Donna is a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, and Biblical counselor. She has been blogging through the Bible each year since 2012. She loves God's Word and sharing how freeing and practical it is. She is certified through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.
Do you ever feel inadequate or frustrated with your prayer life? If so, you’re not alone. It appears even the disciples wanted more when they said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In our New Testament reading, we’ll talk about Jesus’ outline for prayer and how we can use it during our devotional time, along with another help that can lead to a more consistent, satisfying prayer life. We’ll also talk about our motives for praying and other things we do.
From our Old Testament reading check out “How Do You Evaluate Opportunities?” See how not to make decisions and some ways to evaluate opportunities.
Also, today, “The Joy of Spiritual Prosperity,” “The Fear of God,” and “The Importance of Forgiveness.”
Do you need to perform some radical surgery before something in your life causes you to sin? Do you need to take a scalpel to some habit or attitude or set some boundaries to protect your marriage or someone else’s? And on the subject of marriage, what does the Bible say about divorce? Is it ever allowable? What if you’re just not happy or you have fallen out of love? What does God say about these very real issues? Jesus addressed all these things in the “Sermon on the Mount” in today’s New Testament reading.
Are you struggling with any of these questions and concerns or do you know someone else who is? The Bible encourages us to seek help and godly counsel when necessary. So, is it possible a biblical counselor could help? Find out more about what biblical counselors do and how it could be just what you or someone else needs.
In today’s readings, we will once again look at Noah and his family. God called Noah a righteous man, yet we’ll see that he was barely off the ark before he sinned. The result was shame and loss of respect within his own family.
And when it comes to God, shame can cause us to avoid prayer, Bible reading, and going to church in a foolish attempt to run from God. But there is a better way!
We’ll, also, talk about being made in the image of God, the quality of our “salt,” the danger of dishonoring our parents, and responding to the sins of others.
Do you want to grow spiritually? Do you know someone else you’d like to see grow spiritually?
Matthew 28.19-20 says we are all to go and make disciples and to teach others how to live the Christian life. That often involves us growing, too.
So, how can the average person live out Matthew 28.19-20, also called the Great Commission? Watch the video to learn about an easy-to-use resource that can help you do that.
Today we’ll look at Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness and how He responded because the same principle can help us when we are fighting temptation or spiritual attacks. We will, also, look at how memorizing Scripture fits into all this and how the devil can, actually, use Scripture against us.
Also, did you know that every major civilization has a “flood story” as part of its oral or written history? What does the biblical account of the flood teach us about God, His character, and His sovereign control of world events? And why should this be so comforting to us in the sometimes dangerous time in which we’re living?
I don’t have to tell most of you that life can get messy. Much of that messiness is the result of our own choices. Those messes and the consequences are often what God uses to get our attention. As a result, we experience sorrow and regret. But is sorrow or regret what God requires? Rather than regret, He calls us to repentance. But what exactly is that? Is sorrow, depression, or something more?
And on a wider scale, have you taken some time to think about your plan to grow spiritually this year? We are never standing still with God. We are either growing or slipping backward. Let’s always be growing.
It started right there in the garden. The serpent tempted Eve with a thought, “Did God really say …?” The first step in his deception was to get her to doubt God and he’s still whispering the same question today. What is he tempting you to doubt?
But God didn’t give up on mankind. His response provides hope to us all. And in the next chapter of Genesis, He counseled a young man. Could that counsel be something you need to hear?
Also read about the murder of dozens of innocent babies by a jealous, paranoid king, the danger of thinking we’re smarter than God, the importance of honoring parents, and some examples of fulfilled prophecy.
Why a fresh start through the Bible? And why “through” the Bible? Why not just read here and there, perhaps finding a subject that interests you? Or how about a short devotional? As long as you read something every day, isn’t that good enough? Today’s reading from the book of Psalms gives us a very good illustration of why it’s so important to read God’s Word in context.
The psalmist in Psalm 1 talks about a man who is like a tree planted on a riverbank where it gets plenty of water and is always fruitful. The psalmist goes on to say that God prospers whatever this man does.
I don’t know about you, but I want my life to be like that. But despite some who teach that God wants to make every believer prosperous, there are requirements for this prosperity. There are things we must do and other things we are to avoid. We also need to understand what the psalmist meant when he wrote about prosperity. If we don’t, we may find ourselves disillusioned, even angry, with God.
But this is just one example of the importance of understanding God’s Word in context, in its entirety. One of the biggest problems I find among believers is a failure to know God, to know His character, and to know how He works through our tests and trials. As a result, far too many lead faithless defeated lives.
Today we’ll finish our Old Testament reading with the little book of Malachi. Though it’s little in size, it’s not little in spiritual truth. Malachi’s words challenge us to give God our best, not what is left over, whether that means our finances, time, talent, or some other resource.
So, how can we purpose in our hearts to give God our best in the coming year? How can we bring Him glory in all we do and honor Him in our marriages, our singleness, or whatever our situation?
Then our final passage in Proverbs pictures “the virtuous or excellent wife.” We’ll look at how an ancient description speaks to us today.
Finally, as you read the last 2 chapters of Revelation, allow John’s vision of the glories to come to excite your heart!
The Bible is not a series of books about God. It is one book, penned by numerous human authors, and inspired by God. It is His-story told through His continuing revelation of Himself to mankind. The more you read it, the more you see how the books, the prophesies, the stories, and the letters fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. In today’s O.T. reading Zechariah prophesied hundreds of years earlier about many of the things Jesus showed John in the book of Revelation.
And in our New Testament reading, as we continue through the book of Revelation, we learn about two final judgments. One day every person will stand before God at one of them: “the great white throne judgment” or “the judgment seat of Christ.” Where will you stand?
