Deny Yourself by Ann Broughton

 “And then He said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23 NIV).

    Jesus had just predicted his death and persecution before he spoke the above words to the apostles. Jesus knew what he faced, but the apostles did not have a clue to the extent of the abuse Jesus would take in order for them to have eternal life.

    Later these apostles would run away from their Master. Jesus would be all alone to face those who wanted Him dead. Pilate had him flogged. The soldiers mocked him, spit on him, and again and again struck Him on his head. They twisted a crown of thorns and set it on his head. (Mark 15:16-19) He was then forced to carry the cross to Golgotha where He was crucified. (John 19:17).

    Later when Jesus rose from the dead, He would come to His apostles and reassure them. After Pentecost, these men who ran away would be filled with the Holy Spirit and would boldly preach to others about Jesus’ love and eternal life. They would carry their own crosses daily, and eventually many of them would die a martyr’s death. 
   Like these apostles we, too, must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. We, too, have the Holy Spirit in us to help us. God has given each of us a mission and equipped us with special abilities to be used for Him.

    Take up your cross daily and remember that Christ is in you enabling you to carry it. He will also give you the strength to carry out the mission He has for you on this earth.

Dear Lord,
Help us as we deny ourselves and take up our crosses every day. Give us your strength to do your will in our lives. We know that nothing is impossible with you. Thank you for helping us to be brave and not run away from the tasks that you have set before us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

God is With You During Change by Ann Broughton

“If you love me, you will do what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will send you another Counselor to be with you ---- the Spirit of truth” (John 14:15-16 NIV).

    Change can be very scary, but in life it is inevitable. From the time we are born, we are constantly changing. But, most people have difficulty dealing with it in life. We want everything to go along the same as always. When change does occur, we have tendency to fight it.

    I have to admit, that as I get older, change is tougher. The grocery store that I shop at has decided to change all of their stock around. They moved everything to different aisles. Now when I go to a grocery store, which I consider no fun at all, I want to get in there and out as fast as possible. Needless to say, I wasn’t too happy to see what they were doing. I am thinking it is just not me who felt this way, because I heard many people grumbling about it, and many of them were wandering around the store with a glazed look in their eyes like a deer in headlights. Luckily, they had stationed their help out in the middle aisle to direct people. That was a smart move. I don’t know why stores do this. At least they should have warned us a week in advance that it was happening.

  Before Jesus was crucified, He gave his disciples a pep talk because He knew the change that was coming for them would be earth shaking. He knew it would be difficult for them to watch Him suffer and die. He also knew that they would need extra help to accomplish what God expected them to do after His leaving. So Jesus tried to comfort them and told them that He would send the Holy Spirit to them to teach them. (John 14:26) He wanted them to know that He wasn’t leaving them without assistance.

    You see we too have the Holy Spirit within us to help us through any change that comes our way in life. He will give us peace when we feel peace is impossible to find. God knew that we would need the Holy Spirit to aid us in times of stress. That is why He provided the Counselor to all those who believe in Him.  “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23 NIV). You see you have Christ in you, and He will help you handle the changes in your life.

Dear Lord,

We know that change is difficult, but it happens all the time. Help us to rely on the Holy Spirit to gain strength to handle it and accept it knowing you will be with us.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Have Hope in God by Ann Broughton

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 43:5 NIV).

   Do you need hope right now? Is your soul downcast? Hope in God.

The Bible is filled with men and women who displayed hope in difficult times. That is why it is so important to read the Old and New Testaments. It is filled with hope. I am going to give you a few examples.

   First, Abraham was told by God that a great nation was to come from him. Abraham and his wife had hope that God would give them a child. They had to wait 25 years before their son, Isaac, would be born.

   Joseph had to wait in prison for several years before he was freed. He had hope that God would be with him and He was. “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison..” (Genesis 39:20-22 NIV). When he was freed Pharaoh put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Joseph’s hope in God helped him through a very bad trial, and in the end Joseph was blessed.

    Mary and Martha had hope that Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead. They believed in Him and knew He could do anything. Martha said, “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask”

(John 11:21 NIV). Jesus proceeded to raise Lazarus from the dead to prove that He indeed is the resurrection and the life. Do you have this hope?

    You see we are to believe that nothing is impossible with God and have hope that He will be there for us in every circumstance of our lives. He will always be there for you if you call upon Him to help you.

I think it would be wise to memorize this verse and have hope in the future. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV). 

Dear Lord,

Give us hope that you will be with us, even in the dark times. We know that you are in control and we must surrender everything over to you and have faith that you know what is best for us. Thank you for the peace only you can give.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

    

God's Promises by Ann Broughton

“Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:20-21 NIV).

    Has anyone ever broken a promise made to you? It is an awful feeling isn’t it? God will never break a promise He has made in the Bible. It is this fact that we must cling to and believe. In our busy hectic lives it is very easy to concentrate on the negative things instead of the wonderful promises that are spoken of in the Bible. In this devotion I want to help you remember some of those promises so that you will have faith and believe that your Father in Heaven loves you very much and will give you peace.

    I am going to list some of His promises for you to look back on this week to give you hope when you feel stressed or when the weight of the world seems to be on your shoulders.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you, I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27 NIV).

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40 NIV).

“For I know my plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

“Until now you have not asked anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24 NIV).

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV).

 I hope that these verses will give you comfort this week. Believe in God’s promises and let them fill your soul with hope.

Dear Lord,

Thank you so much for all your promises. Help us to fix our thoughts on them and believe them with all of our hearts. We know you always keep your promises.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen