Day 34 | The Two Sides of God's Mercy

 

9/14/2018

Prayer is not based on how good you are. It is based on God’s mercy. What is mercy? The dictionary defines mercy two ways. First, mercy is “refraining from harm or punishment.” And second, mercy is “unexpected kindness.” So there are two sides to God’s mercy. There’s the forgiving side and the compassionate side. The forgiving side withholds punishment, even though we deserve it. The compassionate side goes the extra mile to help us with unexpected kindness. It is because of God’s mercy that he invites you to ask for his forgiveness and help in your time of need.

 

		O my God, listen to me and hear my request … We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful.
		Daniel 9:18 (NLT)

 

REFLECT

 

What did you hear?

What did God say to you as you read today's Bible passage? What word or phrase was most meaningful to you?

 

What do you think?

What does this passage mean to you? How does it apply to your life?

 

What is your prayer?

This is where you turn your thoughts into prayer. It could be a prayer of gratitude or praise. It could be a prayer of confession or a request for God's help. It's up to you. But take a minute to write a prayer of response to God.       Prepared by Saddleback Community Church

Day 33 | God's Number One Characteristic

 

9/13/2018

The world portrays God as a God of judgment. But God reveals himself first and foremost as a God of mercy. Mercy is his number one characteristic in the Bible. More than his sovereignty, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, or any other fancy words about him; more than his anger or justice or judgment—more than anything else—the number one attribute of God in scripture is his mercy. All the way back, when he revealed his glory to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments, God said, “This is my name: The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6, NKJV). Notice the first characteristic is mercy. God did not say, “I am the Lord God, just and righteous,” or “eternal and all-powerful.” He said, “Do you want to know who I am and what I’m like? I am merciful. Everything I do for you flows from my mercy.”

 

		Lord God, you are merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against you.
		Daniel 9:9 (CEV)

 

REFLECT

 

What did you hear?

What did God say to you as you read today's Bible passage? What word or phrase was most meaningful to you?

 

What do you think?

What does this passage mean to you? How does it apply to your life?

 

What is your prayer?

This is where you turn your thoughts into prayer. It could be a prayer of gratitude or praise. It could be a prayer of confession or a request for God's help. It's up to you. But take a minute to write a prayer of response to God. Prepared by Saddleback Community Church

Day 32 | Praying with a Thankful Heart

 

September 12, 2018

When you ask God for something, ask with an attitude of gratitude. Thank God for his love and promises. Thank him for his kindness and faithfulness. Get specific. Make a list today of the things you are thankful for. Then, before you ask God for anything, take a few minutes to tell him thank you for what he has already done. The more you thank him, the more you will learn about his character. And the more you learn about his character, the more faith you will have when you pray.


I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and keep your commands.

DANIEL 9:4 (NLT)

REFLECT

What did you hear?

What did God say to you as you read today's Bible passage? What word or phrase was most meaningful to you?
 

   

What do you think?

    

What does this passage mean to you? How does it apply to your life?
 

   

What is your prayer?

    
This is where you turn your thoughts into prayer. It could be a prayer of gratitude or praise. It could be a prayer of confession or a request for God's help. It's up to you. But take a minute to write a prayer of response to God.  

Prepared by Saddleback Community Church

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Day 31 | Seek God First

 

September 11, 2018

God wants you to find him. He isn’t hiding from you. He’s not playing hard to get. He’s waiting and available. But you have to seek him. To seek the Lord takes more than a casual glance. It requires concentration and focus. The Hebrew
 word for “seek” in today’s verse means to look for someone early and earnestly. In other words, to “seek me

diligently” means turn to God first, not as a last resort, and keep after him until you get an answer.


 

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.

PROVERBS 8:17 (NKJV) 

REFLECT

What did you hear?

What did God say to you as you read today's Bible passage? What word or phrase was most meaningful to you?
 

What do you think?

What does this passage mean to you? How does it apply to your life?
 

What is your prayer?

This is where you turn your thoughts into prayer. It could be a prayer of gratitude or praise. It could be a prayer of confession or a request for God's help. It's up to you. But take a minute to write a prayer of response to God.




Prepared by Saddleback Community Church

 

 

 

Day 30 | Your Faith and God's Promises

 

9/10/2018

The better you know the Word of God, the better you will pray in the will of God. Most of the answers you are looking for are already in his Word! The more you get into the Word—and the more the Word gets into you—the easier it will be to know not only what God wants you to do for him, but also what he promises to do for you. When you add your faith to God’s promises, that’s when miracles happen.

 

		If you stay connected to me and my words remain in your heart, you may ask any request you want in prayer, and it will be given to you.
		John 15:7

 

REFLECT

 

What did you hear?

What did God say to you as you read today's Bible passage? What word or phrase was most meaningful to you?

 

What do you think?

What does this passage mean to you? How does it apply to your life?

 

What is your prayer?

This is where you turn your thoughts into prayer. It could be a prayer of gratitude or praise. It could be a prayer of confession or a request for God's help. It's up to you. But take a minute to write a prayer of response to God.       Prepared by Saddleback Community Church

Day 29 | Seeking God with All Your Heart

 

9/9/2018

What does it mean to seek the Lord? It means to eliminate distractions and turn your focus on him, give him your full attention, and put yourself in a position to hear from him. Too often we say we are seeking the Lord, when the truth is that we are spending our time and energies looking everywhere else. We spend more time looking to popular culture, self-help books, social media, and TV talk shows than we do soaking in the Word of God. If you truly want to find God, to know him, and to hear from him, then you have to put your heart into it. What does your heart want today?

 

		You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
		Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

 

REFLECT

 

What did you hear?

What did God say to you as you read today's Bible passage? What word or phrase was most meaningful to you?

 

What do you think?

What does this passage mean to you? How does it apply to your life?

 

What is your prayer?

This is where you turn your thoughts into prayer. It could be a prayer of gratitude or praise. It could be a prayer of confession or a request for God's help. It's up to you. But take a minute to write a prayer of response to God.       Prepared by Saddleback Community Church

Day 28 The Ultimate Purpose for Prayer

 

9/8/2018

The ultimate aim of prayer is that God will be glorified, no matter the outcome. The purpose for prayer is not to conform God to your way of seeing things. The purpose for prayer is to conform you to the kingdom, power, and glory of God. When you learn to seek God’s kingdom, depend on God’s power, and live for God’s glory, that’s when God’s blessing begins to flow into your life.

 

		Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
		Psalm 115:1 (NIV)

 

REFLECT

 

What did you hear?

What did God say to you as you read today's Bible passage? What word or phrase was most meaningful to you?

 

What do you think?

What does this passage mean to you? How does it apply to your life?

 

What is your prayer?

This is where you turn your thoughts into prayer. It could be a prayer of gratitude or praise. It could be a prayer of confession or a request for God's help. It's up to you. But take a minute to write a prayer of response to God.       Prepared by Saddleback Community Church