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Baby Sieps

1/6/2019

TODAY’S VERSE
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.II Peter 1:5-8 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Have you bought the lie? Do you sit around wishing there was something you could do about your spiritual life? Do you feel helpless to live the kind of life that Christ has asked you to? Well, there is good news! You and I do not have to be a victim of satanic attacks or the pull of our old nature. God in His word has suggested a better way. He tells us to make every effort to “add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” Every effort, I can live with that. Every effort means that we really try. It acknowledges that there may be set-backs but that is okay. Get up and make every effort again! That is what Peter means when he writes that we need to possess these qualities in increasing measure. He is talking about baby steps. We make every effort, fall down, get up and make every effort again. When we do, look at the hope, look at what God promises. He says if we make every effort to increase our faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love in baby steps, that it will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in our Christian walk. Today, you can claim this promise for yourself. Don’t buy the lie. You can live for God today. You can make a difference, one baby step at a time.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, I want to live for You, but I acknowledge that I keep tripping up. Help me take my faith and add to it goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love in baby steps. Holy Spirit, convict me, guide me and give me the discipline to begin living for You today. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

Don't Give Up Doing Good!!!

12/1/2018

TODAY’S VERSE
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
It is hard work doing good. It seems like there is always a shortcut, a reason to delay, an easier way. It is easier to complain than to fix something. It is easier to quit than to go the extra mile. We find ourselves asking, “If this is so good, why is it so hard?” Besides, there is no way you will ever get paid for all you are doing; most of the time your efforts will go unrewarded. And yet we do good because it is the right thing to do. It is what Jesus would do. Nobody knew this more than the Apostle Paul. He pens these words for our encouragement, “Don’t get tired of doing good! You will reap a harvest of blessing, just don’t give up!” So, what good are you doing? What have you started but need to get back to? Are you discouraged? Do you feel like giving up? Talk to God about it today. Let Him know. Ask Him for strength and joy. Ask Him to give you a glimpse of the possibilities and then get back up and continue on. You will see the end, there will be a blessing, don’t give up.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Lord, You know where I am at. You know the good I am trying to do. You know my struggle. I cannot see the end. I need Your help. I need Your strength. I recommit myself today to doing the good that You have called me to do. Lord, I believe that there will be a harvest of blessing. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

What Do You Want Him To Do For You?

11/3/2018

TODAY’S VERSE
Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” Matthew 20:30-32

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Deep down inside you know there has to be more. There must be a relief for your pain. Perhaps like two blind men on the side of the road, if you knew Jesus was coming, you would shout out to Him. In his book, The Church That Heals Doug Murren writes, “We need the miraculous in the church today. Postmodern people are too broken to be fixed through simple human caregiving; they need to be pieced back together through the Supernatural healing of Jesus through His body the church.” What is it you need today? Where are you hurting? Today Jesus is asking you the same thing that He asked the blind men, “What do you want me to do for you?”

TODAY’S PRAYER
Jesus, I am sitting here today by the side of the road. I am in great need. I have shouted for mercy and You have heard me. Help me to respond to Your question, What do you want me to do for you? In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

Think Right

10/1/2018

TODAY’S VERSE
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
You have heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” I think in reality, “We are what we think.” Thoughts, whether conscious or on a more hidden level, affect the way we feel, perceive reality, act or react. Thoughts help create our moods, attitudes, and beliefs. Anger, jealousy, pride, envy, sadness, rebellion – these and many other negative emotions or behaviors have their root in the way we think. That is why it is so important to be aware and take responsibility for our thinking. Paul instructs us to consider that our mind is in a spiritual war. Because of that, we are to demolish any rouge thoughts that set itself up against Godly thinking. We are to take our thoughts captive and put it through a Godly filter so it becomes the way He would have us think. Paul admonishes us to dwell on thoughts that are noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Today you have a choice; you can rule your thoughts or you can let them rule you. Let Jesus be the Lord of your thought life. Let Him help you with the way you think.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I bring you my mind and my sub-conscious mind. Help me bring all my thoughts into the light of Your Holy Spirit. Today, dear Lord, help me dwell on thoughts that are noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

The Real Deal

9/22/2018

TODAY’S VERSE
My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
Job 42:5

TODAY’S THOUGHT
It is so easy to walk in our Christian experience and really believe that we know God. We are like a baseball fanatic. You know the kind. He can tell you everything about a certain player. He can quote their batting average, the number of homers, lifetime RBI’s. He knows where they played college ball, the names of his wife and children. He even has an autographed baseball. Yet, he has never met the player. Never went to his house, never sat with him at dinner or even had a discussion. Everything he knows is from reading or listening to commentators. Now don’t get me wrong, there is passion! Chances are he will fight you if you say something derogatory about the player. There is a passion but it is based on admiration, not friendship. Job came to a place where everything he thought he knew about God seemed empty and vain. And then He met God. Job knew all about God, He “worshipped” God, He even lived the way he thought God wanted him to; but when he saw God, it all changed. Knowing God in a personal and intimate way changes everything. And the beauty is that God created each of us with the ability to know Him. He has equipped us with the Holy Spirit who is to teach us all things and bring us into intimate fellowship with God. But the choice is yours. You can choose to spend time with God and ask Him to reveal Himself to you or you can continue to “know” about Him. Cry out to God today and ask Him to open your eyes like He did Job’s and you will be able to say, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, sometimes I feel so phony inside. I talk about You, I read about You, I pray to You, but I don’t seem to really know You. Today, Lord, help me be conscious of Your presence. Father, speak to me. Help the eyes of my heart to see You. I want to know You in a deep and personal way. Help me Lord I pray. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

First Love

9/1/2018

TODAY’S VERSE
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. – Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
Revelation 2:2, 4-5

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Remember when you first came to Christ? You were aware of your need. You were humbled by His love, appreciative of His sacrifice for you. You wanted to help everyone else know Him. What happened? How did we allow our intimate relationship with Christ to become a ritual? When did we trade our freedom? When did we forsake our joy? Have we traded our relationship with Christ for a religion? Have we given up grace for rules and regulations? Have we traded the mission of the church for membership in a country club? Paul wrote the church in Colossians, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” He asked them to continue to live in Christ just like they did the first day they tasted of salvation. The first day the Spirit of God was born in their heart, the first time the tears from God’s forgiveness stained their cheeks. John warned the church in Ephesus that even though they worked hard and persevered, they had lost their first love. He admonished them to repent and return to doing the things that they did at first. Oh, that we would never forget the wonder that God loves us. Today, examine your heart. Do you feel far from God? Who moved? Go back to the place you met Christ. Rededicate your heart to Him. Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, take me back to the time I first knew You. Renew the joy in my soul. Reignite the fire that burned in my heart. Help me to remember and to live this day in the fresh awareness of Your love and forgiveness.
In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

God's Path

8/1/2018

TODAY’S VERSE
Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Remember, O LORD, your compassion and unfailing love.
Psalms 25:4-6

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Life is a journey. We are not settlers in this world. We are called to go through life as an ambassador of heaven, a sojourner commanded to give away God’s peace and love. And the journey can get messy. That is why it is so important to learn to navigate, to solve problems and to discern what to do next. David is crying out that God would direct his path. He said, “Lead me by your truth and teach me.” This is important. So much of our hardships, misdirection and hurts in this life are due to deception and misinformation. We need to pray that God would show us the truth and teach us through each experience. This is how we derive our faith and hope in Him. We succeed and make progress by learning. David learned to put his hope in God and trusted that God’s compassion and love would not fail. God wants the same for you. Today, may God lead you and point out the road for you to follow. May you learn all about His compassion and unfailing love.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I need Your guidance today. Show me what road to follow. Guide me by Your truth and teach me to trust You. I put my hope in You and Your compassionate, unfailing love. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

My Needs

7/1/2018

TODAY’S VERSE
Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:32-33

TODAY’S THOUGHT
We can really complicate life, can’t we? There are so many demands on our life. There are so many things that we think we must do we have lost sight of what is really important. Jesus comes along and would say to us, “Stop filling your life with so many other things and let Me fulfill your real need.” You see, Jesus knows what satisfies, and He offers it to all His followers. He said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” The real secret to this life is to live in His Kingdom, instead of our own. We need to live in this world with heaven’s priority. God loves you. Trust Him, live for Him and He promises that He will give you everything you need.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, You know my name. You know who I am. You also know my needs. Thank You, for Your promise that if I seek Your Kingdom above everything else, You will give me everything I need. So I come to You now, Father, and ask that You would help me live for You. I entrust my needs to You. In Jesus’ name. AMEN

That People Would Know God

6/3/2018

TODAY’S VERSE
O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. I Kings 18:36-37

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Elijah challenged 450 Baal worshippers to a contest. Elijah and the Priests of Baal would put up two altars complete with offerings and whichever, Baal or Jehovah, would call down fire from Heaven onto the sacrifice was the real God. Elijah was confident that it would be Jehovah because he was doing what Jehovah commanded him to do. Today our faith in God is on trial more than ever before. God has given us commands too. Not a command to call fire down from Heaven but to live our Christian life out in front of the world. God’s great compassion must be exhibited through our lives. As we love others, in the name of Christ, they see the love He has for them. How can we do anything else? We who were snatched from our sinfulness, brokenness and alienation from God, how could we not love others and pray for them to know God in the same way we do? Elijah cries out to God in a broken voice and says, “Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Do our hearts weep over those that do not know Him? Do we live our life so that others would see our life and recognize the Savior’s influence? Oh that God’s holy fire would fall from the sky today through our acts of love and kindness. Might He receive the Glory and might people turn to Him.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, like Elijah, I come to the altar of sacrifice. Might You use me today to love, to sacrifice, and care for those in need. Might others see my life today and come to know You, the true and living God. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

God's Pursuing Love

5/1/2018

TODAY’S VERSE
“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.”
Psalms 23:6 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Psalms 23 is perhaps the most popular passage in the Bible. Parts like, “Though I walk through the shadow of death I will fear no evil” are often heard at funerals. At the end of Psalms 23 there is a glorious verse. Usually it reads, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” It sounds so poetic but do we really understand the meaning? Today’s passage says it in a slightly different way, a way that really brings out the true meaning. It reads, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.” See the difference? It is not some passive “following”. It is not a result of any good we have done. Instead, it says that God “pursues” us with His unfailing love and goodness. Not just temporarily, but all the days of our lives! He pursues you. If you ignore Him, He pursues, if you take Him for granted, He pursues, even if you turn your back on Him, His unfailing love and goodness pursues you. Today, live in the joy that God is pursuing you with His love.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Oh Father, thank You for Your pursuing me with Your unfailing love and goodness. Today, help me live in the joy of that reality.
AMEN