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Read John 14:15-17a, 26 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Reflect What is the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives? How does He help us? Have you ever felt like living the Christian life is harder t

Read John 14:1-3 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may also be.” Reflect What troubles you the most in this world? Will that still be a problem for you once Jesus returns? The world is a troublesome place. Which shouldn’

Read John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” Reflect What were you taught growing up concerning eternal life? Does today’s verse support that teaching? Why or why not? What must I do to be saved? That’s the question the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas after God miraculously sprung them out of prison. They responded: “Believe in the Lo

Read Psalm 145:18-19 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. Reflect How have you felt God’s presence recently? “God, are you there?” I’ve seen variations of this question in TV shows, movies, songs, and books. I am sure it has been written down in countless journals and uttered in many bedside prayers. Maybe you’ve wondered the same thing. Is God really the

Read Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Reflect Has someone ever broken their promise or lied to you? What impact did that experience have on you? You’ve probably heard it said that trust is difficult to build but easy to break. It’s true. When someone lies to you, it’s hard to believe them when they say that they are sorry and they

Read Hebrews 12:11 “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had eart

Read Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor heig

Read James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Reflect What lessons have you learned from difficulties in your life? How have they helped you? What was your least favorite subject in school? Geology? Chemistry? Math? Many of us probably have vivid memories of struggling

Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. Reflect Does looking forward to a reward help you endure a trial? What do

Read Matthew 7:24-27 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against

Read John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me, you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. Reflect Do you have a healthy expectation of trials and tribulations in life or do they seem to catch you off-guard? Why do you think that is? “It was never supposed to be this hard!” Have you ever uttered those words? We all have different  problems, sure, but we all have problems. Relationships can be messy, so c

Read Matthew 14:25-31 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It’s a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesu

Read Luke 1:35-38 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Refl

Read Psalm 56:3-4, 8-11 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?...You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Reflect What do

Read Joshua 2:1-5 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” Then the kind of Jericho sent Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search

Read Numbers 14:6-10 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, fo

Read Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Reflect What fears do you think Noah faced? Would you consider Noah to be a courageous person? Why or why not? In 1956, United States Senator and the future 35th US President, John F. Kennedy released a book titled, Profiles In Coura

Read John 17:14-21 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desi

Read Philippians 4:6-7 …do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Reflect When you are worried and begin to feel anxious about something, what is typically your first reaction? I have tossed and turned all night long. I have made myself sick with worry. I have cried myself

Read Psalm 141:1-2 O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Reflect Have you ever used a prayer journal? Do you feel that writing your prayers down is beneficial? Sometimes, when I sit down to pray, I just can't quiet my mind. A thousand thoughts are swirling around in my head—usually my to-do list. I keep checking the clock because I

Read Deuteronomy 6:5-9 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on

Read Matthew 6:9-13 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Reflect Do you follow a certain pattern or method when you pray? Many new believers say, “I want to talk to God, I just don’t know how.” But what new believers may not

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Reflect What do you think it means to pray without ceasing? Imagine trying to have a meaningful relationship with someone you never talk to. That individual talks with you, but you don’t reply. They send you messages that you occasionally read, but you don’t respond. Communicating is completely a one-way street. How meaningf

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Reflect As you read today’s verse, did you spot any