Good Shepherd aims to steer people back into daily Bible reading. Real believers learn to connect with God daily. That starts with a 10-to-20-minute practice we call "a quiet time," or "devotions." During that time, find a quiet place to read, walk through some Scripture verses and meditate on their meaning. Then reflect on them, write down your thoughts in a journal, or read what some other believer is saying about those words, too. Then stop for a time of prayer at the end. Take time to worship God, sing to Him, pray and ask him to cleanse you and direct you. "God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." Exodus 20:20
How to start having devotions...
It's not that complicated. Getting used to reading the Word daily and beginning to pray is something the Holy Spirit teaches you. If you're new to the Lord, start like this:
1. Find a Bible that fits. It may be that the copies of the Bible that are available are difficult for you to read. If that's the case, stop in at a local Christian book store and ask for a copy of the Scriptures that works for your eyes (type size and style), and obtain a version that suits you. If you grew up with King James language, you'll probably prefer the KJV version or the NKJB, an updated edition. If you care about accuracy and are not hindered by advanced language patterns, you might like Pastor Jim's favorite, the New American Standard Bible (NASB). A version that appears more fluid and readible to some people is the New International Version (NIV). But many of Pastor Jim's new believer friends enjoy the NLT (The New Living Translation). Find one that works and use it.
2. Sit in a place where you're undistracted. It may be in a quiet front room or in the drivers seat of your car in the parking lot, but God wants to meet you, one on one. Pastor Jim likes to lay on his quiet couch in the morning. His wife Linda uses a wicker chair in the bedroom at 6:30 a.m. Others prefer sitting down with the Word at the dining room table with breakfast or lunch. And some like to click on a site like crosswalk.com or kdar.com and use the Bible study tools available in front of the computer. Whatever the case, find a place where you're not distracted.
3. Try a book of the Bible like Mark or James or Genesis. Pick out a book that you like a read a chapter or two. Don't fuss over sentences you don't understand. Just sit and read and let the Holy Spirit speak to you.
4. Use a devotional guide book. I like a book like "Our Daily Bread" or another book that seems right from a Bible book store, like Camarillo's Christian Family Supply (where you can ask owners Paul and Jane Rud) for their expertise. The book will frequently identify a Bible passage slotted for the day of the year (May 5, for instance) and then add a writer's reflections on the passage (as Hope Unverzagt has done it at right).
5. When you're done reading, spend 10 minutes in prayer. Ask the Lord to reveal to you some truth from the passage. Then ask the Lord to help you through the day. Walk through your schedule or plans and ask the Lord to lead you through each step. Then take time to remember friends or contacts who need help and ask the Lord to reveal Himself to them, uphold them, help them, and guide them. Spend the last few minutes thanking the Lord for all the Lord has done for you and given you.
What Jesus said about quiet times...
Jesus said in Matthew 6:1, "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."
Verse 3 continues: "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."
Matthew 6:6 says that you should get alone. "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
In verse 9, Jesus introduces what we call "The Lord's Prayer." It's my opinion that Jesus gave us this prayer as an outline to guide us, not a form that we should repeat every day like a magic formula. He shows us how to address God as Father, he shows us how to honor His name as holy, and He gives us specific prayer requests: a) That His kingdom would come among us, that His will would be completed among us, that b) He would meet our daily needs, and c) that He would forgive us individual sins. In the end, Jesus tells us how to ask God to steer us from evil, and then later in Matthew 6 Jesus shows us how to fast.
"This, then, is how you should pray," Jesus says in verse 9: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Getting into the Word Every Day: A Devotional for Readers of Good Shepherd's website...
As a church and ministry and family, Good Shepherd encourages all believers to dig into the Word of God daily. We're using currently, as a church, "The One Year Bible," a NLT version of Scripture arranged into 365 daily readings. By mid April, the Old Testament readings were in Joshua and the New Testament readings in Luke. The One Year Bible also takes you into the Psalms and Proverbs every day.
Peace and Joy In the Midst of…
By Sarah Esperanza, Camarillo, CA
June 14, 2010
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!...Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4, 6-7
These verses are commonly quoted by Christians, but what is often forgotten is what was happening in the Apostle Paul’s life when he wrote these verses. He was actually in a Roman prison at the time! He didn’t know if he was going to live or die, or if he would be in prison for many years.
Yet Paul writes about rejoicing and giving thanks! If anyone ever had occasion to worry, he certainly did. The ruler in Rome had the authority to put Paul to death. In fact, church tradition states that he was indeed eventually killed in Rome. And Paul often suffered long years of imprisonment and was whipped and beaten countless times.
You see, Paul didn’t just write these words after being delivered from some great trial; he wrote them in the midst of suffering. He is writing from experience that it is indeed possible to be in the middle of extremely difficult and even scary circumstances and still rejoice, give thanks, not worry, and experience peace!
Jesus Himself, immediately before He was arrested and about to go through unimaginable tortures, spoke these words:“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) He dared to speak these words in the midst of His own great suffering; right after He spoke these words He sweat drops of blood as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. But He was confident of the outcome and “for the joy set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2)
The world around us teaches us that joy and peace are dependent on our circumstances. But God offers us joy and peace that “surpasses all comprehension” and just doesn’t make sense! We have a choice to make about how we will react to our circumstances. As we make our requests known to God, He can and will give us the strength to choose the impossible. Our prayers are always answered, even if our circumstances don’t change.
The truth is, not one of us really deserves anything good in our lives. We have all sinned and rebelled against God. God doesn’t really owe us anything. Instead of asking “Why is this bad thing happening to me?”, we should ask “Why should anything good happen to me?”
We need to stop acting like spoiled brats who think we’re entitled to a life without any pain or suffering! We need to choose to thank God for His blessings and His great mercy on us. We all have blessings from God to be thankful for, no matter how bad things seem at the moment. And God has promised us eternal joy in heaven with Him someday. What more could we ask for?
Dear Father God, please forgive me for so often sinning against you by worrying. After all you have done for me I am ashamed that I so often don’t trust you. Please also forgive me for a negative and complaining spirit. Show me how to be thankful in everything; remind me constantly of your blessings. Please fill me with your mysterious peace and joy that are not dependent on my life’s circumstances. I choose to trust you, my Father. I love you so much! In Jesus’ mighty name I pray—AMEN!
--Sarah Esperanza is a member of Good Shepherd. She writes these devotionals to pass on what the Holy Spirit is teaching her from passages in her daily Bible reading.
Ready to Repent
By Sarah Esperanza, Camarillo, CA
May 21, 2010
“And (Zaccheus) hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’ Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.’” Luke 19:6-8
The Bible says that Zaccheus was a chief tax collector and very rich. The tax collectors used to get rich working for the hated Roman government. They demanded even more taxes than required from their own countrymen. No self-respecting Jew would have even acknowledged the presence of such a man!
At first glance, it seems Zaccheus only climbed that tree out of curiosity; but these verses suggest more. He came up with a very specific restitution plan, very quickly it seems. Surely he must have thought about changing his ways before. In fact, it seems that his heart already ached to repent and change, but he was waiting for an invitation from Jesus.
Jesus was a highly respected Jewish rabbi. Such a man would never speak to someone like Zaccheus, would He? But Jesus not only spoke with him, He went to his house for dinner! Jesus never worried about what other people thought about him, not even other people in the “church.” And once Jesus acknowledged Zaccheus, he “received Him gladly” and repented! Could it be that many who are entrenched in sin are just waiting for someone to show them the love of Jesus?
Many times we are quick to judge someone who is involved in obvious sin. But maybe God has been working in their heart. Maybe we need to reach out and even risk ridicule for hanging out with a “sinner.” Maybe they’re just waiting for someone to reach out to them despite their sin. Maybe they might risk the final step of repentance. After all, didn’t you?
Dear Father God, help me not to be too quick to judge others. Help me be open to showing your love to everyone. Help me always remember your great mercy towards me. Show me those whose hearts ache to change, but they don’t know how. Please help me to never think of myself as better than others. Help me share your message of forgiveness and freedom with others. Thank you for all you’ve done to change me. I love you, Lord! In Jesus’ mighty name I pray—AMEN!
--Sarah Esperanza is a member of Good Shepherd. She writes these devotionals to pass on what the Holy Spirit is teaching her from passages in her daily Bible reading.
True Source of Strength
By Sarah Esperanza, Camarillo, CA
April 28, 2010
“Hence (King Uzziah’s) fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong. But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God…”2 Chronicles 26:15-16
Uzziah was only 16 years old when he became king of Judah. He was young and inexperienced and weak in his own eyes. He did right in the sight of the Lord and God helped him win many battles; he also became wealthy. He reigned in Jerusalem for 52 years and became very famous. The Bible says that, “…as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.” (2 Chron. 26:5)
But something went wrong. As soon as he was strong, he began to trust in his own power and riches. He came to believe that he could now rely on himself. In fact, he came to think he was so special that he could violate God’s Law! So he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. He was not a consecrated priest, but he must have thought he was so special and powerful that the rules didn’t apply to him, that surely God would make an exception for him.
God became angry with him because of his foolish pride and King Uzziah was stricken with leprosy until the day he died. Pride really does come before a fall! And, yes, despite the fact that he had once been blessed and favored by God, there were consequences for his actions.
Relying on our own strength is not only foolish, it is a sin. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:5, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly, he will not be unpunished.” All of us must repent of the sin of pride or we will face the consequences, no matter how special we think we are.
It is true that when we are helpless and the world seems to be falling apart, we quickly run to God for help. When we are weak (or should I say when we are aware of our weakness), it is natural to look to the strong arms of our Heavenly Father for help.
But what about when all is going well? Do we cling to God just as tightly when we are rich, healthy, and overflowing with blessings? So often, we look to ourselves first and only to God when we’re out of our own options. Watch out! Don’t forget what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
The truth is, we are always weak in our own power. Our earthly riches, health and power only give us a false sense of security. No matter how strong we think we are, we still need God just as much as when we feel our weakness. Don’t fall for the common philosophy that the power is “within you.” Look up instead to the One who created you!
Dear Father God, please let me never loosen my grip on you, no matter what. Please keep me from being deceived into trusting in my own strength. Lord, I know that nothing and no one in this world can be depended upon as a source of true strength. When all is going well, please let me not forget you. Please keep me from ever believing I am above obeying your laws. Keep me humble, I pray, and remind me often of my frailty. Help me to stay close to you in the good times as well as the bad. Thank you for all your blessings; may I never forget from Whom they come! I love you, Lord! In Jesus’ strong and mighty name I pray—AMEN!
--Sarah Esperanza is a member of Good Shepherd. She writes these devotionals to pass on what the Holy Spirit is teaching her from passages in her daily Bible reading.
Dare to Hope!
By Sarah Esperanza, Camarillo, CA
April 19, 2010
“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:11
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful…This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast…” Hebrews 10:23 & 6:19
How many of us live our lives by the following philosophy: “It’s better not to hope and be pleasantly surprised when something good happens, than to hope and be devastated.” Be honest! Research from 2005 quoted by countless periodicals indicates that more than 10% of the population takes antidepressant medication. And that only includes the depressed people who want to take medication! What is going on?
That is the same question the Psalmist asked, “Why are you downcast, O my soul?” The solution? “Put your hope in God.” The truth is that we don’t dare to hope because we don’t really trust God to help us through the possible devastating disappointment!
We must also be careful to examine in what, or in whom, we are really hoping. Remember, the Psalmist said to “Put your hope in God.” Now, it’s not wrong to hope we will get well from an illness or get that new job, but real hope is more than that. It’s hope that God will help us accomplish His purpose for us on this earth—whether by being healed, getting that great new job, OR in spite of illness, unemployment, even tragedy.
In both the Hebrew and Greek languages (the languages of the original Psalms and Hebrews) the verb “to hope” also meant “to wait for.” That’s why some Bible translations will say “Wait for God” instead of “Put your hope in God.” In our modern culture, with so much “instant gratification,” we have a really hard time waiting for anything. Whether we like it or not, we will all have to spend a lot of our lives waiting, but we have a choice. Will we wait in despair, fearing the worst? Or will we dare to feel joy at the possibilities while we wait?
Part of real hope means trusting God will carry you through the disappointments in life that may come if you dare to hope. But sometimes we have to risk disappointment to experience joy. You see, without hope, there is no joy in life, only fear. Don’t forget:“He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23) Will you dare to trust that God knows what He’s doing? Will you dare to hope?
Dear Father God:Please forgive me for so often not trusting you enough to dare to hope. Help me experience the true joy you’ve been trying to give me. Help me never to worry about possible disappointments, but trust that you’ll help me when and if they come. Don’t let Satan rob me of joy any longer! Thank you for always being faithful! I love you! In Jesus’ mighty name I pray—AMEN!
--Sarah Esperanza is a member of Good Shepherd. She writes these devotionals to pass on what the Holy Spirit is teaching her from passages in her daily Bible reading.
Daily Bread by Sarah Esperanza
April 13, 2010 “’Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6b
“Do not worry about your life…which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?...But seek first His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” Luke 12:22, 25-26, 31
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11
In Zechariah’s time, the people of Israel were just coming back to Jerusalem after 70 years in captivity. They had a lot of work to do, including rebuilding the Lord’s temple that had been destroyed. There was opposition on every side and many thought it couldn’t be done. But God said that rebuilding Jerusalem and restoring the temple was dependent on His power, not theirs. Are you facing something that seems impossible?
Jesus told us not to worry; in fact, worrying is a sin. Why do we worry? Maybe somehow we think we’re accomplishing something, but Jesus points out that worrying can’t really do anything. In reality, we have very little power over our future and troubles that may come. And most of what we worry about never even happens!
God has promised to give us our “daily bread”—to help us with whatever happens today. But we spend so much time trying to prepare ourselves for the trouble we’re sure is coming in the future. We try to practice patience and endurance for things that haven’t even happened yet—and may never happen. But God doesn’t promise to help us with this, only with today’s troubles. And today’s troubles may simply be the very fear of tomorrow’s troubles. God will help you with that fear, for only God has the power to help us.
Now, don’t miss the part where Jesus says, “But seek first His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” (Luke 12:31) Our focus needs to be on Jesus, and God will take care of the details of the things that are beyond our control anyway. So, stop worrying and start trusting—and live one day at a time!
Dear Father God, forgive me for trying to practice patience and endurance to all kinds of things that haven’t even happened yet and yet and may never happen. Help me focus on simply dealing with today’s problems, and help me leave even those in your hands. Thank you for all you’ve carried me through. Help me walk through all life’s uncertainties without fear, with you by my side. Please forgive me for often worrying. I love you so much, Lord! In Jesus’ mighty name I pray—AMEN!
Overcoming Letdowns
By Michael Brandt
April 9, 2010: “He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, to him, ‘Tend My sheep,”John 21:17.
After almost every great ministry moment, there is the pitfall of a letdown.
Remember Elijah? After being at the center of God’s Mount Carmel victory, he experienced his most terrifying letdown, “O Lord, take my life.” Fear and doubt gripped his soul. He ran and hid. Remember Peter? After witnessing the empty tomb and linen wrappings, sitting by the Sea of Tiberias he says, “I am going fishing.” He was experiencing the ‘letdown’ of empty nets and empty hopes. He ‘jumped’ into the ‘old ship’.
The reality of this type of ministry pitfall is important to recognize. Every spiritual leader is vulnerable, especially after a great ‘God Happening’, like Easter. Big preparations, big crowds, big enthusiasm, and then comes the big ‘letdown’. You’re tempted to run, hide, or jump ship.
Our Almighty ‘Bigger Than Our Letdowns’ God knows just what to do. For Elijah and Peter, He first provided physical nourishment. Your body needs renewal. He had a personal moment with them. Your spirit needs His resuscitating Word. He called them to press on. You too are beckoned to press on in the upward Call of God in Christ.
Take a moment. Give a listen. Press on, oh ‘pitfall overcoming’ servant of God!
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