Day 1: How You Can Know God

• Romans 3:23 1 John 1:8

Exodus 20:1-17 Galatians 2:20
• John 14:6 Rev. 3:20
John 1:12

What is sin? Sin is to fall short of God’s standard, which is perfection itself. It also
means to cross a line. All of us have done that and more. We have broken God’s
commandments and fallen short of His glory. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23,
“Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” It also says in
1 John 1:8, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not
living in the truth.

God gave us His law, the Ten Commandments, which is found in Exodus 20:1-17.
He gave us these laws not to make us righteous, but to show us how miserably we
all fall short of His perfection. His laws are like a moral mirror that shows us our
flaws and sin.

But God, in His great love, sent His own Son to come down from heaven and die
on the cross in our place. I love the way the apostle Paul personalized it when he
wrote, “the Son of God . . . loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20,
emphasis added). God loves you and gave Himself for you, too! There was no
other way to resolve this serious sin issue that we all face. Jesus was the only One
Who could ever accomplish that, which is why He said in John 14:6 “I am the way,
the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” Christ
is the only way to the Father. He Himself said so.

Salvation comes not merely by believing that Jesus is the Son of God, but by
trusting Him and receiving Him into your life. Being a Christian is not just
knowing about God; it’s knowing God Himself. It’s a relationship, a friendship
with Jesus Who will come into your heart and take up permanent residence there.
Jesus said in Revelation 3:20, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My
voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as
friends.” The Bible says in John 1:12, “To all who believed Him and accepted
Him, He gave the right to become children of God.” And how do you receive Him
into your life?...... through prayer.
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If you want to ask Him to take up residence in your heart right now, you
might offer the following prayer: Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I have
broken Your commandments and fallen short of Your standards. Right now I turn
from my sin and ask You to come into my life. Be my Lord, Savior, friend, and God.
I put my faith in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone, to save me from my sins. Thank
You for loving me and calling me. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Day 2: How to Study Your Bible - Deuteronomy 8:3 Deuteronomy 11:18-20

Psalms 1:1-3 Psalms 119:9-16 Psalms 119:11 Romans 10:17 II Timothy
3:14-17

You might say that the Bible is the “user’s manual of life” - the manual which we
have all been searching for. Everything we need to know about God and living a
life that pleases Him is found in the pages of Scripture.

Tragically, some of us go through life without so much as picking up this amazing

book whose words were inspired by God. Yet, success or failure in the Christian
life is determined by how much of the Bible we get into our hearts and minds and
how obedient we are to the principles and teachings found within it. Just as we
need to continually breathe oxygen to survive, we also need to regularly study the
Bible to grow and flourish spiritually. Here are some important reasons why we
need to spend time in this life-changing book.

• Studying the Bible gives us life (see Deuteronomy 8:3)

• Studying the Bible makes Scripture a central part of our lives (see Deuteronomy
11:18-20)
• Studying the Bible will be a blessing causing you to prosper in your spiritual
walk Ps 1:1-3
• Studying the Bible will keep your walk holy (see Psalm 119:9-16)
• Hiding the Word in your heart will keep you from sin (see Psalm 119:11)
• Studying the Bible helps our faith grow (see Romans 10:17)
• Studying the Bible equips us (see 2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Day 3: Pray Luke 11:1-13 Psalms 27:11-12 Jeremiah 33:3 Hosea 14:1-7
Micah 7:7 Matthew 6:5-15 Romans 8:26-27 Philippians 4:6-7

The idea of talking to God can be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact,
prayer can be a wonderful experience if we do it God’s way.
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Fortunately, we have God’s Word to teach us how to pray. The Bible instructs us
to pray at all times, in any posture, in any place, and for any reason. In addition, it
does not matter what words we use when we pray, whether our speech is formal,
informal, or somewhere in between. God only desires that we pray from a pure and
sincere heart.

The disciples observed the profound effect prayer had in Jesus’ life and ministry.
They witnessed the way Jesus would often go off by Himself to spend time in
prayer with His heavenly Father. They saw the power, peace, and tranquility that
emanated from His life, giving Him the ability to stay calm in troubled
circumstances. Jesus’ prayer life so impressed His disciples that they asked Him to
teach them to pray. His response was what we call the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11:1-
13. Certainly, if the perfect Son of God often took time to pray during His life here
on earth, how much more do we, who are mere men and women, need to pray?
Because prayer is an essential ingredient to walking with Jesus Christ, we need to
examine its elements found in God’s Word.

• Praying for God’s guidance (see Psalm 27:11-12)

• Prayer increases our spiritual knowledge and maturity (see Jeremiah 33:3)
• Prayer enables us to seek forgiveness (see Hosea 14:1-7)
• Pray and wait confidently for God’s help (see Micah 7:7)
• Christ modeled for us how to pray (see Matthew 6:5-15)
• Prayer is not a solitary experience (see Romans 8:26-27)
• Prayer helps us overcome worry (see Philippians 4:6-7)

Day 4: Attend Church Meetings -- Matthew 16:18 Acts 2:42-47

I Corinthians 12:12-31 Hebrews 10:25

One of the essential building blocks of spiritual growth is fellowship with other
believers by becoming an active part of a local church. The church (meaning the
entire body of Christians) is not really an organization so much as an organism. It
is a body. It is a family. It thrives by keeping its members spiritually active and
well-fed. The church provides you with spiritual instruction from God’s Word;
allows you to worship God with other believers; enables you to use your God-
given gifts and abilities as God intended; and makes you accountable to spiritual
leadership.
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Some people think they can get enough spiritual input from Christian television,
radio programs, and books. While those things do have value, nothing can replace
the need to become an active participant in a local church. Think about it—if
joining in fellowship with other believers were not important, why did Jesus
establish the church in Matthew 16:18? The Bible has plenty to say about the
characteristics of a healthy, vibrant church and the necessity of Christian
fellowship. Here are a few helpful insights from God’s Word on looking for and
attending the right church.

• What to look for in a church (see Acts 2:41-47)

• You have a place in the church (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-31)
• Why we need fellowship with other believers (see Hebrews 10:24-25)

Day 5: Obey God - Leviticus 10:1 I Chronicles 13:1-10 Leviticus 11:44

Judges 17:6 I Samuel 15:1-23 II Kings 5:1-14 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Daniel
3:1-29 Micah 6:8 Mark 14:36 John 15:9-11 Romans 13:11-14 II
Corinthians 5:14-17

The real evidence of a true Christian is a changed life. The great British
preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, “Of what value is the grace I
profess to receive if it does not dramatically change the way that I live? If it
doesn’t change the way that I live, it will never change my eternal destiny.”

A changed life begins with obedience to God. This means that you will want to
stop doing certain things and start doing other things. While God begins to change
your heart and desires when you have surrendered your life to Him, He still gives
you the freedom to decide just how much of your life you will let Him control. But
know this: Whatever you give up to follow Jesus Christ will pale in comparison to
what He will give you in return. For example, when you give up sinful behaviors
for God, He will replace your sin with forgiveness and a clear conscience. With
this incentive for obedience, look at some specific ways the Bible instructs us to
obey God.

• Pay attention to God’s instructions (see Lev. 10:1-3 and 1 Chronicles 13:1-10)
• To become holy, be wholly committed to God (see Leviticus 11:44 and 1 Peter
1:15-16) • Don’t do what is right in your own eyes (see Judges 17:6)
• Offer God more than lip service (see 1 Samuel 15:1-23)
• Obey God, even when it doesn’t make sense (see 2 Kings 5:1-14)
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Day 6: Give to God - Proverbs 10:22 Malachi 3:8-11 Matthew 6:19-34

Mark 12:41-44 II Corinthians 8:1-15 II Corinthians 9:6-14 I Timothy 6:6-19
Money is such an important topic in the Bible. It is the main subject of nearly half
of the parables that Jesus told. Also, one out of every seven verses in the New
Testament deals with the topic of money. To give you an idea of how this
compares with other topics, Scripture offers about 500 verses on prayer, fewer than
500 on faith, and more than 2000 verses on money!

You may be wondering what money has to do with your faith. The answer is - a
lot! Now that Jesus Christ has come into your life, He wants to be Lord (to be in
command) of every aspect of it...that includes your finances. Martin Luther
astutely observed, “There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the
heart, the conversion of the mind, and the conversion of the purse [or the wallet].”
When we experience this “conversion of the purse” and give freely of our finances
to the Lord’s work (to our church, a missionary, or a ministry), we will make the
best investment possible—an investment with eternal dividends. With that in mind,
here are some questions to consider about wealth and giving.

• Do you love money? (see Proverbs 10:22)

• Why should you give to God? (see Malachi 3:8-11)
• How should you view material wealth? (see Matthew 6:19-34)
• How much should you give? (see Mark 12:41-44)
• How generous do you need to be? (see 2 Corinthians 8:1-15)
• What are the benefits of giving? (see 2 Corinthians 9:6-14)
• Can you enjoy wealth? (see 1 Timothy 6:6-19)

Day 7: Share Your Faith - Matthew 28:19-20 I Peter 3:15-16 Exodus 32:9-
13 Exodus 32:31-32 Esther 10:3 Daniel 12:3 Matthew 28:19 John 4:28-29
John 9:13-33 Acts 8:4-8 Acts 8:26-38 Acts 26:1-23 I Corinthians 2:1-5

Next to personally knowing Jesus and walking with Him, one of the greatest
blessings of the Christian life is to lead someone else to Jesus Christ. The good
news is that God wants to use you—not just pastors, missionaries, and
evangelists—as His instrument to speak to others.
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Jesus gave us this very commission in Matthew 28:19-20, where He says, “Go and
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I
have given you.” This wonderful charge is known as the “great commission.”

But the way some Christians follow it, you would think it was the “great
suggestion.” For many, the “great commission” has become the “great omission.”
Sharing our faith, however, is something that Jesus wants—and commands—us to
do! How do we do this? First Peter 3:15-16 tells us to be ready to give an answer to
anyone who asks us about the hope we have in Jesus. Here are several passages
from God’s Word that will help you to share your faith.

• God wants us to pray for unbelieving friends and family (see Ex. 32:9-13, 31-32)
• Stay faithful even if it makes others uncomfortable (see Esther 3:2; 10:3)
• Those who lead others to faith will shine like the stars (see Daniel 12:3)
• All followers of Christ are to share the gospel (see Matthew 28:19)
• Share what you’ve experienced (see John 4:28-29)
• You don’t need special training to share (see John 9:13-33)
• Be open to God’s leading (see Acts 8:4-8, 26-38)
• Share your own story (see Acts 26:1-23)
• Understand the simplicity of the gospel (see 1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

This devotional reading plan is from the New Believer’s Bible published by
Tyndale House Publishers in partnership with Greg Laurie.

Check it Out! >>>> https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/19459/