Daily Readings at Southeast

   Day 21- Peace Instead of Strife   God’s Word Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.  Matthew 5:9 (NIV)   Today’s Thought Are you a peacekeeper or a peacemaker? Peacekeepers often avoid conflict to keep the peace. Usually, peacekeepers would rather avoid dealing with the issues rather than work through the issues. They would rather not stir the pot or create more problems. Their goal is to avoid the elephant in the room. On the other hand, peacemakers are committed to working through the issues to keep peace in their homes and in their relationships. The only way we can successfully do this is to look to Jesus, the "Prince of Peace."   One of the principles Jesus taught in his famous "Sermon on the Mount" was this truth, "blessed are the peacemakers." Notice he didn't say, "Blessed are the peacekeepers." As followers of Jesus, one of the greatest lessons we can learn from this "be attitude" is knowing ho...

Day 20- Peace Instead of Fear   God’s Word “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”  ‭‭John‬ ‭14:27‬ (‭NLT‬‬)   Today’s Thought In this passage, Jesus knew he was about to die, depart from this world, and ascend to be with the Father. It is so amazing that He says, "I'm leaving you a gift." This gift was peace of mind and heart. This was His Legacy. He was giving us peace with God and the ability to have peace in our minds. Anxiety and fear are very real things, and they are at an all-time high in our culture today. We've never had so many self-help tactics, workout programs, and pills at our disposal, but we still can't seem to find peace.   It's been said that FEAR stands for "false evidence appearing real!" The enemy of our souls has one thing in mind: to kill our hopes, steal our peace, and destroy our future. Jesus, the one who created peace and ...

Day 19- Peace Instead of Worry   God’s Word Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)   Today’s Thought What consumes our minds controls our lives. Nothing weighs heavier on our lives than fear, stress, anxiety, and worry. Have you ever stopped to think about what stress is? It's a response to pressure or a threat. Stress can negatively impact our lives spiritually, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and physically. Stress triggers a hormone called adrenaline that temporarily affects our nervous system. The number one source of stress in our lives is worry. Nothing good comes from worry. Jesus said we can't even add a single day to our lives by worrying  (Matthew 6:27) .   When you think about it, worry exagger...

Day 18- Peace About My Future   God’s Word For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.   Jeremiah 29:11 NLT   Today’s Thought Our perspective is everything when it comes to having peace in our lives about our future. When you have a clear view and eternal perspective of what’s ahead, your current circumstances don’t seem as overwhelming. Have you ever noticed the person driving a car never gets carsick? That’s because the person driving can see the curves, hills, and potholes ahead and make the necessary mental adjustment in advance of what his body (and the car) will later experience. The same is true when it comes to our peace. It is so interesting to know and learn that the prophet Jeremiah was actually in a hard season of his life when he wrote this promise from God  (Jeremiah 29:11)  to the people of Israel as they were in bondage in Babylon. Their hearts were to b...

Day 17- Power In My Witness   God’s Word But I promise you this—the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and you will be seized with power. You will be my messengers to Jerusalem, throughout Judea, the distant provinces —even to the remotest places on earth!  Acts 1:8 (TPT)   Today’s Thought If you are a Christian, have you ever wondered why God doesn't instantly take us to Heaven after we receive Christ into our lives as our savior if that is where we're going to spend eternity? God's rescue plan for saving a fallen and broken world caused by sin is to release those who have been rescued back into the world to help rescue others. In other words, God gives us the assignment to live our lives every day on a rescue mission so that we are His messengers of the "good news" of Jesus to a lost world. God has also given us the person of the Holy Spirit (God Himself) to live inside of us to empower us to speak and share on his behalf supernaturally. God wants us to offer the r...

Day 16- Power In My Weaknesses   God’s Word Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.   2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT   Today’s Thought Have you ever been walking around with a pebble in your shoe? It seems to bother you and irritate you constantly! Eventually, in life, if you have a pulse, you’re going to have a problem that annoys and irritates you and causes you to feel weak. It is an interesting perspective that the Apostle Paul gives us about the things that can irritate our lives, like the thorn he described in his flesh in  (2 Corinthians 12:7) . God doesn’t promise to remove our problems, but he promises to help us change the way we look at our problems or weaknesses....

Day 15- Power Over My Tongue   God's Promise We all fail in many areas, but especially with our words. Yet if we're able to bridle the words we say we are powerful enough to control ourselves in every way, and that means our character is mature and fully developed. Horses have bits and bridles in their mouths so that we can control and guide their large body. And the same with mighty ships, though they are massive and driven by fierce winds, yet they are steered by a tiny rudder at the direction of the person at the helm. And so the tongue is a small part of the body yet it carries great power! Just think of how a small flame can set a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire! It can be compared to the sum total of wickedness and is the most dangerous part of our human body. It corrupts the entire body and is a hellish flame! It releases a fire that can burn throughout the course of human existence. For every wild animal on earth including birds, creeping reptiles, and crea...

Day 14- Power Over My Thoughts   God’s Word And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)    Today’s Thought Sometimes we have to stop and think about what we are thinking about. In our culture today, our thoughts can so easily bend toward things that are not true, things that are negative, and things that keep us from living a life of freedom from worry and anxiety. We have the power to change the way we think by soaking ourselves in the truth of God’s Word because what we soak in, we will soak up and be filled with.   When the power of the Holy Spirit ...