If we walk by the Spirit, obeying His Voice in our hearts on every matter, we spare ourselves the grief of reaping the painful consequences of satisfying our flesh. God will never steer us in the wrong direction. He only wants the best for us.

We think we know what’s best. However, when we err by allowing our sinful desires to be in the driver’s seat, we are headed for a wreck!

Just ask yourself, whose voice is it that I’m obeying? … my flesh, or God’s Spirit. Obey God.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, You know what is best for me. Give me the needed grace to refuse the voice of my flesh and be obedient to the Holy Voice of Your Spirit.

DAILY READING: Gal. 4-6

Paul makes it clear that when we accept Christ, our differences disappear ie. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” [Gal. 3:28]

Christ’s Spirit and power is to change every man from his carnal identity to his new identity. We are redeemed by the blood of Jesus to be a different person. “Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.” [2 Cor. 5:17]

Our mission: to bring others out of their captivity to sin and into a relationship with Christ unto eternal life.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, through all of the tension in the world today, help us not lose sight of our primary mission. We pray for the lost. We ask that You give us Your eyes and heart of compassion.

DAILY READING: Galatians 1-3

When I read the catalog of suffering and peril that the Apostle Paul endured, [2 Cor. 11:16-33] I am resolved that I won’t complain about my light afflictions.  It is truly amazing all the ordeals Paul endured for the furtherance of the Gospel. Surely his reward in heaven will be great.

His focus was on the eternal rewards promised by the Lord as should we be also.

It’s all in what you’re looking at. If only this life and its consequences, we need an adjustment of focus.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, forgive us for limiting our focus to only the temporal. We hereby set our eyes and affections upon Your eternal kingdom and its rewards.

DAILY READING: 2 Cor. 9-13

In Paul’s treatise on giving, [2 Cor. 8] he makes the above statement. Because it is a grace, the element of God’s empowering is vital. We are not givers by nature, but GOD IS!

He so loved that HE GAVE.[John 3:16]

It’s the Father’s good pleasure TO GIVE. [Luke 12:32]

“How much more will your Father in heaven GIVE GOOD GIFTS to those who ask him!”  [Matt. 7:11b]

Hence, we learn the grace of giving by allowing God’s giving nature to flow through us.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, all I have is Yours. You have given life to us. Every breath is Your gift. We want to honor You by being good givers.

DAILY READING: 2 Cor. 5-8

Paul describes the physical hardships spiritual leaders experience so that Christ’s Spirit Life can be revealed. I can relate. As he said, “We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” [2 Cor. 4:16]  In my own journey, I am comforted by the promise God gave us through the writing of Paul; “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

The key, he reveals, is keeping our eyes on Christ.  In our weakness, His strength is made complete [and revealed.]

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, forgive me for complaining about physical hardship. I will look at You, the source of my strength. You give me all that I really need.

DAILY READING: 2 Cor. 1-4

As Paul concludes his treatise on the state of the resurrected man, he leaves a firm admonishment to Christ followers … “Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord.” His insight into how our future will play out also gave him awareness of what will stand the test of time.

When perspective on our reason for being is acquired, we realize that only what’s done for Christ will truly last. There is no other motive for living that yields comparable eternal results.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, thank You for opportunities to participate in Your eternal Kingdom. Open our eyes daily to see specific ways we can work on Your goals.

DAILY READING: 1 Cor. 15, 16

The most important element in God’s Kingdom here on earth is often lacking. Without love, the Apostle Paul says we are NOTHING. [1 Cor. 13]  Likewise, Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do NOTHING. [Jn. 15:5b]

It’s more than a feeling. True love can only be known by the deeds and actions it prompts.

God is love. He so loved the world that He gave.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, we need more love, more power, more of You in our lives. Let Your love flow through us today.

DAILY READING: 1 Cor. 12-14

In that self-control is one of the fruits of the Lord’s Spirit in our lives, Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians fits well. He said, “ No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” [1 Cor. 10:24] In plain English, he meant seek the welfare or advantage of others rather than your own.

If everyone observed this recommendation, what a wonderful world it would be.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, forgive us for looking out for ourselves all the time. Give us eyes to see how we can seek the advantage of others.

DAILY READING: 1 Cor. 9-11

Paul warns us to keep material things in perspective. “You should use the things of the world without letting them become (too) important to you. This is how you should live, because this world, the way it is now, will soon be gone.” [1 Cor. 7:31]

Another way to say it … use things but don’t let them use you.

Life is simpler and more rewarding when we focus on the important things … loving God and loving people, not things.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, thank You for Your provision for our lives … food to eat, clothes to wear, homes to live in. Forgive us for becoming engrossed in things.

DAILY READING: 1 Cor. 5-8

When Paul came to the church at Corinth, he found divisions among the saints that troubled him greatly.  They formed affiliations according to the teacher they endorsed. After reproving them, his appeal was that they unite in mind and thought around Christ and no one else.

Cults espouse human leaders. Beware when any man or woman tries to draw you after themselves rather than to Christ and His teaching.

Every man’s work will be tried by fire.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, unto You alone do we bow. Your name is the only banner we rally to. It was Your blood that cleansed us, and Your Spirit will unite us.

DAILY READING:  1 Cor. 1-4