Delmar answers, “come on in boys, the waters fine!"

Perfect Love

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear...” (1 John 4:18, NIV)

When unexpected things happen — trials, difficulty or tragedy — the enemy sends a whirlwind of fear to try to shake our faith and steal our focus. His goal is to take our eyes off of God and cause us to feel overwhelmed by circumstances. But if we will choose to stay focused on the love of God, if we choose to meditate on His goodness, the truth will set us free from fear and ground our hearts in confidence.

Today, know that God loves you perfectly. He is a good God. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that His plans for us are for good. He has thoughts of peace, not for evil. He wants to give you a future and hope. Anytime thoughts of fear come, replace them with words of love. Just declare, “Thank You, God, for loving me. Thank You for leading me into peace. Thank You for hope for my future.” As you meditate on His love and goodness, you’ll feel faith rise up in your heart. You’ll feel hope, you’ll feel strength, and you’ll feel empowered to move forward in the good path He has prepared for you.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You for Your hand of grace upon me. I trust that You are with me, that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me to always keep my eyes on You, the Author and Finisher of my faith in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus Loves the Little Children

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14, NIV)

There’s a story in scripture about a time when the children wanted to run to Jesus, but the adults, thinking they were helping, kept them away from Him. When Jesus saw what was going on, He said, “Let them come to me!” Jesus loves children. He says that children are the example of faith and trust that we should follow. Like the children, we should always run to Him. We should always trust Him. We should always find safety in His loving arms.

It’s interesting that the scripture says “the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them.” This tells me that little children are always welcome in heaven, too. Those young ones who leave the earth before they are old enough to have an understanding of what it means to be saved are received with open arms.

Today, if you aren’t sure where you would spend eternity if this were your last day on earth, we want you to know that God loves you and made a way for you to have eternal life. E-mail me for more information and for prayer.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your love and grace. Today, I come to You as a little child — with faith, hope and trust. Show me Your love, show me Your grace, and show me the good plan You have for my future in Jesus’ name. Amen.

He Collects Your Tears

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” (Psalm 56:8, NLT)

Do you know how important you are to God? He cares so much about every detail of your life. He cares about your thoughts, feelings and emotions. In fact, what you are going through is so important to Him that He records every sorrow and collects the tears you’ve shed.

Why would God record your sorrows and collect your tears? Because everything that affects you matters to Him. He is your Vindicator. He’s keeping an account of every wrong that’s ever been done to you so that He can make up for every single one of them. He wants to restore to you everything that has ever been stolen. He wants to heal every hurt and pain.

Today, know that God cares about the things that concern you. He cares about the things that hurt you. He is close to the brokenhearted, and He wants to bring you peace and comfort. Turn to Him and receive His love. Let Him bring healing to your heart and restoration to your soul.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for loving me and for caring about the things that concern me. I choose to give You every hurt, pain and sorrow, knowing that You will make all things new in Your time in Jesus’ name. Amen.

He Restores Your Soul

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul...” (Psalm 23:1–3, ESV)

God wants to restore your soul today. Your soul is your mind, your will and your emotions. You are a three-part being: you are a spirit — that’s the part of you that lives for eternity, you have a soul, and you live in a body while you’re here on earth.

Your soul is where you may store hurt, disappointments or brokenness from the past. When God restores your soul, He brings His healing power to those broken places and makes you whole again. And when God restores you, He makes you better off than you were before. He makes you stronger, more alive, and more loving.

I love the picture painted in this verse. Notice that He leads us beside quiet waters. He makes us lie down in green pastures. This is a picture of rest. When we are resting in Him, He is able to do a work in our lives. He is able to bring that restoration. Don’t let the busyness of life keep you going so fast that you don’t stop and rest. Take time to be still before the Lord and let Him restore your soul.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for leading me into a place of rest. Today I surrender my brokenness to You and open my heart to receive Your healing so You can restore my soul in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Everlasting Father

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, AMP)

When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, not only is your eternity secure, but you immediately become a child of the Most High God. You instantly have an Everlasting Father! Think about that word everlasting. That means before the beginning of time, the Father was there. He was waiting for you to accept Him and become a child of His.

I can only imagine that God was anticipating that day just like a father would anticipate the birth of his child in the natural. I can imagine that each day He would think, “Is it today?”

I don’t know what your experience has been with your earthly father, but God is a good and perfect Father. He loves you with an everlasting love. He loves everything about you so much that He notices when a single hair falls from your head. He accepts you just the way you are, and He loves you enough to guide you and work His character in you. And, He will be your Father from now until eternity! He will never leave you nor forsake you. So thank Him for being your Everlasting Father today!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Everlasting Father, thank You for loving me today and for always being with me. Help me to understand Your love more so that I may know You better. Let Your love flow through me so that others may see Your goodness and come to know You as their Father also in Jesus’ name. Amen.

God with Us

Today's Verse

"Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel--which, when translated, means, God with us." (Matthew 1:23, AMP)

In the Bible, Jesus has many names that identify His character. One of those names is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” Before Jesus came to earth, the Spirit of God resided in the temple. The people had to go through all kinds of rituals to become clean enough to go near to Him. Today, as believers, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He is the one who cleanses us and makes His home in our hearts. He becomes one with us, closer than the air we breathe.

Isn’t it good to know that God is always with us? His peace is always with us. His joy is always with us. His power is always with us, and His victory is always with us. The next time you feel alone, think about this scripture. Know that He is near because you serve Emmanuel—the God who is always with you!

Prayer for Today

Father in heaven, thank You for choosing to make Your home in me. Thank You for filling me with Your peace and joy. I bless You today, knowing that You will never leave me nor forsake me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do Not Be Afraid

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.’ ” (Matthew 1:20, NLT)

Have you ever felt overwhelmed or even afraid of what God has called you to do? Maybe you were pursuing a dream or goal and things didn’t turn out the way you planned. Joseph had planned to take Mary as his wife, but when he found out she was pregnant, he didn’t know what to think. He was afraid that he might be making a mistake because things didn’t turn out the way he planned. But, God sent a messenger in a dream to reassure Joseph that he was on the right path.

Today let me reassure you that God knows right where you are, and He knows how to get you to where you need to be. Even when things don’t go the way you planned, His hand is on you. Do not be afraid. Trust that God is working behind the scenes on your behalf, and that He will lead you into the life of blessing that He has prepared for you.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, I choose to trust in You. Even when things don’t go the way I planned, I know You are at work in my life. Thank You for Your perfect love which casts out all fear. I love You and surrender every area of my life to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

He Leads You by Peace

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, NKJV)

The Bible calls Jesus the Prince of Peace. That means He is the ruler of peace. He is the ultimate peace. Having His peace is not like having the peace the world has. His peace is permanent. It never changes and can never be taken away.

It’s interesting that the word “peace” literally means “to set at one again.” In other words, when we are one with the Father, when we line up our thoughts, our words and our actions with Him through the blood of Jesus Christ, we will experience His peace in our lives. Anytime you find that you don’t have peace about something on the inside of your heart, when you feel an uneasiness, that’s a sign that you should stop and pray and make sure you are in line with God’s direction.

Remember, His plans are always for your good. He leads you by peace and fills you with His joy. When you choose His ways, you become one with Him and experience His peace and blessing all the days of your life!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, thank You for filling me with Your Peace and joy. Have Your way in my heart and remove anything that displeases You. Help me to clearly hear Your voice so I can walk in all of Your ways in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Perfect toward Him

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“...I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” (Psalm 101:2, NKJV)

This time of year, people often take time to reflect and set goals for the New Year. But have you ever set “perfection” as a goal on your list?

Now, that may seem a little strange or unobtainable to many; but really, in God’s eyes, perfection isn’t about performance. In fact, it isn’t about behavior at all. What God is looking for is a heart that is perfect toward Him. Scripture says that man looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart. That means He is more pleased with someone who has a heart toward Him who may mess up than He is with someone doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons.

The condition of your heart is extremely important to God. When you have a right heart, you are humble before Him. You seek His ways. You get up each day with a desire to please Him. You submit every area of your life to Him, and you are willing to make adjustments and receive correction so you can grow and come up higher.

As you prepare for the coming year, make knowing Him your number one priority. Yield yourself to Him and let Him shape your character. Serve Him with all your might and let your heat be perfect toward Him!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, thank You for all of Your blessings in my life. I declare today that You are good and thank You for Your mercy. I set my heart and mind on You and ask that You have Your way in me. Help me to love You perfectly and keep me close to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Flourish in the New Year

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree...” (Psalm 92:12, NIV)

Have you ever seen a palm tree in the midst of a great storm? That tree may be bent so far over that it’s almost touching the ground, but when the wind finally stops, that palm tree bounces right back up. What’s interesting is that while that palm tree is hunched over under the pressure of the storm, it is actually becoming stronger.

See, the reason God said we’d flourish like a palm tree is because He knew there would be difficult times. He knew things would come against us to try to steal our joy and victory. But God said, “You’re going to be like a palm tree because when the storms of life blow, you are going to come right back up stronger than before.”

As you reflect on the events over the last year, remember, the storms you have encountered have only made you stronger. You are wiser, you are more alive, and you are headed for victory. Your brightest days are right out in front of you! Always remember that with God on your side, nothing can hold you back!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, thank You for making me strong in You. I trust that You are working in my life, even in the midst of the storms. Thank You for a new year and a new season of blessing in You in Jesus’ name. Amen.