Carter Conlon | Daily Devotionals

Do you struggle to talk to God because you don't know how to pray or feel you can't be honest with Him? Just speak from your heart, as Jesus did. Be genuine, be sincere, and avoid all pretense. God already knows your true emotions, so don't pretend everything is perfect when struggling. 

As Jesus taught in Matthew 6, find a quiet place, close the door, and pray to your Father, who sees in secret. The promise is that your Father will openly reward your private prayers. Your conversations with God should be personal. He desires to have a relationship with you, and today, He wants to hear from you. 

Join us every Wednesday at 7:00 PM EST at itstimetopray.org. We're all talking to God together. 

It's time to pray.

In John 11, God spoke audibly to a dead man called Lazarus. He was dead for four days, but the voice of God is not limited. 

Today, many might feel like Lazarus; the only difference is that you have breath in your lungs. You might be in a dark place with no hope, and even those around you may have no hope for you. They might have a lot of negative things to say about you. 

However, one voice has the power to bring you back to life. That voice is God's voice. His voice can call you out of wherever you are and into the place that God has destined you to be. The only thing that Lazarus did was to get up and move towards the sound of God's voice. Today, that's all you need to do. God is calling you. He wants to give you mercy and forgiveness. Get up and move to the sound of his voice. 

It's time to pray.

Luke 2:8–9 says, “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were greatly afraid.”

The first Christmas ushered in a glorious invitation to people who weren’t expecting it, entering into a joy that they'd never experienced in this way. God burst onto the scene, and all He asked of them was faith.

"Will you let me lead you into something more profound and better than anything you've ever known?" This Christmas, will you allow God to take you deeper into a life of prayer? Will you ask Him for it? Will you believe Him for it? He's still the same as He always has been. 

It's time to pray.

Luke 2:13 says, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.'" 

Incredibly, the very first Christmas began with this celebration. A celebration so profound it's as if the angels could not contain themselves. They had to break through that veil, separating the heavens from the earth, and come down where they could be visibly seen by man, giving glory to God. How could they not? The goodness of God was about to be made known to all humanity. 

I used to be so excited at Christmas, but I didn't understand it. A celebration began manifesting itself as I knew something in this would affect the rest of my life. This Christmas, let Jesus speak to you. I promise you, you won't be sorry. 

It's time to pray.

I want to challenge you today to believe in God. Believe that God can change you. Believe that He can use you. He can give you a heart for people. He can do something miraculous in your life to bring His name to reputation. 

He did it for me. I can't tell you the day it happened, but I know that as I went toward the sound of His voice, I told God, "I want it all. I want everything you have for me. I want the fullness of it." Some people just want knowledge. Some just want personal freedom, but I wanted everything God had for my life, and I still do today. 

There is always more for you in God. Will you ask Him for His will for your life? When He starts to speak, will you walk towards it? Allow God to be the one who determines your future. Talk to Him about it. 

It's time to pray.

According to the scriptures, Satan is going to throw everything in his arsenal against this world in these last days. He will throw every weapon, deception of darkness, discouragement, and trap he can. 

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said that in the last days, the deception would be so powerful that, if possible, even the elect could be deceived. This notion implies that those of us who are set apart for God's plans and purposes will not and cannot be deceived. We are secure in the Almighty God. Be encouraged. We have overcome because Christ has already won the battle.

Join us every Wednesday at 7:00 PM EST at itstimetopray.org, where people worldwide pray. God let this victory be known in my life. 

It's time to pray.

It amazes me that the God of the universe gives us freedom. He cleanses and strengthens us. He gives us abilities, His voice, and compassion. He can take our empty vessels and infuse them with His presence. He gives us new desires and what He's passionate about. 

If you can hear His voice today, don't harden your heart. Move toward the sound of His voice. Don't do as the children of Israel once did in the wilderness; they hardened their hearts, and because of it, they died in a barren place. God gave them an incredible promise, but they turned back from it because of unbelief. 

Will you get up today? Will you go forward with the plan that God has for your life? Will you believe that even in your emptiness, He can produce something of Himself in you that will bring His name to reputation? Ask Him about it. 

It's time to pray.

Luke 2:17–18 says, "Now, when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds." 

One of the beauties of our conversion in our lives is an inner explosion of gladness, a sense of being in the right relationship with God. It also comes with a desire that others may come to know Him the way we have; it happened in my life. I was fearful, then suddenly free. 

God takes us beyond the limitations that once governed our lives and brings us into something that brings glory to His name. Don't be minimized. Refrain from being led by what others have spoken over your life. God has given you a divine purpose in your future. Freedom awaits you this Christmas. 

Remember, it's time to pray.

Ecclesiastes 7:10 says, "Do not say why were the former days better than these, for you do not inquire wisely concerning this." 

This Christmas, don't limit God to the past. Don't put Him in a place where He and His blessings are just a memory in your life. Don't allow yourself to be convinced that those blessings can never come back, that it can never be the way it used to be. As humans, we tend to look back at the old days and remember how good they were, forgetting that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

Don't forget this holiday season that God can make all things new. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good this Christmas. He will give you new and better memories if you trust Him and look to Him as your joy. Go ahead, this Christmas, just ask Him. 

It's time to pray.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we know God's power. We know what He can do and that when we pray, He comes to us. If you need a victory, He will give it to you. 

God will give you wisdom and the words to speak to people around you who need hope. God is still in the business of healing marriages. He delivers people from addictions. He can break barriers that are keeping you and others in isolation. He can bring you into a place in your life where you know that He lives. Because you know His power, you'll be able to see what only He can do through your life.

God will show you His grace, love, mercy, power, and glory. God wants to intertwine His life with yours. Will you open your heart to Jesus today? Will you allow Him to be your Lord and Savior? Just pray, “Jesus, come to me.”

It's time to pray.