6-7 and Matt. 10:29-31 that we are worth much more than a sparrow and even sees when they fall to the ground. Every life, no matter how small, even the sparrows, is precious to God. No one is beyond God’s care for the details of our circumstances. We have the promise of truth in Psalm 34:15, which states, “The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help.” Then read Isaiah 65:24 out loud: “I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” Sometimes God’s answer is no, not yet; other times, yes. So, trust God’s sovereign will. God is more concerned with what He needs to teach us and with developing our character to become more Christ-like, is always His purpose.

How do these truths apply to the issues you are currently facing? Ask God to help you see something new about Him as you read these verses again. Ask Him to correct any lies you believe about Him or anything you misunderstand. You may not always feel God’s presence, but dear one, He is right there and cares about what you are experiencing. Ask God what He wants you to learn from the situation. Turn your focus off of “God, this is what I want.” Instead, ask God, “What do you want of me, and direct my steps according to Your Word of truth,” trusting that He will guide you in the right direction, because He is omnipotent, therefore He is able to do anything consistent with His desires as God. “Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust Him, and He will help you.” Psalm 37:5. God is enough.

Listen to Cece Winans – Goodness of God (Official Video)

2 Corinthians 12:9, “Each time he said, “my grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” NLT

Have you ever thought about the lies you believe versus the truths you believe in? Our beliefs are formed by our upbringing, family, culture, and age group, influencing what we think is right. But all truth is significantly found in Scripture and guides our thinking and actions rightly, as we read it, as Psalm 119:160 states, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” Then Romans 15:4 declares, “For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.”

2 Timothy 3:16 states, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” Some people think the Bible is a collection of Bible stories and use it like an online search tool when something comes up. But that is not how the Bible was written. It was written to reveal the characteristics of God and the message of the gospel. It was written for God’s children, and it is about God. As Tara-Leigh Cobble of the Bible Recap has said, “In her own journey, she first read the Bible believing it was “about you,” looking for personal answers and self-centered meaning. Then her pastor challenged her to shift her lens: stop reading for yourself, and instead look for what God loved and hated, and what motivated Him to act.” Asking questions like “What does this passage reveal about God’s character?” and “What is God trying to teach me about Himself?” can help deepen understanding when reading Scripture.

So, it boils down to: do I believe, do you believe, that God’s grace is sufficient – that it is all you, it is all I need, because His power works best in our weaknesses as Paul taught and lived in 2 Corinthians 12:9? I have so many limitations. Paul even had something along those lines himself. It is thought to have been a physical affliction. God didn’t promise to take it away but promised to demonstrate His power through Paul. Paul didn’t ask God just once but many times to take whatever it was away. Each time, God said to Paul, “My grace is all you need.” Can I say that? Can you say that? Whatever our limitations are, God intends for them to develop Christian character and deepen our worship of Him, because we then affirm God’s strength, which gives us hope.

Jerry Bridges, in his book, The Discipline of Grace, says: “Learning to live by grace instead of by performance helps us to accept the discipline of adversity. For one thing, we realize that God is not disciplining us because of our bad performance but, on the contrary, because of His love for us. . . So we learn not to ask, “Why did this happen to me? (meaning, what did I do to deserve such bad treatment from God?). . . until we see the harvest of righteousness and peace produced by it.”

Did you notice that Paul used the word “weaknesses?” That shows his humility in admitting he had many, not just one. He used the present tense of “sufficient” (LSB) and “all you need” (NLT), which reminds us that God’s grace is always available. When you wonder, “Why did this happen to me?” embrace humility and see yourself as a vessel for God’s grace shining through you. That is all you need.

Listen to New Name Written Down In Glory (Lyric Video) Charity Gayle.

Romans 12:1-2, “And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” NLT.

Have you thought much about what you think about the most? We each need to examine ourselves from time to time and ask, “Am I living for Christ in my actions in holiness in this circumstance and in my thoughts, or only for myself?” At conversion, our hearts are changed within us, giving us a new perspective under Christ’s authority and helping us avoid conforming to ungodly patterns. Our emotions, however, reflect what we worship. They reveal what has captured our hearts – what we crave, treasure, and serve. Our prayer needs to be Psalm 119:114: “You are my refuge and my shield; your word is the source of my hope.” Our obedience from the heart is what God wants as we live a daily sacrifice to Him, trusting Him to guide and direct us because our sins have been forgiven at the cross.

How do you worship God? Do you realize how important it is to read His Word daily and talk to Him in prayer? That is how one cultivates a closer relationship with Him. The Bible teaches us about God, His personality, which is found in His attributes. When you read Scripture, pray for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and that it will help you love Him and others more. Ask Him to help you see something new about Himself that you have never seen before. Then ask Him to help you correct any lies you had not realized were wrong about God, or anything you might have misunderstood. Lastly, ask Him to direct your steps according to His Word, as the author of Psalm 119:105 stated, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a life to my path.” That changes the way we think.

Do you realize that, as a follower of Christ, you take the Holy Spirit with you everywhere you go because of the redemptive work on the cross? When you read God’s Word, the Holy Spirit reminds you throughout your day of the truths that you have read. But if we don’t spend time in Scripture, we are actually quenching the Spirit’s work in our lives because the Spirit works through the Word of God. When you habitually read God’s Word, you will be transformed into a new person by Him changing the way you think. Your response pattern in using the Bible to solve your problems will be forming new biblical ways of understanding and forming new biblical patterns automatically. Then you will know God’s will for you, which is “good and pleasing and perfect.”

As Ephesians 4:22-24 admonishes, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy.” Then, as Colossians 3:10 states, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.”

Don’t know where to start in reading the Bible? Choose a book such as Psalms, John, Philippians, or Colossians for a few suggestions, and read it repeatedly for a month. This practice helps your mind and heart become new by fostering biblical thinking patterns and a biblical approach to life, firmly rooted in Christ.

Listen to Matthew West – Goodbye Yesterday (Lyric Video).

Micah 6:8, “No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” NLT

“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does Yahweh require of you but to do justice, to love lovingkindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” LSB

God always calls for repentance and living righteously. This passage presents Micah the prophet’s imagined courtroom, where God, the judge, has proven His case before the court, showing the injustice and deceit of Israel, whose own sin brought their affliction upon them, and appealing to the people to repent. It teaches us to shift from merely external religious performance to internal moral and spiritual integrity in our vertical relationship with our God and Savior. It is like a checklist for godly living as echoed in Proverbs 11:19, “Godly people find life; evil people find death.” That is pretty cut and dry. Evil people die without hope and miss out on the fullness of life, compared to those who are born-again and believe in Jesus Christ, who (John 11:25) has given eternal life. Then in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Moses gives a summary that is easy to remember: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.” We, I, need to remind myself every day of the gospel and that fact in living a cross-centered life in loving, following, serving, and obeying Him.

Micah 6:8 challenges us to examine whether we are living out what God requires of us, reflecting on whether we are compassionate, humble before God, and showing mercy to those who have wronged us. Showing mercy stops emotions of resentment and bitterness. What about not letting our ego take over our thoughts, actions, and words? As James 3:13 declares, “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.” Our perspective needs to be as 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

Spurgeon applied the idea of how to walk humbly with your God (Blue Letter Bible, David Guzik Commentary) in one of his sermons which stated:

• Walk humbly when you are spiritually strong.
• Walk humbly when you have much work to do.
• Walk humbly in all your motives.
• Walk humbly studying God’s word.
• Walk humbly when under trials.
• Walk humbly in your devotions.
• Walk humbly between you and your brothers in Christ.
• Walk humbly when dealing with sinners.

Have you discovered who or what you really are in Christ? Then you will be humble, live rightly with integrity, show mercy one more time than you feel like it to someone, and be humble before our great God. This is what God requires of you and me today.

Listen to Help My Unbelief by Chris Tomlin (Official Audio)

John 17:4, “I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” NKJV

Psalm 5:3, “Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:4 NLT.

How often don’t we all complain that we don’t have enough time in our day to get everything we are supposed to do done, and we are utterly exhausted? We have work obligations, family obligations, etc. So, the “list” we have made up for the day can become an idol to us, determining our sense of need for happiness on a seemingly good day versus a bad one, according to our own list. We have then made it a god in our life instead of doing each day what God wants us to do in obedience and honoring Him. I have to think about this myself and question what is on God’s list for me to do today, taking the whole picture into account from His perspective.

Jesus had quite a long list, wouldn’t you say, that He needed to do to accomplish God’s plan of redemption? Yet at the end of His life He declared, “I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” John 17:4 NKJV. Jesus accomplished this during the time on earth that God gave Him to do so. He doesn’t say He completed everything the disciples wanted Him to do, only what God gave Him to do.

What if, on your “to-do list,” you pray and say, “God, this is what I think I need to do today; what do you think, because I desperately need your help? I can’t do it on my own, and I want to give you glory in all that you have given me to do.” David did this and sought God’s counsel and wisdom in his responsibilities. The first thing he did each morning was give his requests to God and put his hope in God’s words.

Ephesians 2:10 explains our identity as it states, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Since this is true, remember you are not inferior and don’t need to compare yourself to anyone else or their great list of accomplishments. Grace-based living, preaching the gospel to oneself every day, leads to perseverance, producing virtues of serving with joy and peace, knowing one’s secure identity in Christ, in one’s pursuit of holiness. Each of us has seasons in our lives. What God gave me to do in my late twenties is different from what He has me to do now. The same is true for you. Yes, you have limitations – I have limitations. But God is enough is the truth we, and I, need to live by.

Start each day in God’s Word. Ask Him to correct any lies you believe about Him or misunderstandings as you read, helping you see His truth more clearly. Then ask God to guide your priorities and tasks for the day by His grace and sovereign will, so that your daily decisions are more aligned with His purpose. Conflict and chaos will expose our idols in our hearts – be mindful of that. Thrive where He has placed you by developing a deep and lasting relationship with our Lord and Savior through reading His Word daily and in prayer. Do your priorities lie in lies or truths? Ask God – He will tell you and set you free. Then pray Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”

Listen to Phil Wickham – The Name Above the Storm.