Daily Readings at Southeast

  The Doorstep of Destiny By Danny Saavedra “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”— John 12:23 (NIV) Have you ever found yourself traveling down the road on your way to something you know will be a significant moment in your life? Maybe you were on your way to your first day of college or to interview for your dream job. Or maybe you were driving to your wedding or speeding to the hospital for the birth of your child.  Undoubtedly, this ride is different from your usual trip to the grocery store! Your heart is racing as your mind plays out every possible scenario. Imagine how Jesus must have felt as He traveled down the road about to enter Jerusalem, knowing that this road ultimately would end in His death. Jesus knew that He’d be betrayed, imprisoned, tortured, and killed, but He also knew that “the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified” (John 12:23 NKJV). He was at the doorstep of the dream, on the precipice of God’s great plan . . . You...

DAY 30: TRUE SURRENDER Surrender: it's a word we don't like very much because it speaks of capitulation or compromise. Surrender implies loss, and in a world that glorifies winners we don't want to have anything to do with that. And yet God says to the believer, surrender your life to Me. In this sense, surrender involves complete dedication and consecration. True surrender involves getting off the throne of my life and saying, "Lord, take charge. Lord, You take command of my life." God is not a tyrant. He is our loving, holy and heavenly Father. We can trust Him with our families, with our future, and with our fears.  We may not always understand the what, when, how, and why of God's perfect will for our lives, but of this I am utterly sure: We can trust God to lead us well. God has a wonderful plan for our lives! When we give ourselves unreservedly to Him, He will do His very best for us.  The fact is, if we don't surrender to Jesus we'll surrender t...

DAY 29: THE OPPORTUNITY TO BLESS OTHERS I believe the most important lesson I've ever learned regarding prayer is that it is far better to be an answer to prayer than to get an answer to prayer. Why? Because God wants to answer prayers through us, according to His power at work within us. When you start praying for others you allow yourself to be a channel of blessing. God has blessed us that we would be a blessing to others. Luke 12:48 reminds us that, "To whom much is given, much is required." The Bible is filled with examples of God's using willing servants to convey His blessings to others. Remember Moses? Out there in the desert, he was praying for the children of Israel as the Israelites were praying in Egypt. And God came to Moses in that burning bush and said, "I have heard their cry." Then God told Moses that he was going to be used by Him to answer the Israelites' prayers. While it is wonderful to pray, "Lord, help that missionary," a...

  DAY 28: PEACE IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES In yesterday's reading, we saw how worry and anxiety can be defeated through prayer. In the very next verse in Scripture (Philippians 4:7), Jesus tells us that when we've given our anxiety and our prayers to the Lord, we will receive the gift of peace: "and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." We receive the Lord's peace when we pray. Literally, God's peace descends upon us and takes action! It guards our hearts and our minds. Live in prayer and you will live in peace! There will be quietness and confidence in our lives because instead of getting "worked up" over life's problems we are choosing to "pray them down." Prayer not only gives us peace but it arms us with a conquering spirit, an overcoming spirit! We begin to believe again! We begin to trust the promises of God again! We begin to stand in the strength that is our God when we pr...

  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...

  DAY 21: ANSWERS FROM GOD If I were to take a poll asking people what they most want from prayer, I bet the number one response would be "answers." When we pray, we are seeking a response from God. There is both human responsibility and divine reassurance that work in tandem to accomplish answered prayer. We humbly come before the throne of grace with our petitions, and God answers by faithfully directing our steps. Knowing that God answers the prayers of those who love Him and are obedient to Him, it may be helpful to look at how He answers prayer: Sometimes God's answer is immediate. We pray and receive a "green light" from God. Doors open, things change, and we are certain of His hand in the situation. Sometimes the answer to prayer is delayed. We must always pray until God shows the way. It's also important to not get ahead of God. I've tried that a few times, and it never ended well. Sometimes our requests are denied. When I hear people talk of ...

  DAY 20: SEEK GOD'S WILL I believe that so many have never discovered the power of prayer in seeking to know and do God's will. Step by step, day after day God reveals His will and shows the way to those who truly seek Him and ask Him. The Bible describes the will of God as "good and acceptable and perfect" - does it get any better than that? I've met plenty of people who are nervous seeking the will of God in prayer because they want what they want and are anxious that what God wants for them involves an entirely different plan! What I tell them in response is that, God's will for our lives is what we would want if we really knew what we wanted. And because most of us don't have the big picture of what is needed in our lives, we simply need to pray. We are to seek the will of God, something that we're to long for, love, yearn for, and yield to. And so, we seek God's will through prayer. And then, upon sensing His direction, we joyfully follow it ...

  DAY 19: PRAY FOR GOD'S WILL TO BE DONE It's important to note that God's will is not always done on earth as it is in heaven. It is obvious that we live in a world that is suffering the consequences of grave sin, and that while God is sovereign over all, His will often is not accomplished in our midst. Murder, hatred, terrorism, divorce - these and a thousand other manifestations of our brokenness were never part of God's plan, which is why Jesus implores us to pray for the Father's will to be done. Prayer is not getting our will done in heaven, it is getting God's will done on earth. Our God is neither finite or erring or sinful. He is a perfect Heavenly Father who desires the best for His children. He will always give to us exactly what we need in His own way, in His own time. The prayer life of the believer is about adjusting our will to the will of God. It's been said that prayer is not changing God's mind but finding God's mind. So in seeking ...

  DAY 18: PRAY FOR OTHERS Perhaps one of the greatest ways to experience the power of prayer is through intercession - praying for others. Intercession is the graduate level of prayer. The Bible names several specific groups of people for whom we are to pray. Those in public leadership. This includes the President and Congress, our national leaders, our state and local government leaders, police officers, teachers, and others in authority. Whether or not we agree with their policies and opinions, we are to pray for them - that they would come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Our spiritual leaders. The devil aims his biggest guns at God's leaders, and today, many are discouraged, hurting, and even falling into sin. God's people need to pray for God's leaders. I ask you from the depths of my heart to pray for the pastors, missionaries, and Christian leaders in America and throughout the world. The lost. Are you praying for those in your life who do not know Jesus? Prayer is t...

  DAY 17: PRAY USING SCRIPTURE In the Christian life there is a beautiful and healthy balance between the Word of God and prayer. In prayer we speak to God. In Bible study God speaks to us. We are to store up God's Word in our hearts in order that we might know His will. It's impossible to know what God wants us to do until we first know what God has said in His Word. Because so much of the will of God has been revealed in the Bible, we must invest time reading and meditating upon the Word of God. And as we do, we'll discover deeper aspects of God's will - promises we've never before relied on, avenues we've never journeyed along, open doors we've never seen. Psalm 119:105 calls God's Word "a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path." God loves it when we call upon Him using His own Word. He has blessed His Word not only when it is preached and proclaimed, but also when it is prayed. The most effective prayer is one filled with God's Wo...

  DAY 16: PRAY BOLDLY I believe that we have become too complacent in our prayers. We pray too many safe, vague, and repetitive prayers. When we don't understand the purpose and the value of prayer, our natural tendency is to be lazy, praying things such as, "God, bless my friends, and bless my family. Amen." But general prayers solicit general answers, and we rarely see God moving in the generalities of our lives. Pray in such a way that when God answers your prayer, you know without question what He said! Praying with boldness is a not a "Now I lay me down to sleep" kind of praying. It is not "God bless our food" kind of praying! Bold praying is militant praying, mighty praying in the name of Jesus! Bold prayer is the mountain-moving means by which we connect with the will of Almighty God. If you've never been personal and precise with God, I encourage you to abandon "safe" prayers and take a risk for once. He already knows what we need...

  DAY 15: PRAY PERSISTENTLY Persistent prayer takes faithfulness and patience, especially because we're usually praying about things in our lives that are slow to change. If you're knocking on the doors of heaven now, in anticipation of God answering a real request in your life, be assured that He hears you. God knows your need, and He cares. When the answer to our heartfelt plea is slow in coming we must persevere. Persistent prayer means praying through our doubt, praying through our fears, and refusing to give up. So many times we pray for certain things to happen, when God has a better plan in mind. And so we keep knocking until we receive the direction we need. Scripture says that God will reward in heaven those who are faithful to pray here on earth, because it is these devoted people who have the greatest eternal impact. Praying believers change the destinies of men and women and even the histories of nations. I firmly believe that when we get to heaven, we'll see co...

  DAY 14: PRAY CONSTANTLY I often encounter a misconception about prayer that I call the saltshaker principle. Namely that a little prayer here, a little prayer there - like we're seasoning our food with salt - should be enough. I'm here to tell you that a little "seasoning" is not enough. We need to saturate our lives in prayer! In fact, we're told that we're to pray at all times about all things; that our lives should be lived with a continual, abiding attitude of prayerful devotion and dependence upon God. As followers of Christ, we ought always to be a mere breath away from prayer. But I've discovered in my own life that I won't pray "anywhere and everywhere" until I first pray somewhere. So what does it look like to pray without ceasing? It means to pray as often as we can, about everything that we can. A habit is something we can't stop doing - something we do constantly. And our habits, once we form them, form us. But not all habit...

  DAY 13: PRAY WITH A SINCERE HEART As children of God, we must constantly monitor our heart's posture to be sure our motivation for entering His presence is pure. While prayer is a joyful experience, it is also a serious encounter with God! We should come before a God with an understanding of our reverence before Him. Sincere prayer is not about the physical position in which you pray but about the spiritual attitude of your heart. There is a vast difference between saying prayers and praying prayers. When people offer repetitious prayers as a matter of routine, in a vain attempt to perform for God, inside, their hearts are unmoved. The only way I know how to identify this in my life is to ask myself, do I only pray when people are watching? Do I simply pray so others will think more of me? Jesus is asking about our motivation. So how about you? What's your prayer life like - not what others see, but what God sees? What is your attitude when you pray? Are you resisting Him, de...