Category: Uncategorized

Mark 5:7
   Jesus had already told the demon to come out. This was a temper tantrum. There wasn’t a thing the demon could do about Jesus, and he knew it.

Bible Reading: Numbers 1:1-2:34

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:16 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for always knowing what we need and when we need it. You have given us hope for each day, and peace for our lives. Abundant life in Christ is ours, and we are so thankful! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for two men who need to be in church. Pray for a man being transferred to a new nursing facility.

Journal Entry #15141

Mark 5:6
   The man wanted to see Jesus and the demons possessing him wanted to cause trouble. So, we have a meeting with Jesus. This meeting would change the man’s life forever.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 26:1-27:34

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:15 “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your goodness to each of us. You have changed our lives by the power of Christ. His atonement for us changes everything. Our whole being is different because of your plan. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman recovering from surgery on her shoulder. Pray for a man in the hospital.

Journal Entry #15140

Mark 5:5
   This self-mutilation is common among those heavily influenced or possessed by demons. They have no regard for human life and are happy to cause all sorts of madness such as this in their victims. The only joy that evil may have is of the perverse kind.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 24:1-25:55

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for speaking to us through your Word. We do not have to wonder endlessly about issues. You can give us answers form your book. If we seek your face and look for you to guide us to the truth, you will without fail do it. Never have I honestly sought for truth from you and been disappointed. You always come through, all I need to do is respond appropriately. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman’s unspoken request. Pray for a woman who has just a couple of weeks to live and is unsaved.

Journal Entry #15139

Mark 5:4
   It is possible for the devil to give someone amazing abilities, though they do come at a price. This man was away from everyone, so the milk of human kindness could not reach to his cold world.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 22:1-23:44

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:13 “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father,thank you for not just giving us extra strength, bit for really blessing us with your presence. Having an extra reserve of ammo is great, but nothing beats reinforcements. Elijah knew that truth. And like him, when we face the day with you we can truly say, there are more with us then there are with them. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a young girl that is sick. Pray for a man with many health concerns.

Journal Entry #15138

Mark 5:3
   To our enemy, the devil, strength and power is everything. His demons will cause someone to have inordinate strength, and seem to have supernatural power. However, what the devil does is simply a virtual show of strength. His power is limited, and thus not absolute.
   Demons enjoy scaring people and oppressing others. They like to put people out in the tombs and to make them think they have power, but they do not.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 19:1-21:24

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:12 “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we make it obvious by our lives what kind of God we serve. You give us strength for each day that is real and comforting. Your authority is absolute. Help us to live as a city set on a hill that others may see and know that you care for your people. We are nothing, but others should see that you are good to us. You love all, as you have made a way for all to be your children. Help us to be witnesses of this fact. Thank you for your truth, thank you for your great love for us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with an ear infection. Pray for a young person who has health problems.

Journal Entry #15137

Mark 5:2
   Though it is possible that the tombs were nearby the shore, it is more likely that this man actually came to see Jesus. Why is not exactly clear. However, it could very well be that the demon he was possessed with did it on purpose. Demonic activity is inscrutable to us. For example, the fact that he lived among the tombs doesn’t seem to make any sense to ordinary people. However, satanic activity is usually associated with death.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 16:1-18:30

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:11 “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the comfort of your truth. So often we take it for granted, and yet in your word we find things that we can be sure of. There is such uncertainty in the world around us, and confusion, but in your word we find absolute truth. We can know what we can know. And that is more amazing than anything. Thank you for your truth, it makes such a difference in our lives! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who is lost. Pray for a couple of young people who have spiritual needs.

Journal Entry #15136

Mark 5:1
   The city of Gadara, in which the Gaderenes lived, was on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. It would have been, as the capital city of the Roman province of Perea, quite a large and prosperous city.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 14:1-15:33

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:10 “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us always to rely fully upon You, and trust in You completely. Even though our lives may not go exactly like we had planned, we know that You care and can guide us into the best plan for our life. Our job is simply to trust You and praise You. You are worthy of the praise! Your glory and honor should be sung forever and ever. You deserve it all! Your holiness and justice, mercy and love, wisdom and truth, are all that we need. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who is having a stent in her heart checked. Pray for a young girl who will be traveling.

Journal Entry #15135

Mark 4:41
   Surely there were those among the disciples at this point who had already at least begun to understand true nature of the Messiah. However, most of the disciples still understood him only to be a great prophet, just like Moses and others. They did not yet understand the Messiah was and is God.
   We may wonder why this miracle seem to impress them more than others. But simply think of the facts of the case. Though there had been miracles in the Old Testament involving the weather to be sure, this is different. Jesus just directly commands the winds and sea, specifically telling them exactly what he wants them to do. Nobody had ever done anything exactly like that. It was a great confirmation of the deity of Christ that he could command the elements with such precision and ease.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 13:1-59

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:9 “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, sometimes, as you know, we feel as if we’re not growing spiritually at all. But, if we continue to faithfully depend upon you, and trust in you, and follow your commands, we will be changed by your Word. That’s a promise from you, and help us never to forget it. Our ongoing yielding to you, allowing you to work in our hearts, is the key. Though the changes may seem imperceptible, like a great tree, you will bring us to fullness. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman recovering from surgery. Pray for a man who is in a nursing care facility.

Journal Entry #15134

Mark 4:40
   How often is it that the faith we have is so small it will not bear out in daily practice? That’s was the case for the disciples. They had faith to be sure. They had more than most that were alive at that time. But, they did not have the faith that would live in dependence upon the Lord day to day. When faced with a great difficulty, they did not believe he could or would rescue them.
   In Jesus’ question to them he is literally asking ‘how, in what way is it, or because of what is it, that you do not have faith’? This reveals to us that many times it is not a lack of faith, but something that destroys our faith, that is really our problem. We believe, but we do not believe fully because something else prevents our faith from being strong. Sin, doubt, fear, and other problems get in the way of our faith.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 11:1-12:8

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:8 “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we always depend upon you in faith fully. Help us to avoid those things that might creep into our lives to cause us to fear and doubt. Free us from sin. Keep us holy and pure for you. May we always seek to glorify you, even when we do not understand your timing. Sometimes it seems like we may be waiting forever. Many times we do not understand your leading. But, we know that we can trust you no matter what. Like the disciples, our minds may say, ‘he doesn’t understand’, but we know you do. We will praise you forever for your wondrous truth, and your faithfulness to us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who will be flying today. Pray for a family that just recently lost a loved one.

Journal Entry #15133

Mark 4:39
   Please notice here that the Lord Jesus does not simply cause the wind to stop blowing. He also immediately settles the waters. As we all know, you can throw a small pebble into a large lake and it will continue with a rippling effect for quite some time. Instead of the lake having to calm down of its own accord, the Lord Jesus calms it down by command. And why would he bother? Because, quite simply, this helped the disciples to calm down.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 8:1-10:20

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:7 “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you so much for caring even about the little things in our lives. You understand our deepest needs, and yet you tolerate our wants as well. You know what will bring the greatest peace to our heart. You understand our feelings, and you know how to help us with them. Sometimes you make the storm go away completely, as you did for the disciples that day. Other times you walk with us through the storm, as later in their lives when they were preaching for you. Either way, you take care of us. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for 6 area churches that do not have pastors. Pray for the great needs in the country of Nepal.

Journal Entry #15132