AFTERNOON DEVOTION

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 14)

The Thorn: "They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings - and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers." (Revelation 17:14)

Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. He owns the whole world and is Ruler of the universe. He is Lord of all because He created all, and He will one day rule the earth; until then He wants to rule in the hearts of the men and women He created. He wants to be Lord of our lives, but He gives us the freedom of choice. The One who rules the heavens and keeps the starry host in place, has placed in the hands of His creatures the option whether we will let Him direct our lives or not. The choice today is ours, but one day that freedom will be removed and all men will be forced to bow before Him and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and King. "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).

Those who choose to let Christ rule in their hearts today, will one day reign with Him and join Him in His final battle when He comes to set up His kingdom on the earth (Revelation 17:14). While we wait for our King to set up His righteous kingdom in the world, His purpose now is to raise up a righteous remnant who will submit to His rule in their hearts, and be used to advance His kingdom in the world. There are many people on the earth today who do not recognize or acknowledge God's rule, but that doesn't affect His reign or hinder His working in the world. Today God rules by the power of divine love, and through His church He displays the perfections of His kingdom. The degree to which we exhibit unity and harmony in the church displays the wisdom of God's kingdom in the heavenly realms. "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:10-11). The forces in the world today are aligned against the kingdom of God being established in the hearts of men. It is an epic battle we are not equipped to fight without the power of God ruling and reigning within. Let us repent of all the idols that we have set our affections on that are usurping our King's rule in our lives, and causing a loss of spiritual power in the church. Let us recommit our lives to His rule and crown Him King again! As the kingdoms of this world are continually being dismantled, let us pray for an increase of His government in the hearts of all men, as we await His glorious appearing! "Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this" (Isaiah 9:7).


"Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
He who has ears, let him hear."
(Matthew 13:43)

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 15)

The Thorn:
"The LORD has been very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, "Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Return to Me," says the LORD of hosts, "and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts." (Zechariah 1:2-3)

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He has provided a wonderful way for His children to enjoy a life of deep, abiding intimacy with Him, but we must first submit to His rule in our lives. The only way to prepare for His entrance into our hearts is through repentance. "A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill laid low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken" (Isaiah 40:3-5).

Every obstacle that is blocking our view of God, and preventing Him from setting up His throne in our hearts and reigning in our lives, must be removed. God wants to have full possession of our lives. "Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of My people" (Isaiah 57:14). When the armies of man were surrounding him and the way of victory seemed impossible, Elisha prayed that the eyes of his servant would be opened to see the vast army of heaven that was surrounding them (2 Kings 6:17). The visible, temporal world is no match for the invisible, infinite, eternal world that surrounds us. We need spiritual eyes to see how God is clearly working on our behalf, even though we may not always see Him with our physical eyes. The natural eye is easily distracted and deceived by what it sees, but the eye of faith clearly sees the protection we are under, and refuses to be afraid. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). Let us repent of our unbelief and doubt in God that had led us to turn to self and other "natural" remedies to help us, but have only contributed to our weakness and separated from the Source of our strength. Let us repent that we have neglected our spiritual weapons, and instead have relied on the counterfeit weapons of the world which hold no power and have only left us helpless and given the enemy room to gain ground in our lives. May we fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and allow Him to consecrate our hearts more fully to His, so we can have the vision we need to see that He is willing and able to come to our defense and give us the courage we need to not fear when crisis and calamity comes. "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts. "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him" (Malachi 3:17-18).


"O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!"
(Psalm 84:12)

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[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 16)

The Thorn: "Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:10-11)


Our God, Jehovah M'Kaddesh, is the God Who Sanctifies. To be sanctified is "to be set apart for sacred use" or "to make holy." The Lord our Sanctifier capped off His creative work by sanctifying the seventh day. "Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made" (Genesis 2:3). He also sanctifies times and seasons, and feasts (Leviticus 23); places and things (Deuteronomy 12; 1Kings 8); and He sanctifies His people. "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all" (Hebrews 10:10). Our sanctification begins the moment we are saved and continues throughout our lives as we live for Him.

The holiness of God demands that we be holy, but we cannot be holy in and of ourselves. When we understand the character of God associated with the name Jehovah M'Kaddesh, the impossibility of achieving moral perfection is immediately resolved. As we are learning to think more rightly of God in this season of prayer, we come to understand that He is the God of the impossible. Those things we think never will be done just because we can't do them, will be completed in Him because nothing is impossible for God (Luke 18:27). Our Father in heaven would never call us to be something that we could never be, unless He already had prepared the way for us to achieve His high standard. When He saved us, we were separated from the world and set apart for Christ. "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11). At salvation, we were first sanctified because of our position in Christ ("justification"), and now we must progress in our daily walk with Him and let Him complete His work in us ("sanctification"), until that future redemption of our bodies when we are glorified in Him ("glorification"; 1 Corinthians 15:50-52). He will bring about our sanctification in our daily lives through the Word of His truth (John 17:17); the discipline of becoming "living sacrifices" for Him (Romans 12:1-2); and His fatherly chastisement that is necessary for us if we are to share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:10). Let us repent of those things in our lives that have hindered our spiritual progress; and may we allow the Lord to do the sanctifying work He needs to do in our lives, so that our earthly lives would reflect the heavenly position we have in Christ Jesus. "May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).


"For it is God's will that you should be sanctified:
that you should avoid sexual immorality;
that each of you should learn to control his own body in a
way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen,
who do not know God...For God did not call us to be impure,
but to live a holy life."
(1Thessalonians 4:3-5, 7)

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 17)

The Thorn: "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:21-24)


God has called His people to a holy life. He has separated us from the world, and set us apart for Himself, and has placed us in a right standing with God. While nations are in uproar, our righteous God, has provided us a way to achieve peace. Just as God gave Moses the pattern for the building of the temple, God, through Jesus Christ, has given us a pattern to help build and maintain a holy life. "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain" (Psalm 127:1a). Jesus Christ came to set up His kingdom within the hearts of men, and, through His perfect rule in the government of the soul, provide a path of holy living that would lead to inner peace and remove all fear of evil. "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

God has set apart for Himself a holy nation, a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), not so that we would be isolated from the world, but that through our example and ministry we would continue His work of reconciliation in the world. It is our duty now to grow in righteousness and take on the character of Jesus Christ. God restored us to a right relationship with Himself so we could become like His Son. "But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness" (1 Timothy 6:11). Let us progress in our walk with God by cultivating all the gifts and graces of the Spirit, and by following Christ's example of humility, gentleness, self-control, and patience draw others into a right relationship with God. "Guide me in the paths of righteousness for Your name's sake" (Psalm 23:3b). Let us repent of all the time we have wasted walking in the world when we have called to walk in the light and to grow in righteousness. Let us also repent for dishonoring our right relationship with God, by failing to be in a right relationship with our brothers and sisters or continuing in a wrong relationship with the world. "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).

"Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness,
but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought
from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as
instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master,
because you are not under law, but under grace."
(Romans 6:13-14)

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[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 18)

The Thorn: "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." (John 3:14-15)


For the Christian believer, Jesus Christ is our rallying flag; the cross of Christ is the banner we march under. There is no greater power in heaven or on earth than the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross is the symbol of our salvation; it stands as a memorial to the power which has freed us from bondage and slavery to sin. "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:54b-57). Through the cross God has provided man a remedy for sin, and when that banner is lifted high all men are drawn to Him. May God find in His people faithful standard bearer's on the spiritual battlefield who will keep the cross of Christ lifted up, and intercessors who will remain vigilant in prayer.

The battles we face each day are spiritual battles, therefore they are the Lord's. God chooses for us the battles we are to fight; and when He places us on the battlefield He expects us to fight in His strength. "...for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the Lord's battles..." (1 Samuel 25:28b). Sadly, we often engage in unnecessary battles that are not even ours to fight, and find out a little too late that we wasted precious time and energy, and have lost significant ground. In prayer is where our power lies; it is where we draw strength from the Lord and allow Him to fight our battles for us. May we pick our battles carefully, and learn to wage war more strategically by allowing God to fight for us as we remain in constant prayer. "I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save" (Isaiah 49:25b). God has provided His church a banner to march under which lead to victory. Let us, His church, repent of the things which we have allowed to divide us and rally under the one that unites: The LORD our Banner, Jesus Christ! And may we work together as a church to build a strong and impenetrable wall of prayer around our homes, our families, and our nation, to protect us from the onslaught of the enemy, while continuing to advance God's kingdom in the world. May the eyes and hearts of all men be drawn to the banner of Jesus Christ and find salvation in Him, because we have done our duty on the battlefield and have faithfully held Him up. "But for those who fear You, You have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow" (Psalm 60:4).

"But I, when I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men to Myself."
(John 12:32)

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 19)

The Thorn: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:11-14)


There have been many rulers, kings, and leaders throughout the history of the world who have called themselves saviors of the world. In the time that Jesus came to live on the earth and accomplish His great work of salvation, the Caesars of the Roman Empire were claiming themselves to be just that. Even His followers expected Jesus to set up His kingdom and deliverer them from Roman oppression, they did not understand at the time how great His salvation would be. While man is only able to protect and deliver militarily, Jesus came to save man completely. "No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength" (Psalm 33:16).

God's greatest gift to the world is salvation - a gift, once received, that is irrevocable, permanent, and utterly complete. "Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him..." (Hebrews 7:25a). As Savior, Jesus saves from all sin - past guilt, present bondage, and the future penalty of eternal death. "This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe" (1 Timothy 4:9-10). There are many wonderful benefits to His salvation and yet, His offer to the world is so often rejected. This afternoon, let us repent, as those who have been saved to the uttermost, for the sins in our lives which distort the image of our Savior from being properly presented to the world. Let us lay our lives down completely on the altar to be consumed completely by the one who gave Himself completely for us. May we live our lives each and everyday with gratitude and adoration to the One who has saved us, and share with joy the wonderful news of His salvation with the rest of world! "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace
that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to You. What I have vowed, I will make good.
Salvation comes from the LORD."
(Jonah 2:8-9)

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[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 20)

The Thorn: "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provided us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." (1 Timothy 6:17-19)


Our Father in heaven is a benevolent, gracious and good God who provides for all our needs. His is the all-sufficient, eternal One, who is infinite in His supply and resources. "...for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it" (Psalm 50:10-12). He contains all and gives all, and does so generously without ever depleting His supply. He gives to us, but does not give away. He never depletes His power or His resources, and everything we would think to give to Him came first from His benevolent hand. "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

What He gives to us He expects us to use for our good and His glory. He has purposed, for those who believe in Him, that we would become a channel through which heaven's blessings can flow to the earth. And if anything was to block that flow, He would require that it be removed. God desires that we depend on Him and not rely on the things He gives us. Sometimes the things most precious to us get in the way of our full devotion of God, and He may use them to test our devotion to Him. One of the greatest trials of faith recorded in the Scriptures is the account of Abraham's obedience to God in the sacrifice of his son Isaac. But Abraham, the father of the faithful, did not waiver in his faith, instead he made a bold declaration of his trust in God: "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son" (Genesis 22:8); and he even confidently instructed his servants to "stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you" (v. 5). Abraham demonstrated faith and obedience in the greatest trial of his life, and on that mountain foreshadowed the greatest trial and act of obedience in history that would provide for man's redemption. "So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided" (v.14). Praise God for He knew our greatest need in all the world is Him! Let us repent of those things or people in our life that we have come to depend upon more than God. May we be willing to lay our Isaac's down on the altar of God, and learn to trust Him to be the provider He is willing and able to be in our lives. "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?...For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:27, 32-34).


"Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good,
in order that they may provide for daily necessities
and not live unproductive lives."
(Titus 3:14)

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[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 21)

The Thorn: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." (Matthew 23:37)

Our God is a God who saves, rescues and deliverers. He came down from heaven to show us His great love, and to go after those terrible enemies of our soul that have kept us from His love. How His heart must have been grieved (and continues to grieve) over the rejection of a people He only wanted to comfort and protect. Just as a mother hen gathers her chicks under the warmth and safety of her wings, Jesus came to bring the poor wanderers home to a place of safety, peace and rest. He is so willing and mighty to save, but we are not willing to let Him have His way with us. In the shelter of His wings our Lord offers healing, security, protection, and comfort; sadly, many run from His arms instead of running to Him. But for those of us who have received His free offer of grace, we have found that we are entirely safe and abundantly satisfied. "But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You. For surely, O LORD, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield" (Psalm 5:11-12).

As we journey through the many magnificent and majestic names of God in this sanctified season of prayer we are finding that the better we know our God the more we trust Him, and the greater our desire is to be with Him. "How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" (Psalm 84:1-2). We have found in our God the true sanctuary for our souls, and while we are at peace and rest on this earth, our hearts long for the day when we will eternally tabernacle with our Lord. "Now we know that is the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life" (2 Corinthians 5:1-4). This afternoon, let us thank our Lord for providing us a sanctuary in Him, and for His faithful love, protection, and security. Then let us repent for the fear and worry in our lives that robs us of the peace and rest we have found in Him, and for the times we have looked to other counterfeit sources of security, when He alone is our shield and strong defense. "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27).


""For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.
I long to dwell in Your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings"
(Psalm 61:3-4).
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[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 22)

The Thorn: "Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But My people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols. Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror." declares the LORD. "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken Me, the spring of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (Jeremiah 2:11-13)

God sends His rain on the land to water it so it can produce food for man to eat and fill the streams from which we drink. We are ever dependent upon His benevolent supply from His storehouses in heaven. Often we don't realize how much we take for granted His faithful provision until it is withheld from us and we suffer the very real and dire effects of drought and famine. Our greatest need, however, is the spiritual water He has provided for us to drink through His Holy Spirit. We often aren't aware of our spiritual thirst until He sends a drop of His heavenly dew and we taste and see how good God is, and at once our spiritual thirst is awakened and our souls begin to long for His living water to revive our weary souls. "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dray and weary land where there is no water" (Psalm 63:1).

Israel had a long history of forsaking the true and living God to follow after false, dead idols. They abandoned the spring of living water for the polluted fountains of the world which could never satisfy their spiritual thirst. Nothing will satisfy like a life of abiding, loving fellowship with God. He alone is our source of life and satisfaction. The disciples new firsthand the privilege of walking in fellowship with Jesus, and couldn't imagine life without His presence. When Jesus shared with them that the Father would send them another Counselor to be with them forever, He revealed the possibility of an even greater level of intimacy and awareness of His presence that even His disciples had never known until the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost. God would set up His fountain within the heart of man so that he would no longer look anywhere to find satisfaction. Whenever we find ourselves weary and spiritually dry, all we have to do is sit still in His presence and open His Word and drink deeply from the well of living water, and we will experience His all-surpassing peace and rest. God has given us His fountain of living water not only to quench our spiritual thirst, but also to provide us with a fountain of cleansing where we can come daily and wash away the filth of the world. Let us come to our fount of every blessing and repent of looking to other counterfeit sources to quench our thirst instead of first coming to Him who alone can satisfy. May we keep the channels clear, so His grace can freely flow through us and bless and refresh a world filled with spiritually dry and weary souls. "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops" (James 5:16-18).


"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,
or command the locusts to devour the land or send a plague
among My people. If My people, who are called by My name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek My face
and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven
and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
(2 Chronicles 7:13-14)
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[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 23)

The Thorn: "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval." (John 6:27)

Jesus Christ provides life as a gift. The Father has authorized His Son as the Giver of life. Christ alone is the crucified one and the Source of life. Only those with spiritual life can feed upon the spiritual food that God has provided. A soul that is dead cannot be fed, it first must be born again and then it can eat. "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3). Once a person experiences new life in Christ the soul is awakened to understand the importance of feeding on Christ and the necessity of having this new life sustained by Him. Jesus has provided us everlasting life, and even though He has promised to preserve us to the very end, we still need to come to Him for our daily bread. "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). Let us open wide our mouths, and allow Him to fill us (Psalm 81:10).

The Lord has provided everything we need to experience the abundance of spiritual life that He has promised us (John 10:10). He has given us His Word as our spiritual food and the Holy Spirit's divine assistance to help us appropriate and digest His truth. May we seek the Holy Spirit's guidance each day as we feed upon His Holy Word, which He has provided for us as our spiritual food, and spend time in private and public prayer, asking Him to nourish us and fill us with power for a holy life. Let us repent that we have allowed ourselves to become spiritually malnourished and weak because we have neglected to come to His table and eat the portion He has placed on our plate. Let us also repent seeking Him only to supply our daily needs, rather than seeking the sweetness of communion with Him. "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread" (Proverbs 30:8).

"Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the riches of fare."
(Isaiah 55:2)
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[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 24)

The Thorn: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:12-13)

Words have power to build up or destroy, whether written or spoken. And while many books contain words that can stir up the emotions of the heart, only one Book contains the words that have power to transform the human heart. The Holy Bible contains the words of life; and the words themselves are "living and active." The Word of God has power to cut into the heart of man like a sword, and turn the proudest person into the humblest and meekest of men. God uses His word like fire to melt our heart of stone which prevents us from experiencing His love, and if necessary He will use it like a hammer to break our heart to pieces so He can give us His heart of flesh. "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19).

God wants to write His word upon our hearts and make us a living testimony of His power and love to the world. We are to be transformed, by His Word and through His Holy Spirit, into the image of Jesus Christ, and become a living Bible to those around us. Through us they should read and see the wonderful love of the Father as revealed in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts" (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). Let us take time to day to repent that we have allowed our stubborn, rebellious hearts to get in the way of God having His way with us and taking full possession of our hearts and lives. Let us apply the sword of God's Word to ourselves, and let it do it's cutting and healing work in our lives first, before we use it as a weapon on anyone else. May He cut everything out that is keeping us from experiencing His perfect peace and rest, and may our hearts be expanded to have more room for His love. "I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free" (Psalm 119:32).

"Is not My word like fire," declares the LORD,
"and like a hammer that breaks a rock to pieces."
(Jeremiah 23:29)
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[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 25)

The Thorn: "Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone," and, "A stone that caused men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." (1 Peter 2:7-8a).

Jesus did not come to set up His kingdom in the world the first time He came - He came to build His church. When He returns, however, He will destroy all His enemies and establish His kingdom forever. "While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands...In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever" (Daniel 2:34a, 44). Jesus came first of all to set up His government in the hearts of man and to rule from within; but one day He will return to set up His kingdom and rule the whole world. " 'Yes, I am coming soon.' Amen, Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20b).

Jesus came into the world that He created and went directly to His chosen people, Israel, but they rejected Him because He was not the kind of Messiah they were expecting. Even though the world did not lay out the welcome mat to their Creator, Jesus carried on with His construction plan by first laying Himself down as the chief cornerstone for His new spiritual building. God may have given the blueprints for the original tabernacle and temple to His servant Moses and entrusted the work to him, but this new building He was raising up would not be built with human hands or with quarried stone; this building would be a spiritual house, a living temple, built with "living stones." "In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple to the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit" (Ephesians 2:21-22). God's work cannot be thwarted by the lack of faith of His people or the enemies that fight against Him. He will be a stone of stumbling to a disobedient world that takes offense to His Word. May we, who are His chosen generation and royal priesthood, lay aside our differences and come together in unity to follow the blueprint He has provided and build His church for His glory. "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD had made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you" (Psalm 18:22-26).

"He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him,
the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was
His own, but His own did not receive Him."
(John 1:10-11)
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[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 26)

The Thorn: "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (1 Peter 2:24-25)

We are compared to sheep in the Scripture, because just like sheep we are apt to wander and get into trouble. We need a Shepherd to lead us just to protect us from ourselves. Without our Lord's guidance we quickly lose our way. We constantly need the gentle nudge of our Shepherd's staff to bring us back into the fold; sometimes the rod of discipline is necessary to break us of our stubborn and rebellious ways. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6a).

Sheep are afraid of just about everything, and so are we. Fear of failure, loneliness, lost opportunity, death, accidents, natural disasters, terrorism, and war cause us to make foolish choices and we end up getting hurt because we took things into our own hands. Our good Shepherd wants us to be cured of our fear, and to learn to rely on Him and to trust that He is with us to guide and direct our lives, and protect us from anything that would come between Him and us. He has given us His Holy Spirit to direct our lives from within, so we will experience a life of holiness and godliness and live our lives free from want (because we have found all that we need in Him!). Our Shepherd wants His lambs to be at peace and rest, and to know that we are completely secure in Him, even when famine or calamity strikes the land. It should be enough to calm us to know that our good Shepherd is with us. May we hear the tender voice of our good Shepherd and be willing to heed His call, and follow Him closely all the days of our life on this earth. Let us repent of our fear and our lack of trust in our good Shepherd. Let us also repent of our stubbornness that prevents our Shepherd from leading us along the path of righteousness. "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing" (Psalm 34:10).

"Return, faithless people," declares the LORD, "for I am your husband.
I will choose you - one from a town and two from a clan - and bring you to Zion.
Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart,
who will lead you with knowledge and understanding."
(Jeremiah 3:14-15)
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[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 27)

The Thorn: "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:1-3)

We live in a world of broken relationships and broken promises. For many who have suffered the wounds of betrayal, unfaithfulness and violence in their relationships, it can be difficult to grasp the idea of God as a faithful, tender, and compassionate Husband; but that is exactly who He is. God is love and His intent is for His people to know the depths and heights of His infinite love - a love that death itself cannot destroy. "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:17b-19).

While God's love for His people does not depend on their faithfulness to Him, and He will never divorce His people no matter how unfaithful they are, His intent is that they experience all the benefits and blessings of the monogamous marriage relationship, and not suffer the pain and other consequences that come from unfaithfulness. God, our Husband, wants us to experience a life of deepening intimacy with Him, and to know the joy and peace of full fellowship and close communion with Him. But like sheep that continually wander, we are also like an unfaithful spouse who is enticed by other lovers; even though we have been given the greatest love in all the world. The church today has fallen into the same trap that Israel fell into when they wandered away from God to worship false idols and aroused His jealous love; we have forsaken our First Love (Revelation 2:4) and do not love our true Husband with the singleness of devotion we once did. We have become captivated by the world we live in and have many other interests which draw our attention away from God, who alone deserves our undying love and devotion. Let us take time today to acknowledge that our first love for God has indeed waned, that we have become distracted in a world that is not our home, and we don't spend time with Him as we should. Let us repent for all the idols in our lives that we have given our allegiance to and have robbed our Husband of the love and devotion He desires and deserves. "Restore me, and I will return, because You are the LORD my God. After I strayed, I repented..." (Jeremiah 31:18b, 19a). Let us offer a prayer of gratitude for His faithful and forgiving love which willingly receives us back no matter how many times we stray from His love. Let us ask Him to stoke the fires in our hearts and inflame us once again with His holy love. "Return to Me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty" (Zechariah 1:3b)

"Return, faithless people;
I will cure you of backsliding."
(Jeremiah 3:22a)
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[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 28)

The Thorn: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him...I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:7-9a, 10-11)

While no man has authority over the day of his death, every human being will live forever in resurrected bodily form. "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2). There will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked, and we will all exist eternally in only one of two places - in the presence of God, or eternally separated from Him. Every person will be raised from the dead, but there is only one way to heaven and into the eternal presence of God, and that is to believe in the One He has sent to die and save us from the sin that has separated us from Him. "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31).

God has given us the privilege of bringing the light of the gospel into the lives of the unsaved by removing the stone that is in their way and blocking their view of Jesus Christ. "Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of My people" (Isaiah 57:14). Jesus Christ has given us victory over sin, death and the grave. We are saved by the supernatural power of His resurrection and that power is ours for a holy life today. He wants us to walk in the fullness of His life and to experience His resurrection power in our daily lives so we can share His life with others. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Let us offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the transformation in our lives through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, and repent for any unbelief which prevents us from seeing His glory and power displayed in our lives today. May we allow Him to strengthen us with the power of His might in our inner being and continue His work in us for a godly life, so our lives reflect our heavenly position in Jesus Christ and bring glory to His powerful name.

"If we have been united with Him like this in His death,
we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection."
(Romans 6:5)
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