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Quote from Open Up Your Heart by Jeff Syverson

September 28
Joy in the House of Prayer

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 107:1-9 | Isaiah 54:1-57:13 | Ephesians 6:1-24 | Proverbs 24:8

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 54:1-57:13

“These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.” (Isaiah 56:7 NIV)

Prayer should be a joyful experience. Whether personal times of prayer, or corporate times of prayer, those times should be characterized by joy.

Yet often, our prayers lives and prayer meetings are sleepy and boring. They lack focus. Our words become mechanical, thoughtless and flippant. We pray in unbelief and accomplish little if anything at all. One of the enemy’s greatest victories is found when a prayer meeting loses life and vitality and becomes a boring, redundant exercise proving the faithfulness of a few.

There is joy in his presence (fullness of joy) and…

September 27
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

Today’s Scripture Reading: Psalms 106:40-48 | Isaiah 51:1-53:12 | Ephesians 5:1-33 | Proverbs 24:7

Today’s Scripture Focus: Ephesians 5:1-33

“Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:18b-19 NIV)

One good indicator of a life lived in the fullness of the Spirit is a joyful, singing heart. When the Holy Spirit is really in control, he fills you with joy and he fills your heart with singing. Life lived in the flesh doesn’t produce joyful songs, but life in the Spirit always does.

Life lived with eyes focused on circumstances often drags down our spirit, but life lived with eyes focused on Jesus is likely to lead us to singing.

When we try to remain in control, our lives are filled with anxious worry…

September 26
I Have Not Forgotten You

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 106:32-39 | Isaiah 48:12-50:11 | Ephesians 4:17-32 | Proverbs 24:5-6

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 49

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” (Isaiah 49:14 ESV)

Have you ever wondered if God had forgotten about you? Sometimes our prayers seem to go on unanswered for so long that we think he has forgotten us. Sometimes the circumstances of our lives are difficult and painful and we wonder how God could ever allow us to go through such a thing.

There are times that we wonder. There are times we may even say it: “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” It may be a statement that is true to our feelings, but it is never really true. God never forgets his people. He never forsakes us.

Isaiah goes on to say:…

September 25
Thank You for Your Support!

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 106:24-31 | Isaiah 45:11-48:11 | Ephesians 4:1-16 | Proverbs 24:3-4

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16 NIV)

We each have a vital role to play in the body of Christ. Each of us is gifted for ministry. The leadership gifts (like pastor-teacher) are given in large part to equip the body (all of us) to do the work of the ministry. We don’t sit in a pew and pay the pastor to do the work. The “up-front gifts” are given to equip those with the “behind the scenes gifts” to join those “up-front” in the work of ministry. Listen carefully to Paul: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to…

September 24
He Is Doing A New Thing

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 106:13-23 | Isaiah 43:14 – 45:10 | Ephesians 3:1-21 | Proverbs 24:1-2

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 43-45

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19 NIV)

Your situation is never hopeless with God. He is the God of new things. When there seems to be no hope, he opens a new opportunity.

He is the God who makes a way in the wilderness. In the wilderness you are tried and tested. You may feel alone and desperate. It may seem like you’ll be stuck in the wilderness forever. But God will not leave you there forever. When the time is right, he will make a way.

He is the God who is able to make…

September 23
He Holds Your Hand

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 106:6-12 | Isaiah 41:17-43:13 | Ephesians 2:1-22 | Proverbs 23:29-35

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 41-43

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flames shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:1b-2 ESV)

There are times when we really need the comfort and reassurance of our Father’s hand holding on to ours. Remember when you were a child and feeling scared, how good it was to feel the…

September 22
Soaring on Eagle’s Wings

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 106:1-5 | Isaiah 39:1-41:16 | Ephesians 1:1-23 |Proverbs 23:25-28

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 40

“But they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)

I was by a beach one day looking up into the sky when I noticed an Eagle soaring. It was a particularly windy day, and he seemed to be playfully enjoying his strength as he soared against the strong currents of wind. Without a flap of his wings, he would soar until he almost stopped—until he almost lost momentum. Then he would turn around and ride the wind for a while, only to turn again and soar against the wind.

I was immediately reminded of this verse. As we wait in hope—seeking him expectantly—he renews our strength. God gives us the ability to walk…

September 21
Where to Turn

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 105:37-45 | Isaiah 37:1-38:22 | Galatians 6:1-18 | Proverbs 23:24

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 37-38

“O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. [17] Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. (Isaiah 37:16-17 NIV)

King Hezekiah was confronted by the threat of a huge army with a ruthless reputation. Assyria’s Field Commander (the Rabshakeh) brought a warning in which he mocked God and warned of great devastation. What is a King to do?

His immediate reaction was to tear his clothes and cover himself with sackcloth. Humbling himself, he sought the Lord in prayer, going into thSee house of the LORD. He laid…

September 20
True Freedom

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 105:23-36 | Isaiah 33:13-36:22 | Galatians 5:13-26 | Proverbs 23:23

Today’s Scripture Focus: Galatians 5

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13 NIV)

“There are two freedoms: The false where one is free to do what he likes and the true where he is free to do what he ought.” –Charles Kingley—

The path to liberty has two equally dangerous ditches that run along either side: legalism (where one fails to find the freedom or allow others to walk in freedom) and license (where one abuses the freedom). Paul has no time for either.

To the legalist he says: “The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [15] If you keep on biting and devouring…

Quote from Open Up Your Heart by Jeff Syverson

September 19
Who is Waiting?

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 105:16-22 | Isaiah 30:12 – 33:12 | Galatians 5:1-12 | Proverbs 23:22

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 30:12 – 33:12

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you…blessed are all who wait for him.” (Isaiah 30:18 ESV)

We do a lot of waiting. God does too. There can be many reasons for the waiting, but this passage reminds us that sometimes the reason we are waiting is because God is waiting for us.

“Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you” (30:18). He sometimes waits for us to repent. Sometimes he is teaching us lessons about trust that can be learned no other way. There are lessons in waiting—resting in hope—that can only be learned in the school of waiting (30:15).

Another implication of this text is that God is longing…