Women of the Word Daily Devotionals - women of the word

women of the word

Pray together

31/3/2015

Acts 1:14 “They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.”

There is magnificent power in prayer! Have you ever joined a prayer group to experience God’s power? Jesus prayed with His disciples, and Peter and John continued the good habit and taught other believers the power of praying together.

Prayer: Thank God for all the guidance we receive from His Word, and all the hidden gems we get by reading His Word. And thank Him in prayer that we can have the assurance to know that He listens to each and every prayer we ever pray.

Spiritual growth: Join a prayer group if you have never prayed with a group. And if you ever need someone to pray with you, you can contact us.

Work towards Gods favor, not the worlds acceptance

30/3/2015

Acts 4:17-20 “But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us warn these men never again to speak to anyone in the name of Jesus.’ So they called them back in and told them that on no condition were they to speak or to teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, ‘You yourselves judge which is right in God’s sight – to obey you or to obey God. For we cannot stop speaking of what we ourselves have seen and heard.

We all need to make a choice for God, and once you have made the choice you need to live it every day! You need to grow in faith, so much so that you can step out with confidence and correct the world if they are acting against the work of God.

Prayer: Pray and trust God to send you someone today who needs to hear about Him, and about His marvelous works. And when you get the opportunity to speak to that someone today, remember to do it with boldness.

Spiritual growth: Find an open field, or climb a mountain, and shout out to the world that you love Jesus! Let your tongue confess how much you love God, and what He has done for you.

Stand Boldly

30/3/2015

Acts 4:13 “The members of the Council were amazed to see how bold Peter and John were and to learn that they were ordinary men of no education. They realized then that they had been companions of Jesus.”

Do you stand bold about your Christianity, or do you prefer to blend into the crowd and not say a word about your faith? We all need to learn to stand up for what we believe in. There is a saying that goes “if you stand for nothing, you fall for everything”. Be careful not to fall for dogma or strange beliefs of the people you get in contact with.

Prayer: Ask God to give you boldness, and to start using you (with or without education) just like He used Peter and John! Remember, you don’t need any formal education to become a disciple of Jesus, you just need a willingness to do His work and spread the good news.

Spiritual growth: Mark today as the beginning of a new chapter for you. If you have not started your discipleship yet, begin today! And that does not mean that you need to start your own ministry, but only that you need to get your feet moving. Start a message group on your phone, or offer your help at your local church, or go to the old age home and talk about God’s love with the people…anything, but do something!

His will or your way?

30/3/2015

John 4:31-32, 34 “In the meantime the disciples were begging Jesus ‘Teacher, have something to eat.’ But He answered: ‘I have food to eat that you don’t know nothing about. My food’, Jesus said to them, ‘is to obey the will of the One who sent Me and to finish the work He gave Me to do.”

Do you think that you are currently living within God’s will? Or do you think that your life is a bit out of line and that you might be missing God’s will for your life? Do you actually believe that there is a Godly plan for your life? Life works the same as your route to the supermarket. You probably have about three options to get there, but eventually you will get there. In life it also doesn’t matter which route you take, as long as you pray for God’s will in your life, you will still get to point B even if you decide to follow the longer route.

Prayer: Ask God for forgiveness if you know that you are missing His will because of your own stubborn will. And pray for strength to follow Him, no matter how hard it may seem at times. Also pray for understanding of His will, and that He will show you which route is the better option for your life.

Spiritual growth: Have an open and honest conversation with your spouse / close friend today about God’s will. Exchange ideas about how God’s will work, and if you think that you are acting within His will, or currently acting within your own will.

Called for Duty

27/3/2015

John 1:35, 40-42 “Again the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. One of the two who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first sought out and found his own brother Simon and said to him ‘We have found the Messiah!’ (which translated is the Christ, the Anointed One). Andrew then led Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You shall be called Cephas’ – which translated is Peter (meaning Rock).”

We’ve talked about a spiritual calling on your life in day 2. After three years of Jesus calling Simon Peter the Rock, Peter was finally ready to start with his own ministry and taking Jesus to the world. Although Peter didn’t know why Jesus changed his name to ‘Rock’ the very first day, Jesus revealed His calling to him a bit later on (“And so I tell you, Peter: You are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church.” -Matthew 16:18). Peter understood the calling, and patiently waited three years before he finally started his ministry.

Prayer: If you are still not sure what your calling is within the body of Christ, pray about it now. And if God already revealed part of it to you, pray for further revelation and the next exciting step He planned for you.

Spiritual growth: Spend time with your own children today, or your grandchildren or a friend’s children. Only say positive things to them, and build them up. And then after some time ask them to do something for you (like pouring cold drink). You will notice that they don’t have a problem with it! The same way you worked with the child/children, is how God treats us. He will never discourage you to get to your calling, the negativity comes from the world (maybe even a close relative who don’t understand your calling). Don’t be discouraged, your calling will always be there, and God will always build you up to be able to do it!

Thoughts of human nature

26/3/2015

Matthew 16:21-25 “From that time on Jesus began to say plainly to his disciples, ‘I must go to Jerusalem and suffer much from the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. I will be put to death, but three days later I will be raised to life.’ Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him ‘God forbid it, Lord!’ he said. ‘That must never happen to You!’. Jesus turned around and said to Peter, ‘Get away from me, Satan! You are an obstacle in My way, because these thoughts of yours don’t come from God, but from human nature.”

Have you ever had a conversation in your head where you wondered if it is a Godly thought, or just your own thought? I’m sure we all have it sometimes! Peter even made the mistake to think that he is protecting Jesus, while he was actually just about to hinder the salvation plan. If you are ever unsure about your thought, pray about it. Ask God to reveal to you if it is your own thought or His thoughts. Then wait before you do anything, until you get clarity on how should continue. Remember: Practice makes perfect!

Prayer: Pray to God for clarity on a current situation in your life that you are not sure how you should handle it. And ask Him to fill your thoughts with His thoughts, and to give you the assurance that it is within His will, and not just within your own comfort zone.

Spiritual growth: Be all battle with relationships somewhere in our lives (it may be marital, friends, family, etc). I am even willing to say that we battle to such an extent that I think there is always one relationship at any given point that we don’t know what to do and how to handle it! Take the bold step today to call or sms that person, and say something nice! And don’t allow your own thoughts to stop you from doing this. God is all about relationships, so He will always stand by you and guide you to do the right thing if you pray about it.

You don't always need to know it all

25/3/2015

Matthew 15:14-15 “Don’t worry about them! They are blind leaders of the blind; and when one blind man leads another, both fall into a ditch.’ Peter spoke up, ‘Explain this saying to us.”

Even though Peter spent a lot of time with Jesus, there were still things he didn’t understand. So don’t worry if you read the Bible and not everything fall into place at the same time. The Bible is written in layers, and as you grow spiritually you will create new understanding for what is in there.

Prayer: Ask God to open your spiritual eyes, and to reveal more and more of the truths that is written in His Word.

Spiritual growth: You need to do your part as well. So start today by not only reading a verse/chapter in only one translation, but invest in more than one Bible. If you download the Bible onto your cell phone you should automatically have access to more than one type of Bible. This will already reveal more to you than what you have read so far.

Forgive & Forget

25/3/2015

Matthew 18:21-22 “Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? As many as up to seven times? Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!”

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you denied Jesus? Or laughed at a joke someone made regarding Christianity? Or just followed the main stream because you didn’t have the courage to stand up for what you believe in? Take a deep breath, it is normal. Even Peter, although he really loved Jesus, had a disappointing moment when he realized he denied Jesus three times.

Prayer: If there is a specific group of people you really struggle to share Jesus with, pray for strength today. Ask God to strengthen your flesh, so you will never deny Him again, and so that you can stand up for what you believe in.

Spiritual growth: Strive to live consciously, and not just go with the flow. Because if you think about what is going on in your live, and you focus in conversations, you are less likely to make a non-spiritual remark or to accidentally deny Jesus. Don’t allow people to intimidate you.

Disappointment of the Flesh

23/3/2015

Matthew 26:33-34 “Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, ‘I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!’ Jesus said to Peter, ‘I tell you that before the cock crows tonight, you will say three times that you do not know Me.’”

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you denied Jesus? Or laughed at a joke someone made regarding Christianity? Or just followed the main stream because you didn’t have the courage to stand up for what you believe in? Take a deep breath, it is normal. Even Peter, although he really loved Jesus, had a disappointing moment when he realized he denied Jesus three times.

Prayer: If there is a specific group of people you really struggle to share Jesus with, pray for strength today. Ask God to strengthen your flesh, so you will never deny Him again, and so that you can stand up for what you believe in.

Spiritual growth: Strive to live consciously, and not just go with the flow. Because if you think about what is going on in your live, and you focus in conversations, you are less likely to make a non-spiritual remark or to accidentally deny Jesus. Don’t allow people to intimidate you.

Faith & Reward

23/3/2015

Mark 11:21-22, 24 “Peter remembered what had happened and said to Jesus, ‘Look, Teacher, the fig tree you cursed has died!’. Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. For this reason I tell you: When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for.”

God will always reward true faith. The question is: Do you believe it? Do you truly believe that God hears prayers, and that you will receive what you are supposed to? One lesson we need to learn, is that when we ask for something, God will most certainly give it to you. But He will never give it immediately and straight forward, there will always be a learning process. Example: You pray for patience. There is no chance that you will wake up the next morning with patience. But what will happen, is that you will receive a couple of situations the following day testing your patience. And if you can master your feelings, you will learn the act of patience. But if you keep on failing, you will keep on receiving tests to learn what you’ve asked for!

Prayer: Pray for a change in character today. Think about your personality and your short comings. But start with only one thing, and as time goes by ask for change of other negative character traits as well. Think about the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self-control) if you don’t know where to start.

Spiritual growth: Apart from the prayer for positive changes to your character, live those changes consciously. Think about how you act and react to situations, and start taking control instead of excusing your own behaviour by saying ‘that is just who I am’.