Today’s Verse: At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away. – 1 Kings 19:9-10    Elijah suffered great distress after the idolatrous Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him. He ran away to the wilderness and asked God to take his life. He was filled with hopelessness, fear, and despair, and that was not of God. What he was thinking was the opposite of what God had been doing. In the previous chapters, God provided an unlimited supply of flour and oil for a widow where he had stayed. The widow’s son got sick and died, but Elijah through the power of God resurrected him. Elijah won against 450 prophets of Baal. Fire came down from heaven and consumed his offering on the altar on Mount Carmel. He also outran the chariot of King Ahab with his God-given speed. When he was in the wilderness, the Angel of the Lord came and gave him food and drink. Always remember that when we are confronted with difficult circumstances don’t look at the negative side – look at what God has done for you and have faith. This will propel you to hope and trust in Him. – Commentary By Jeremy B. Trio  Today’s Prayer:Father in Heaven, as I look back at what You have done for me and all the blessings You have given me, I thank You. My heart is filled with gratitude for all that You have done. At the same time, I am full of hope knowing that You have lots of wonderful things in store for me in the future. Help me to trust and love You as long as I live. Amen

Today’s Verse: 
He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. – 1 Kings 19:11-12

Elijah, the prophet of God, during the darkest times of Israel, suffered great depression. The nation became idolatrous and worshiped Baal under the leadership of Queen Jezebel. She was the Phoenician wife of King Ahab, who wanted to kill Elijah. She had already killed other prophets, and Elijah was the only prophet left. So Elijah ran away to the wilderness, sat under a broom tree, and asked God to take his life. However, God had a plan for Elijah. He told him to go to Mount Horeb to meet Him there. God was about to show Elijah he was never alone. When a gentle whisper came, he knew it was God. To hear a whisper requires closeness. God was right there all along, closer than Elijah thought. This story reminds us that whatever problems we are facing, God is always right there beside us. He whispers in a soft voice, and all we need to do is to listen carefully. – Commentary By Jeremy B. Trio

Today’s Prayer:
Dear God, my loving Father, I thank you for always being right by my side. You are indeed faithful; You will never leave me or forsake me. Help me to listen carefully to Your gentle whisper. Amen.

Today’s Verse: 
Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to advice. – Proverbs 12: 15 

In Kings 12, King Rehoboam (son of King Solomon) seeks counsel from the elders that served under Solomon to help with an issue in his Kingdom. Those elders gave him wise advice. However, he decides to disregard it and asks the young men who grew up with him. Their advice drives the Kingdom to divide and a new king to come in. The new king leads Israel down the wrong path.

As humans, we are prideful, naturally selfish, and want to do things our way, even when our way seems wrong. It may seem that it will only affect us, but often that is not true. The result of Rehoboam’s foolish action was a divided Kingdom, a wicked King on the throne, a man being stoned to death, rebellion, and idol worship.

Our choices can have a domino effect and often will not only affect you. We are responsible for our choices, and there are always consequences for good or bad. We have access to wise elders for a reason, they have been where we are, and they know how to navigate things the right and healthy way. – Commentary by Kristina Taylor

Today’s Prayer:
Lord, thank you for those that have gone before us that have gained a broader perspective and wisdom as a result of living life and seeking You. I pray they are gentle when giving advice, and we are open-minded when receiving it. Amen.

Today’s Verse:
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, – Genesis 1:1

Have you experienced doubting the existence of God after you became a Christian? My honest answer to this question is yes. There have been quite a few times that I have had doubts because of trials and challenges that seem to be insoluble. There had been times also where the enemy whispered lies to me.

But as I pondered upon the Word of God, the source of truth, I regained my faith, and I doubted no more. This verse is the frontline of God’s Word. If we receive this statement as the total truth it is, then we can have peace of mind knowing that the God we believe in is real and mighty in power.

He created new things out of nothing. All we need to do is take a look at our surroundings, you will see evidence of a supreme creator, the galaxy, universe, solar system, and the living things found on the planet we live in. The Bible affirms it to be true. Open your hearts to this truth and don’t give the enemy a chance to deceive you. – Commentary by Dionivie Tacder

Today’s Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that continues to battle against the lies of Satan, and for affirming them through the work of the Holy Spirit. I renounce my unbelief. I declare my unwavering faith in You. Please help me to experience Your blessings and to never doubt You. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen!

The humble shall see and be glad…’ Psalm 69:32.

How profound that humility and gladness go together.

What do humble and joyous people have in common? They both look up. The truly humble don’t look down on anyone; they look up. They have to look up because their eyes are on God and He’s above them. And the joyous always look up; otherwise, they wouldn’t be rejoicing, for they are believing the good news, so they rejoice. For the joyous, things are looking up, or rather, for the joyous, the joyous are looking up.

The prideful, on the other hand are those who think they’re above everything else and so they look down. The prideful are connected to others who look down: the cynical, the doubting, the despairing, the depressed, the sorrowful, and the hopeless. Pride leads to despair, but humility leads to joy.

Get your eyes off yourself, off your problem, off the world. Fix your eyes on God. That means you’re going to have to look up. Get into the blessing of seeing God, the blessing of the humble. For those who look up in humility and faith, also look up in joy.

TODAY’S MISSION – Today, lose yourself in God’s greatness. Learn the joy of the humble.

Today’s Verse:
Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.” – Matthew 1:23 

There is no doubt we are living in some very chaotic prophetic times as told of in the Holy Bible. All one has to do is look around and pay attention to what is happening all over the world. For these reasons it is so crucial right now to realize we need to repent of our sins and convert to God’s ways. Pray without ceasing, especially for the conversion of sinners everywhere! The wonderful reassurance we have in this scripture is God is with us. He is always right beside us through these trials we have gone through and will face as we take up our crosses daily. We must persevere as it leads us to Christ. Remember Jesus suffered, so must we as we go through this journey. We are not facing it alone, so surrender to God’s will and lean on Jesus. – Commentary by Dionivie Tacder

Today’s Prayer:
Lord, thank You for always being with me and for fighting my battles as I humbly pray. You are my greatest reward. Your presence calms the raging storms in my life. Please continue to make me aware of Your presence as I walk in faith. Amen!

Today’s Verse:
Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. – Luke 9:23 

What does it mean to take up your cross? The Lord Jesus Christ said that was one of the conditions we have to be willing to do to be one of His followers. They say that every follower of Christ must be prepared for future sufferings. However, Jesus said that the cross (which symbolizes suffering) should be taken up daily.

Indeed, we all have daily struggles and sufferings in our lives. Jesus said that daily struggles and sufferings must not hold us back from following Him, you must take it up daily. At times, we fall back and say, “We cannot serve or even worship God right now” because we are struggling or suffering from something. Jesus said, take it up and carry it with you.

Don’t let it hinder you from following Christ, carry it like the heavy cross, endure it, and offer it up to God. In the end, after we persevere, what awaits us is the comfort and joy that Christ will be there to welcome us to the place He has prepared for us. And always remember Jesus said that He would give us rest if we become weary and come to Him (Matthew 11:28). – Commentary by Jeremy Trio

Today’s Prayer:
Lord, please help me to change my ways, bring me to conversion to Holiness. Inspire me in how I am to submit to Your will and carry my cross as I follow You, to trust, and commit my life to You. Amen.

Jesus taught us that not even one sparrow falls to the ground without God’s care. Yet what about the sparrow’s twig?

A sparrow dropped a little twig at the Central Power and Light Co. in Weslaco, Texas. When the twig hit the insulator, there was a 69,000-volt flashover which destroyed three insulators and blew out two 69,000-volt fuses. The city of Weslaco had no power for almost a half an hour… all because of a twig dropped by a sparrow. It’s hard to believe that something so little could cause a city to come to a halt.

It happens in our lives too. One careless word can destroy a friendship. One careless indiscretion can destroy a marriage. One careless choice can destroy a ministry. One careless action can destroy a career. Beware of being careless with the words that come out of your mouth. Better to say nothing than to let one word of anger, frustration, gossip or evil come out of your mouth. Live every moment as holy, sacred, and beautiful for Him who cares even for the sparrow, and sees the drop of the sparrow’s twig.

TODAY’S MISSION – Today, choose your words carefully – not carelessly. Make every word count for life and blessing.

Today’s Verse: 
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. – Luke 6: 42

We all have our own plank, and we all see the specks in other people’s eyes. It is so much easier to point out the flaws in others compared to ourselves. However, many of us have already taken the log out of our own eye, and can clearly see the speck in our neighbor’s eye.

Have you ever noticed a loved one going down a path that is eerily similar to the one you have already gone down? Does their speck look like your old plank? The Bible tells us that is the time to speak with that person about something you see that they may not see. Sometimes, this is successful, and sometimes it is not.

When we finally build up the courage to talk to our neighbor with the speck, and they dismiss us, what do we do now? God called you to do this, so why did it not work? Why would it be blocked by your neighbor? It is important to remember how you felt when you had that same speck in your eye.

God knows, and it is important to remember that the only person you can change is you. Only God can change your neighbor with the speck in their eye. While you wait, pray, and ask God what you can change about yourself to further assist your neighbor. – Commentary by Kristina Taylor

Today’s Prayer:
God, I pray that our brothers and sisters would have open hearts and understand the love and courage it takes for that person to tell them there is a speck in their eye. I pray we would also be open to correction about the plank in our own eyes. Keep us humble and self-aware. Amen.

Today’s Verse:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. – Philippians 4:6

Many things cause us to worry in life. Problems will always come whether we like it or not. It happens because we are living in a fallen world. There are countless thoughts to distract us from the peace that God has given us. Only God can give us real peace so we can be worry-free.

But since the enemy always seeks to steal the peace we have, God reminds us in His word to not worry about anything. We are called to pray with thanksgiving; share with Him all the issues that bring chaos into our lives and trust Him. God is the ultimate problem solver. Present all your problems to Him, and He will resolve them as He sees fit and to the highest good. He is your Almighty God! – Commentary by Dionivie Tacder

Today’s Prayer:
Father, I acknowledge You are my ultimate problem solver. I lay down all my problems at the foot of Your altar, and entrust You with all my issues. You are God Almighty and nothing is impossible for You. I give You thanks for what You are about to do. Amen!