Copyright 2017 by Joyce Meyer
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First Edition: October 2017
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Unless otherwise noted Scriptures are taken from The Amplified Bible (AMP). The Amplified Bible, Old Testament , copyright 1965, 1987 by The Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament , copyright 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by Permission.
Scriptures noted (THE MESSAGE) are taken from The Message : The Prophets by Eugene Peterson. Copyright 2000 by Eugene H. Peterson. NavPress Publishing Group, P.O. Box 35001, Colorado Springs, CO 80935. Used by permission.
Scriptures noted (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version . Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.
Scriptures noted (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible , Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, Copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marketed (GNT) are taken from the Good News TranslationSecond Edition , Copyright 1992, by the American Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptures noted (CEV) are taken from the Contemporary English Version , Copyright 1995 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission.
ISBNs: 978-1-4555-6014-1 (hardcover), 978-1-4555-6013-4 (ebook), 978-1-4555-6012-7 (large print)
E3-20191114-JV-PC-DPU
I wrote this devotional over a period of three years, and it is a collection of encouragements that I sensed God speaking to my heart in my time with Him. I want to share them with you, and I pray they will encourage you in your own personal devotion time with God. Some of them are longer than others; some include quotes and confessions, while others include a prayer you may want to pray.
This devotional is close to my heart simply because it is taken from my own life. The daily devotions consist of things God has taught me at various times, as well as specific things He was dealing with me about during the time I wrote them. I believe you will sense the presence of God as you take time to let Him speak to you through His Word.
In fact, this is one of my prayers for you as you jump into this devotional: that you will fully understand that God loves you completely, and He wants to have a close personal relationship with you. So although these various entries are insights into my time with God, my intention is that they would be a starting point for you as you go deeper in your relationship with Him.
Gods Word is extremely powerful and it contains the power to renew our minds and change us into the image of Jesus Christ. I trust that as you read and study this devotional you will experience a new intimacy with our Lord.
For we know Him who said, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And again, The Lord will judge His people.
HEBREWS 10:30 (NKJV)
I n order to begin this new year properly, it is important not to enter it with any kind of bitterness or unforgiveness in our heart. It is unlikely that any one of us has made it through an entire year without being hurt by someone, but we only continue letting what they have done hurt us if we dont forgive them.
Ask yourself if you are angry with anyone for anything, and if you are, ask God to help you forgive, forget, and let it go. God is our Vindicator and if we will allow Him to, He will repay us for every injustice that has been done to us. In my life, I have learned that anger is something we should never carry around with us. Gods Word says that we should not let the sun set on our anger, and if we do, then we give the devil a foothold in our lives (see Ephesians 4:2627).
Do yourself a favor right now as you enter this new year and refuse to remain angry or bitter. God has good things planned for us, and we dont want to miss them by refusing to let go of things in the past. Start the new year with a peaceful heart and be determined to enjoy each day.
Prayer: Father, help me forgive everyone who has hurt me in the past year, and if I have hurt anyone, please help them forgive me.
Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower).
PSALM 62:8
I t is important to live with an abiding trust in God. That means we form a spiritual habit of trusting Him at all times, rather than just when we have a need or when a problem arises in our lives. As a parent, I would not be happy with my children if they only called or visited me when they needed something.
God is merciful and there are many times when He helps us although we have ignored Him, but it isnt the way He wants our relationship with Him to be. God has been urging me to make this year a year when I come up higher in trusting Him at all times.
We all hope that each day contains nothing but good and exciting things and that it goes exactly as we had planned, but we know from experience that it rarely turns out that waywe may get stuck in traffic that makes us late for an important appointment, or someone may disappoint us or hurt us in some way. Making a decision to trust God totally, even before we have a challenge, is very helpful.
Prayer: Father, I trust You today for whatever this day brings. If this day contains difficulty that I did not expect, I put my trust in You now to take care of me and enable me to do what I need to do.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
ROMANS 5:8 (NIV)
G od reminded me today of His unconditional love!
It is very important to begin each day knowing that you are loved ! God loves you unconditionally, and His love is more valuable and important than anyone elses. He doesnt love us because we deserve it, but simply because He wants to.
As you receive Gods love freely, it will give you confidence and enable you to live life without fear. Gods perfect love casts out all fear and dread (see 1 John 4:18).
Perhaps you have known the pain of not being chosen. You were not picked for class president or asked to attend the party that