I Kings 18: 42-43 ” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Mt. Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and look towards the sea,’ he told his servant. And he went up and looked. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’ “

This is a wonderful example of persistent prayer.  The kind of determined, tenacious, even stubborn prayer where we refuse to get out of the Lord’s face until He does something.  In Luke 18: 1-8, Jesus tells the parable about the widow looking for justice who wore the judge down with her persistence.  At the end of this story He instructs His disciples to have the same kind of unabashed audacity in prayer … to not give up.

Psalm 33:11 ” But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.”

From the moment of creation…to the furthest reaches of the future, there are two things that will never change about God.  He will never lie, and He will never change His mind. (Numbers 23:19)  The plans he puts into motion are driven by divine wisdom and love and will never see failure…for He is God.

Jeremiah 23: 28 ” Let the (false) prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has My word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain? “

This Scripture speaks to what is truth, and what is false…it speaks to God’s divinely ordained Word, and the corrupted half-truths that come from the pit of hell.  The bottom line for us is…do we want to be filled with the “fruit” of His Word, or the useless stubble left behind?

Romans 1:8 ” First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.”

Every time you share your faith with someone…every time you openly declare your trust and belief in Jesus Christ…God’s word reaches farther into the world.  Little did I know when I started this Daily Devotional a little over three years ago that it would now be reaching over 100 countries around the world.  As it states in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”  Our faith and belief in the Gospel message, when shared with others, catapults His Word to the far-flung reaches  of this world.

II John verse 6 ” And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands, as you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.”

As you start your journey into 2016, are you willing to yield all of yourself to the Lord…conforming yourself to His ways, not yours?  Are you willing to give Him that secret part of you that you’ve been holding on to…hiding from Him…unable to give Him fully?  Obedience is the fundamental key in our relationship with God…for His love is truly made complete in it. ( I John 2:5)

Psalm 94:11 ” The Lord knows the thoughts of man; He knows that they are futile.”

The Lord knows them all…every ill-intended, evil thought.  He sees every vain and worthless plan, and will  listen to every ridiculous scheme when we’re trying to impress Him with our wisdom. To paraphrase I Corinth. 3:20,  The wisdom of the world is utterly absurd and ridiculous to God is so very true.  Every time we think we know it all…we need to remember that we know nothing.

Jude 1:2 ” Mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.”

On this first day of 2016,  I pray this scripture over you and yours.  May the Lord’s compassion be ever evident in your life…may you discover true peace that is only brought about by God’s tender mercy,  granting you deliverance and freedom from sin…and may His unconditional love shine brightly on you as you journey ahead in this new year.  God loves you!

II Chronicles 20:20 ” Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets and you will be successful.”

On this last day of 2015, whose report will you believe today?  The pessimistic and slanted world’s view, or the Lord’s divine perspective on things?  The most reliable truth comes from God and His people.   His Word will sustain you, and cause you to prosper…to be happy and victorious in this next coming year.  Look to Him and His people for this guidance as you move into 2016.

II Peter 2:20 ” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.”

So why do Believers fall away…even after experiencing the saving grace and mercy of Jesus?  Is the pull of the world too strong, or is their confidence in this new-found faith too frail?  Has the self-centered human nature triumphed over  the newly gained eternal perspective?  And why does Peter tell us they are worse off than before they knew Jesus…could it be that they may spend eternity lamenting their decision?

John 5:7 ” ‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’ “

Something bad happens to us… what’s the first thing we usually do?  We blame someone or thing for it.  Blaming others rather than taking responsibility for the circumstances we find ourselves in is something we do rather well.  I remember a saying that was popular years ago…”The devil made me do it!”  No, the devil didn’t make you do anything…it’s all on you.