Tim Hetzner – Daily Devotions

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Improve Your Self-Talk

“I will extol the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.” (Psalm 34:1)

Don’t you already have enough problems? Why give yourself more by discouraging yourself with negative self-talk? Turn into your own encourager. Each time you do a good job, compliment yourself. Each time you choose discipline over an indulgence, don’t tell yourself that you should have done that anyway; appreciate how much you are helping yourself. Each time you make a mistake, don’t rehearse everything that’s wrong with yourself; tell yourself that you’re paying the price for growth and that you will learn to do better next time.

The psalmist recognized the importance of his self-talk: “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1) “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2). “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust”’ (Psalm 91:2). The word for today is – improve your self-talk.

Prayer

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Prayer — Part Two

“Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1)

Einstein wasn’t the only person who was curious about prayer. Jesus taught about it, and the reason was because the disciples asked Him to. They may not have desired to write dissertations on it, but they wanted to know how to pray. It’s the only time in the Bible where one person clearly teaches another person how to pray, and all because of a request from the disciples. “Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray”’ (Luke 11:1).

The disciples had been observing Jesus as He prayed. Apparently, the way He prayed was so distinct from the way they prayed that they said, “Show us how to pray the way you pray.” Before Jesus fed the multitude supernaturally, or selected His twelve disciples, or calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, He took time to pray. And the results of His prayers were so amazing that the disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Prayer is not primarily about telling God what you need; it’s about getting closer to God. As one pastor writes: “It’s almost as if God is saying, ‘Don’t bring me your shopping list. I already know what’s on it. We will deal with that later. Bring me your heart. Bring me your love. Bring me your undivided attention.’” Prayer is not mainly about getting things from the Lord; it’s about spending time with the Lord.

Prayer

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Prayer — Part One

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’” (Luke 11:1)

Prayer doesn’t come naturally for the majority of us. We know it’s supposed to be a dialogue, but often it feels like a monologue. There is nothing worse than trying to talk with someone who won’t talk back. We don’t like to admit it, but often what we are really wondering about prayer is, “How can I pray so that God will give me what I want?” One little boy was asked if he said his prayers every night. He replied, “No, some nights I don’t need anything.”

Prayer is not about the particular words you use or the length of time you spend praying. It’s about getting acquainted. It’s about building a relationship. If you have something to talk to someone about, you may say, “We need to find somewhere we can talk.” You want to make sure you’re heard, and that you hear what the other person has to say. When you eliminate the noise of this world, you maximize your ability to hear God. It shows God you’re taking your relationship with Him seriously.

The psalmist said, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Do you have a “secret place” where you can be alone with God? It can be anywhere. But you need a place where you can go and show you mean business with God.

Prayer

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Breaking Out Of The Failure Syndrome

“No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

If he can make you believe that you are incapable, then you won’t even try to accomplish anything worthwhile. And even if you do make an effort, your fear of failure will seal your defeat, which, because of lack of confidence, you probably expected from the beginning. This is often referred to as the “failure syndrome.” You fail because of wrong beliefs, and you continue to have wrong beliefs because you fail. It’s hard to know which came first, but you find yourself in a trap you cannot seem to get out of.

What’s the answer? As a redeemed child of God, the Bible says that you are “in Christ.” Jesus defeated Satan and triumphed over him at the cross. And because you are “in Christ,” His victory is your victory. You can break out of the failure syndrome and begin to succeed in life. Here is why: “Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Note the words “despite all these things.” Regardless of what has happened to you in the past, God has a wonderful future in mind for you.

Prayer

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Your Calling Or Your Comfort

“When they came to Haran, they settled there.” (Genesis 11:31)

 The Bible says, “Terah took his son Abram…and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there” (v. 31).

A Christian author writes: “Terah accompanied Abram for part of the journey to Canaan, but then he stopped…Terah and his family begin their story in Ur, the great center of wealth and education and the land of idols. Then they begin on this road, which passes through the city of Haran and then down into Canaan…For Terah, the father of Abram, the road ends in Haran. Now we know from other passages in the Bible that Haran was a city a lot like Ur. There was a lot of wealth there. There were idols there. What’s going on? It may well be that…Terah thinks to himself, ‘If I were to go any farther than this, I could lose everything I have. For sure, I would have to give up my idols.’ So he chooses comfort. But Abram chooses to say yes to his calling.”

That’s a choice you will have to make too. And you will have to make it more than once. As your circumstances change, and the seasons of your life progress, you will have to decide whether to walk with God into the unknown or settle for the security of what you know. Terah settled; Abram moved on. What are you going to do? You don’t have to do anything to be worthy of God’s love and grace; those are gifts. But to walk in God’s blessing, you have to choose your calling over your comfort.

Prayer

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Faithfulness

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” (Matthew 25:23)

You will notice that He did not say, “Well done, popular servant,” or “brilliant servant,” but “faithful servant.” Christ is talking about those who are often unnoticed but indispensable to His purposes. He is talking about those who blow no trumpets, wave no banners, and demand no applause. He is talking about those who show up day after day and use the talents God gives them, to do the job He has assigned to them. Unnoticed by people, but noticed and rewarded by God! “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown towards His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Hebrews 6:10).

These words describe those who shun the limelight and are happy to serve in the shadows. They describe those who not only start the race but run the race day after day, who don’t stop until they reach the finish line. Others may not think that you make much of a difference, but God does. While others make much out of skill levels and success levels, God measures you by your faithfulness.

Prayer

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Pride Before The Fall

“Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” (2 Corinthians 3:5)

When confidence in your own ability and resources becomes pride, and then becomes arrogance, you’re heading for trouble. The Bible says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 NKJV). So, how do you find balance? By remembering that every gift, ability, talent, and resource that you have comes from God. Confidence is essential to success. There is nothing wrong with recognizing the gifts God has given you. But the difference between self-confidence and Christ’s confidence is found in who gets the credit.

A good way to keep this thought in the forefront of your life is to practice the art of thanksgiving each day. It’s hard to be too self-confident when you acknowledge that you are nothing without God’s grace, which is His unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor. The Bible says: “All of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6).

Prayer

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Are You Searching For Meaning?

“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14)

Solomon made the same discovery. “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Solomon tried religion, education, money, public works projects, fame, creative writing, and sensual pleasure: “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor…Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11).

Finally, in the last chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon finds what he is looking for: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Solomon discovered that life is not built on things but on relationships. And the first and foremost relationship you must have is a relationship with God. You say, “How do I find God?” Through Christ! Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Today, you can have a life-changing relationship with God by putting your trust in Jesus Christ.

Prayer

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Friendship

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“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17)

Jonathan was the rightful heir to the throne of his father, Saul, but David had been called by God to succeed Saul as Israel’s next king. From day one, they were on a collision course. They had everything to lose by becoming friends, because ultimately only one of them could reign. So how did they handle it? Were they competitive, or suspicious, or jealous of one another? No, because neither was interested in promoting himself.

The Bible says, “Jonathan made a solemn pact with David…by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt” (1 Samuel 18:3-4). These were his most treasured personal possessions. He was willing to risk his life for David despite his father Saul’s warnings that Jonathan’s throne would never be established as long as David was alive (see 1 Samuel 20:31). Likewise, David jeopardized his life fighting the Philistines to help Saul and Jonathan establish their kingdom.

The point of the story is this: a true friend is “there for you,” even when they would rather be somewhere else. As one celebrity said, “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” Solomon said, “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” When was the last time you thanked God for the true friends in your life? What is it that makes them so special? Don’t assume they know how much you appreciate them. Tell them! And one more thought: if you want to have true friends – become one!

Prayer

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Keep Praying For Your Children

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“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

The Prodigal Son eventually came back home and was restored to his place in the family. When he lost everything and ended up feeding pigs, the Bible says, “He came to himself” (Luke 15:17). It’s hard to watch someone you love suffer, but sometimes they need to hit the bottom in order to turn around. The Prodigal’s breaking point became his turning point. “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned”’ (v. 18).

Notice his father was a good parent with a rebellious child. If that describes you, here are three pieces of sound advice:

1) Don’t blame yourself and beat yourself up.

2) Don’t judge your children’s weaknesses from your position of strength. The reason they cannot see is because they are spiritually blind. But God can open their eyes. Jesus said, “No man can come to Me, except the Father…draw him” (John 6:44). You do the praying, and let God do the drawing.

3) Keep your heart and your door open. When the Prodigal Son finally came to his senses, he knew where to go; back home to the father who loved him. You cannot save your children from the consequences of their actions, and you may not be able to lessen the pain they’re going through. But if you pray, keep your heart and your door open, God can bring them back. “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” That’s a promise you can stand on today.

Prayer

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