Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:4-9 Whatever is true . . . noble . . . right . . . pure . . . lovely . . . admirable . . . excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.— Philippians 4:8Is your mind filled with things that are true, pure, excellent, and praiseworthy? Or
Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:2-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.— Philippians 4:6The Bible urges us not to worry or be anxious. But that is not always easy. We may ask ourse
Scripture Reading — John 8:31-41 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”— John 8:32Sometimes we use polite, little lies to try to be kind or avoid being rude. We might say, “Yes, I can tell you’ve lost some weight.” Or, “You have not aged a bit.” Or, “
Scripture Reading — John 14:1-14 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”— John 14:6Notice that in this passage Jesus does not just say he knows the truth or can teach the truth. He says, “I am the truth.”This means that to know
Scripture Reading — James 4:1-10 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?— James 4:1Desires are thoughts. Sadly, they often begin with the words of our two-year-old selves: “I want that!” We can easily think, for exam
Scripture Reading — Psalm 96:1-13 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.— Psalm 96:1Whenever my Aunt Rosemary was working in the kitchen, she would sing. I don’t remember whether the songs were popular tunes, hymns, or made-up melodies, but they were lov
Scripture Reading — Genesis 1:26-28 God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.— Genesis 1:27What do you think of yourself?One person might say, “I’m a guy who made millions selling cars.” Or “I was the first woma
Scripture Reading — Ephesians 1:15-23 [May] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.— Ephesians 1:17True knowledge is a gift from God. When we know God for who he truly is, that is the most important
Scripture Reading — Ephesians 6:10-18 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.— Ephesians 6:11Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against hostile spiritual powers. These powers are organized but unseen, a truly diabol
Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 10:1-6 We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.— 2 Corinthians 10:5Neuroscientists have discovered that we average about 6,000 thoughts per day. What a challenge it is to “take captive every thought” for Christ!There are st
Scripture Reading — John 8:42-47 “When [the devil] lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”— John 8:44A lie led to the beginning of human sin. Back in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve accepted Satan’s lie: “You will not certainly die. . .
Scripture Reading — James 5:13-16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.— James 5:16None of us likes to confess sin. The first step in confession is to acknowledge that we h