Daily Devotions for August 2022

316Judith

Fueled Up Monday August 1, 2022

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

A Tampa doctor was tragically killed in 2019 when his airplane crashed without warning. Investigators discovered an airport worker had pumped the wrong fuel into the engine. The aircraft lost power shortly after takeoff and crashed into a soybean field.[1]

To keep our spiritual lives soaring, we also require the right fuel. The fuel for the Christian life, according to Ephesians 6:18, is prayer. Prayer is the energy that makes it possible for the Christian warrior to wear the armor of God and wield the sword of the Spirit. Prayer is the combustion that adds power to our lives and strength to our souls.

Prayer is the propellant that reaches heaven and returns with blessings.

In the midst of a battle, we need our spiritual armor, and we can only be well-clad with the armor of the believer when we are fueled up with the power of prayer. Spend a little extra time today with the Lord, and enjoy the habit of “praying always with all prayer and supplication.”

Prayer will consume sin—or sin will choke
prayer. J. C. Ryle

Recommended Reading:
Ephesians 6: 10 – 18

Devotion by Turning Point Ministries, David Jeremiah

316Judith

A Faithful King, Tuesday August 2, 2022

For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:17

Earlier this year a hiker died of apparently natural causes at an obscure spot in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. When his remains were found two weeks later, his faithful dog, King, was still standing guard over his master. King, a golden retriever, was hungry and emaciated; but he had done his duty.[1]

The Bible often tells us we can learn things from animals—the hardworking ant, the soaring eagle, the panting deer, the dependent lamb.

We can also learn a lesson from King.

Sometimes troubles beset us, and grief dismays us. But we can always be faithful.

Timothy was faithful to Paul in all circumstances, even as Paul was faithful to Christ—and Christ was faithful to them both.

Faithfulness provided the trust that bound all things together with the cords of stability and strength.

It may be no more than standing beside someone in need, but faithfulness here on earth will receive heaven’s badge of honor.

The level of trust requisite to a fruitful working partnership with a dog guide is analogous to a genuine relationship with a generative God.

Neither is easy, yet both are simple.
Dallas A. Brauninger

Recommended Reading:
1 Corinthians 4: 14 – 21

Devotion by Turning Points: David Jeremiah

316Judith

Wednesday, August 3

The Forgotten Word Wednesday, August 3, 2022

You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
Psalm 4:7

Everyone talks about happiness, but we seldom hear the biblical word gladness. Though only eight letters, few today use that word or experience its reality.

Yet the Bible is full of gladness. That word is found nearly fifty times in Scripture.

Isaiah said, “So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 51:11).

John 20:20 says, “Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”

Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we can have supernatural joy and gladness, even during difficult circumstances. Add this word to your vocabulary and let its reality fill your heart.

When I am sad, to Him I go; / No other one can cheer me so. / When I am sad, He makes me glad. / He’s my friend.
William L. Thompson

Recommended Reading:

Psalm 4

Deuteronomy 28:47 tells us to serve the Lord “with joy and gladness of heart.”

The people of Hezekiah’s day “sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped” (2 Chronicles 29:30).

Proverbs 10:28 says, “The hope of the righteous will be gladness.”

Devotion by Turning Point: David Jeremiah

316Judith

In Remembrance of Me Thursday, August 4, 2022

The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. John 6:37

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Sunderland, England, is a brick church with a clock tower. It’s no longer a church, but local organizers are preserving the building. During renovations, a paper was found stuffed down one of the pews. It was written 125 years ago by a boy who was thirteen.

Dear friend, whoever finds this paper, think of William Elliott who had two months and two weeks and four days on the 11 of August 1897.

Whoever you are that finds this paper don’t tear it up or throw it away… keep it in remembrance of me, W. Elliott… I was the leading boy of this choir.

William was orphaned when his father was washed overboard on a ship. The boy was able to stay in an orphanage until he was fourteen, and William was anxiously counting down the days until he would be discharged. He wrote the note, apprehensive of being cast out on his own.

How many of us are fearful of being cast out on our own! But the Lord will never cast us out. Calvary changes everything, and in Him we will never be abandoned, orphaned, or forgotten.

Christ never changes, never leaves us, never forgets us. John Todd

Recommended Reading: John 6: 35 – 40

Devotional by Turning Point: David Jeremiah

316Judith

Monday, August 8, 2022

Be Confident

He has reconciled [you] in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.
Colossians 1:21-22

Have you ever returned home to discover that the family dog has gotten into the kitchen trash can or chewed up a cushion or soiled the living room carpet? When that happens, the beloved pet will often hide in a corner and not even meet our gaze.

Even our pets (sometimes) know when they have “sinned”! They are full of shame and guilt. But when their owner “has a talk” and welcomes them back with a loving embrace, their confidence is restored.

God has made it possible for us, His children, to “come boldly to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16) even after we have sinned.

We can “draw near with confidence” (NASB 1995) in spite of our shame at having failed.

Why?

Because Christ, by His death on the cross, presents us “holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight” (Colossians 1:22).

When we sin, if we confess our sin, God is “faithful and just to forgive us” (1 John 1:9).

If you have sinned, don’t hide in the corner. Go with confidence to God and be forgiven, cleansed, and restored.

The distinguishing mark of a Christian is his
confidence in the love of Christ.

Charles H. Spurgeon

Recommended Reading:
Hebrews 4: 16

Turning Points: David Jeremiah

316Judith

August 9. 2022

Worth It All

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church. Colossians 1:24

Earlier this year, Pastor Kelom Kalyan Tete was seized in broad daylight by Hindu extremists and tied to an iron post at a busy intersection in Delhi. More than 150 people beat, taunted, and assaulted him.

Schoolchildren kicked his legs, and the others punched him in his head, chest, stomach, and back. He was repeatedly slapped in the face.

About noon, the binding on his hands came loose, and Pastor Tete managed to escape. He
expected to die, but God preserved him for
continued service.

One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase. So bravely run the race till we see Christ.
Esther Kerr Rusthoi

Recommended Reading
Colossians 1:24-29

Devotional by Turning Point: David Jeremiah

316Judith

Above and Beyond Living:
Sunday AUGUST 13, 2022

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23, NIV

Air, water, and food. It has been said that man can live three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food.

While not exact, those three measurements illustrate how important each element is. We seem to have plenty of air and time to find food when needed—but water is always the most protected resource, especially in the arid lands of the Bible.

Solomon used a well of water as a metaphor for the human heart and advised guarding the heart as one would guard a precious well: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (NIV 1984).

Just as physical life depends on a wellspring of water, so spiritual life depends on an abundant and pure heart. The first ten chapters of Proverbs contain instructions for wise living from a father to his son. Included are admonitions to store up wise and godly instruction (Proverbs 2).

A heart full of such instruction will become a source of life in moments of testing.

Above all, guard your heart, and it will be a wellspring of life and wisdom.

It is not the Word hidden in the head but in the heart that keeps us from sin.
Vance Havner

Recommended Reading: Luke 6:45
Devotional by Turning Points David Jeremiah

316Judith

Will be back with devotional soon

316Judith

Spiritual Dress Wednesday August 17, 2022

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another.
Colossians 3:12-13

In the first century, getting dressed was a bit simpler for the average person than it is for us today. The apostle Paul likely wore a knee-length tunic, perhaps a kind of undergarment, a robe or cloak, and sandals for his feet—and maybe a belt around his waist. Still, that small number of items was enough to stimulate his thinking when it came to describing the Christian’s spiritual wardrobe.

In Colossians 3:12-14, Paul described at least eight different articles of spiritual clothing that the Christian should “put on” daily: tender mercies (compassion), kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, patience, forgiveness, and love which is “the bond of perfection” (that which ties the others together in unity). In a world where many people strive to be fashion forward, imagine the impact of a person dressed in Paul’s eight spiritual qualities.

Which would change the world more—being dressed in the latest fashions or being dressed in the likeness of Christ?

As you get dressed each morning, imagine putting on love and the other traits Paul mentions. Being dressed in Christlikeness will set you apart in the world.

To be much like Christ, be much with Christ.
Unknown

Recommended Reading:
Ephesians 4: 32

Devotional by Turning Point: David Jeremiah

316Judith

Be Trustworthy AUGUST 20, 2022

But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment. James 5:12

The author of the book of James was the half-brother of Jesus. It should come as no surprise, then, to find echoes of some of Jesus’ teachings in James’ epistle—like James’ emphasis (“above all”) on not using an oath to guarantee the fidelity of one’s words.

Jesus spoke at length on this subject in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:33-37).

Oaths, or promises, were not forbidden in the Old Testament, but by the time Jesus arrived they had become a casual way to convince others of one’s integrity. And there were warnings against making an oath, then not fulfilling it (Numbers 30:1-2).

Solomon wrote that it was better not to swear an oath than to swear and not pay (Ecclesiastes 5:4-7).

Instead of prohibiting oaths, James and Jesus made a person’s character the main point: Let your “Yes” be “Yes” and your “No” be “No.”

Above all, be a person whose word can be trusted. Don’t rely on oaths (“I promise”) to convince others you are speaking the truth.

The life of an honest man is an oath.
Richard Sibbes

Recommended Reading: Matthew 5:33-37

Devotional by Turning Points, David Jeremiah

316Judith

Tuesday, August 23

Open Doors

Meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains.
Colossians 4:3

Paul had been called by God to preach, so he expected God to give him opportunities for evangelism. Paul called those opportunities an open door.

As soon as he saw such a door opening, he went through it in full faith that it was God who was giving him an opportunity to preach.

On one occasion, Paul and his companions were preaching in Asia Minor. When they started off in a new direction, they were prevented (Acts 16:6-10).

When Paul had a vision during his sleep of a man in Macedonia calling him to preach, he changed plans—and the Gospel made its first entrance into Europe.

Paul wasn’t frustrated about God closing one door because he expected another door to open—and it did.

Even when Paul was under house arrest in Rome for two years, he preached and taught about Christ (Acts 28:30-31), winning many in Caesar’s household to Christ (Acts 28:23-24; Philippians 4:22).

Would you like God to use you to spread the Gospel? Then pray for open doors and be ready to go through them.

Every single believer is a God-ordained agent of
evangelism.

R. B. Kuiper

Recommended Reading:
Acts 28: 30 – 31

Devotional by Turning Point, David Jeremiah

316Judith

Wednesday, August 24

How We Speak

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:6

It is said that first-century Jewish rabbis referred to wisdom as “salt”—something that is both a preservative and is tasty (attractive).

A “covenant of salt” (2 Chronicles 13:5) suggested a permanent (preserved) bond between the parties.

Jesus, as a Teacher, may have been using that metaphor when He said that His followers were “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13).

Paul was likely combining all these ideas when he wrote that Christians’ speech toward outsiders should be gracious and “seasoned with salt.”

He said something similar in Ephesians 4:29, saying that our speech should be edifying and a source of grace to those who hear our words.

He warned about the opposite of such speech in Colossians 3:8—crude, carnal speech, not befitting a follower of Christ, speech neither of permanent value nor attractive.

How do we talk when around non-believers? Do we speak like the world, trying to fit in?

Or do we speak graciously in ways that build up our hearers? Are our words attractive, conveying love and grace?

How we speak to non-Christians is as important as what we say to them.

To honor Jesus, grace and truth are both essential. Randy Alcorn

Recommended Reading:
1 Peter 3: 15 – 16

Devotion by Turning Points, David Jeremiah

316Judith

Thursday, August 25

Our Simple Presence

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Romans 12:15

Kelly Needham wrote of a difficult time in her life as she grappled with her third miscarriage. One night shortly afterward, she and her friend Abbey were in their church’s prayer room at the same time. “When she asked me how I was, something inside me broke.

I don’t remember what she said to me or what she prayed for me,” Kelly wrote. “I just cried. I’ve never cried so hard in front of anyone the way I did with her that night. Her arm around my shoulder and her simple presence in that hard place was a balm to my soul. It was so sweet that words fail to do it justice. I’ll never forget it. The Lord met me that night through her.”

What a blessing to have Christian friends to encourage and support us as we serve Christ!

Our loads are too heavy to carry alone, and we need someone to rejoice and to weep with us. It begins when we make ourselves available to rejoice and weep with someone needing us.

Today the Lord may bring across your path someone needing your simple presence. Be there!

Friendship is an irreplaceable gift in the life of a Christian.

Kelly Needham

Recommended Reading:
Romans 12: 9 – 13

Devotion by Turning Points, David Jeremiah

316Judith

Saturday, AUGUST 27

Have a Clean Heart

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:9

The Bible distinguishes between the externals and the internals of a human life. For example, when the prophet Samuel was choosing a king to replace Saul from among Jesse’s sons, God told him not to look at the outward appearance but at the heart of the candidates (1 Samuel 16:7).

Likewise, when the Pharisees criticized Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands and utensils at mealtime, Jesus said it was not the outward condition of a man that made him unclean, but the heart (Mark 7:1-23).

Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts” and much more (Mark 7:21-23).

His words call to mind the words of one of Israel’s greatest prophets, Jeremiah, who said that above all the human heart is deceitful “and desperately wicked.”

The solution to a deceitful heart is not to wash one’s hands but to receive the gift of a new heart from God. Such a gift comes when one is born again by the Spirit of God.

Above all, seek the “clean heart” that can only come by the grace of God (Psalm 51:10).

Nothing is more contrary to a heavenly hope than an earthly heart.

William Gurnall

Recommended Reading: Mark 7:14-23

Devotion by Turning Points David Jeremiah

316Judith

Tuesday, August 30

Tuesday August 30

Pedal to the Metal

I trust in the Lord for protection. Psalm 11:1, NLT

A woman recently crashed a prayer meeting in North Carolina, literally! Because of another driver, she lost control of her SUV and rammed through the front door of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, plowing through the pews and stopping just short of the pulpit.

The pastor said it was a miracle no one was sitting in the church because it was almost time for a prayer meeting. “I was running a little bit late getting here or I would’ve been here," he said.

Had the accident happened twenty minutes later, several people would have likely died. As it happened, not even the driver was seriously injured.

Rev. Jesse Mooney Jr. said, “The Lord watched after us, he’s good to us.”[1]

Not all our escapes are so dramatic. None of us know how many times the Lord’s protecting hand has saved, guarded, defended, and watched over us. None of us know how busy the angels have been keeping us from harm and evil. In His love, God protects us, even in the midst of hardship. That keeps us from being a nervous wreck!

Romans 8:28 is very real: “All things work together for good.”
Jesse Mooney Jr.

Recommended Reading:
Psalm 11

Devotion by Turning Points David Jeremiah

316Judith

Wednesday, August 31

My Child Free!

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2

An inmate in Louisiana was freed after serving twelve years of a murder sentence because of DNA evidence. As the man was released, his mother cried out, “My child free!”

Whenever we hear of a miscarriage of justice, we inwardly groan. The thought that some in prison have been wrongfully convicted breaks our hearts, and we rejoice when they are freed.

When it comes to our own guilt, however, there is no doubt. We have all sinned against God and face eternal condemnation. Yet because of His great love for us, God sent Jesus Christ, His own Son, to take our punishment and set us free.

It might help us appreciate this more if we’d take a moment to imagine how we’d feel if we actually saw the prison doors open and heard the Lord Jesus shout, “My child is free!”

Don’t underestimate the euphoria that should fill our hearts every day because of what Jesus has done for us. Let’s shout, “Praise the Lord!”

Living by grace means liberty, not bondage…depending on the Spirit…not the flesh; living for others, not for self…and living for the glory of God, not for man’s approval.
Warren Wiersbe

Recommended Reading:
Romans 8: 1 – 6

Devotion by Turning Points, David Jeremiah