This is the Weekly Devotional Message from

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

Devotions for November 29^th through December 5^th

Monday "Lean On Me"

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to come to You, Lord. Bless us and forgive us for our sins. Thank you for being such a good God! Take our burdens and help us to see things like You do. Lighten our load. Help us to lean on your wisdom and try and do what You would do. Give us more wisdom and knowledge. Make us awesome servants of God! Teach us your ways. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Tuesday "Our Team"

Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Ephesians 4:11-16 "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

Prayer: "Thank you for our friends in Christ! Bless us and help us to get along. Thank you that we are all working to be more like You. Remind us that we are on the same side. Help us to encourage one another. Make us good listeners. Increase our faithfulness in You, Lord. Thank you for giving us Christian friends and family members! Bless us all and give us an appreciation for each other. Thank you that there are many different kinds of people in the body of Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Wednesday "What's that Noise?"

Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

Psalm 81:13 "Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!"

Proverb 8:32-34 "Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors."

Prayer: "Thank you for speaking to us, Lord! Help us to listen to You and Your Holy Spirit within us. Thank you for leading us in the best direction. Help us to discern your voice and other voices. Thank you for pursuing us and being a faithful God! There is no other God like You. Help us to be faithful to You and seek You daily! Thank you for rewarding us when we do. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Thursday "Darkness"

Psalm 107:10-12 "Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons; Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help."

Psalm 143:3 "For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in darkness, Like those who have long been dead."

Proverb 4:19 "The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble."

Ecclesiastes 2:13 "Then I saw that wisdom excels folly As light excels darkness."

John 3:19-20 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed."

Prayer: "Thank you for teaching us about darkness. Help us to walk in the light! Thank you for showing us how light is better than darkness. Reveal to us what is darkness, when it looks grey. Thank you for giving us Your Word to discern with and guide us. Thank you for not abandoning us on earth! Remind us that life is much better in the light and we don't need to walk in the darkness to realize that. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Friday "Glorify God"

1 Peter 4:11, 16 "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter."

1 Corinthians 6:20 "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

Prayer: "Praise You for being so worthy, Lord! We will glorify You! Remind us that we need to praise and thank You all the time. Show us how we praise worldly things and remind us that You are the Creator and Sustainer of all! Help us to glorify You in our speech, our actions and with our bodies. Purify and forgive us. Remove our shame and guilt. Cause us to be determined to glorify You each day! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Saturday "The Water We Want"

Proverb 10:11 "The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked."

Proverb 16:22 "Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly."

John 4:13-14 "Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

John 7:37-38 "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

Prayer: "Thank you for showing us what is good water and what is bad water. Thank you for creating living water inside of us! Give us wisdom and understanding, Lord. Help it to overflow from us. Thank you for quenching our thirst! Other gods leave us thirsty and hungry, but You satisfy us! Help us to be content with You and You ways. You are what we truly, badly need! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Sunday "Sweet Redemption"Job 19:25 "For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;"

Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Psalm 78:35 "Then they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer."

Psalm 111:9 "He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name."

Romans 3:23-24 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Prayer: "Thanks for redeeming us, Lord! You are an awesome God. Thank you for wanting us to succeed and not wanting us to live in shame. Thank you for forgiving us and giving us salvation through Jesus Christ! Remind us to sing praises to You! Thank you for doing what we could not do on our own. Remind us how much we need You and how much You love us. Increase our love for You and others! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Pray for your friends. Pray with your friends. Pray without your friends. The challenge for this week is to spend some serious time in prayer and be determined to make prayer a habit in your life. The Bible encourages us to pray privately, publicly and with friends. Please read the following quotes. Some reveal interesting truths about prayer. Can you think of any scriptures that tell us about prayer? Don't give up praying. The devil doesn't want you to pray, but prayer is essential in the lives of God's followers. We must pray before, during and after our circumstances. You will be amazed at the power of prayer! Like exercising our bodies, you may not see a lot of results after the first time. However, if you continue praying, you will definitely see results! If you want to read a brief paper on prayer, go here: http://www.jcsm.org/biblelessons/prayer.htm. God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

Quotations

God is bigger than any demon.

This isn't the season for giving, this is the lifetime for giving.

All throughout the Bible, there are unbelievers asking believers to pray for them.

If marriage is at your finish line, you'll have to run this race twice.

Every believer has power from God through prayer.

You become more intimate with the people you pray for, the people you pray with and the God you pray to.

When you see problems in the physical realm, ask God to drop some bombs on the spiritual realm.

The devil is your enemy and if you don't pray, he will beat you.

Read the Bible and think. Ask yourself what Jesus means when He says what He says.

Some of us are clinging to the fence and wanting to be on the other side.

Think of specific instances when you have kept your Christian identity secret.

God joins our suffering, strengthening and lifting us up so that we can share in His glory.

Don't let excitement turn into lust.

Have joy as you stay within God's parameters.

To pray with God is to side with Him.

Mother Theresa had nothing but God.

Pray for people more than once.

I just want to love you.

Weakness hurts my thinking process.

Being called out of the world includes not caring if we are popular in the eyes of the worldly people.

Try doing what you're doing better.

I don't know what's next. Who really does?

Much work can require much comfort.

Not everything that happens in your life is a result of your prayers.

Pray to understand why your prayers aren't being answered.

When our will is God's will, we will prosper.

Exactly what Heaven will be like is the best kept secret in the universe.

Have you eradicated sin from your life? Are you trying?

When I go there, I go there with You.

Whose phone numbers and email addresses have you memorized? Are they godly people?

What or who do you pray for? Why?

I know You're here. You're everywhere!

Many people think things like gasoline and oil make their vehicles run and keep running. Those things are essential, but God's will is what keeps each car running.

What makes the Son leave your eyes?

Keep my feet on the ground and my head in the sky.

If I'm wrong, then I really lived.

How long does the Son stay in your eyes?

Open a door for someone!

You fill my cup and I lift it up for more.

If your mind is consumed with something other than Christ, it may be a sinful desire.

Promise God, day to day, to stay away from the sins that plague you.

If you've made it a habit to say things like "I'm jealous" or "I'm worried," change those words and repent because they are sins.

I'm here to simplify things.

Forgive me for all the times I've sinned and didn't realize it.

Ask God to reveal your sins to you.

If love was a fire, how hot would your coals be?

Since all of the sins in the Bible are dangerous, God's Word has more credibility.

How do you think the next hour of your day would be like if you spent an hour in serious prayer and worship?

Pray, in the morning, for every circumstance you could encounter that day.

Be confident today in your faith because of what Jesus has done.

Because Jesus rose from the dead, we have hope, salvation, victory and purpose.

We will meet Jesus in the air. This is one meeting we won't want to miss.

I'm not waiting for the undertaker, but for the upper-taker.

Always is a long time!

Death will not win!

For the believer, the last rose on the coffin is not the final goodbye.

Pain is not eternal.

Don't let angry faces be so contagious that you see one and wear it.

People deal with loss in different ways.

Doesn't love confront sin in other peoples' lives.

Promoting ungodly things will bring shame to a person.

Watching or reading something a second time will expose you to different parts of it. You could see something new and different.

You are required to be godly, even when the people look up to you want ungodliness.

There will be new effects to new godliness.

God can take anyone and use them for His glory; no matter what, regardless of anything.

Make God a real part of your life.

Thank God that you've developed certain areas in your character and seek to develop more.

The Bible is an intricately written book of truth.

Jesus redeems anyone who trusts Him.

There have been a set of circumstances in my life that only God could have constructed so wonderfully.

Believing in Christ helps you see how He has been working on your life.

Their friends may never be your friends. Their band may never be your band.

Like a siren, He calls to me.

Hear what people aren't saying.

When you feel down because you didn't get what you want, be happy and realize God is planning something better for you.

I was under the waves before I reached out for love.

Repenting from certain sins will cause withdrawal symptoms.

Put Christ first and everything else second.

Do good or it will catch up with you.

I'm glad I don't want dangerous friends and things any more.

If you are not getting the dangerous things you desire, God is protecting you.

Isolation and confrontation have taken a whole new spin.

Keep my feet on the road.

What they want me to be is a pale reflection of what You want me to be.

I've found love as deep as the ocean.

Your eyes hit me like a train.

Your words serenade me like the sweetest of songs.

I would do anything to stay by Your side.

I'm not backing down.

If I'm right then you're wrong.

God opens just the right doors at just the right times.

I just want to love more.

If you have the desire to speak to someone, perhaps it's actually a desire to speak to God.

Satan cannot make himself holy, but he can make God appear to be unholy, closing the gap between man's perception of God and Satan.

Are you strong enough to apologize when you make a mistake?

Wise people listen very closely.

Worship God intensely!

Wherever you go, you take all of you with you. Be discrete about which parts come out at which times.

Use words that people understand.

Our experiences and roles in life should help us in our jobs.

Are your beliefs dependent on another human's beliefs?

You remember things better when you write them than when you hear them. Saying something out loud will help you remember it, too.

All other gods steal from us, but You give to us!

Give beautiful gifts.

Are you sitting on your spiritual hands?

God gave us His Holy Spirit and expects us to do something with it.

Keep looking up.

Remember that this race probably will not end when you want it to.