This is the Weekly Devotional Message from

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "Avoid Wasting Words"

Titus 3:9 "But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless."

Proverb 14:23 "In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty."

Proverb 10:20 "The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; The heart of the wicked is worth little. The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of wisdom."

Proverb 10:32 "The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse."

Proverbs 12:18-19 "There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health. The truthful lip shall be established forever, But a lying tongue is but for a moment."

Proverb 15:2, 4 "The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit."

Prayer: "Thank you for encouraging us to speak the truth and not waste words. Forgive us for our sins, Lord. Give us wisdom and self-control. Let us say things that You would say. Help us to be encouragers, too. Thank you for the people who speak kind things to us. Remind us to glorify You with our speech. Thank you for letting us speak, Lord. To You be the glory, honor and praise. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Let's Approach Him Boldly"

Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

James 4:2-3 "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to have faith and be bold as we come to You. Praise You for wanting us to have great, strong qualities. Make us like You, Lord. Thank you for answering our prayers and being faithful to us! There's no other God like You! Help us ask for the right things. Thank you for having patience and mercy with us. Show us what is good and what we truly need. Lift our heads, Lord, and let us see You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "How To Spot A Fool"

Proverb 1:7 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Proverb 14:8 "The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit."

Proverb 15:2 "The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness."

Proverb 10:18 "Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads slander is a fool."

Proverb 10:23 "To do evil is like sport to a fool, But a man of understanding has wisdom."

Proverb 14:3 "In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, But the lips of the wise will preserve them."

Proverb 17:7 "Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool, Much less lying lips to a prince."

Proverb 18:2 "A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart."

Prayer: "Thank you for showing us what a fool is like. Forgive us for our foolishness. Make us like Christ. Help us to recognize fools and refuse to join them in their foolishness. Let us be wise and godly. Thank you for making us wise and godly. Thank you for the many foolish things we've left behind. Help us to seek You and things that are good. Let us delight in your ways and laws. Praise You for knowing what's best! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Abide in Him, He'll Abide in You"

John 8:31-32 "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'"

John 12:46 "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."

John 14:16-17 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

John 15:4-5 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting to abide with us, Lord! Remind us how awesome it is to abide with You! Thank you for your presence and your Holy Spirit. Let us be sensitive to your words and promptings. Thank you for changing us and promising to complete the work You began. Help us to make time for You. Thank you for always making time for us. Let us prioritize You in our lives because nothing satisfies like You and You are very worthy of our time and devotion! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Filled With Joy"

John 15:10-12 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

John 16:24 "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

Romans 15:13 "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Prayer: "Thank you for filling us with joy, Lord! Give us joy until there is a smiles on our faces. Yes, Lord, give us more and more joy! Praise You for being true to your promises. Thank you for wanting to hear our requests, Lord. Thank you for wanting us to have joy! Cause us to pray without ceasing. Thank you for being such a great God. There is none other like You in all the universe! Praise You for your goodness and perfection! Thank you for giving us joy even in the midst of trials and temptations. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Paul's Persecution"

2 Corinthians 11:22-33 "Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ - I speak as a fool - I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness - besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands."

Prayer: "Thank you for telling us about Paul's sufferings and trials. Thank you that I have not gone through all of those things. Prepare me to persevere through whichever trials You see fit. Thank you for the incredible stories of faith and Your providence Paul will tell us when we see Him in Heaven! Praise You for sustaining Him and all the Christians. Remind us that our persecution isn't so bad when we suffer a little persecution. Give us perseverance and lift our heads. Thank you for being such a powerful God. Thank you for putting an end to our suffering one day. Let us see You in our persecutions and not worry. You will sustain us and You will reward us. To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "The Holy One"

Psalm 71:22 "Also with the lute I will praise You - And Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel."

Proverb 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

Hosea 11:9 "I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror."

Luke 4:33-34 "Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are - the Holy One of God!'"

Revelation 4:8 "The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!'"

Prayer: "Praise You God for being the Holy One! Only You are God. Thank you for helping us imperfect humans become like You. Thank you for putting your Holy Spirit inside of our earthly bodies! Praise You for knowing all. Thank you for having ways that are higher than our ways. Give us more faith in You, Lord. You have the perfect plan and see all things. Thank you for letting us worship and praise You! Increase the time that we spend in prayer, worship and praise! Thank you for loving us so much. Nobody loves us like You do. Let us lean on You and give our burdens to You. Thank you for being so Holy and perfect that You defy our imagination. I can't wait to meet You in Heaven, Lord! You are awesome. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Make a mission statement for yourself. Write some goals - short term and long term ones. Pray about your goals and attitudes.

In addition to writing a person mission statement, write some boundaries that you've drawn in your life. These boundaries could include morality issues like dating boundaries, a schedule for prayer, a Bible reading schedule and anything else you wish to include.

Finally, make some vows to God to remain holy and pure. Share these with a friend and let him or her keep you accountable. Only if you've done this before do you know the awesome feeling of protection and determination to be holy! There's nothing like it. God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

Quotations

Let the reliable Holy Spirit direct your conversation as you share the gospel.

If the Christian life is simply a matter of doing our best, there was no need for God to send the Holy Spirit to help us.

Since God is omniscient, He knows when we have done all we can do.

Don't avoid the times where God puts you on His anvil and sharpens you.

Should God place you on His anvil, be thankful. It means He thinks you're still worth reshaping.

Seek to honor God.

Our capacity in spiritual things is measure by the promises of God.

Seize the opportunities to become a better person.

I'm resilient because God is in me.

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm, and other times He lets the storm rage and focuses on calming His child.

Perhaps you're getting preferential treatment, in part, because you are praying for them.

Note the things that you are decidedly not praying for.

Fast so you can see God.

God transcends the power of positive thinking.

If you want to lead me into God, I will follow you.

Obedience characterizes God's disciples.

God's disciples leave church and behave differently.

Discipline is about giving up one thing to gain another.

Appreciate the times when God has humbled you because He loves you.

How would you feel if the people you ignored at church stopped coming?

When someone is talking or telling a story, listen to their facial expressions and body language.

Bodily expression can say more than words.

I hope you're talking like this in five years.

Half-hearted, expectant giving is dangerous.

Who is Jesus to you?

Jesus isn't simply a fire insurance salesman.

If Jesus isn't Lord of all, He isn't Lord at all.

Don't treat Jesus like a genie or Santa Claus.

Don't take back what you've given to God.

If you want life abundantly, you must give God everything.

Get on the worship wagon!

Trace consequences of sin to the sinful action.

God doesn't want to make your life more difficult, He just wants you to have faith.

People who live by faith have exciting lives!

Christianity has a set of skills and standards that we need to follow.

Only God can help you be the person you're supposed to be.

Have you ever confronted a false teacher or teaching?

Learn to discern false teachings.

The demonic world knows how to give people a religious experience without letting them find Christ.

Learn to practice the truth.

Note the services and places where God says a lot to you.

Are you in a church that doesn't emphasize the Bible?

Who has passed the truth to you?

Know God's Word like a banker knows a legitimate hundred dollar bill, then you will be able to discern counterfeits.

If you are an awesome worshiper of God, make sure you read His Word and obey Him, too.

We are to train in the spiritual realm like professional athletes do for their sport.

Do you have more tools for physical exercise or more tools for spiritual exercise?

Jesus clearly wants us to have His joy.

There is joy in knowing God's Word and applying it to our lives.

Godliness should be the goal of every believer in Christ.

Admit your need to start or continue your spiritual training.

Exercise godliness daily.

Like a weight-lifter needs to add weights to continue being challenged in their workouts, the spiritual person needs to keep challenging themselves, spiritually.

The devil targets sincere Christians.

Becoming a Christian is saying you are on one side of the fence and the world is on the other.

Walking with Christ includes persecution from the world.

Like a boxer anticipates being hit and beaten up, so should Christians (at least on a psychological and verbal level).

Fear hinders spiritual growth.

We are like worms with an elephant-sized message.

You're not blessed for being persecuted for being a fool. You're blessed for being persecuted for being righteous.

Don't suffer for ignorance, suffer for Christ.

Is your light so evident that people notice?

God is letting you go through things for your good.

Recall your pain and discouragement.

God has great things for His faithful and loyal disciples.

It seems like you ask me things just to tell me things.

A godly person should have a much better attitude when they lose than an ungodly person.

When you decide to spend time in prayer, the devil will probably try to distract you.

What will you do when you're asked to do something you don't want to do?

Treat your boyfriend or girlfriend in a way that if or when you broke up, you'd still be friends.

Don't let someone else's worries and sins become yours.

When you get to Heaven, will you be able to tell exciting stories of faith from your life?

When godly people make a mistake, they find a way to prevent doing it again.

God would never call someone to disobey His Word.

If you want to run this race to win, if you want to absorb God, if you want to let Him consume your thoughts and life, then throw away anything that doesn't point you to Him.

You should listen to music that talks about God, if you want to think about Him.

Sharing the gospel can't take the place of personal worship and devotion to God, although both are necessary.

Isn't it wonderful when you give someone something and they really appreciate it.

You'll have to live without me saying anything bad about you.

I'm certain that the moment you step out of my life, God will step in.

A good way to feel distant from God is to sin and refrain from praying.

One can no more base a doctrine about the necessity of tongues on a historical report about tongues than one can base a doctrine about the necessity of communal sharing of property in the church on Luke's historical report about it in the early church (Acts 4:32-37).

To say that something occurred is very different from saying that this something should always occur.

Can anyone deny that God can exist in three persons?

Perhaps being more content with my thoughts would cause me to speak less.

When I'm quiet with my thoughts, I hear God's voice.

All of us have done and will do things that our friends think are not very smart or practical. We've got to keep loving each other, nonetheless.

Making a correct judgement without the facts is like finding a needle in a haystack.

How can you go forward when you're backing up or walking in circles?

No one is right just because they think they're right.

No one can be great without serving.

Anywhere God is, people can be fed.

You can feed people, anywhere.

It's easy to defend someone that we like.

When we read information that exposes someone we have trusted, it's not easy to swallow.

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), Miles McPhearson, a church elder at EFCC, etc.