Prison Ministries

Archive for the ‘Devotionals’ Category

Read James 1, Psalm 26
Are You Being Pruned or Punished?

“But I know! I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” Jeremiah 17:9 NLT

Whether we are being disciplined by God as punishment for our sins, or pruned by God in order that we become more fruitful, it hurts just the same.

One of the best ways to determine whether we are being disciplined or pruned is through self examination.

While it is presumptuous to think anyone knows the mind of God, there are certain principles that He has laid down in His Word that can offer a lot of insight.

Just as He loved us enough to send His Son to die for us, He loves us enough to chasten us as severely as it takes to correct us and bring us back into a right relationship with Him when we fall into unrepentant sin.

If, after serious prayer and self examination, we are not convicted of any sins for which we are suffering chastening; we must consider the probability that we are experiencing the pruning of God through which we are being conformed more and more into the image of Christ and being equipped to produce the fruit for which God created us.

We are better equipped to forgive when we have been forgiven much. We are better equipped to comfort and love others when we have been comforted and loved. We are more sensitive to pain and suffering when we have experienced it for ourselves.

As God molds and melds us through the refiners fire, after we have determined that our problem is not an un confessed or unrepentant sin, we need to consider it all joy that God is working in our lives to draw us closer to Him and to believe that God does work all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. Easier to say than to do, but nevertheless true.

Father, As you lead me to the green pastures and still waters through the valleys let me

remember that You are the Good Shepherd. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Read 1 John 5, Psalm 98
Understanding Our Peace

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” 1 Corinthians 2:12

Do you sometimes find yourself wondering what life is all about? Do you often feel that you have more questions than you have answers? Welcome to the Club! This club is as old as the beginning of time, and has millions of members in every country throughout the world.

One of the great joys of heaven is going to be in having all of our questions answered, and receiving the “understanding that surpasses all our peace”. In the meantime, there is a way that we can get most all of our answers. It is called “abiding”.

When we abide in God’s Word. We can know that God created us in His image and placed a longing in our hearts that only a right relationship with Him can satisfy. We can know that free will led to disobedience and we are all born with this inherited weakness which puts us at enmity with God.

We can know that God, in his infinite wisdom and love came up with a cure for this problem. He Himself came in the flesh and blood of a man and after living a perfect sin free life, in perfect oberdience allowed Himself to be mocked, humiliated, almost beaten to death, and finally nailed to the cross as the perfect, unblemished Sacrifice to earn us forgiveness for our every sin and act of disobedience and to give us a new, everlasting life through faith in this truth and the one who made it happen.

When we abide in God”s Word, we receive that quiet understanding and that perfect love that casts out all fear, and we wonder no more.

Father, help me to wonder less and trust and believe more as I abide in Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Father, You Are My _______________________________________________
Forgive Me For ___________________________________________________
Thank You For ____________________________________________________
Needs of Others ___________________________________________________
PersonalNeeds__________________________________________________
Answered Prayers__________________________________________________

“The LORD has made known His salvation; is righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.Psalm 98:2

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
1 John 5:13 NLT

Read 1 Corinthians 13, Psalm 5
How’s Your Love Life?

“If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth.” John 14:15 MSG

Although we may often fail and disappoint God, how comforting it is to know that God’s love is unfailing and will never disappoint. Oh, what a Savior!

Although this question often carries romantic implications, it is much more meaningful to ask in connection with our love affair with Jesus.

When we think about it, our lives should be all about our love life with God. This is why we were created, and this should be our main purpose in living.

We were created in God’s love for the purpose of being conduits of God’s love to others that they might be encouraged in their love life with God, or hopefully that those who do not know the love of God may come to know Him through us.

When we paraphrase 1 Corinthians 1:13 1-8 and substitute “Jesus” for the word love, we see the character and personality of Christ that bears out the truth that “God is love.”

When we substitute our names for the word love in verses 4 through 7, we can see how close we have come and how far we have to go in growing into the fullness of Christ.

These verses should be the target we strive for as we place our minds attention and hearts affection to being conformed into the image of Christ. It should be the hearts desire of every believer that our love life with the Lord could be identified by this definition.

Father, keep my love life burning with passion for You and all the love You give to me daily. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Read Romans 8, Psalm 19
Give it Up!

“That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.” Romans 8:8 NLT

Self will is one of the hardest possessions to give up that we will ever own. All of our pride, all of our aspirations, all of our secular objectives are generated by our self will.

Self will is what got mankind into trouble with God in the first place. If Eve had just exercised a little self control instead of self will the world wouldn’t be in the shape it’s in today.

How many prayers have we prayed asking that God’s will be done, while actually meaning our will be done. How many times have we sought to justify our will or our agenda by trying to pass it off as the will of God?

The best antidote for destructive self will is abiding and seeking God’s will. Abiding will give us the very heart of God, and when we have that, we begin thinking His thoughts, become more sensitive to His leadings, and more centered on Christ and less on ourselves.

When we pray with Christ’s heart, it’s amazing at how many more of of prayers are answered, because our prayers are Christ centered, unselfish prayers that will glorify God and therefore are in accordance with

God’s will, and we learn and believe more and more that He really will do anything we ask that is in accordance with His will.

When we replace self will with God’s will, our whole attitude changes.

Instead of responding defensively and in anger, we respond in the fruit of the Spirit which takes over control of our flesh.

When we “give it up” we get so much more in return we will wonder why it took us so long to figure this out.

Father, help me to “give it up” so that you can “give it out”. In Jesus’ Name, Amen