Arise and Shine

Daily devotional – Sharing God’s Word..

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  • Found in Christ

    When we say.. “Found in Christ”.. It implies that at some stage we were lost. Not lost in the sense of eternal death, but lost in the sense of not really knowing or understanding your true identity. Not truly grasping the reality of what Jesus did for me and you on the cross.

    “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”(Philippians 3:9 NIVUK)

    Paul said that he wants to gain Christ and be found in Him.. to rediscover His inclusion in the success of the Cross.

    Your identity is in Christ.

    Don’t get lost in earthly things, but rather be found in Christ. Through Christ you have been saved, made righteous, set free. In His presence is fullness of joy.

    You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11 NIVUK)

  • Radiance

    “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3 NIVUK)

    It was only in and through Christ Jesus that God’s glory was perfectly revealed to us. Jesus did not just manifest God’s grace to us; He was the grace of God that brought salvation to all.

    “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.” (Titus 2:11 NIVUK)

    “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NIVUK)

    God’s radiant glory shines upon you. You feel the warmth of His nearness, His life-giving power is sustained in the center of your life.

    “‘Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”Isaiah 60:1 NIVUKl

  • Discernment

    There are so many decisions you have to make on a daily basis regarding finances, work, family..

    And sometimes what seems right might not always be what’s best. Some things, while neither wrong or sinful, are nonetheless outside of God’s will for you. So how do you make the right decision according to God’s will?

    “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,” (Philippians 1:9-10 NIVUK)

    God has given you a spirit of discernment so you can determine what is best for you according to Him. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in your thinking about truth.

    “But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21 AMP)

    You are able to grow in spiritual maturity so that biblical principles together with guidance from the Holy Spirit become tools for making godly decisions. The heart of spiritual discernment is being able to distinguish the voice of God from the voice of the world.

    “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3 NIVUK)

  • You know me, Lord

    “You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” (Psalm 139:1-5 NIVUK)

    God knows you personally. He not only knows where you are, but also who you are. He knows what you’re going through and why. He knows how you feel about it. He created you and intimately knows you. He cares about you personally.

    Do not feel threatened by this, but recognise your source of great security and assurance.

    It is such a comforting thought to never be lost from God. You might think.. How could God know me as I really am, yet still love me? Shame caused Adam and Eve to run from the presence of their all knowing, all seeing Father, but God does not want you to run from Him. Run towards Him, for He loves you unconditionally.

    “The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10 NIVUK)

    And not only does he know us fully, he hems us in to protect us from harm. How marvellous and wonderful is God. His knowledge of you is beyond what you can understand..

    “….The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIVUK)

  • Hear His Word..

    “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10:17 NIVUK)

    “Faith comes by hearing.. Not by thinking..” It’s not about the power of positive thinking! Faith is not something that you do or a presence of mind that you develop, but it is a gift from God.

    “….in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” (Romans 12:3 NIVUK)

    As you hear God’s Word.. receive it, believe it and then confess it. As you confess with your mouth, your ears hear what you confess. The more you hear God’s Word, the more you are encouraged in your faith..

    “…. ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:8-10 NIVUK)

    And your faith can grow..

    “…Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,…” (2 Corinthians 10:15 NIVUK)

    So as you study and speak His Word, God can add to your faith.

    God’s Word planted in your heart will bring abundance into your life and the fruit of these blessings will also regenerate into the lives of others.

  • Pray persistently

    “Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2 AMP)

    God wants you to continue to pray. He wants you to not loose faith but be steadfast in prayer, praying constantly and persistently.

    “Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 AMP)

    “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.” (Philippians 4:6 AMP)

    Your prayers, or joy or thankfulness to God should not fluctuate with your circumstances or needs or feelings. When you make a conscious decision to be persistent in prayer, you will no longer be impatient or short-sighted, but you will gain a new perspective on your circumstances and live each day knowing God is fully in control.

    For one thing you can be completely sure and confident in is this..

    “And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15 AMP)

    Sometimes you might not understand His will or His timing, but be willing to wait for God’s yes to manifest and then, be willing to also accept no for an answer. When you know God and trust His good character, you can repeatedly bring Him the same request and be confident in the fact that His response will be best for you. God desires both your persistence and your submission in all things.. He knows best!

    “And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.” (Galatians 6:9 AMP)

  • Stop trying

    For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIVUK)

    You can never try to get closer to God by your own works. Trying to do more, trying to pray more, trying to read more Scripture or trying go to church more often is not a tick box to go to impress God.

    Stop trying so hard to please Him. Trying implies your own effort, but to access what’s already inside you means to start living from the finished work on the cross!

    “It’s not about us trying to do something externally, but it’s about what the Holy Spirit can accomplish internally… There will be transformation…

    The Holy Spirit will do more in you so that He can do more through you” (Christine Caine)

    It does not mean for you to stop praying or reading His Word, but stop making it out to be an impossible reach to try and be better, when all you need to do is start accessing what God already freely gave you. You are already forgiven. You are already made righteous. God’s grace is more than enough for you to stop trying to please God with good works. Rather start giving the Holy Spirit who dwells within you free reign, full access to all of you.

    “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe… (Romans 3:22 NIVUK)

    When you understand the power of the Cross.. your ‘trying’ will change into ‘accessing’ and your ‘effort’ will change into ‘it’s done’..

    No more trying to pray more but may you be overwhelmed by the privilege and blessing of having an intimate conversation with your Heavenly Father.

    No more trying to read the Bible more often, but may you experience the powerful Living Word that reveals not only who God is but also your true identity in Christ.

  • You belong

    “Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3 AMP)

    We all have the need to be loved and to belong. God chose you to be part of His kingdom and family and therefore you are not insignificant. You have been specially selected by God..

    You belong to a loving Father that intimately cares for you. He values you. You matter to Him, so much that He chose to make you His dwelling place for Him to move through you, work through you and love through you.

    “…you are of God [you belong to Him]… ” (1 John 4:4 AMP)

    If something belonged to a king, it carries his seal. In the same way, you carry God your King’s identity.

    “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIVUK)

    and there is absolutely nothing that you can do that will separate you from Him.

    “For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 AMP)

    Thank you, Lord for claiming me in your grace. Thank you for reaching out to me in Jesus. Thank you for the fact that nothing can ever separate me from your love. You chose to create me. I belong to You. Amen

  • Fullness of joy

    “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11 AMP)

    You have the full measure of His joy within you that comes from a restored relationship with your heavenly Father.

    It is not a mere “happy” feeling, but joy that is a fruit from abiding in Christ regardless of circumstances.

    Fullness of His joy means to be filled and satisfied with an abundance of inner joy.

    “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,” (1 Peter 1:8 NIVUK)

    To experience or access the fullness of joy it is essential that you spend time in God’s presence, producing fruit that remains..

    “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 NIVUK)

  • Time well spent

    “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity,..

    ..Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17 NIVUK)

    C.S. Lewis wrote.. “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”

    Every day you decide how you spend your time. You decide what to prioritise. You decide what is most important to you and you only commit to things because you choose to. So, your schedule reveals your priorities and will determine the quality of your life.

    There is no time to waste on anything that has no meaningful, eternal value, or anything that doesn’t further your relationship with God.

    There is no time to be vague or not fully engage in the moment. But it is necessary to grasp firmly what you know to be the will of God.

    “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33 NIVUK)

    It is so easy nowadays to be distracted by “cyber noise”.. your phone.. Internet.. Your mind wander as you disengage from important relationships.

    Be wise in how you spend your time and be fully present in each moment. Make intentional decisions on what is most important in your life. Urgent does not necessarily equal important. Even if a decision carries you forward, it’s not progress if it leads you away from where you actually want to go. So meditate on God’s Word. Spend quality, fully engaged time with God and listen to what is most important.

    God.. help me to manage my time wisely. What would it mean to “make the most” of this particular opportunity..

    “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,..” (Colossians 3:17 NIVUK)