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Published 6/14/19 Read Isaiah 40:3-5 A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Reflect • Are you "clearing a path in the desert"? • Are you "sh

Published 6/13/19 Read Isaiah 38:15-17 What shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live! Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. Reflect •

Published 6/12/19 Read Isaiah 37:18-20 "Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord." Reflect • Are there any strongholds or idols in your life that you need God to destroy? • Do

Published 6/11/19 Read Isaiah 36:6-10 Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. But if you say to me, "We trust in the Lord our God," is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, "You shall worship before this altar"? Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you

Published 6/10/19 Read Isaiah 35: 3-6 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 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." Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. Reflect • God is returning--are you ready? • Is your hear

Published 6/7/19 Read Isaiah 33:20-22 Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts! Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent, whose stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken. But there the Lord in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, where no galley with oars can go, nor majestic ship can pass. For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us. Reflec

Published 6/6/19 Read Isaiah 31:4-5 For thus the Lord said to me, "As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it." Reflect • Do you stay close to God dur

Published 6/5/19 Read Isaiah 30:19-21 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to t

Published 6/4/19 Read Isaiah 29:13-14 And the Lord said: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden." Reflect • Is your worship sincere? • Is your heart

Published 6/3/19 Read Isaiah 28:15-17 Because you have said, "We have made covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip passes through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter"; therefore thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.

Published 5/31/19 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 • How does it make you feel knowing that Jesus has overcome the world? • Do you trust that He is with you during times of trouble? • Can you pray a prayer of surrender with confidence? (Explain your answer.) Our world is broken and dysfunctional. Bad things happen to good people. Sin is

Published 5/30/19 Read Hebrews 1:1-4 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ha

Published 5/29/19 Read Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV) "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today 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 the evil one.' " Reflect • In what ways is the Lord's Prayer a perfect prayer? • What do you learn from these special words? • What is

Published 5/28/19 Read Matthew 18:18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Reflect • What did Jesus mean when He said, "whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven"? • Do you believe we have authority in Jesus' name? • Can we actually pray with God's power? Jesus tells us in this verse that we have authority in His name. But it is based on our desire for God's will to be don

Published 5/27/19 Read Matthew 18:19-20 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." Reflect • What does it mean to pray in unity? • Why is unity among believers important? • What does this verse mean: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them"? (Please explain.) We were created to live in community

Published 5/24/19 Read 1 Chronicles 16:34 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Reflect • Do you worship God with your prayers? • What are some of the ways that God has blessed you? • What are some of the things you are thankful for? How do you express them to God? (Please explain.) Worship. Praise. Thanksgiving. These words can mean so many different things to different people. But the essence of worshipping God and praying with

Published 5/23/19 Read 1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. Reflect • Do you pray for every need? (Why or why not?) • What gives us confidence that our prayers are being heard and that they will be answered? • What does it mean to ask "according to his will"? Bringing our need

Published 5/22/19 Read Luke 22:41-42 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." Reflect • How do you stay true to God as He leads you down difficult paths? • What steps do you take to follow God's will? • Has there ever been a time in your life when what seemed to be God's will just didn't make sense? What did you do? (Please explain.

Published 5/21/19 Read Ephesians 1:15-19 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riche

Published 5/20/19 Read Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Reflect • How would you describe your prayer life? Is it formal or personal? • Does a time spent in prayer draw you closer to Jesus? • What do these verses mean: "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours"? Prayer is conversation with our Creator, and it is as personal as our relationship with

Published 5/17/19 Read Proverbs 28:13 (NIRV) Anyone who hides their sins doesn't succeed. But anyone who admits their sins and gives them up finds mercy. Reflect • Are there areas of your life that you're hiding from others--even from God? The truth is, God already knows about them, so come humbly before Him and confess your sins. • Do you believe that Jesus will forgive you? • Do you trust that He loves you and cares about every struggle you're facing? Once we've spent time

Published 5/16/19 Read Hebrews 13:15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Reflect • What is a sacrifice of praise? • God delights in our prayers as we honor Him with our hearts and minds. Why is praising His name and giving thanks the right place to begin as we pray? • What are you thankful for? Prayer is an investment in our relationship with God. Even though it is important to be pra

Published 5/15/19 Read 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Reflect • What does it mean to humble ourselves and pray? Why is this important? • What kinds of things keep you from praying? • How can being too busy destroy a prayer life? Life gets busy, which means that too often prayer is bumped to a few q

Published 5/14/19 Read James 1:6 (NIV) But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Reflect • Do you pray with confidence, believing that God will answer you? • How can you overcome doubt? • Do you trust that God knows what's best and will take care of you? Prayer is connection. "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those wh