The claims and promises Jesus made to His listeners were like nothing they had ever heard. Even now, when we read how effective Jesus says our faith can be, we ask, “Is this true?”

This possibility was given to the father of a boy who had an unclean spirit that controlled him. His father asked Jesus to heal him. Jesus replied, “Everything is possible to him who believes. At that, the father exclaimed, “I believe. Help me with my unbelief.”

God will help us diminish our unbelief as we keep looking at Jesus, keep listening to His Words, and do whatever He says.

The boy was healed.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, we too humbly ask You to help diminish our unbelief so we can see great miracles through our faith.

DAILY READING: Mark 7-9

Jesus identified several thieves that can steal the Word of God from our lives. Satan always tries to take it away. Trouble and persecution robs it because we don’t allow the roots of our devotional life to grow deep. Allowing the deceitfulness of wealth and desires for carnal things choke out the Word’s effectiveness in our lives.

BEWARE. These thieves will nullify your fruitfulness and spiritual effectiveness.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, we commit ourselves to being faithful to read Your Word. Speak to us by Your Holy Spirit to warn us when we allow the cares of life to choke out its power in our lives.

DAILY READING: Mark 4-6

There was something different about Jesus when He taught. Even as a 12 year old boy, the religious leaders heard the distinctive element of the Heavenly Father’s endorsement upon this young man’s voice and the content of His message.

Christ’s authority is available to us. His blood can cleanse us from our sin giving us a clear conscience. His message can be in our words as we fill our hearts and minds with the scriptures.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations … teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” [Matt. 28:18,20]

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, You have given the words of eternal life to us. Grace us to be faithful witnesses to everyone we come in contact with.

DAILY READING: Mark 1-3

Jesus cried out while on the cross, “Father, why have You forsaken me?” It’s as if He felt singular, alone and without understanding why He was suffering. Nevertheless, when the suffering was concluded, the reason and message of His suffering became increasingly clear.

Usually, it’s after our suffering that we begin seeing reasons and benefits of what we’ve just been through. If we don’t, we can become bitter and negative in our outlook. To prevent this, we must keep in God’s Word to keep our heart soft in God’s hands.

“Into Thy hands I commit My Spirit.”

DAILY PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are our perfect example of how to live and suffer. We trust You for eternal results when we go through trials.

DAILY READING: Matthew 27,28

Christ foreknew the events leading up to His crucifixion including His betrayal by Judas. How difficult it must have been to carry on with this knowledge. Yet He was faithful to His Heavenly Father by continuing to perform His earthly mission sustained by His love for the people of earth who needed a savior.

It’s noble and wise to continue conducting your mission in spite of resistance you encounter. In fact, it reveals your endurance, an admirable quality.

“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” [Heb. 12:2]

DAILY PRAYER: Jesus, thank You for the example you left us by suffering, enduring, yet triumphing over all resistance by being obedient to Your mission.

DAILY READING: Matthew 25,26

On the Mount of Olives, a favorite place for Jesus and His disciples, they asked Him what would signal His return and the end of the world.  At the conclusion of His discourse, He challenged them to simply BE READY by faithfully carrying out the commands He had already given … preach the Gospel and evangelize the world, and maintain their personal spirituality. (He goes on to give the simile of the ten virgins … 5 prepared and 5 unprepared)

Those found being faithful to the mission God gave them will be greatly rewarded.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, You know all things, and we don’t. We want to simple be faithful to You and the mission You gave us to finish here in our lifetime. Grace us today to keep being good workers in Your Kingdom.

DAILY READING: Matthew 23,24

Some are relieved, and some are disappointed, but Jesus made it clear that there is no marriage in Heaven. EXCEPT, we will be married to Him.

Through marriage, we get an earthly object lesson of the Heavenly truth that Christ is the Groom and we are His Bride. God teaches eternal values and skills to us through the marriage relationship. Even when we fail, He shows us what true love is by never failing us.

Focus on the elements of this life that have eternal value rather than temporal.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, give us the wisdom to invest our lives in eternal things. Our neighbors, our loved ones, sin-sick souls who don’t know You, the hurting, the disappointed …

DAILY READING: Matthew 21,22

In Matthew 19, Jesus said God the father created male and female. It was not their decision, it was His creation. However, Jesus did say that a person could choose to be a eunuch, which means a person who declines to marry or enter into a sexual relationship.

God has a role for each of us to fulfill. It’s His plan, not ours. Why do we always think we are wiser than God?

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, You know best. When we take a stand to support Your Word an Your ways, give us favor, wusdom, and protection.

DAILY READING: Matthew 19, 20

To illustrate how important forgiveness is, Jesus told a story of a man who had his debt forgiven, yet did not forgive someone else who owed him. As God has provided forgiveness to each of us, so we must, in turn, forgive when we are sinned against. God’s forgiveness is limitless, so therefore must our forgiveness be limitless.

If we don’t, Jesus warned that we would thereby be shutting off God’s forgiveness to us. That would be disaster.

DAILY PRAYER: Father in Heaven, we desperately need Your forgiveness to go on living. By Your grace, we will extend forgiveness to those who offend us. We are so grateful to You for cleansing us from our unrighteousness.

DAILY READING: Matthew 16-19

Miracles happened whenever Jesus was around. He walked on water to the boat where His disciples were fishing, He took bread and fish and fed thousands with a small portion, He healed all diseases and infirmities of those who asked Him. He generated faith in His hearers with the words and deeds He issued. Peter, too, took some miraculous steps on the water when he exercised his faith in God.

“The just shall live by their faith,” is what the Old Testament prophet said. [Hab. 2:4] You and I can live a miraculous existence by being full of God’s Word and acting on the faith He has infused into us. With God, all things are possible.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, lift us above our doubts. We want to see Your power displayed through our faith. Build Your Kingdom as we pray and believe in Jesus name.

DAILY READING: Matthew 13-15