2 Chronicles 24-25, Romans 12, Psalms 22:19-31, Proverbs 20:8-10

What God said to me – Amaziah was a king of Judah who did what was right in My sight, yet not with his whole heart.  This is true of so many of My children – they may say the right things and even do the right things, but because they are not wholly devoted to Me it is easy to compromise with the world.  Amaziah did that after a great victory – rather than destroying the idols of the nation he defeated, he set them up and bowed down to them and burned incense to them.  You think that you would never bow down to idols and yet if your heart is not fully devoted to Me, you’ll compromise with the world in the things that are “not so bad”.  I gave the Jews a system of daily sacrifices and worship not to be ritualistic, but to keep Me before them so they would seek Me always.  In the same way, you should present yourself to Me every day, not as a ritual, but as an act of obedience and submission to My will for your life.  Conformity with the world begins in your heart and mind so, you need this daily time with Me in My word and prayer to renew your mind.  This is where the wholehearted devotion to Me begins – a daily sacrifice.

2 Chronicles 21-23, Romans 11:13-36, Psalms 22:1-18, Proverbs 20:7

What God said to me – You may not have been in a war or experienced actual combat, but you’ve seen enough war movies to know that you don’t just walk nonchalantly into a firefight – you need armor – you need protection – you need weapons.  Yet as a Christian you do it every day with no thought or preparation – Whether you like it or not or even realize it or not, when you became My child you entered a war – a spiritual war with an enemy who is out to destroy you if he can or render you helpless or ineffective.  I have given you everything you need for life and godliness starting with putting My Spirit within you when I saved you.  I have given you a complete suit of armor as well as the shield of faith.  So, start each day by putting on your armor and picking up your shield and taking up your weapon which is the sword of the Spirit, My word.  Like any good soldier you’ve got to learn the ins and outs of your weapon and how to use it effectively.  That’s what this time is for – it is training – it is learning – it is practice so you can become proficient.  Don’t neglect this time.

2 Chronicles 19-20, Romans 10:14-11:12, Psalms 21:1-13, Proverbs 20:4-6

What God said to me – There is an old television show called “Undercover Boss” where the owner of a large company goes undercover in disguise and works in various areas of his business to evaluate his employees and the effectiveness of processes.  He usually finds some employees who are great and hard workers and others who are lazy and ineffective.  They are always surprised and sometimes embarrassed when he reveals his true identity to them.  When Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, appointed judges, he said to them, “consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for man, but for the Lord who is with you when you render judgment,”  This is true for you as My child so do all you do as if you were doing it for Me or to Me because “I AM” always with you  When you truly live this way you will find yourself automatically walking in a manner worthy of your calling because you are always seeking to please Me and to honor Me.