April 16

Quote:
We need God's overcoming power within us to equal the
pressure being applied upon us from outside forces. We
can't rely upon yesterday's experience with God or we will
collapse. God's plan isn't always to remove outside
pressures, but rather to fill us with his overcoming power
and strength. ~ Chaplain Michael Clark

Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed;
for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will
help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand
of My righteousness.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Sustain me each and every day according to my needs.
I can trust that Your provision is just enough for the rigors
of this day. Thank you for always caring for me. In the name
of Jesus I pray. Amen.

April 17

Quote:
Give us, O Lord, steadfast hearts
that cannot be dragged down by false loves;
give us courageous hearts
that cannot be worn down by trouble;
give us righteous hearts
that cannot be sidetracked by unholy or unworthy goals.
Give to us also, our Lord and God, understanding to know You,
wisdom to recognize You,
and a faithfulness that will bring us to see You face to face. Amen. ~ Thomas a Kempis

Psalm 112:7
His heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

Prayer:
O God, I used to believe that surrendering to Your will would limit
my freedom. But now I see that my own will held me in
bondage. You have set me free.....free indeed! Amen.

April 18

Quote:
Wealth, after all, is a relative thing;
One who has little and wants less
is richer than one who has much and wants more.
~ Charles Caleb Colton (adapted) {submitted by Rev. Nancy}

Mark 8:36-37 NASB
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world,
and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?

Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for providing me with just enough material
wealth to get by and plentiful spiritual riches to see me
through eternity. Amen.

April 19

Quote:
As a sound may dislodge an avalanche,
so the prayer of faith sets in motion the power of God.
~ Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

James 5:15
And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick,
and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed
sins, he will be forgiven.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus,
Make all of my prayers, prayers of faith that come
from the heart and are grounded in Your Word. In Your
holy name I pray. Amen.

April 20

Quote:
There are two kinds of people:
Those who say to God, "Thy will be done,"
And those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."
~ C.S. Lewis

Matthew 6:10 ESV
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Prayer:
O God,
Forgive me for the many times I have said, "OK,
Have it Your way!" My pride stood between You
and I. You are omniscient and omnipotent. You
always know what is best. Help me to gladly say
"They will be done." In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

April 21

Quote:
We have to be so one with God that we do not continually
need to ask for guidance. Sanctification means that we are
made the children of God, and the natural life of a child is
obedience... ~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Genesis 24:27 AMP
As for me, going on the way [of obedience and faith] the Lord led me...

Prayer:
Lord,
Help me to always be one with You. I want to be walking
in unison with You; thinking Your thoughts and willingly
obeying in all things. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.

April 22

Quote:
You can often help others more by correcting your own faults than theirs.
Remember, and you should, because of your own experience, that
allowing God to correct your faults is not easy. Be patient with people,
wait for God to work with them as He wills. ~ Francois Fenelon

Matthew 7:3-5 ESV
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not
notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your
brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the
log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your
own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your
brother's eye.

Prayer:
Dear Father,
Help me to be patient with others as they work to change their lives.
Make me an eager and loving listener as I encourage them to recover.
Enable me to sweep my side of the street so that I may be a shining light
to others who are trying to find their way. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

April 23

Quote:
It's more important to have something to live for, than plenty to live on.

2 Corinthians 5:15 NASB
And He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for
themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Prayer:
My Lord Jesus,
I have been crucified with You; and it is no longer I who live, but
You Who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by faith in You - the Son of God - who loved me and gave Yourself
up for me. Amen.

April 24

Quote:
Remember, that to receive the word in the ear is one thing, and to receive
Jesus into your very soul is quite another; superficial feeling is often joined
to inward hardness of heart, and a lively impression of the word is not
always a lasting one. ~ Charles H. Spurgeon {adapted}

Luke 8:13-15
"Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the
word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while,
and in time of temptation fall away. The seed which fell among the
thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their
way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this
life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed in the good soil,
these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good
heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance."

Prayer:
O Lord,
Make the soil of my soul fertile and willing to accept the seed of Your
Word that it may not just grow and blossom but flourish. Help me to
hear Your Word with an honest and good heart, holding it fast, that
I bear much fruit with perseverance. Amen.

April 25

Quote:
The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of
his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as
a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled
about himself. He has accepted God's estimate of his own life. He
knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but
paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of
God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God,
everything. That is his motto. ~ A. W. Tozer

Isaiah 29:19 ESV
The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD.

Prayer:
Father, Thank you for teaching me the true meaning of meekness. Amen.

April 26

Quote:
The true Christian reaction to suffering and sorrow is not the attitude
of self-pity, fatalism or resentment; it is the spirit which takes life's
difficulties as a God given opportunity, and regards its troubles as a
sacred trust, and wears the thorns as a crown. ~ James Stewart

Psalm 69:29
But I am poor and sorrowful:
let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.

Prayer:
My Lord,
Self-pity only acts to keep me low and builds resentment. May Your
Holy Spirit lead me to see life's difficulties as God given opportunities,
as a sacred trust that I may be a victor in Jesus Christ. Amen.

April 27

Quote:
God is not looking for perfection; He is looking for and rewarding
perseverance. Don't give up the pursuit. Hang in there. Try again
and again, because the reward is great and it pleases God. ~ Chaplain Michael Clark

James 1:12 NASB
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been
approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised
to those who love Him.

Prayer:
Father,
Forgive me when I fall into self-pity because I have fallen short of
perfection. Lead me to persevere. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that
I am renewed and soar as an eagle. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

April 28

Quote:
How do you respond when you experience suffering?
Do you pray to be delivered from it? Are you angry with
God because He doesn't appear to hear you or respond
to your pain? Do you pull away, distancing yourself from
Him because you feel rejected? Jesus responded with
"reverent submission" and because of it, "He was heard"
when He "offered up prayers and petitions...to the one who
could save Him." We, too, are heard when we cry out to God.
~ Julie Roe

Psalm 34:17
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
He delivers them from all their troubles.

Prayer:
My Lord,
Forgive me when I try to isolate myself from You, suffering in silence.
Your Word reveals countless examples of believers crying out and You
lovingly responding to them. May I employ the gift of prayer as You mean
it to be used. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

April 29

Quote:
You can tell the size of your God
By looking at the length of your worry list.
The longer your list, the smaller your God.
{submitted by Rev. Nancy}

Psalm 40:4
Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust.

Prayer:
Dear God,
Keep me mindful of the length of my worry list.
It should never be so long that I turn to it, instead
of relying on you. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

April 30

Quote:
Use what talents you possess:
The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there
except those that sang best. ~ Henry Van Dyke {submitted by Rev. Nancy}

Job 33:4
The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the
Almighty hath given me life.

Prayer:
My God,
You created me in Your image. Remind me who I am in Christ.
I may not do everything perfectly but I can do it to the best of
my ability. Amen.