Thanks seems to be a word that is used less and less in this culture. People seem to expect to be served, and it doesn’t cross their minds to thank the person serving them.

Luke 17:11-37 tells the story of 10 lepers who were cleansed by Jesus. Only one returned to thank Jesus for healing him. Jesus asked where the other nine were, and then He told the leper who thanked Him that his faith had made him whole. Did something else occur when this leper gave thanks to Jesus? Wasn’t he already made whole when Jesus healed the ten lepers?

I believe the one who gave thanks received a deeper healing than just the skin on his body. He received a healing in his heart. His heart was made whole, and he received the love of God in all of its fullness when he made the effort to return and give thanks to the Lord. We too will always receive a healing for our hearts when we give thanks to the Lord in everything.

We are exhorted in the Word to give thanks in everything and for everything. I used to resist the verse that exhorted us to give thanks for all things, because it was difficult for me to give thanks for some of the trials I experienced in this life. However, when I look back at these trials, I realize that God used them to build character in me and to also cause others to see God’s glory through me as I went through fiery trials without being burned or bitter. Now I can give thanks for all things, even those things God allows Satan to use against me. I have to remember that no weapon that is formed against me will prosper, and ultimately the very weapons Satan uses against me will be used for my good to bring me into a deeper understanding of spiritual warfare or to build more of God’s character into my life.

Grace abounds through thanksgiving, and when I have a grateful heart no matter what I am experiencing, I place myself in the position to receive more of God’s grace. No matter what we are going through, we can always find something to be grateful for. I heard someone say if you can’t find something to thank God for, just thank Him for the fluid in your eyeballs. We take so much for granted in this life, but a grateful heart will take nothing for granted. The one who has a grateful heart sees everything as a gift from God and he gives God the glory. I would much rather be around people who are grateful than people who murmur and complain all the time. Griping charges the atmosphere with the negative, but a grateful heart gifts the atmosphere with grace, love and joy.

We used to sing a song, “Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative and don’t mess with Mr. In Between.” Mr. In Between is the devil, and we latch on to him every time we murmur and complain instead of being grateful.

Lord, help me always to have a grateful heart.

READ: Joshua 11:1-12:24; Luke 17:11-37; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 13:5-6

Linda Sommer is the author of Around the Word in 365 Days, from which this article is excerpted.

Everyone in this life is searching for happiness. The word happy in Hebrew is the same word for blessed. We all want blessings in our lives, and yet so many fail to live a happy, blessed life.

Proverbs 3:13 gives the secret to a continual life of happiness or blessedness: “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding” (NKJV).

All the treasures of wisdom are hidden in Jesus Christ. Unless a man comes into this knowledge of Jesus Christ, he will always lack the wisdom that brings happiness. Chances are also he will seek happiness in the wrong places.

There are two kinds of wisdom—the wisdom of this world, which comes from below, and the wisdom of God, which comes from above. James tells us about these two kinds of wisdom: “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:13, KJV).

Which wisdom will you choose to walk in today? If you choose the wisdom from above, you will have a happy, blessed day no matter what circumstances you encounter.

Lord, You are all wisdom, and I will grow in heavenly wisdom only as I stay close to You, talk with You and listen to Your Word. You are the way that leads me to all the hidden treasures of wisdom. Your Word is the road map that instructs me as I follow this way. Help me as I go searching for hidden treasures today in Your Word, and help me to operate in heavenly wisdom today in all of my relationships with others. Thank You. Amen.

READ: Genesis 30:1-31:16; Matthew 10:1-26; Psalm 12:1-8; Proverbs 3:13-15

Linda Sommer is the author of Around the Word in 365 Days, from which this article is excerpted.

Most of us are familiar with the Indian war dances, which always occurred before they entered warfare with their enemies. Dancing and rejoicing before the Lord is also an effective weapon before we go to war against Satan (Ps. 149:1-9).

We have the scriptural example of this when Jehoshaphat sent the singers ahead of his army and ambushes against their enemies were established: “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever” (2 Chr. 20:21, KJV).

We learned the importance of rejoicing before the Lord with singing and dancing through attending a fellowship in Jerusalem. The Zion Fellowship is a unique fellowship that spends a lot of time in praising the Lord with the dance. Ruth Heflin, who heads this fellowship, has written a book called Glory in which she expresses the importance of the dance in spiritual warfare. She relates in her book Glory the following: “I believe that dancing brings an anointing for the nations. I never let a day go by without dancing. I have danced in the toilets of 707s, 747s and DC-10s. How do I do it? Straight up and down.”

Ruth urges her readers not to let a day go by that they don’t dance before the Lord. I am just now catching on to the power and anointing in rejoicing before the Lord in the dance. David made this discovery years ago when he wrote, “Let them praise His name in the dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp” (v. 3).

If you have not tried rejoicing before the Lord in the dance, you can start today. Put on some praise music and dance before the Lord. The Lord loves to see you dance before Him, because after all, He rejoices over you with singing. David was a man after God’s own heart because he often danced before the Lord with all of his heart. We are exhorted to praise the Lord with our whole being. Dancing is a good way to do this. Have a good day and a good dance.

Lord, I want to be free in my worship and praise to You. Help me to get rid of all self-consciousness and just have my eyes on You as I praise and worship You. Set my feet to dancing, Lord.

READ: 2 Kings 18:13-19:37; Acts 21:1-17; Psalm 149:1-9; Proverbs 18:8

When I read this passage—Psalm 135:1-21—about the vapors ascending from the ends of the earth, I recall one of the funniest yet most penetrating sermons I ever heard.

The psalmist writes, “He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasures” (v. 7).

The sermon I heard included this verse about the vapors ascending from the ends of the earth. The sermon was entitled “The Devil Can’t Swim.” It was preached by a young evangelist who was on fire for the Lord.

His major point was that the devil hates water (especially the water of the Word of God and the River of Life of the Holy Spirit). He used as his text the account of Jesus casting the demons out of the man called Legion. The demons cried out to Jesus and asked Him not to send them to a far country. Jesus sent them into a herd (more than 2,000) of swine, and the swine ran down a steep hill into the sea and drowned (Mark 5). He said that demons don’t like water because they always go to the dry places when they are cast out.

He based this on Luke 11:24, which says, “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.'”

This evangelist then proceeded to tell us how we can drown demons just as Jesus did. He said that when we praise and worship the Lord with all of our hearts, vapors are sent from earth into the heavens, and glory clouds form.

God dwells in the midst of our praise.

When these glory clouds are filled with the vapors from our praise, they begin to release the showers of blessings from the Lord—the former and latter rain, the refreshing rain of the Holy Spirit. Remember the old hymn “Showers of Blessings”? One verse says that “mercy drops flow from His throne,” and this literally is what happens in the spirit realm when we praise the Lord. As the rain of the Holy Spirit falls, the demons have to flee because they hate that kind of water. If you want to drown the devil, keep praising God all the day long.

Lord, help me to drown all the demonic forces that may try to come against me today. I will praise You all the day long.

READ: 1 Kings 18:1-46; Acts 11:1-30; Psalm 135:1-21; Proverbs 17:12-13

Linda Sommer is the author of Around the Word in 365 Days, from which this article is excerpted.

Philippians 4:1-23 Most of us are familiar with the phrase that is “batted about” so casually today: “Don’t worry, be happy.” There is a way you can not worry and be happy no matter what you are facing in this life—pray. The phrase should be revised to say, “Don’t worry, Pray!” If we followed this admonition, our lives would be filled with joy (not just a happy “ha-ha” joy, but an inner joy that will strengthen us in all circumstances).

Worry is a sin. Worry is negative meditation. When we meditate, we roll over and over again in our minds the same thing. When we worry, we keep thinking over and over again the same negative thought. Both my mother and mother-in-law were worriers. I think since they both went through the Great Depression a little worry bug was implanted deep within them, and it was hard to shake it off. Most of the things they worried about never came to pass.

Worry usually comes when we play the “what-if” game. This is one of Satan’s favorite games, and he loves it when we begin to play it with him. When we are always thinking about the things that could happen in the future, we are in a fantasy land of deception. Satan has deceived us, and once again he has gotten our hearts and minds off the now into the never-never land of future events that may never come to pass. Two of Satan’s main tactics are to get our minds off the now by getting us to wallow in the past and worry about the future. Faith can only operate in the now; that is why Satan always wants to direct our thoughts away from the now.

We pay a great price when we worry. Satan has robbed us of the faith that can only operate in the now, and often he finds entrance into our lives to do further damage through fear of the future. Worry and fear are bedfellows; we must not allow them to climb into bed with us. If we do, we will be robbed of our peace, subject to mental and emotional torment, and even subject to physical illness and affliction. Worry is not worth the price we have to pay.

This passage in Philippians gives the cure-all to worry. It says, “Don’t worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything.” The moment a worry thought comes our way, we need to say, “Thank you, Satan, for giving me that thought, because that very thought causes me to get on my knees to pray.” James tells us to submit ourselves to God and resist the devil. Prayer is one of the key ways we submit ourselves to God. A worrying person can never be successful in resisting Satan, but a praying person will always have the victory over “old slewfoot.”

Have you tormented the devil today? Every time you pray when worry thoughts come your way, Satan is tormented. He will be tormented, and you will receive the peace that passes your own understanding and God will set a guard around your heart and mind. DON’T WORRY, PRAY!

Lord, forgive me for the times I have worried instead of praying.

READ: Jeremiah 1:1-2:30; Philippians 4:1-23; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 24:17-20

If the prayer of one righteous man avails much, just think about what
the prayers of two or more righteous people will accomplish.

Matthew 18:1-22
It has been my privilege over my fifty-plus years as a Christian to always have a prayer partner. There are so many advantages in having a prayer partner. This passage in Matthew gives two very important reasons for us to pray with others. Jesus tells us, “Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:19-20, KJV).

Whenever we pray in agreement with another person, God promises to answer our requests, and He promises to be in the midst of us as we pray with two or more people. There is great power in agreement. For years I had my own quiet time and Tom had his. We only prayed together when there was an emergency. One Sunday morning during communion, the Lord spoke this to my heart: “The days ahead are going to be difficult. If you do not pray in agreement with your husband, you will not be able to get through these days. I want you to pray daily together first for your nation and leaders, then pray for yourselves, your family, your church and others.”

We had been married for twenty-five years when I received that exhortation from the Lord. We have seen miracles happen over and over again as we have agreed together in prayer about the things listed above. We have seen our son delivered from drugs, three beautiful daughter-in-laws who love the Lord with all their hearts and who simply adore their husbands, deliverance from serious injury in a car accident, healing of a heart problem, just to name a few. If none of our requests had been answered, however, just experiencing the presence of the Lord as we prayed was gift enough to keep us praying in agreement together. God promised to hear every prayer request for others as we touched them through prayer and prayed for their concerns.

One of the greatest joys of my life has been to meet with several neighborhood ladies to pray every Monday night. We have been meeting for more than 17 years and have seen so many answers to prayers for our families, for one another and others. I look forward to going to church on Wednesday nights when our whole church meets to pray in agreement for those things that concern us. If the prayer of one righteous man avails much, just think about what the prayers of two or more righteous people will accomplish.

David knew the secret of the quiet place, and he had to constantly focus to remain in this quiet place. He writes, “Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of mine enemies” (Ps. 23:5, KJV). David had many enemies. However, he knew he was not fighting against flesh and blood. He knew his true enemy was Satan. David knew the secret to overcoming Satan.

When Saul chased after him to kill him, David wrote, “Where can I flee from Your presence?” (Ps. 139:7). The presence of the Lord was always much stronger than the presence of the enemy to David. No matter what difficult situation David encountered, he knew the Lord was ever before him. He wrote, “Your face is ever before me.”

For over seven years David had to flee from Saul, and his favorite hiding place was Engedi. We have visited Engedi many times on our trips to Israel, and it was easy to see why David chose such a spot for his hiding place.

It is an oasis in the middle of the area around the Dead Sea where flowing falls cascade from cliffs laden with lush green trees. Each cliff contains a multitude of caves. Saul knew this was David’s secret refuge, and it was at Engedi that David cut the hem of Saul’s garment while he was asleep. David later repented for touching God’s anointed.

Could it be that as we hide ourselves in our special pavilion of God’s presence the enemy is surrounding us, watching our every move? It is true that we are not only surrounded by a host of angels, but we are also surrounded by hosts of demonic spirits that seek to destroy us. Yet, in the midst of our enemies, God has prepared a feast for us, and the presence of the Lord is so bright at this table He has prepared for us that we are not even aware of the darkness that surrounds us.

As long as we remain at this table where we feast on His Word and talk with the Lord, the enemy is helpless to penetrate the shield of light that surrounds us. In the presence of the Lord is joy and pleasures forever more. Even though the enemy surrounds us, we are also compassed about by the Lord’s songs of deliverance. David writes, “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble” (Ps. 32:7, KJV).

Nothing can separate us from the love of God-neither death, nor life, neither principalities nor powers. What a comfort it is to know His presence in the midst of our enemies. We can be at peace.

Thank You, Lord, for Your abiding peace.

READ: Exodus 30:11-31:18; Matthew 26:47-68; Psalm 32:1-11; Proverbs 8:27-32

As we think of our Jewish brethren, we wonder how they missed seeing the Messiah clearly presented in the prophets, the psalms and even the Pentateuch. The only explanation is what Paul speaks clearly about in Romans. The Jewish people have a veil over their eyes that has been placed there by God. Should we pray for this veil to be dropped if this is God’s will? The answer to this is a resounding yes.

We have the hope and promise of God that this veil will be dropped, and the day will come when the Jewish people will recognize Jesus as their Messiah. Until that day we can be diligent in prayer for the Jewish people. Today many Jewish people are accepting Jesus as their Messiah. Our recent trip to Israel revealed much more openness on the part of secular Jews to discuss faith with others. I believe this is a direct result of the prayers of many Christians for Israel and the Jewish people.

In this passage Isaiah prophesies so eloquently the birth of Jesus: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined … For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:2, 6-7, KJV).

This prophecy also goes on to say, “And all the people shall know.” Here is the promise to claim for the Jews as we pray for them. Jesus truly is the light that lights every man who comes into the world. John speaks of this as He shares that John the Baptist was not the light. He says, “He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:8-11).

Pray today for the Jewish people to recognize and accept Jesus, the Light of the world.

READ: Isaiah 8:1-9:21; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 23:4-5

We like to quote so often the phrase, “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (see Luke 1). If God did not have to work through men, His power on earth would be unlimited. However, even though nothing is impossible with God and He does all things well, the stark reality is that we as Christians do not allow Him to do the impossible in our lives because of our lack of faith.

The story comes to mind when the disciples came to Jesus for help in casting a deaf and dumb spirit out of a little boy. Jesus told them they were unable to do this because of their lack of faith. Then He said, “O faithless generation.” Nothing is impossible with God when we put our complete faith and trust in Him.

Mary in this passage is a prime example of complete faith and trust. The angel told her, “Fear not.” As we studied yesterday, fear has to be dealt with or we will lose our effectiveness in overcoming the devil. Mary had no fear. Then when Mary heard all that would be done to her in the conception of Jesus Christ, she had faith. She said simply, “Be it unto me according to Your word.” Now the way was paved for God to do the impossible. Nothing is impossible when we overcome fear through faith and trust in God.

We hear of report after report of miracles happening in countries like Africa and Indonesia, yet we seem to have a famine in the United States of miracles. Why? We as Christians in America often do not display the simple childlike faith that people in other countries do.

What has choked out our faith? I believe it is the materialism and the instant gratification syndrome that have overtaken many of us. We are not willing to spend time in prayer and the Word to build our faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Often in these small villages in other lands where there is no TV, no Walmart, we see mighty miracles. The people in these villages are not distracted from what is most important-doing the will of God and believing Him when they pray. Jesus said that unless a man became like a little child, he could not enter the kingdom of heaven. A small baby is completely dependent upon his parents for every need, and he trusts his parents to meet them. Is this where God wants every Christian? If we could strip ourselves of all the materialism and business in our lives, perhaps we could become as a little child-totally dependent upon God for everything and ever hanging on His Word.

Nothing is impossible with God when we trust in His Word and fear not.

Lord, I earnestly pray, be it done unto me today according to Your Word. Place within me the faith of a little child, and give me the courage to step out in faith. Faith was the substance Peter walked on when he was coming toward You on the sea. Help me to walk in faith today.

READ: Numbers 21:1-22:20; Luke 1:26-56; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 11:9-11

I am the mother of three sons, and I have spent 40 years in the kitchen cooking. If there is such a thing as a cross to bear, I guess this might be one of mine. With four hungry men to satisfy, I often felt that I was one giant feed bag.

Saturday was not my favorite day, because I would just get through serving a big breakfast when one of the boys would always ask, “What’s for lunch?” I could feel the tingles of resentment crawling up my spine when this was asked, and I always had to pray, “Lord, give me strength.”

We had the opportunity to have a Russian exchange student live with us, and I was hoping we would get a girl who could help me in the kitchen. After reviewing several essays written by Russian students, the Lord led us to choose a boy. We got a boy who could eat instead of a girl who could cook. We have had Vladimir with us now for seven years, and he is a bodybuilder who can put away the food. I’m still standing on this promise, but I have yet to be delivered from the pots.

It was only after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden that cooking was necessary. God originally gave only the herb-bearing seed and every tree that yielded fruit as meat in the diet of Adam and Eve. When He killed the beast to cover Adam’s and Eve’s nakedness, man became meat eaters and cooking became necessary. Mankind received the curse of having to cook. Although this was not spelled out as a curse for Eve, I believe it was. Laboring over a hot stove is not as hard as laboring to have a baby, but it is still labor. Adam also received his curse, which was to toil in the fields when before the fields only needed tending. Weeds now grew, and if they were not pulled, the good seed would be choked and not bear fruit.

Recently I released my bad attitude about cooking to the Lord, and an interesting thing happened. I began to enjoy cooking, and what was a curse to me became a special calling. God always blesses whatever we release to Him, and He can cause our cares and burdens to become blessings.

Is there a burden or something you consider a curse in your life? Do you feel your work is a curse? Today release every care and whatever you feel you are cursed with to the Lord. You will find what seemed to be a curse can become a special calling in your life.

READ: Joshua 5:1-7:15; Luke 15:1-32; Psalm 81:1-16; Proverbs 13:1