Devotion for Wednesday, September 11, 2019

“Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further his
wicked scheme, lest they be exalted.  
“As for the head of those who surround me, let the evil of their lips
cover them; let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire,
into deep pits, that they rise not up again.” 
(Psalm 140:8-10)

When we look around, it often seems as though the wicked are prospering.  What difference does it make if they gain the world but lose their soul?  Do not lose perspective nor forget that this age is fleeting.  Look to the Lord and walk humbly with your Maker and God.  It is He who causes all things to work together for good.  It is He who has made plans for the ages and those who trust in Him will eternally prosper.

Lord, guide me in the way of righteousness.  Let me not be caught up in the nonsense of
this world.  Lead me according to the
goodness of Your word that I would now and always abide in Your presence and
walk in Your ways.  Let those who reject
You be cast to the pit or let them not be cast to the pit; for You alone know
what is in their hearts.  Only, do not
allow me to join with them, but always to walk humbly with You.

Lord Jesus, You have come to save
as many as believe.  Help my unbelief
that I would walk through even those times of uncertainty and even anger with
my hand in Yours.  You know that way of
everlasting life and have come to lead as many as would follow in Your
never-failing way.  Lead me, O Lord, that
I may walk in the life You give knowing that all things are in Your hands.  Amen.




Devotion for Tuesday, September 10, 2019

“But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; in You I take refuge; do not
leave my soul destitute.  Keep me from
the snares they have laid for me, and from the traps of the workers of iniquity.  Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I escape safely. ” (Psalm 141:8-10)

As we struggle in this age there
are seasons.  There are times when the
Lord feels close and we rejoice.  There
are times when the Lord feels distant and we lament.  These are things we feel; but they are
fleeting shadows.  The Lord has given His
Word that He is always with us and will never leave nor forsake us.  Trust in the Word of the Lord and not what
you feel.  The Lord is always true.

Lord, where I am hampered by my feelings, lead me away from them that I would not be led away from the faith You have given me.  Guide me, O Lord, according to Your goodness to see that in You alone is hope and all that I need.  Lead me to trust in You above all things.  You are the rock of all creation and in You is the hope for all life.  Guide, O Lord, in the way that is true.

Come, Holy Spirit, and minister
to my heart that I would be led by You and not the circumstances I am in or by
the feelings I have.  I am saved by grace
through faith and that is a gift You have given.  Guide me in the gift that I may walk humbly
under Your guidance this day.  Lead me to
do what is pleasing in the Father’s sight. 
Lead me to trust and rejoice that You are with me.  Amen.
 




Devotion for Monday, September 9, 2019

“Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness.  And let him rebuke me; it shall be as
excellent oil; let my head not refuse it. 
For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.  Their judges are overthrown by the sides of
the cliff, and they hear my words, for they are sweet.  Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the
grave, as when one plows and breaks up the earth.”  (Psalm 141:5-7)

There is a place to
differentiate thought and that is between the wicked and the righteous.  A righteous mans’ rebuke will help, but the
wicked only seek to kill, steal, and destroy. 
Be on your guard lest you receive from the wicked and rebuke the
righteous.  Learn and grow through being
willing to receive what is right and true. 
Be admonished by the Lord but stand firm against the wicked.

Lord, You can teach me to do these things.  I do sometimes not want to hear the
truth.  I do sometimes fall into the
traps laid by the wicked.  Guard me with
Your Spirit that I may always know the truth and listen and discern.  Guard me so that I may continue on the path
of becoming like Jesus.  Lead me always
in the way I should go and open my ears and mind to discern truth when it is
spoken.

Lord Jesus, You have come to save
me from myself and others.  You have come
that I may have life and have it abundantly. 
Lead me, O Lord, in the way You would have me go so I see that in You is
the hope of all ages. May I be guided by Your example to become more like You
today and all the days You give me in this age. 
Amen.




Devotion for Sunday, September 8, 2019

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my
lips.  Do not incline my heart to any
evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let
me eat of their delicacies.”  (Psalm
141:3-4)

It is said that you are what you
eat.  What words do your ears
consume?  What thoughts are fed in your
mind?  Do not take in the works of
iniquity.  Live in the truth of the Word
of God and meditate upon His goodness and mercy.  Let the words of your mouth and the
meditation of your heart be upon the truth the Lord has revealed.  May the words of the Lord be always upon your
lips.

Lord, help me to think through what I say.  Help me to not speak as the world speaks, but
to live according to Your Word and speak what is pleasing in Your sight.  Guide me, O Lord, according to Your goodness
to do what is right in Your sight at all times and to speak what is pleasing
upon Your ears.  Keep me from the harm
that comes with the thoughts of this world that I may daily abide in Your
presence.

Lord Jesus, You know all of the
difficulties I face.  You know what goes
on in my mind.  Guide me, O Lord,
according to Your goodness to see the truth You have revealed that I may now
and always abide in You and You in me. 
Lead me to speak only what is good and to think upon the truth of Your
Word always.  May I learn from You how to
always be faithful and not abide in the ways of this world.  Amen.




Devotion for Saturday, September 7, 2019

“Lord, I cry out to You; make haste to me!  Give ear to my voice when I cry out to
You.  Let my prayer be set before You as
incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”  (Psalm 141:1-2)

The Lord hears the prayers of
all of His saints.  He knows the cry and
longing of every heart.  He watches the
coming and going of all.  He has promised
to bring all things together for good for those who love Him.  Be guided in the way of hope and truth.  Be led by His Spirit to walk humbly with the
One who knows you and has plans for you. 
Know that He hears you when you pray.

Be the guide, O Lord, that You have promised to be.  Help me to know that You hear me when I
pray.  Lead me according to Your goodness
and mercy to see the path for my footsteps and hear the instructions You place
upon my heart.  You know what I face and
the need I have.  You know the plans and
how they must unfold in this age.  Lead
me according to Your never-failing Word.

Lord Jesus, You have sent Your
Spirit to be the guide for our lives. 
Lead me this day in the way I need to go, knowing that all things have
always been in Your hands.  Help me to
see through the haze of this age and know that You are here guiding me.  Put prayers on my lips and willingness in my
heart that I would praise You all the days of my life.  Lead me according to Your grace in hope and
mercy.  Amen.

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Devotion for Friday, September 6, 2019

“I said to the Lord: “You are my God; hear the voice of my
supplications, O Lord.  O GOD the Lord,
the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of
battle.”  (Psalm 140:6-7)

We live in an age that thinks
that the Lord is a creation of ancient minds. 
We have that polluted thinking all around us.  Look to the Lord, draw close to Him, and you
will see that it is He who made all things. 
Know that He is the One who goes before you and He will lead you all of
your days if you will walk in His presence. 
Be guided not by this world, but by the Maker of all worlds.

Lord, I am often confused by all of the different ways that are placed
before me.  Guide me to see through the
maze that You would be before me and it would be You that I follow.  Hear my voice when I cry to You and help me
to hear Your clear response.  Guide my
footsteps to walk the path You have laid before me.  Help me now and always to be guided by Your
goodness and mercy.

Lord Jesus, You are the strength
of my salvation.  Lead me in the way of
truth which You have revealed in the sight of all people.  Help me now and always to see and hear what
is right and true.  Guide me according to
Your goodness to be able to walk humbly with You now and always.  May I be a willing follower who trusts in
Your mercy all the days of my life. 
Amen.

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Devotion for Thursday, September 5, 2019

“Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from
violent men, who have purposed to make my steps stumble.  The proud have hidden a snare for me, and
cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set traps for me.”  (Psalm 140:4-5)

In this world, there are those
who go their own way and do not care about others.  They plot and scheme.  Look to the Lord and He will guide you
through the minefields of this age to be with Him always.  Look to the Lord who is the One who knows all
things and be guided by the faith He has given You.  Look to the Lord for all things and live the
life of faith He gives You.

Lord, You know the struggles of this world.  You know my struggles better than I know them
myself.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of
righteousness and let not anything hinder me from trusting in You.  You have given Your Word and all that I need
has been provided for.  Guide me in faith
that I would now and always walk humbly as Your new creation knowing that all
things are in Your hands.

Lord Jesus, You lead the way
through the maze of life.  All that is
needed has already been accomplished. 
Guide me in the faith You have given that I may walk with You and be led
by Your Spirit.  Teach me what I need to
know and lead me to let all other things pass by.  Guide me according to Your goodness to see
that through You alone does salvation come and that I am already in Your
hands.  Amen.

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Devotion for Wednesday, September 4, 2019

“Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who
plan evil things in their hearts; they continually gather together for
war.  They sharpen their tongues like a
serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips.(Psalm 140:1-3)

The Lord has set into motion the
way of all things.  This age is filled
with those who seek to do things on their own terms.  Be guided by the goodness of the Lord and His
ways.  Do not follow after what the world
says, but by what the Lord has already spoken. 
Know that in the Lord alone is all life; for He is the source of all
things.  Do not be poisoned by this world
or its ways.

Lord, You have shown Your goodness and written of it in Your Word.  Where I am wrong, show me.  Where I have adopted the way of this world,
lead me back into truth.  Guide me
according to Your goodness to see that in You alone is the hope and glory for
all ages.  Lead me to speak what is right
and guide me to do what is pleasing in Your sight that I may now and always
abide in You.

Lord Jesus, You have come to lead
the way.  Without You we would all be
lost.  You alone are the way.  Guide me in the way You have established by
grace that I would walk with You now and always.  Lead me in Your goodness to speak only what
is right and fitting.  Guide me to be
uplifted by Your Spirit that I would not be caught up in the ways of violent
men, but abide in Your peace.  Amen.




Devotion for Tuesday, September 3, 2019

“I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.  Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me,
and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting.”  (Psalm 139:22-24)

In the mixed up way in which
this world thinks, we often think of our faith in terms of the world rather
than in terms of what the Lord has said. 
Christians do not hate others. 
Hate the sin, the wickedness and the actions of wicked men.  Yes, each person is loved by God, but do not
let the world get into your thinking so that you would accept what is
unacceptable.  In other words, lean on
the Lord mightily.

Lord, I do not know how to do this. 
Yes, I know how to become sinfully angry at my neighbor.  I know how to think wicked thoughts.  But lead me away from my thoughts and into
Your thoughts.  Lead me to love You and
all that You have created such that I see things through Your eyes.  Guide me to know Your goodness by practicing
it and doing what is pleasing in Your sight.

Lord Jesus, You demonstrated the
full range of emotions in Your ministry. 
You have created us in Your image. 
Teach me what is right and what is wrong.  Teach me the places to be and where not to be
that it would be You who defines my faith and not the wicked in this
world.  Guide me according to Your
goodness to come into Your grace and mercy and reside there all the days of my
life.  Amen.

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Devotion for Monday, September 2, 2019

“Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!  Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty
men.  For they speak against You
wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. 
Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?  And do I not loathe those who rise up against
You?”  (Psalm 139:19-21)

What do we do with the reality
of the anger that rises up within us?  Is
there a place to loathe and hate what is wrong and leads people astray?  Do not be afraid of the righteous indignation
which belongs to God.  He will avenge
Himself in due course.  But do not be
afraid to join in indignation against those who rail against the Lord and kill
our children for the world’s cause.

Lord, grant that I would have discerning eyes and a willingness to be
bold for the sake of the truth.  Lead me
always in Your truth that I would abide in Your presence and live Your holy
cause in this hostile world.  Lead me
away from what has led me astray and closer into Your will and way.  Guide me according to Your Word to live out
the promises You have given me now and forever.

Lord Jesus, You walked through
the hostility of this world and paved the narrow way for those who
believe.  Guide me as one of Your own
that I would walk in Your footsteps and be led by Your Spirit in the way of
truth.  Help me now and always to see
through the fog of this age and live into the hope and promise that You give me
by grace.  May I learn to be led, even
emotionally, by You and Your Word.  Amen.

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