Carter Conlon | Daily Devotionals

Psalm 133 begins: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." 

The verses tell us that there are great blessings when we choose unity. There's no power in division, and when we allow ourselves to be divided, we bring weakness into our ranks and the testimony of Christ. Let's stop caring about what name is on our church door and begin to walk as one body in Christ.

If we believe in Jesus Christ and have trusted Him alone for our salvation, we are indeed one family. We serve one God. We have one spirit. The Bible tells us that mountains move and blessings are released when we pray. Let's walk in unity, and let's experience the promises of God. Join us every Wednesday at 7:00 PM EST as people worldwide pray together at itstimetopray.org.

It’s time to pray.

Why do we put an asterisk on God's promises? His promises don’t have caveats. We don't need a mountain of faith to receive answers. I would never lay claim to ever having had a mountain of faith. Sometimes my prayers are an accusation. Sometimes they're full of unbelief according to the scriptures. Sometimes I want to believe, and sometimes I do.

The wonderful thing is that God answers all of it simply because He's good. We tend to want to make prayer something it was never meant to be.

When God met with Moses and sent him to Egypt, he said, “I've heard their cry, and I've come down to deliver them.” He didn't hear their faith or their scriptures quoted. He heard their cry. If ever there was a time to cry out to God, especially in this generation, it's now. Ask Him for the help that you need. Ask Him to use your life for His glory.

It's time to pray.

2 Corinthians 2, beginning at verse 14, says, "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place for we are to God, the fragrance of Christ, among those who are being saved, and among those who are perishing."

Most New Yorkers begin our day in traffic, on the bus, or the train. All around us, windows are up, earphones are in, and things are being read. What possible influence for good can those of us who know God possibly have? How can we help so many who seemingly want to be left alone?

Well, the answer is easy. God is with us. We can pray that others feel the sweetness of His presence as we sit near them or pass by. God answers prayer.

Philippians 2:4–7 says, "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond servant and coming in the likeness of men." 

Jesus Christ lived in the highest possible place, but He came down to where we are because He cared about us and saw our needs.

As His child today, ask for the eyes to see someone down. Ask for the heart to care enough to serve them with words and actions that will show the love of God as Christ did for you. Make them glad. Above all, ask for the mind of Christ.

It's time to pray.

As Christians, we encountered things we've embraced that might have satisfied us. We believed it for a season, but when we came closer to it, we realized that it wasn’t helping. It could have been education. It could have been a relationship or material things. But when you approach it, you find it has deceptive power, and it's not what your life is called to be in God.

Jesus gives us authority against things that hinder us and bring no satisfaction or benefit to our future. If something offers you satisfaction and still tempts you again today, you can take authority over those things.

James 4:7 says, "Therefore, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Remember my brother, my sister; there's incredible power in prayer.

It's time to pray.

Psalm 32:8–9 says, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with my eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle." 

Don't be stubborn. Come to God because He's calling you today. His tender voice is going throughout the earth. That's why the scripture says if you can hear His voice, don't harden your heart, as the children of Israel once did. Unfortunately, they wouldn't listen. But fortunately, we have the chance to do so. Hear God's voice today; when He speaks, do what He asks you to do.

Join us every Wednesday at 7:00 PM EST as people worldwide pray together at itstimetopray.org. We're praying for obedience. We're praying for the voice of God to be known in our generation.

It's time to pray.

I have one prayer that I have prayed my entire life: "Jesus, help me." I started praying it when I first came to Christ, and I still do every night. I pray it when I get up in the morning. I pray it when I stand in front of a pulpit. I say, "Jesus, help me." 

He always answers my prayers for help. He always has, and I know He always will because He's good, and His mercy endures forever. If you don't know what to pray for, ask Him today to help you. Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Don't stop praying.

When the battle is too strong, ask Jesus for help. When you're too weak to pray, ask Jesus for help. When you feel like giving up, ask Jesus to help. I promise you, He will answer your prayer, and He will help you.

My brother and my sister, it's time to pray.

Philemon 6 says, "That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you, in Christ Jesus."

It is a curious trait of humanity that we're so prone to being keenly aware of every flaw in our lives. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we were just as mindful of what is ours because of the life of Christ within us? What an incredible thought. That what His presence brings is ours, just for the asking.

Jesus’ love, joy, peace, strength, endurance, and faith, just to name a few, are now yours. All it requires on your part is a recognition of this new life and an asking that it be fully realized. Do you know what is yours in Jesus Christ?

It’s time to pray.

2 Samuel 23, beginning at verse 2, says, "The spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, 'The Rock of Israel spoke to me. He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God, and he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.'"

You have incredible power to influence people and events for good when you walk sincerely with God. Like a cloudless morning, the unhindered presence of Christ in you brings light and life into clear view everywhere you go.

Don't let the clouds of worry hide the sunshine of God in you that somebody desperately needs today. Blow those clouds away.

It's time to pray.

I want to remind you that we must recognize our everyday need for God. We need to stop trying to walk this walk in our strength. We need a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit.

God told us that if we know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? So ask Him for the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Let's ask God to give us what He has provided at the cross. We don't have to settle for less. We don't have to beg for what He died to give us.

Come to the Lord in faith. Believe Him for a fresh anointing, a fresh baptism. Let's put away all our fears and frustration, and let's come to God as His children with open hearts. He promises to be our strength, our power. He promises to be God in us and through us.

It's time to pray.