Daily Readings at Southeast

  DAY 27: THE ANTIDOTE FOR ANXIETY In Philippians chapter 4 God reveals the antidote for anxiety. His prescription in the midst of our pain, fear, and uncertainty is always prayer. It is amazing to me that, when Paul gave us these words inspired by the Holy Spirit, he was not on a Mediterranean cruise on his way to hang out on the beach. No, he was in prison in Rome, and he was writing to Christians at Philippi, who would experience persecution and pressure in their lives. While we may never experience the confines of an actual prison, there are prisons of other kinds - prisons of personal pain, suffering, and sickness. There is the bondage of bitterness. Some of you may feel you are in a dungeon of depression. Others are behind walls of loneliness and isolation, fettered by fear and feeling chained by their circumstances. However, Scripture shows us prayer is the cure for every worry. It should never be our last chance, but always our first choice. Don't wait to pray for something...

  DAY 26: A SPIRIT OF GRATITUDE Gratitude has been described as the healthiest of all human emotions. Think about it: if you live with a grateful heart, if you live with praise and thanksgiving to God, it counteracts any toxic, negative emotions in your life. It elevates your spirit! Any time I start feeling down, depleted, and tired, do you know what I do? I start praising Jesus! I start rejoicing in Jesus, that my sins are forgiven, that He's given me His Word and His truth to guide me, that I have a future and a hope with Him. When I use prayer to express my gratefulness to God, He begins lifting my spirits, because His joy becomes my strength. And His strength allows me to stand strong in the power of His might! Even when you can't physically stand, the joy of the Lord can be your strength. In spite of your suffering, and even in your pain, God gives you a reason to be grateful. Sometimes we just need a change of perspective. And that's why God says that we should begin...

  DAY 25: GREATER LOVE FOR OTHERS Ephesians 1:15-21 explains that it is through prayer that we see with the eyes of our hearts. So how can we open the "eyes of our hearts"? First, by realizing the value of the gift we've been given in Christ. We have already seen that God's grace and forgiveness are available to all who call upon Him. We are in God's eternal debt because we have been forgiven, fully and freely. It's illustrated so powerfully, so beautifully in the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. When that son who had rebelled and wasted his entire inheritance came home, his father ran to him and welcomed him home. Second, we can see with the eyes of our hearts by praying for Christ's love to fill us. It is a characteristic of a person who knows Jesus and has experienced unconditional love, that they will extend that love to others. When your prayer life is active and full, when you are communing daily with God, you will begin to see others as God see...

  DAY 24: STRENGTH IN TIMES OF WEAKNESS It is often in the very toughest of times and trials that God brings us to a crisis of faith, and it's through that experience that we begin to pray. I've heard it said that, "when you're swept off your feet, get on your knees." Whatever broken conditions you are facing today - in your marriage, your home, your family, through a child that's wandered away, or the collapse of a career? How many times through our pain do we discover our purpose? How many times through our pain do we discover power? It is so often pain that drives us to dependence upon God. 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds us that God's grace is sufficient and that His power is made perfect through our weaknesses. With God all of your cares will be cared for. All that is His will be yours. Through prayer you can experience the delightful nearness of God and lean into His warm embrace. Today, stay before God in prayer until He communicates with your spirit. Su...

  DAY 23: DELIVERANCE FROM TEMPTATION We face a very clear and present danger in our generation. Behind the scenes a battle is being fought for the very hearts and lives of men, women, and children across the planet. This invisible war is being waged between the forces of evil and the forces of good, between God Himself and a created being known as Satan. We, as believers, are in this battle and we're in it to the very end. We are not tourists on a vacation in this world if we're following Jesus. We are soldiers on a mission for Him. And the only way to win this war is to prepare and to pray. Jesus taught us to pray in order to overcome the temptation of the enemy. When we pray, we are protecting our faith, our future, and our families. In these times, we must remember that we are fighting a spiritual battle that can only be won with the spiritual weapons God has provided. God has promised deliverance for His children if we pray. Maybe you're in the throes of temptation rig...

  DAY 22: A HEART FOR OBEDIENCE When we are faithful to observe God's instruction for our lives, then He is faithful to bless us as only He can. It's true, the "blessings" we receive may come in disguise - we gain humility from a job lay-off, we gain self-control from a dried-up bank account, we gain perseverance from a life-threatening illness - but we can be sure that our Father always has our best interest in mind. The key here is obedience, the pattern of never falling away. It is our obedience that is divinely rewarded. It is our obedience that honors our God. It is important to note that, prayer is not a substitute for obedience, nor is it an excuse for laziness. Throughout Scripture, when the people of God would pray, God would fill them, and then they would go in the name of Jesus and share their faith. They would become part of the solution to the problems that were all around them! Prayer makes us a part of the answer. That's why we need to arise from th...