O     Our walk should show the gentleness, goodness, and love of God who having paid our sin price in full, purchased us.

A     I continuously struggle with showing gentleness to people who disagree with me. I am certainly trying and I am not as abrasive as I was once. Now, I try to show them through arguments and discussions where I believe they are wrong. I need to be able to argue at all times with compassion, but the anger that builds inside of me during arguments turn off my compassion. I need to find a way to keep my usual level of compassion when I am in an argument. I need to love them as Christ did. I need to be as gentle with them as Christ was with me when I used to argue with Christians during my years of unbelief. I will from today on, keep an eye on situations where I might not be gentle, either during arguments or when interrupted.

P     Lord, please help me in my search to reflect Your image even to those who disagree with me. Help me show them the love You showed me when I mocked You. Please put me throught trials that will help me develop

O     The temporary pleasure that we receive from acquiring possessions pale in comparison with the blessings of giving. By giving instead of receiving we receive the blessings of helping someone, the blessings of knowing that instead of satisfying our shallow desire for material possessions, we helped someone in their time of need. By giving instead of receiving we demonstrate God’s love towards the other person, a love that is selfless and pure, a love that has the other person’s need as our need, the other person’s suffering as our suffering, the other person need for salvation as our need for salvation.

A      It is more blessed to give, and now that we have received such a great gift as the gift of salvation, what a blessing it is to move forward and give others the news of such a gift. I sometimes allow tiredness, full schedules, and other minor issues to stop me from sharing the good news of salvation with others. But I am now changing my way of living and setting my priorities straight. Living day to day just to pay bills, etc is not the life of a believer. I need to give others what I so abundantly received, God’s gift of salvation, His forgiveness, His love, His kindness, in essence His Son.

P     Lord, give me wisdom in how to re-structure my life, my finances, my everything so that Your priorities are my priorities. Father teach me to give love as You give it. Teach me to give of myself as Christ did. Teach me that it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

O     This sorrow is part of the six sorrows that Israel suffered. This sorrow was due to the people calling good evil and evil good. This evil is so detestable because not only do a person sins against God by doing what is evil, but now they are teaching it to others and by teaching it, they have called themselves God and better than God since in their minds they can correct God.

A     I need to be aware of sin in all its forms around me and not fail at calling sin when I see it. I will be responsible for the other person’s sin if I do not warn them that what they are doing is sin. I need to be less concerned with what people might say, and more concerned with what God will say. I need to stand firm for righteousness and at the same time I need to be able to do so without being a hypocrite. In this day and age Satan has gotten most Christians to be quiet about sins, they seek to win people to Christ by befriending them only, but Christ also showed people their sins, therefore I will first obey God and avoid even the appearance of impropriety and then I will speak against sin when I see it.

P     Lord, help me in my walk. Help me see my disobedience as I commit to live a life pleasing to You. Help me also have the courage to call sin to the surface when it is not popular, when it is against the tide of popularity, give me the courage of Your prophets of old, the heart of David, and the fellowship of Enoch. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

O      Our insight is greater than the insight of the “wise” of the world since we have God’s true and unchanging knowledge as basis. We see the world as it truly is, not as we wish it could be.

A     I need to continue growing in the knowledge of God’s word. One way I am doing this is by falling in love with Him in a deeper way by learning to worship Him in music. Then I can seek the depths of His love as King David did as he sang about the Lord.  I need to focus my attention and learn to place my thoughts in song, as I do so I hope to develop an ever growing desire to worship Him in word and in truth all day long so that I can always think about His laws.

P     Lord, help me as I seek to develop my knowledge of You and Your word in music. Help me develop a heart like King David, which thought of Your laws constantly. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

O     Victims are what Satan looks for. Victims fall among other things because of pride. I used to tell children in children’s church that a lamb that goes away from the shepherd thinking that they are safe, are called victims. That is exactly the type of lamb or believer that Satan is looking for. Humbleness makes us aware of our need for our Shepherd, while pride makes us self-reliant based on our limited knowledge. In this area of spiritual warfare, I rather humble myself and just run to the Shepherd when Satan attacks than think I am strong and be a victim.

A      So many times in my walk with God, He has shown me times how my pride has led me astray, has led me to harm. The reason He had to show me is because I was living in cruise control, not being aware of all the things that happen in my life and in my surroundings. I have been not paying attention, not disciplining myself, not caring about those areas of weakness, not working at making those areas stronger. I have just been cruising and failed miserably. But God showed before I hurt others with my arrogance. I need to take daily care to insure that I am careful and watching out for attacks from Satan, that I am doing what I can during these short days on earth to resist him and to bring more to the kingdom.

P     Lord, help me become more humble by showing me each day my areas of weakness. Help me with my attention span as I seek to watch out for Satan, as I seek to look for areas of pride, as I seek to be more aware of all areas of my lives where I can be of use and service in Your kingdom. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

O     A person who lacks self control is as unstable, defenseless, easily attacked, easily dominated, and easily conquered as a city with broken-down walls. In today’s terms we could see this as a house with broken doors or broken windows. Either one is open to the attack of the enemy and is helpless and vulnerable. We would not invest in things of value for that house or city, we would be hiding items instead of displaying them, we would be aware of the fact that at any moment we would have to leave this city or house and we would not have a sense of belonging. Living in a house with broken doors and broken windows would make us feel unsafe, and unsecure. So is living as a person without self-control. I don’t think we are talking here of just anger. I believe that the Lord talks about the lack of control in all aspects of life. This person says the most inappropriate things at the worst times, he or she does not control their urges, their desires are to do what is fun for the moment but not right for the occasion or for the future.

A     I lived so many years as a person who lacked self-control, I showed it in my recklessness, my lack of concern for others, my desire to do what pleased me at the time, and my anger. I did not fully realize the repercussions at the time, because I did not care. I just wanted to have fun and by luck come ahead. I never planned, I never prospered, I never grew. No one trusted me. It reminds me of a city with a broken wall, just being used for the time, but nothing more than emptiness inside. I now seek self-control and the difference is incredible. Now I am in charge and not my anger, desires, lust, and selfishness. I need to continue working on the area of delay gratification. That is the area where I lack self-control in my life. That is the one area where I feel I can be disobedient to the Lord at times. I will therefore seek to exercise my self-control by delaying the gratification that comes from obtaining what I want, when I want it instead of waiting for the best time to have it.

P     Lord, yesterday You help me immensely in my lack of desire to delay gratification. I ask You to place in areas where I would be able to be tested and strengthened in this area of weakness. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

O     Transparency, all of our actions should be as if they were all public, our thinking should be as if we are talking out loud, our love should be authentic, our mercy, merciful because as children of light and of the day we are to be transparent in our behavior. In order for that to happen, we need to be constantly aware of our intentions, of our motives. Both should be as a clear thinking man, alert and sober. Thinking of things as they are, not as we think they might be.

A     I need to be aware of those times when I am not on guard and my imagination or my mind allow me to think things that are not. I need to display clear thinking, sober thinking, realistic thinking in all aspects of my life since my life should be in display for others to see. I should be an example and not just in my public life, but also in the times when I am alone and no one sees me. I should do so since I am a child of Light and I walk always in the presence of God.

P     Lord, I am seeking to live a life of transparency I need Your guidance, I need Your Help, I need Your strength. As I seek to live a life of transparency, I need to learn to obey and not to be concerned about what others think, only about what pleases You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

O     When living in darkness, we have no other choice than to love the shallow living of full darkness. Our desires, our intentions, our goals, and our thoughts are towards darkness every moment of our lives and we seek pleasure in those thoughts and actions. But our lives now are different because of the light of Christ in our lives. We can shine his love to others as we live as His people lives, as people of light.

A     How different my life has been since I first believed. I was mentally immature about 5 years behind my age, I was involved in a lot of different deceptions, and I used to do all kind of foolish things trying to have some joy, some pleasure. But I received no lasting pleasure, all I received was disappointment. Now as a child of God, I need to shine His light. I need to live as He lived, I need to reflect His love. I am now able to do so because He is in me. As His child I am His ambassador, His representative, as his child, when people see me, they see Christianity. As His child, my reflection of His love are what might turn someone towards or against Christ. As His child, I now must live as people of light, since now I have light from Him.

P     Lord, I ask You for immediate correction when my life does not bring honor and glory to Your name. I want to live as a child of light in this world. I want to reflect Your love, I want to love as You do so that when others see me Your name will be glorified. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

O     We are to walk on God’s footsteps, following His example, behaving as He behaves, loving as He loves, being gentle as He is gentle, and forgiving as He is forgiving. We must behave as Jesus in all areas of our lives, inside and out having integrity of heart. He tells us why, it is because we are His children, not just any children, but His dear children.

A     I need to work on walking on His footsteps each day of my life. I need to be careful with the jokes I still tell and with the criticism that still occupy my mind. I need to be as optimistic and encouraging as Jesus was and also as willing to love those who offended Him. I need to stop getting angry at those who mock God since He loves them and is gentle with them. I will start praying asking God for guidance each time a decision comes my way. I need to focus on what His priorities are and do those first. In order to follow His footsteps I need first to develop a heart after God’s own heart as King David had. John 14:9

P     Lord, help me in the way I behave towards others when they mock You and when they take advantage of me. Help me see the people around me as mission fields instead of just as friends and neighbors, Help me see their eternal future with the same alarm that You see it. Help me as I seek to grow more in Christ likeness. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

O     As we get angry, we should maintain control of our lives, of our emotions. We should never let our emotions take control over our thinking. The Psalmist even says that we should delay an answer, that we should think about it overnight. This is the counsel we give to people who are unable to make decisions, either due to drug abuse or any other type of brain damage. We tell them to ask for time before they have to answer, think about it overnight, and to seek counsel from a trusted older brother in Christ. Time removes emotions from decisions.

A     As I have worked on my devotions, I have seen the areas of anger in my life and have worked on those areas since most of them were due to an unforgiving heart. I have learned that I need to forgive those who offend me, whether by real or imagined offense. I have learned to forgive people who take advantage of me, and to see it as God training me in an area of my life that needs change. I have learned that I cannot be the wrong type of zealous for God when He is patient with those who mock Him and use Him. Now I am learning to sleep over decisions. I always relied on my quick thinking and in God’s promise of turning all things for my good (Romans 8:28). Now, I need to be wise in my decisions, I need to sleep on it before giving an answer, I need to focus less on my own abilities to fix situations and more on God’s ability to tell the future combined with His best plans for His sons.

P     Lord, guide me as the Psalmist says to delay answering until I have had a chance to bring the matter before You. Guide me in seeking delay so that I can answer with Your guidance instead of with my instinct or feelings. Guide me today as I am a passionate person. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.