Daily Devotionals for Spiritual Inspiration and Guidance

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). Earthly laws are made to protect us, but another set of laws operate on the spiritual level. These laws affect our salvation, and it’s important for us to understand them. Jesus shed His blood to establish the Gospel of Grace and give us eternal life.

“I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man” (Proverbs 24:30-34). The values we embrace eventually manifest themselves for all to see. If we’re lazy, we reap what we sow. Hard work and honest labor indicate a godly attitude in this area.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13, NIV). If we put money before everything else in our lives, we can become enslaved to it and end up miserable. God knows that financial wealth can tempt us to trust it instead of Him, so He warns us against having a wrong relationship with it.

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4:23). There’s a connection between what we think and what we do. When we want to see tangible evidence of true change in our lives, we must renew our thought processes to agree with what the Scriptures tell us.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8, NKJV). We fight a spiritual battle in our minds every day. To win, our strategy must be to deliberately avoid thinking like the rest of the world, which is under the influence of the enemy. Aligning our thoughts with God’s thoughts makes us of one mind with Him.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). The first step to standing out from the world as Christians, and God’s beloved, is to change our way of thinking. We break out of that worldly, tired mindset by studying His Word, which refreshes and renews our minds over time.

“Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28). Apart from Christ, we’re flawed and incomplete. Only when Jesus is living in us can we truly say we’re perfect, because He makes us that way.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). There are plenty of situations in life we can’t handle on our own, and contemplating everything that can go wrong can be frightening. God reassures us that when we depend on Him, there’s no need to fear. He’s always with us, and He’ll never leave us.

“Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; and be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24, AMPC). When we are born again, our old, sinful nature ceases to exist, and the new identity we receive makes us righteous in God’s eyes. Although this change takes place immediately, we need to constantly renew our minds by studying the Word of God. He reveals fresh insights into the proper mental and spiritual attitudes.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10, NIV). No one is strong enough to go through life without any help or support in tough times. When we’re at our weakest, God’s unmerited favor strengthens us and gives us hope.