“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8, NLT

Love Letter from God
You are my witness in this world. When you live by the power of My Holy Spirit, you will be an effective witness for Me. Some people try to manipulate to get what they want, but that is a dangerous game. You do not have to operate your life in your own strength. Show others what I am like by how you live. Introduce them to Me, and I will do the rest. I want you to rely on the power of My Holy Spirit as you witness and tell people about Me.
Love,
Your heavenly Father

Reflection
Relying on our own strength affects our witness for God. We have a limited voice with little power and only a temporary ability to influence others. Permanent change is only possible when the power of the Holy Spirit works through us, giving power to the weak and new life to the rest.

Treasure of Truth
The Holy Spirit’s power in us can accomplish infinitely more than we can on our own.

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Devotional from the THRIVE Devotional Bible for Women

Love Letter from God

Beloved Daughter

I am very near to you, and I delight in you. I am here for calm your fears and care for your every need. No one knows you better than I do because I created you to be close to Me. Many times you feel far from Me because you’re looking for comfort and love in places they can’t be found. I am the lover of your soul, and I want you to walk out each day in the confidence that you are loved and cherished by Me. As you look up to the heavens, know that I am with you everywhere you go.

Love,
Your Heavenly Father

Reflection

We can miss God’s presence when we’re blinded by our own fears and try to handle life’s problems on our own. When we are afraid, we should run right to our God. He feels more present when we feel out of control.

Treasure of Truth

God delights in you.

Look inside the Thrive Devotional Bible for Women

“As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.’ So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.”

“Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?’”

“When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still!’ Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, ‘Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?’”

“The disciples were absolutely terrified. ‘Who is this man?’ they asked each other. ‘Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Note from the Beyond Suffering Bible

“Even while witnessing healings, daily provision, an the very presence of God, the disciples struggled. The amazing things they witnessed through Jesus often filled them with fear. Jesus reminded them of all they had already experienced and overcome by asking one simple question, ‘Why are you afraid?’ When we suffer, we can lose perspective. We need reminders of all the ways God has been with us in the past and the assurance of his presence now and in the future.”

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:1-5, NLT

Eventually every child gets around to asking the question, “Where did God come from?” And there is no easy answer for that, except to say, God has always existed. He is self-existent. He already existed in the beginning. God has no beginning, nor does he have an end.

It is worth noting that the Bible never tries to prove the existence of God. It just says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). You can’t go back any further than that! Now, certain people would like to eliminate the major player here. They’d rather the verse read, “In the beginning, the heavens and the earth . . .” But if we eliminate God, then we have a big problem. In the beginning . . . what?

Some would say, “In the beginning, a mass of gases was floating in space.” But that’s not the beginning. Where did the mass of gases come from? Where did space come from? The Bible simply says, “In the beginning God.”

The Bible doesn’t tell us when the beginning was; it just says God was already there. And here, John tells us that the Word, Jesus Christ, already existed in the beginning with God ( John 1:2). He was with God, he was God, and God created everything through him ( John 1:1, 3).

Sometimes we speak of God by describing his attributes: omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, sovereignty, truth, righteousness, holiness, and love. While these descriptions can help, if you really want to know what God is like, then look at Jesus—God in human form. Jesus did not represent God as a glorified man; he was God himself among us, the Messiah in human flesh, God with skin on. God has a face. Jesus, who embodied all of God’s attributes, walked our planet as a man and breathed our air and felt our pain. He was so knowledgeable he could predict future events, so humble he could get on his knees and wash a friend’s dirty feet, so powerful he could calm the wind and waves with just a word, so approachable that children laughingly climbed into his arms. In Jesus, God spelled himself out in language that every one of us can understand.

Devotional from the Beyond Suffering Bible

Using the metaphor of running a race, the apostle Paul instructed the church in Corinth to be disciplined in the way they live their lives as believers. They
were to run with purpose, knowing their reward would be imperishable and eternal.

In his sovereignty, God has given each one of us a race to run. For Paul, that meant purposefully living in a way that would help bring the Good News to as many people as possible. However, that race will look different for each person. For example, Brandon, a young man with Angelman Syndrome, shows great perseverance in running his unique race. Because of his disability, Brandon experiences anxiety in social settings, which makes each step of going from home to school seem like running a marathon. Going out the front door, walking to meet the school bus, getting off the bus in a parking lot filled with many students, going through the school entrance, and finally walking into the classroom is the race Brandon runs each morning with perseverance.

For a person with a disability, the race may entail going to many, many breathing treatments. For parents of children with special needs, the race may include countless doctor’s appointments and therapy sessions. The daily race for people with physical impairments can mean a several-hours-long morning routine of getting dressed and preparing for the day ahead.

We do not run our race in vain. Christ is present with us, and we are surrounded by a “huge crowd of witnesses” (Heb 12:1). In the body of Christ
we are called to cheer each other on. We run the race with Brandon and the many others involved in managing disabilities who may grow weary and lose hope. We celebrate each victory, no matter how small, as we run with endurance the unique race set before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, who “because of the joy awaiting him . . . endured the cross” (Heb 12:2).

Take a look inside the Beyond Suffering Bible

Devotional from the Dancing in the Desert Devotional Bible

In a legal setting, the testimony of a woman was considered unreliable, subject to undue influences of the heart and imagination and therefore inadmissible. Men of the first century—Jewish, Greek, Roman, Arab—all held this view, albeit in varying degrees. They easily dismissed the words of a woman if those words didn’t fit their assumptions. The disciples rejected Mary Magdalene’s testimony of having seen Jesus (16:11), and they were later rebuked for that by Jesus himself (16:14). Yet of all the followers of Jesus—of all those whom the biblical text refers to as disciples, whether directly or by implication—Jesus appeared first to Mary and the women with her. Not only that, he sent her to tell the news to the men (Matthew 28:10).

Some biblical scholars consider this one of the clearest signs of the Gospel’s authenticity. No man of the first century would fabricate a story about a miracle and then undermine it by having women as the first witnesses to it. It had to be true. But Jesus held an unusual view of women, and Mary of Magdala seemed to be foremost among the women who followed him. She is listed first in every mention of female followers of Jesus, who apparently traveled with him throughout Galilee and, at least on this unusual occasion, to Jerusalem for Passover. We don’t know much about Mary other than the fact that she had been tormented by demons before she met Jesus and then followed him closely But we do know that no other rabbi at this point included women in his circle of followers. Jesus did, even though the sight of women traveling with men who weren’t their relatives surely unnerved a lot of people. And on this trip to Jerusalem, it was good they were there. Many women watched from a distance as Jesus hung dying (Matthew 27:55), long after most of the men had fled.

Mary probably thought she was only going to Jerusalem for Passover, never envisioning Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb. But when he was executed and her world shattered, she remained there. She came to the tomb with her companions, not to witness a resurrection, but to anoint a body. And Jesus put her world together again, better than before, and gave her a testimony for the ages.

“If wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die.” Ezekiel 18:21, NLT

So who’s wicked? You are. What? Scripture tells us that all people are wicked. We are all sinners, so you are also a sinner. That means that you are prone to disobey and disappoint God, even if you don’t mean to or want to.

But there is hope. When you talk to God, admit your sins and tell him you are sorry. He grants forgiveness and second chances to those who sincerely believe and are sorry.

Don’t give up hope for your own redemption from God just because you mess up big time. When you recognize your need for forgiveness and ask God, he will forgive you. Don’t get so filled up with pride that you don’t think you need God’s forgiveness. Be honest with God and yourself. Admit that you mess up. Admit that you need his forgiveness. Ask God to forgive you and to help you do better. He promises to forgive you and to help you learn to obey him.

Dear God, I need your help. I can’t obey your commands without your strength and help in my life. Please help me. I want to obey you! In Jesus’ name, Amen

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Devotional from the Dancing in the Desert Devotional Bible

David had sinned against Bathsheba and her husband, Uriah, and then
seemed to live in denial about the gravity of the situation. Only when Nathan the prophet confronted David with a piercing parable did the king see his sin. And unlike many kings who would have put the pesky prophet to death or banished him from the royal courts, David broke down in confession and repentance. He grieved. And he saw his offense against Bathsheba and Uriah as a sin against God himself (51:4).

Few things in life seem as hopeless as our own guilt. The sense of futility
and alienation is crushing. While many run from a painfully honest admission of guilt, we know that’s the only place to find restoration. And God is a restorer by nature. He doesn’t reject a broken spirit. He absorbs the penalty of sin himself. When we overcome pride and admit our brokenness, he repairs it and renews our joy.

Chris Tiegreen is an award-winning author of more than 50 books and discussion guides that have been translated into more than 30 languages and read by more than 5 million people worldwide. He is also a collaborative/supporting writer for other communicators (i.e., ghostwriter) on more about 20 book projects, and writer of hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles on a wide variety of topics. His experiences in media, ministry, and higher education bring a unique perspective to his writing, which often focuses on cultural commentary and devotional themes. He and his family currently live in Atlanta.

Only decades before Jerusalem’s fall and one generation before
Jeremiah, Zephaniah warned of judgment. On the surface, he was an
unlikely source for such severe words. He was a descendant of one good
king (Hezekiah) prophesying during the reign of another (Josiah). Josiah
was early in the process of tearing down unholy altars and revitalizing the
nation’s worship. Things seemed to be moving in the right direction. What could be so bad that God would overthrow his people?

But Judah’s idolatry was too deeply entrenched to be reversed by Josiah’s reforms, though God would promise to withhold judgment until after the
good king’s death (2 Chronicles 34:28). So Zephaniah predicts the worst: “a day of terrible distress and anguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness” (Zephaniah 1:15). At times, his words seem broader than for just Judah and point to a greater, later judgment. But they are painfully urgent for his hearers. These spiritually complacent people are sabotaging their own destiny and are apparently desensitized to God’s voice. Zephaniah’s words are meant to jolt them out of their apathy. They need to know they will begin to experience God’s painful discipline in less than a generation.

Zephaniah’s prophecy doesn’t end in despair, of course. A restoration is coming, and God will delight in his people and rejoice over them with songs
(3:17). Again, Zephaniah’s words seem broader than for his nation alone. God’s restoration will have global consequences—the purification of all people for unified worship. Entire nations will come to worship him (3:9). Israel will be the centerpiece of a much bigger salvation than its people have expected.

That’s the goal of God’s plan. This ongoing battle throughout Scripture
and history is about one primary issue: worship. Idolatry, along with all its
symptoms, derails our ultimate purpose. Pure worship fulfills it. And God
will do everything necessary to bring the hearts of multitudes into alignment with his own.

Take a look inside the Dancing in the DesertDevotional Bible

Read John 1:1-18

THE SON OF GOD, as “very God” (to quote the Nicene Creed), arrived on this earth as a man. He came to the mountains He created. He faced the rivers with their rushing currents. He crossed the valleys. He gazed upon the sea. He walked beneath the skies and the stars and the moon and the sun. But the tragedy of all tragedies is this: “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him” (John 1:10). The world didn’t recognize the One who had created it. In other words, “He came to his own people, and even they rejected him” (John 1:11).

In our world, people look at the beauty of creation but refuse to acknowledge the Creator. Imagine Walt Disney coming to Disneyland on its opening day in 1955—but nobody even acknowledging him or acknowledging the fact that everything in the park had come from his imagination and creativity. Imagine them all saying, “Oh, it just happened.” Such an illustration can’t really do justice to this magnificent passage of Scripture, but you get the picture.

We all know the Christmas story: The Creator came to our planet as a baby, but there was no room at the inn for the One who had created the rocks from which that inn was made. There was no welcome mat for Christ. Isn’t it remarkable that the One who is coequal, coeternal, and coexistent with the Father and the Spirit—the One who divinely decreed the events that would run their course on this earth in perfect timing with His profound plan—could come to the earth and be beaten and spit upon, have spikes driven through His hands and feet, be hung on a cross, and be cursed until He died? Even after being raised from the dead, He is still denied, rejected, and refused some twenty centuries later. There is still no room for the Savior.

What about you? Do you know what it means that God, who made everything, reduced Himself to take on skin, subject Himself to the very gravity that He put into effect, and limit Himself to a tiny space of property—for you?

From the vanishing point of the past to the vanishing point of the future, Jesus Christ remains in His nature and His attributes very God. But Christ, in order that human beings might be able to see what God is like in tangible form, became a human for all eternity future. This introduction to the Gospel of John concludes, “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us” (John 1:18).

Do you wonder what the Father is like? Make a study of Christ. Do you wonder how God could be a God of grace, at the same time both gentle and full of justice and purity? Look at Christ. He shares the Father’s divine nature, and He explains it and models it in perfect terms so that we can grasp the person of the Father.

The world didn’t recognize the One who created it. Do we?

Take a look inside the Swindoll Study Bible