Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2026. 

SUBJECT: WHEN YOU ARE WEAK TO PRAY! 

Memory verse: "What and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14 vs 38.) 

READ: Matthew 26 vs 36 - 41:

26:36: Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there."

26:37: And He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 

26:38: Then He said to them, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with Me."

26:39: He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

26:40: Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?"

26:41: Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

INTIMATION:

Weakness in prayer is a common human experience where physical exhaustion, and mental fatigue due to long days, and lack of rest which deplete the energy needed to stay focused and alert during prayer. There are also times of wandering thoughts, mounting life pressures which easily choke concentration and quietness. 

Other situations abound when you probably may face many problems that wear you down. For instance, you deal with irritating people whom you must love and serve, you face the burden of unfinished tasks or lack of obvious results, you cope with helpers who let you down or fail to comprehend. 

There are also periods of spiritual dryness; seasons of quietness or a feeling that heaven is silent which can drain motivation and enthusiasm. You are overwhelmed and don't know what to say due to human limitation since we often cannot see the full picture or know what to ask for in specific trials resulting to lack of words that makes connecting with God feel difficult. 

The good news is that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness by interceding for us: "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the Will of God." (Romans 8 vs 26 -27.) 

Weakness in prayer is mostly not about how to pray, but about what to pray; 'For we do not know what to pray, but the Spirit helps us.' The explanation is that when you do not know what to pray as you ought, the Spirit intercedes for you with groanings too deep for words. This is a form of divine help that strengthens our prayer life. 

Jesus prayed and strengthened Peter so he could lead the disciples and spread the gospel. When you are weak to pray, let this knowledge carry you. It's about allowing the Spirit of God to carry you when you don't have the strength to carry yourself.

The Scriptures, in Second Corinthians 12 vs 9, says what Jesus said to the apostle Paul; "And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness." God's power is made perfect in human weakness. You do not have to be strong or eloquent to pray. The fact that God's power is displayed in our weaknesses should give us hope.

As we recognize our limitations, we will depend more on God for our effectiveness rather than on our own energy, effort, or talent. Our limitations not only help develop Christian character, but also deepen our worship, because in admitting them, we affirm God's strength. Admitting your inability is not a failure; it is the core of authentic prayer, which shifts reliance from your own effort to God's grace.

Remember that in times of great stress, you are vulnerable to temptation, even if you have a willing spirit. Jesus explained how to resist: (1) Keep watch and keep It simple. Do not force long, complex prayers. Offer short, honest sentences acknowledging your tiredness as you stay awake, Also be morally vigilant. Spend a few minutes in stillness instead of trying to fill every second with noise or repetitive words.

(2) Pray to God using Scriptures: Read a short psalm or a verse like Psalm 18 or Romans 8 and turn those exact words back into your prayer to God. Ask for brace, simply tell God, "I am weak today, please give me the grace and strength to pray." This is how you maintain your vigilance.

(3) Seek support of friends and loved ones; this is how you build up your resistance and help others; when one is weak, others are strong. 

Remember, nothing threatens darkness like a praying Christian. Everyone can teach and preach about prayer, but not everyone can genuinely pray because it is a heavy sacrifice to push in prayer, more especially when you are growing spiritually. It's important that a Christian should keep alert and pray. 

Keeping alert means being aware of the possibilities of temptation, sensitive to the subtleties, and being spiritually equipped to fight it. Because temptation strikes where we are most vulnerable, we can't resist it alone. Prayer is essential because God's strength can shore up our defenses and defeat Satan's power. One may not desire to fall into temptation, but we must never underestimate the power of the lust of the flesh to lead one astray into sin. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my current situation is well over my head that I cannot adequately commune with you in prayer. I rely on my Senior Partner, the Holy Spirit to make intercessions for me. O Lord, You searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, He makes intercession for me the according to Your Will, in Jesus’ mighty Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

Life Hangs on the Word of God

 Life Hangs on the Word of God

He said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32:46–47)

The word of God is not a trifle; it is a matter of life and death. If you treat the Scriptures as a trifle or as empty words, you forfeit life.

Even our physical life depends on God’s word, because by his word we were created (Psalm 33:6; Hebrews 11:3), and “he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).

And our spiritual life begins by the word of God: “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18). “You have been born again . . . through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

Not only do we begin to live by God’s word, but we also go on living by God’s word: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3).

So our physical life is created and upheld by the word of God, and our spiritual life is quickened and sustained by the word of God. How many stories could be gathered to bear witness to the life-giving power of the word of God!

Indeed, the Bible is “no empty word for you” — it is your life! The foundation of all joy is life. Nothing is more fundamental than sheer existence — our creation and our preservation. 

All this is owing to the word of God’s power. By that same power, he has spoken in Scripture for the creation and sustenance of our spiritual life. Therefore, the Bible is no empty word, but is your very life — the foundation and kindling of your joy!

Jesus’s Pursuit of Joy

 Jesus’s Pursuit of Joy

[Look] to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Does the example of Jesus contradict the principle of Christian Hedonism? Namely, that love is the way of joy and that one should choose it for that very reason, lest one be found begrudging obedience to the Almighty or chafing under the privilege of being a channel of grace or belittling the promised reward.

Hebrews 12:2 seems to say fairly clearly that Jesus did not contradict this principle.

The greatest labor of love that ever happened was possible because Jesus pursued the greatest imaginable joy, namely, the joy of being exalted to God’s right hand in the assembly of a redeemed people: “For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross!”

In saying this, the writer means to give Jesus as another example, along with the saints of Hebrews 11, of those who are so eager for and confident in the joy God offers that they reject the “fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25) and choose ill-treatment in order to be aligned with God’s will.

It is not unbiblical, therefore, to say that at least part of what sustained Christ in the dark hours of Gethsemane was the hope of joy beyond the cross. This does not diminish the reality and greatness of his love for us, because the joy in which he hoped was the joy of leading many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10).

His joy is in our redemption, which redounds to God’s glory. We share the joy with Jesus and God gets the glory.

Hope for the Worst of Sinners

 Hope for the Worst of Sinners

“I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” (Exodus 33:19)

Moses needed hope that God really could have mercy on a stiff-necked people who had just committed idolatry and scorned the God who brought them out of Egypt.

To give Moses the hope and confidence he needed, God said, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, “My choices do not depend on the degree of evil or good in man but solely upon my free, sovereign will. Therefore no one can say he is too evil to be shown grace.” That would imply God is not free, and election is not unconditional.

The doctrine of unconditional election is the great doctrine of hope for the worst of sinners. It means that when it comes to being a candidate for grace, your background has nothing to do with God’s choice. That’s good news.

If you have not been born again and brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ, do not sink into hopelessness thinking that the excessive rottenness or hardness of your past life is an insurmountable obstacle to God’s gracious work in your life. God loves to magnify the freedom of his grace by saving the worst of sinners.

Turn from your sin; call upon the Lord. Even in this daily devotion, that you are reading or hearing, he is being gracious to you, and giving you strong encouragement to come to him for mercy. 

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2026.

SUBJECT : OUR NEED OF PATIENCE!

Memory verse: "For you have need of patience, so that after you have done the Will of God, you may receive the promise." (Hebrews 10 vs 36.)

READ: Hebrews 10 vs 32 - 36:

10:32: But recall the former days, in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings:

10:33: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations; and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated;

10:34: for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and enduring possessions for yourselves in heaven.

10:35: Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.

10:36: For you have need of patience, so that after you have done the Will of God, you may receive the promise.

INTIMATION:

Patience is the quality of being able to calmly endure suffering, toil, delay, vexation, or any similar condition. Patience is a divine virtue or spiritual fruit. It can be simply defined as “waiting without complaint.” And it is listed as one of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23). It perfects Christian character. 

Fellowship in the patience of Christ is therefore, the condition upon which believers are to be admitted to reign with Him. For in this patience believers are ‘strengthened with all power,’ through His Spirit in the inward man.’ Hence the Lord teaches us to love as God loves, and to be patient as Christ is patient.

The Scripture we read today encourages believers to persevere in the Christian faith and conduct when facing persecution and pressure. We don’t usually think of suffering as good for us, but it can build our character and our patience. During times of great stress, we may feel God’s presence more clearly and find help from Christians we never thought would care. Knowing that Jesus is with us in our suffering and that He will return one day to put an end to all pain helps us grow in our faith and our relationship with Him.

When faced with a difficult decision, don’t allow impatience to drive you to disobey God. When you know what God wants, follow His plan regardless of the consequences. God often uses delay to test our obedience and patience. Trusting God when nothing seems to happen is difficult. But it is harder still to live with the consequences of taking matters into our own hands. Resist the temptation to think God has forgotten you. Have patience and courage to wait for God to act.

The Scripture abounds with those who through patience obtained the promise. For instance, David did not become king over all Israel until he was 37 years old, although he had been promised the kingdom many years earlier (First Samuel 16 vs 13). During those years, David had to wait patiently for the fulfillment of God’s promise. If you feel pressured to achieve instant results and success, remember David’s patience. Just as his time of waiting prepared him for his important task, a waiting period may help you by strengthening your character.

Although God promises to reward our good deeds, we sometimes feel our “payoff” is too far away or delayed. Be patient! God steps in when it will do the most good. In the Book of Esther, Mordecai had exposed a plot to assassinate Ahasuerus—thus, he had saved the king’s life (Esther 2 vs 21 - 23). Although the good deed was recorded in the history books, Mordecai had gone unrewarded. But God was saving Mordecai’s reward for the right time. Just as Haman was about to hang him unjustly, the king was ready to give the reward. 

Misfortunes are designed to build virtues in us, and among the virtues gained through difficulty is patience. That family member or work associate who annoys you is God's gift to you to build your patience. If you're stuck with a job you don't like, and you can't find any other work, then God is building your patience. Each nuisance, long wait, affliction, every mosquito bite, traffic jam, and body ache in the life of the Christian raises his or her threshold of tolerance ever so much. Even tedious sermons and difficult reading (perhaps including what you are enduring right now!) can make you a more patient person.

So through the daily grind, the Christian grows morally, improving in virtue through various experiences that he might not even consider morally relevant, much less significant. But we who affirm the sovereignty of God shouldn't be surprised by this moral growth through even incidentals, for we believe God is always at work in the details, moving always to bring us into closer conformity to His image (Romans 8 vs 28).

This is why the apostle James says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the trying of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1 vs 2 - 4.) It has been said that nothing teaches like experience. To some degree this is true of the virtues. Pain and suffering teach us endurance and empathy. The experience of mercy and forgiveness incline us to be more merciful and forgiving. We gain moral maturity each day precisely because each day brings some difficulty that we must overcome. Like it or not, we persevere, and we are morally the better for it. 

Prayer: Abba Father, let the virtue of patience be developed in me by the working of the Holy Spirit, that I may be strengthened in the inner man to persevere in Christ to the end, and obtain the promise, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Let Goods and Kindred Go

 Let Goods and Kindred Go

Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. (Hebrews 10:32–35)

The Christians in Hebrews 10:32–35 have earned the right to teach us about costly love.

The situation appears to be this: In the early days of their conversion, some of them were imprisoned for their faith. The others were confronted with a difficult choice: Shall we go underground and stay “safe,” or shall we visit our brothers and sisters in prison and risk our lives and property? They chose the way of love and accepted the cost.

“For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property.”

But were they losers? No. They lost property and gained joy! They joyfully accepted the loss.

In one sense, they denied themselves. It was real and costly. But in another sense, they did not. They chose the way of joy. Evidently, these Christians were motivated for prison ministry the same way the Macedonians (of 2 Corinthians 8:1–9) were motivated to relieve the poor. Their joy in God overflowed in love for others.

They looked at their own lives and said, “The steadfast love of the Lord is better than life” (see Psalm 63:3).

They looked at all their possessions and said, “We have a possession in heaven that is better and lasts longer than any of this” (see Hebrews 10:34).

Then they looked at each other and said — perhaps sang — something like Martin Luther’s great hymn:

Let goods and kindred go

This mortal life also

The body they may kill

God’s truth abideth still

His kingdom is forever

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2026.

SUBJECT : DO NOT TOLERATE SIN IN YOUR LIFE!

Memory verse: "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-“ (Mark 9 vs 43.)

READ: Matthew 5 vs 29 - 30:

5:29: If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

5:30: And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, and cast it from you: for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 

INTIMATION:

We are to be completely intolerant of sin and remove it from our lives. God cannot condone or excuse even the smallest sin, therefore, we cannot excuse ourselves for sinning only a little bit. We should be tolerant of people who hold differing views, but we should not condone beliefs or practices that lead people away from God’s standard of living.

We sometimes tolerate sin in our lives that, left unchecked, could eventually destroy us. It is better to experience the pain of removal (getting rid of a bad habit or something we treasure that lead us to sin) than to allow the sin to bring judgement and condemnation. Examine your life for anything that causes you to sin, and take every necessary actions to remove it.

Not tolerating sin in our lives is not easy in a world full of immoral conducts. We also are living in times of widespread sin and sexual immorality. It is popular to be open-minded toward many types of sin, calling them personal choices or alternative lifestyles. But when the body of believers begin to tolerate sin amongst them, it lowers the standards and compromises the believers’ witnessing for Christ. Remember that God’s approval is infinitely more important than the world’s. Use God’s Word, not what people around you are willing to accept, to set the standards for what is right or wrong. 

One of the realities of sin is that its effects spread. Like toxic waste spilled in a river, sin swiftly spreads. Sin in our lives is similar to pollution in streams. Even small amounts are deadly, as a small sin has the tendency of growing out of control. 

When God points out sin, move quickly to remove it from your life. We often choose to tolerate sin rather than drive it from our lives. We may know what to do but just don’t follow through. This results in a gradual deterioration of our relationship with God. In our battles, we may grow tired and want rest, but we need to know that God loves us and has given us a purpose for life. Victory comes from living according to His purpose and from being willing to fully obey Him. 

In our anchor Scripture, the starling language is not meant to promote self-mutilation, but instead stresses the importance of cutting sin out of your life. Painful self-discipline is required of God’s true followers. Giving up a relationship, job, or habit that is against God’s Will may seem just as painful as cutting off a hand, but Christ is worth any possible loss or discomfort. Nothing should stand in the way of faith. We must be ruthless in removing sin from our lives now in order to avoid suffering for eternity. Make your choices from an eternal perspective.

It is not the sins we don’t know about but the sin we excuse that cause us the greatest trouble. We must never let any sin go unchallenged. In your life, is an unchallenged sin spreading like a deadly cancer? Don’t excuse it. Confess the sin to God and ask Him for strength to resist the temptation. 

As we grow spiritually, our sensitivity to sin increases. As God makes us aware of sin, we must be intolerant of it, and be willing to change. It is noteworthy that all believers should strive to be more tolerant of people, but less tolerant of the sin in them. Are you insensitive, unconcerned, disappointed, or comfortable with sin? Better still, what is your reaction to sin in your life? A sincere answer will give you a clear assessment of your relationship with God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, sin is an abomination before You, O Most Holy God. Endue me with the spirit of delightsome obedience to Your Word, and empower me to live for You all the days of my life. Help me to resist any temptations that come my way, that I may find strength to lead a holy life pleasing to You at all times, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!