Hope Unstoppable: 31 Day Devotional Read online

  In Jesus’ name.

  Amen

  Day 3

  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

  —Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)

  Anxiety is something that creeps up on you. It has the ability to take over your life if you let it. Its very definition speaks of unease, fear, and distress. But the Word teaches us that God is not the God of chaos but the God of peace. God wants to pour His peace straight into your innermost being. Be anxious for nothing feels like an extreme order, especially in the world we live in today. But God’s grace, the supernatural extension of his supplication and mercy, backs up that seemingly impossible demand with, “but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.” Just to be clear, if you’re on medication and that’s where He has you, by all means continue. God uses medicine to heal every day. I firmly believe that. This particular anxiousness is something the world presses on you, and He is asking you to shove it all His way.

  Our heavenly Father is well aware of the trials and tribulations that life can bring, and even those we bring upon ourselves. He is stating clearly in His Word that He is interested in caring for you and all the anxieties that plague you. He asks kindly that you surrender those burdens to Him—for you to thank Him for His goodness, the goodness He is more than willing to lavish you with. And amazingly, He asks you to lay forth your requests.

  The maker of the universe, the one whose very breath lives in us all, has asked you to boldly and plainly tell Him what you need. So I ask you, what do you need? Pour your heart before the Lord with thanksgiving and praise and lay it all out before Him. Give Him every crisis in your life while you’re at it. Lay your burdens down and tell Him that they now belong to Him because He asked you to do so. Shoulder up to Jesus. He is the peace within the storm, the only beacon of light that can see you through the dark, dark night. No matter what your request is, He is ready to listen.

  Father, we come before You with all our anxieties and we lay them at Your feet. Our request first and foremost is that Your perfect will is achieved in our lives. Bring us on board with Your plan because we know it is the better one. We thank you for being so loving and kind, for Your precious Son Jesus, whose blood You shed so we may have everlasting life. We make our requests known to You, and we trust that all things we ask for in accordance to Your will are yes in Christ Jesus as Your Word states. Thank you for hearing the cry of our hearts. Thank you for Your unstoppable mercy. Praise You, Lord.

  In Jesus’ powerful name,

  Amen

  Day 4

  Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”

  —Hebrews 13:5 (NASB)

  When you find yourself in an emotional dark pit, it’s easy to believe that the Lord has forgotten you, or perhaps is punishing you. The enemy would love for you to believe exactly that and drive an immovable wedge between you and your loving creator. But God assures us in His Word that He has done no such thing. In fact, He draws near to those that love Him and are in peril (Psalm 38:19).

  God promises never to desert us, never to forsake us through this scripture. We must believe what He says. Yes, He is aware that you are in a dark place, He is aware that you need Him more than ever, and He will reach out to you in supernatural ways, but you must cling to His Word, to His Son Jesus tighter than ever. When I fell hard and fast into a vacuum of pain and grief to which there seemed no end, it seemed my only thought was to plead with God to remove the trial. I prayed, I begged, I trembled, I cried out to Him. As time went on, I saw my character changing for the better, and my ego flew out the door (good thing!). I was going out of my way to help others, and I liked it. It was addicting—it made me feel wonderful to help those who need it. I found myself digging into the Word, conversing with Jesus nonstop throughout my day. He had become my new best friend, and I wondered how I ever grew too busy, how I managed to drift away when I wasn’t looking. That realization was the most painful lesson of them all.

  While I chased the world by the tail, I had somehow lost sight of the only thing that mattered: centering myself in Christ. Each day I’d pray that He would keep me in His perfect will, and once the lights went out in my world, ironically, I found myself right where I asked to be all along.

  Sometimes it takes a dramatic pause in life to teach us what really matters, and what really matters is our relationship with Jesus. When I look back, I realize that all of my troubles could have easily been avoided if I’d never drifted in the first place. Drifting sounds so easy, dreamy even, but drifting spiritually can lead to dangerous places. It can rob you of your true destiny on earth and pull you right out of the center of God’s will for your life. Don’t waste a single second. Repent now. Ask for God’s sovereign forgiveness, and yoke yourself (tie yourself) to Jesus.

  He wants to help you. He will not desert you. He assures us of that plainly. He has not forgotten you. He knows exactly where you are, and He holds the solution to get out of all your troubles. Trust Him to do so.

  Thank you, Heavenly Father, for reassuring us You have not left us alone or forgotten us. Your Word is a great comfort in times of heavy trial, and we are so grateful for Your daily presence in our lives through Christ and the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Praise You for loving us, for making it known that we are Your children. We look to You in our suffering, and we thank you for seeing us through this storm.

  In Jesus’ beautiful name,

  Amen

  Day 5

  The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.

  —Exodus 14:14 (NASB)

  The Lord has a great plan for our lives, and when we walk in obedience with Him, we experience the fruit of that exceedingly good plan. But like many of our Bible patriarchs, we humans go astray, we make mistakes, big ones. It might be daunting to consider the great mess you’ve gotten yourself into, but once you surrender, repent, and get back on that path of obedience, the Lord assures us that He will fight for us. Even if we made the mistake (James 1: 2-3).

  He is willing to make things right in our lives and get us back into the center of His will. Trusting and relying on the Lord is the very first step in the right direction. So often our flesh demands that we rehash our mistakes before Him again and again, but in truth, that’s not necessary. He understands your pain and your requests the very first time you laid them at His feet. Yes, Jesus does build a case of the repetition of needs, and he gives a clear example of this through the parable of the persistent widow who wore down a judge in her own city by asking with tenacious persistence for justice (Luke 18: 1-8).

  The Lord is all-powerful and can do all things. Once we lay our requests before the Lord, we should still ourselves, cease our chaotic spirits, and revel in His peace while He works out every situation for our good (Romans 8:28).

  God only wants the best for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). Today, join me in laying it all at His feet and trusting in Him to make our crooked places straight. He is, above all else, our loving Father, and every loving father is inclined to help his child when they are in desperate need.

  Lord, thank you that we can come to You with such boldness and lay at Your precious feet the mess we have made of our lives. Thank you that You care enough to smooth the path before us and get us back onto the road You set out before us. Thank you for Your lovingkindness. Jesus, we know that all authority on heaven and earth is in Your capable hands. We pray Your authority over the situations we have embroiled ourselves in and ask for Your mercy and grace to be shed upon our lives. We humbly offer You our obedience, repentance, and worship, now and forever more.

  Amen

  Day 6

  Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.r />
  —1 Peter 5: 6-7 (NASB)

  There’s that word again. Anxiety. The Lord certainly understands how vicious this world can be, and He also understands how easily that translates into distress and worry. This verse plainly tells us to drop the load of our worry at His feet and to carry your burdens no more. When Jesus was on His way to His crucifixion, carrying that lumbering cross—the ultimate burden—He could not withhold the weight of it. After the infliction they bore upon Him, He could only carry it so far and no more, so they sent a man from the crowd called Simon to carry it the rest of the way.

  Jesus understands more than anyone how heavy the burdens of life can be. He has wrestled with them Himself. The Holy Spirit, the true author of the Word, charges you to do the same. Hand your cross over to Jesus and He will carry it the rest of the way. He wants you to. He implores you to. Furthermore, He adds a blessing to it. If we humble ourselves before Him, He will exalt us at the proper time. How amazing is that? The Lord of all is willing to do such a great thing for us in exchange for humble hearts, in exchange for our anxieties. He truly is an amazing God, the one true living God, the one who calls us His children.

  Lord, thank You for blessing us with Your Word. Thank you for giving us hope each and every day through Your living Word. Thank You for caring enough to bear the weight of our cross. Thank you for Your Son who has already carried us all the way through with the gift of salvation. We know that this life is but a whisper in comparison to eternity. And we are truly humbled that You care for us so well during our time here on earth. Help us to honor You with our lives. We praise You for all things.

  In Jesus’ beautiful name,

  Amen

  Day 7

  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

  —Romans 8:28 (NASB)

  If I had a top ten of favorite verses, this one would definitely sit at the number one position. As human nature dictates, we tend to embroil ourselves in difficulties. It’s more than a comfort to know the Lord has not only offered forgiveness through the blood of His Son, but He’s promised that if we repent and obey, He will rectify our troubles no matter the magnitude and make them work for good in our lives. However, when your world is still dark, laden with difficulties, and you’re still embroiled in the mess you’ve landed in, it feels as if this promise is for a far-off day. But God wants you to shine with your belief in Him. He wants you to power through the pain, put on a content countenance, shed a smile, and do good to others while we wait for Him to work out our lives.

  Believe His good promises. Believe that He is who He says He is and that He will do as He promised. You show up with the faith and God will show up with the muscle. Put your faith into action. You’ve been forgiven. Don’t carry around guilt. Stop wearing it like a lead coat. God forgives you. You need to forgive yourself so you can move on with the good things the Lord has set out in front of you. You are a child of God—His own son or daughter. His love for you is far more than anyone can fathom. There is not one thing He will not do for you if it is in line with His will. You are not defined by your mistakes. You may feel like you’re at the bottom, but God has the power to shoot you into the stratosphere. Nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26).

  Trust in Him. He may not be moving on our timetable, but we need to trust that He has a better one. The Word says, “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” (Proverbs 4:18 NASB)

  He is not finished with you. Your future will only get brighter from here until you have reached the full light of day in His presence.

  Lord, thank you for Your encouragement. Thank you that we have the ability to press through the darkest of days with the comfort of Your promises. Thank you for reassuring us that we are made righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ who forgives the sins we’ve partaken in. Thank you that You care enough about us that You have good plans for us. We lean on Your ability as the Almighty, the one for whom nothing is impossible to change our circumstances according to Your will. Help us live a life that glorifies You so that we may shine brighter each day until we appear at the feet of Jesus.

  In Jesus’ powerful name,

  Amen

  Day 8

  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

  —Romans 5:1-2 (NASB)

  What is this grace the Bible speaks of? It is the undeserved favor of God that He bestows on all mankind. It was by this glorious extension of mercy that His love came down in the form of His Son who shed His blood for you and me. Miraculously, the Lord freely grants His grace upon His believers even today. Pouring it out in copious amounts for whatever your needs might be—spiritual, physical, material—He has all those bases covered and more. God’s grace is not something you must pay back in full. Instead, it is a free gift from our loving Father who longs to lavish us with good things. Once dispensed, God will never take back His gift of grace. It is ours to cherish forever. God gave us the ultimate gift of grace when He gave us His Son. Though not one person was worthy of the gift, He still gave freely to the sinners of the world and those sinners yet to come, namely you and me. Simply defined: grace is God’s ongoing goodness moving and working within our lives. He who created all mankind understood the need for His unwavering, undeserved, much-needed grace. And He is the same one who gives liberally to all who need it.

  When my life bottomed out, I had only understood marginally what was meant by grace. I figured it had something to do with God’s mercy—a kindness that was part of His nature—but what I didn’t understand was the magnitude of this remarkable gift that was mine to take freely, dispensed daily if needed, this amazing provision reserved for us without merit. God was willing to meet more than my needs. He was willing to exceed them with the kindness of His character. Grace offers spiritual growth. It wraps God’s arms around you tight and helps you grow in your closeness with Him. It meets our every need and delivers us in supernatural ways that the natural world could never afford.

  God’s grace is not some footnote, something to be marginalized in the grand scheme of our journey of intimacy with Him. It is the bright shining star that shed the light of salvation upon us. It is His grace that sent Jesus to earth. It is His grace that fills us with His Holy Spirit so that we are never alone, never without Him. It was His grace that ripped the veil through the power of Christ’s blood. And it is His grace that we need to survive another day. God gives freely to all who ask.

  So ask.

  Lord, thank you for Your undeserved mercy and blessings, and thank you that Your grace is more than enough to sustain us, meet our needs, and help us to live the lives You have designed for us. Help get us back on track with Your perfect plan for us. We know that we are not good enough to ruin what You have planned for us. You are far more powerful than any mistake we have made, bigger than any disease of problem we might face, far more mighty than any judge or ruler who walks on this earth. You have the final say over our destiny, over what we achieve on this planet. Help us to shine as a bright light, radiating the love of Christ to all who see us. May we touch many in the name of Jesus so that they too may bathe in the light of Your salvation and collectively, we may all stand in Your majestic presence one day. Lord, Your Word says that Your Son Jesus has all authority on earth and in heaven. We exalt You and worship You with our whole being, our mind, our spirit, which is eager to please You. Pour Your grace upon us heavily this day. Take our mistakes and do away with them. Clean up our lives, the messes we’ve made, and put our feet back on the perfect path You have designed for us. Thank You that You will never leave us or forsake us. Thank You for Your immeasurable grace. Rain down Your grace. Rain it down over us this very hour.

  Praise You, Father,

  In
Jesus’ mighty name,

  Amen

  Day 9

  Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden,

  The God who is our salvation. Selah.

  —Psalm 68:19 (NASB)

  Isn’t it amazing to know that each day the Lord will ask us to cast our anxieties to Him? He prefers we throw them all His way, rather than hold on to them. Anxieties and burdens of life can grow heavy quickly. A heavy load makes for an encumbered journey. The Lord has plans to lighten that load for you. We have the burdens. He has the solutions. It’s easy mathematics. Unload your burdens and bask in His glory while He repairs, restores, mends, and heals. His mercies truly are new every morning.

  Yoking yourself to Jesus will help life feel far more manageable. The hills won’t feel nearly as steep, the valleys won’t feel nearly as low. When you tether yourself to Him, He will smooth out a broad path for your feet—in fact, He will direct each step you take (Isaiah 45:2). He is the creator of our universe, our world, and even us. He put His breath in our lungs—our hearts and souls should fully belong to Him.

  I urge you to yoke—tie—yourself to Jesus, let him smooth out the path before you.

  Lord, bless Your holy name. You alone are God. You alone can bear our burdens and lighten our load. Jesus, we’re thrilled to know that we’re forever tied to Your side. Thank You for loving us so beautifully and offering us the assurances of Your salvation, forgiveness, and healing. We’re so thankful for Your salvation, Your forgiveness, Your unmerited grace. Praise be to God.