Carter Conlon | Daily Devotionals

John 11:44. Jesus said, loose him and let him go. Don't make it complicated. "Lazarus, come forth." That is your part. He could have just yelled from the tomb, "I can't, I'm all wrapped up." He could have, but he didn't. He just got up and he came forth and his life became a miracle.

Let Jesus Christ do what He needs to do today in your life. Let Him unwrap you. Let Him say, "loose him and let him go." That's what God wants to do for you. It doesn't matter what anybody else says. Doesn't even matter what you think. It matters what God says.

Whatever that is, just get up and move today towards the sound of His voice. Join with us every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Eastern time at itstimetopray.org when people from all over the world are coming out of the wilderness and taking their place at the resurrection table of Jesus Christ.

It's time to pray.

Elijah told the prophets of Baal to go first because their work was quick. False religion moves fast. It surveys what people want, secures resources, and builds something that never challenges the heart. It offers comfort without conviction and prosperity without surrender.

What God builds is different. It takes time. It requires digging, rebuilding, and order. God is not offended by slowness when it produces truth. The altar Elijah rebuilt was not impressive, but it was right. God values durability over speed.

A life built quickly without surrender will eventually collapse. Don't measure spiritual success by how fast something grows. Measure it by whether or not it can withstand the fire. Let God take the time He needs today to build something real into your life. Talk to God about it. It's time to pray.

Did you know that you are a part of God's end-time army? He's going to raise men, women, and young people in this generation. According to the prophet Daniel, you will be strong and you will do exploits in the name of God. You will do things in the power of God that could only be done through Him by surrendered vessels.

You don't have to be strong in yourself. You can actually be weak. You don't have to be noble of royal birth. You don't have to be overly intelligent. You don't have to have ten degrees on your wall. You just have to have a voice and a heart that says, "Jesus, I want everything that You've got for my life."

God's going to make you into a light that cannot be extinguished. Ask the Lord now to make you into the person that He's calling you and you alone to be.

It's time to pray.

Saul prophesied while an evil spirit was upon him. He had once known the anointing of God, had been touched by the Spirit, and had been turned into another man. Yet there was a stubbornness in his heart. He would not yield his life to the word of God. Over time, what once came from God became corrupted. He still spoke, still led, still occupied a position of authority, but something else was driving him.

Spiritual beginnings do not guarantee spiritual endings. Calling, gifting, and position cannot be a replacement for surrender. A life that refuses obedience eventually loses discernment. God allowed what Saul refused to confront to come to the surface.

Stay yielded to the word of God, not just to a past experience, and let obedience guard what God has already entrusted to you. Talk to Him. It's time to pray.

In scripture, Elijah rebuilt the altar with 12 stones, even though the nation was divided. God was declaring that his altar does not recognize division. At his altar, there's no righteous side and unrighteous side, no historical grievance that justifies separation. God was restoring his covenant identity to the people. He was saying Israel is still Israel.

God does not send His fire to divided altars. He restores unity before He reveals His presence. The altar of the Lord is a place where labels fall away, and it's God who defines who belongs.

If God's rebuilding something in your life today, He may be first addressing division that you've learned to live with. Let Him decide in your heart who His people are and where it is that His presence rests. Talk to God about it.

It's time to pray.

When Lazarus died, people said it was over. Four days in the grave, a stone sealing the tomb. Every voice around that place was declaring the situation final. That same mindset can settle over a life. Too late, too far gone, no future. When that unbelief sets in, prayer fades, expectation fades, hope fades.

But Jesus does not call when there's still a chance to rise on your own. He calls when there's no strength left. When every other voice has gone silent or surrendered. If you have accepted something as final that God has not declared finished, listen again today for the sound of His voice. He is glorified when He calls us out of weakness and into the strength that only He can provide. Resurrection life is the portion of every believer in Jesus Christ.

It's time to pray.

There have been movements that call themselves revival marked by constant prophesying yet filled with threats against anyone who would test them by Scripture. Those who questioned were once told they would die. This spirit is not new. There was a javelin in Saul's hand while he prophesied.

False spirituality resents scrutiny. It reacts with intimidation rather than humility. Truth never fears the Word of God. The Holy Spirit does not threaten those who examine what they hear. When prophecy demands unquestioned loyalty and attacks discernment, something is wrong.

God invites His people to test everything they hear by Scripture. Do not surrender your conscience to fear or pressure. Stay anchored in the written Word of God and refuse any spirit that demands silence instead of discernment. Talk to God about it today.

It's time to pray.

My prayer has always been for God to send a spiritual awakening before Christ returns. Especially in this hour that we're living in now, in this time when there's so much crisis in homes and families. There are so many dealing with mental issues. There are so many marriages falling apart, people battling with addictions, and the whole world seems to be mounting an offense against the truth of Jesus Christ.

However, it's in these seasons that God sends mercy. The prayer of my heart continues to be that God would send a spiritual awakening. I believe that God is going to raise you up. Pray that God gives you the courage and the strength to walk this walk and to be everything that God is now calling you to be, because you are the end time army of God that He's raising up. You are plan A in the kingdom of God.

It's time to pray.

When Mary the mother of Jesus came to dedicate Him in the temple, things were spoken about His life. And the Scripture tells us that Mary pondered these things in her heart.

I want to say thank you today to every mother that has taken time to ponder and believe for God's best for each of your children. Thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for never turning your back on us. Thank you for believing in us, even when we don't believe in ourselves. Thank you for pondering in your heart things that were meant for our lives for good and believing for God's best for each one of us.

We want every mother to be encouraged today. We want you to know that we know that you love us, even though many of us have made mistakes along the way. One of the mistakes that God never made is giving you to us as our mothers. We love you so much and we thank God for you from all of our hearts.

This Mother's Day, let it be a happy Mother's Day. God bless you. It's time to pray.

In the book of Kings, Saul was prophesying and David was worshiping. Both actions look spiritual. One man was speaking, the other was playing before the Lord. But Saul had a javelin in his hand. What the undiscerning eye could not see was the spirit behind the activity.

Saul's heart was full of rebellion, envy, and hatred towards the true anointing of God. He could speak religious language while carrying violence in his spirit. Spiritual activity does not equal spiritual health. A person can sound right but still be resisting surrender.

God doesn't measure holiness by noise or position, but by what we are willing to lay down. Ask today what you are holding while still claiming to speak for God. And be willing to release anything that competes with the full surrender that God is asking you for.

It's time to pray.