Tim Hetzner – Daily Devotions

God Answers Our Prayers

“He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” (Psalm 91:15)

If you are battling illness today, God says, ‘I am the LORD who heals you’ (Exodus 15:26). If you are facing a problem that seems as big as a mountain, Jesus says: ‘Whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’ (Mark 11:23-24).

If you are in trouble today, God says, ‘I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him’ (Psalm 91:14-15). Notice who this promise is made to – those who know ‘My name’. As a redeemed child of God, that’s you!

Here are four things that God has promised you. First, to answer your prayer. Second, to be with you in your troubles. Third, to deliver you. Fourth, to honor you. These are four stages of answered prayer. Whichever stage you are in today, be confident that God loves and cares for you (see 1 Peter 5:7). And His willingness to answer your prayer is not dependent upon your performance but upon Christ’s performance on your behalf. ‘To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved [Jesus]’ (Ephesians 1:6). Because you are ‘accepted’ in Christ, you can be sure that God will answer your prayers.

Prayer

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You Have More to Learn

“Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:3)

Having a ‘statement of faith’ is a good thing because it lets people know your beliefs and values and where you stand on the issues. But it also carries with it a certain danger; you can end up believing you know all there is to know about the subject or at least all that is important to know. The Bible challenges us to keep learning and growing spiritually: ‘Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD.’ The New King James Version says, ‘Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD.’

In Scripture, the word ‘reveal’ is used thirty-eight times. Clearly, God wants us to get that there is more to know about Him than what we think we know. That’s why you must always keep your mind open. The day you stop ‘following’ God or ‘pursuing’ God is the day you stop learning more about God and growing spiritually. God has more to reveal to you!

Paul writes: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us’ (1 Corinthians 2:9-12).

So, the word for today is – you have more to learn!

Prayer

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Making the Right Choice

“For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6)

Maybe you are facing graduation. More frequently than ever before, people are switching to different jobs and companies and changing their whole careers. Career specialist Andy Chan observed that young adults will face, on average, twenty-nine jobs over their lifetime. Oxford researchers predicted that about half the jobs will be replaced with technology by 2033. So, how do you adjust to a constantly changing environment?

Perhaps you’re in a rut. Your life is safe but unrewarding. You want to do more or be more.

Perhaps you are facing an empty nest. You abruptly find independence, time, and options that have been unavailable to you for a few decades. What’s the best way to use them?

Possibly you’re retiring. What might God have next for you?

Maybe you have travelled abroad and seen a great need, or have investigated a problem and want to make a difference. What should you do next?

Perhaps you’re considering marriage. How can you tell if this person is the right one? What if you make a mistake?

Or maybe you have been agonizing over a lost opportunity in your past. Will God give you another one?

In answering these questions, you must keep two things in mind. First and foremost, God is more interested in what you become than where you go or what you do for a living. His goal for your life is ‘to be conformed to the image of his Son’ (Romans 8:29). Second, you will save yourself time, trouble, and possible heartache by consulting God before making any decision. ‘For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding’ (Proverbs 2:6).

Prayer

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Open Doors

“Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me.” (2 Corinthians 2:12)

A noted author states: ‘People who study entrepreneurs say they excel in something called “opportunity alertness.” They look at the same circumstances as everyone else, but they “notice, without search, opportunities that have hitherto been overlooked.” They are “alert, waiting, and continually receptive to something that may turn up.”’

Paul was such a person. ‘I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord’ (v. 12). He practiced ‘divine opportunity alertness’. And you can too. For Paul, walking through the doors God opened often led to hardship. But they also led to great achievement. Open doors don’t come with a meticulous set of instructions about precisely what you should do and exactly what will occur as a result. To discover what’s on the other side of the open door, you have to go through it. Will you experience fear? Any time you attempt the untried, unknown, and undone, you will experience fear. That’s when you need to remind yourself that whatever awaits you on the other side of that door, God will be there.

Here are two things you need to keep in mind. First, sometimes an open door doesn’t signify going to someplace new; it means recognizing a new and previously undetected opportunity in an old place. Second, open doors never exist solely for the advantage of the people offered them. They are an opportunity to bless others (see Genesis 12:1-3). An open door never exists for your benefit alone. Has God opened a door for you? If He has, don’t hesitate or hesitate; walk through it.

Prayer

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Choose the Right Attitude

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8–9)

One author writes: ‘Columbia researcher Sheena Iyengar has found that the average person makes about seventy conscious decisions every day. That’s 25,550 decisions a year. Over seventy years, that’s 1,788,500 decisions. Albert Camus said, “Life is a sum of all your choices.” You put all those 1,788,500 choices together, that’s who you are. Victor Frankl was a brilliant doctor whom the Nazis imprisoned in a concentration camp. They took away his livelihood, confiscated his possessions, mocked his dignity, and killed his family. They locked him in a cell with no way out…But he found a door that his guards did not know about: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

‘He found that when his circumstances had closed every outer door to him, they revealed to him the doors that matter far more – the doors through which a soul can leave fear and enter into courage, leave hatred and enter into forgiveness, leave ignorance and enter into learning. He discovered that his guards were actually far more imprisoned – by cruelty and ignorance and foolish obedience to barbarism – than he was imprisoned by walls and barbed wire. Some people learn this and become free; some never see it and live their lives as prisoners.’

The difference is in the door you choose or the attitude you choose. That’s why Paul writes: ‘Whatsoever things are true…honest…just…pure…lovely…of good report…think on these things’ (v. 8). Today, choose the right attitude!

Prayer

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When You Are Not Certain – Trust God

“We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Close your eyes and try walking without sight, and you will get an idea of what it means to walk by faith. Faith in what? The unchanging character of God, goodness of God, love of God, and truth that He always has your best interests at heart. With God, information is given on a need-to-know basis. And God determines who needs to know what and when.

Here is an example of this: the early church needs to decide if God is calling them to include Gentiles. After much prayer, they send out this letter: ‘It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…’ (Acts 15:28). Really? Seemed good? The future of the entire human race is at stake, and the best you can do is ‘it seemed…’? Yet the church leaders were quite comfortable sending out this letter. Apparently, God’s will for His people was that they should not be told precisely what His will was, or at least not all the details. Presumably, He knew they would grow more if they had to think and discuss and hash it out rather than get a memo. Evidently, they didn’t require certainty. They were happy to settle for heartfelt obedience.

When Paul says we ‘walk’ by faith, he is referring to the slowest form of transportation known to man. He is also referring to a process that happens one step at a time. God has the satellite view; He sees your entire journey from beginning to end and plans each step. And He says, ‘Do what I have given you to do, and when you have done it, I will show you what I want you to do next.’

Prayer

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Anchors for Your Soul – Part Three

“So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” (Acts 27:25)

Third, anchored by God’s promises. The third anchor that gives us confidence in a crisis is found in Paul’s words, ‘I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.’

If you have ever been betrayed by an unfaithful spouse, you may have lost trust in marriage. If you’re a victim of the mortgage crisis, you may have lost your home and your trust in the financial industry. If you voted for someone you believed had integrity only to discover they were in the pocket of special interest groups, you may have lost your trust in government. But never ever lose trust in the promises of God!

Look in the face of your storm today and sing the words of this famous hymn by Russell Carter: ‘Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling winds of doubt and fear assail, by the living Word of God, I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God.’ You may lose your cargo, you may lose your ship, you may even go overboard – but you’re going to prevail because of God’s promises to you. As the old saying goes, ‘God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!’

If you’re in crisis today, here are some Bible promises you can stand on:

‘The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms’ (Deuteronomy 33:27).

‘You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; your help has made me great’ (Psalm 18:35).

‘Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you’ (Isaiah 46:4).

Prayer

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Anchors for Your Soul – Part Two

“Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.” (Acts 27:24)

Second, anchored by God’s plan and purpose. The second anchor in a time of crisis is found in Acts 27:24, where Paul quotes God’s angel: ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ In other words, ‘You’re on board this ship because I have a purpose for your being here. And my eternal purpose for your life is greater than this temporary storm.’

Have you discovered your God-given purpose yet? You’re not here on earth simply to take up space; God has a specific plan for you. The storm you’re caught in right now is just a temporary setback. Absolutely nothing can change God’s plan for your life unless you choose to disobey Him. And yes, you can do that. But the Scriptures teach that no outside person or force can change God’s plan for your life or alter His divine purpose as long as you’re willing to say, ‘Lord, I want to do your will.’

As surely as God told Paul, “You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you,’ ‘He is saying to you, ‘I will bring you through this storm.’ When you focus on your God-given purpose, He empowers you to overcome your problems. That’s why Paul wrote: ‘I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us’ (Philippians 3:13-14).

Prayer

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Anchors for Your Soul – Part One

Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ (Acts 27:23–24)

While everyone else on board Paul’s ship was in a state of panic, he remained at peace. Why? Because of three great truths that serve as anchors for our souls, truths you can build your life on that will steady you in the storm. Let’s look at each.

First, anchored by the presence of God. In the midst of the storm, Paul announced, ‘Last night an angel of…God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, “Do not be afraid, Paul.”’ Life’s storms can never conceal us from God. Even when we don’t see Him, He sees us. We may feel He is a million miles away, but He is with us and is looking after us. God dispatched a personal emissary, an angel, to tell Paul, ‘I am with you. I see you in the stormy Mediterranean Sea in that little ship.’

The truth is, God is with you in the storm you’re going through today, and if you need assurance of His presence, meditate on these Scriptures and stand on them:

‘“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you’ (Isaiah 54:10).

“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go…I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you’ (Genesis 28:15).

‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5).

So, anchor your soul to God’s Word today, and let nothing move you.

Prayer

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When Choosing a Mentor (Spiritual Advisor) – Part Two

“Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7)

A pastor shares this: ‘The process of growing with the help of a mentor usually follows this pattern: it begins with awareness. You realize that you need help and that following yourself is not a viable option for effective personal growth. When a person comes to such a realization, one of two things can happen. The first is that the person’s pride swells up, and he cannot bring himself to ask another person for advice…The other reaction to awareness is to humble yourself and say, “I need your help.” That decision not only leads to greater knowledge, but it also often develops maturity in you.

‘It also reinforces that people need one another – not just when they’re young and starting out, but their entire lives…The mentors you take advice from help to shape you. If you spend your time with people who subtract from you, who belittle you, or undervalue you, then every step forward that you attempt to take will be difficult. But if you find wise leaders, good role models, and positive friends, you will find that they speed you on your journey

‘No matter who you are, what you have accomplished, how low or how high your life has taken you, you can benefit from having a mentor. If you’ve never had one, you have no idea how much it can improve your life. If you have had mentors, then you already know – and you should start passing it on by becoming a mentor to others. Because you know that it’s hard to improve when you have no one but yourself to follow.’

So, ‘get wisdom’, and share it with those who need it.

Prayer

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