Women of Faith - Daily Gifts of Hope: Devotions for Each Day of Your Year

Daily
Gifts of Hope

DEVOTIONS for EACH
DAY OF YOUR
YEAR

2012 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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Scripture quotations are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV). 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Other Scripture quotations are taken from the following sources: The KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) of the Bible. The Message (MSG) by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. New Century Version (NCV). 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc,. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT). 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (NASB), The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. THE ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV). 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. J. B. Phillips: THE NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN ENGLISH, Revised Edition (PHILLIPS). J. B. Phillips 1958, 1960, 1972. Used by permission of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012939593

ISBN: 978-1-4002-0427-4

Printed in Singapore

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Contents

You must give your whole heart to [God] and hold out your hands to him for help. Put away the sin that is in your hand; let no evil remain in your tent. Then you can lift up your face without shame, and you can stand strong without fear. You will forget your trouble and remember it only as water gone by. Your life will be as bright as the noonday sun, and darkness will seem like morning. You will feel safe because there is hope; you will look around and rest in safety.

JOB 11:1318 NCV

What a wonderful promise! Is there a woman alive today who would not want to lift up her face without shame, stand strong without fear, forget her troubles, have her life as bright as the noonday sun, and rest in safety? Imagine the influence such a woman would have on her family, friends, and coworkers. Imagine you as that woman!

The gifts of hope in this daily devotional will guide you to give your whole heart to God, reach out to him for help, put away sin, and refuse to entertain evil in your home. Your journey will include entries titled Look Up, Pray, Pray, Pray, Deception and Vanity, When We Trip, Abounding in Hope, God Breaks Chains, and When Doubt Creeps In.

Each week you will encounter a Day of Reflection. In todays busy world, it is easy to take in without taking time to reflect on the wonderful things God is showing youand yes, even wonderful things can be difficult. Please use this day to reflect on the preceding weeks entries. Along with a Scripture verse and the lyrics to treasured hymns of faith and hope, you will find a space for entering a poem, prayer, or thought.

Women of Faith speakers and writers welcome you as we journey together through a year that can beno matter your circumstancesfilled with hope!

JANUARY 1
Counting on the Heart of God

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing songs to God as the other prisoners listened. Suddenly, there was a strong earthquake that shook the foundation of the jail. Then all the doors of the jail broke open, and all the prisoners were freed from their chains.

ACTS 16:2526 NCV

Prayer is the closest we get to life back in Eden. It is the place where we can be most known, the most naked and vulnerable before God.

One of the most powerful examples of trust in Gods unwavering love is found in the book of Acts where Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into a jail cell in Philippi. They set out for a successful mission trip and within a day of being in the city were stripped naked, beaten, and thrown into a cell with their feet held down by blocks of wood.

Whats remarkable about this story is that Paul and Silas were at the darkest point of the night in the darkest circumstances they had ever been in, and yet they were singing. Why? Because Paul and Silas looked at the one thing that had not changed in their situationGod. Everything else around them had gone wrong. They were in pain and their lives were threatened, but they fixed their eyes on what they knew to be true in the invisible world no matter what seemed true in the visible. They stood on the truth that God is good all the time and was watching over them. And even though the angel released Paul and Silas from their chains, they waited and were able to lead the jailer and his entire family to faith in Christ.

We cant always predict the behavior of others, but we can always count on the heart of God.

Lord, thank you for being a constant in my life. Help me to remember that I can always count on your love. Amen.

JANUARY 2
A Clear Mind

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Dont be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

2 TIMOTHY 4:5 NLT

Sometimes our minds are terribly crowded, arent they? When they are full of tasks and worries and joys and agendas, we forget how important focus and a clear mind can be. What kind of clear mind does the apostle Paul refer to here?

He instructs Timothy to be passionate about the ministry God has given him, to tell others about the good news of Jesus. When Timothy keeps this as his primary focus, the natural result is a clear mind.

How about you? Look back on your life and find the times when you took time and focus to pursue your ministry. How was your mind in those moments? How single-minded were you? In this era of rush and change and busyness, we forget how needed a clear mind is.

Spend some time asking God to refresh your mind, to show you his ministry that hes created for you to walk in. Then reorient your thoughts toward that goal. Choose to think clearly about the gospel in every situation. The kingdom will expand before your eyes.

Jesus, I want to have a clear mind. I want to have a focused life, pursuing the ministry youve allotted to me. Help me figure it out. Help me know my next steps. Amen.

JANUARY 3
Presuming

Through presumption comes nothing but strife, but with those who receive counsel is wisdom.

PROVERBS 13:10 NASB

When we think we have a situation figured out and weve detected what will happen, we are guilty of presuming. The truth is we dont know what tomorrow will bring. We have no assurance that the money will be in the bank or that the deal were working on will be successful. We cannot predict our relationships. Nor can we act as if we know the future.