Devotional: The POWER He Provides

Ephesians 1:19 (GW) “You will also know the unlimited greatness of his power as it works with might and strength for us, the believers.”

If this isn’t an encouraging, and promissory verse about the believers of Christ, I don’t know what is!

As a Christian, from time to time we take for granted the power we have in Jesus and sometimes we ignore it altogether. We all know the miracles and signs that Jesus performed while He was living on this earth, and we have all marveled at His power- but lest we forget that through the death, burial, resurrection- we were given that same power when He sent us the Holy Spirit!

In John 14:12 (HCSB), Jesus- and I repeat- JESUS says to US: “I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.”

So what is holding us back to true power in the Lord, the very same power that was given to Him by God and was delivered to us through the Holy Spirit; US! In our day and age and in our humanness to reason and doubt we are the ones holding ourselves back from the power we have in Jesus. Whether it be fear, doubt, negative self-feelings, or simply ignorance to this biblical promise; the acceptance and utilization of this power depends on our willingness to believe that we have it. Jesus didn’t die for nothing… He died for our weakness, for our sin, for the freedom that only comes from God and we are to be stewards of this salvation by going forth and doing/living like Jesus!

I want to encourage you today…you DO NOT have to live a pseudo victorious life as a Christian- you CAN have a POWERFUL life! Dig into the Word, believe in what He says, not just some of it but ALL OF IT! Only then can you know the amazing power that you have to live this life victoriously and to share the message thoroughly with the world!!!

THE MORE JESUS YOU GOT, THE MORE JESUS YOU GIVE!!!!

Miranda Embry

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Prayer for Salvation

Introduction: This is the easiest prayer you will ever have to pray in your whole life that will cause the most dramatic change in your life. When you pray this prayer, and you pray it intentionally- wholeheartedly- and with absolute desire; the life you once knew will be no more. Your world will be opened up to a whole new view of life as we know it and you will be given strength and power from the love of Jesus Christ. To offer yourself to Him as a sacrifice and ask Him into your life is the best decision you will ever make. I hope that as you read this prayer, you read it slowly, carefully, and allow it to take root into the very being of who you are. He is faithful and just to forgive all things- NO MATTER WHAT. His Word will guide you on a new way to live and His Holy Spirit will give you the power to overcome your former ways….A new beginning is just one prayer away!

Lord, I want to ask you right now to come into my heart.
I ask Your forgiveness for the life of sin and death I once lived and I ask for your grace to cover me now.
I pray that You would help me to know what it truly means to follow You.
I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and that You are the one true Son of God.
I give my life to You and ask for Your will to be done.
In the might name of Jesus I pray, AMEN!

Miranda Embry

Prayer to Reach the Lost and Hurt

Heavenly Father, I want to come to you now in a time of need.

There are so many people in this world that are hurt and dying, lost without you.

Lord, I pray that you will use me to shine a bright light into the darkness that they are trapped in.

I pray that by your Holy Spirit I will be a vessel to be used for you glory.

Oh gracious God, it is my deepest and most sincere desire to see you all of the days of my life!

I daily choose to surrender myself to you even when I fall short.

I know that no matter what you are there to catch me and pick me up.

I thank you so much for loving me and teaching me to love myself.

It is only because of you that I have joy and peace.

Even in the midst of trials and tribulations, your Word comforts me and my prayers affirm me.

Lord, use me to minister to the world and help me to reach the lost, to teach your children, and to strengthen the kingdom of heaven.

I love you with all of me.

Miranda Embry

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Devotional on Joyful Working

I am sure most of you are familiar with the references in the bible where we are to work as through we are working for the Lord in whatever we do; but have you ever really thought about what that looks like? What that means? How it applies to your own life? These were things I had overlooked or not allowed myself to take in the full scope of meaning. So I began to ask myself; where do I work?

1. My paid job
2. At home as a mom, wife, cook, maid, etc.

It has been easy to relate this working to my job, do my best, present myself as a witness for Christ, be appreciative and thankful that I am employed, and the list goes on. But I never thought about my second job in this respect. So here are 4 verses, all linked to working for the Lord that when I read them that “ah-ha” moment hit about my at home duties!

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:23

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Ephesians 6:7

Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Proverbs 31:27

She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.

Reality hit. Working as though for the Lord includes scrubbing toilets, doing dishes, folding laundry, scooping dog poop, changing diapers, cooking dinner…. Do I act the way these verses say I should as a Christian? NO! I grumble, whine, and complain…I procrastinate, avoid, and even get resentful at times. What a hard pill to swallow right!? How will ever be able to do the chores I dislike the most without the fleshy negativity? How can I have enthusiasm in all this? The answer is simple and found in yet another verse: Philippians 4:13 “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Are you struggling with enthusiasm in your paid job, home job, or any other task or duty in your life? We all do; it’s part of our fleshy, selfish nature. We can work on this by first recognizing it, then repenting and praying about it, and last by changing it. This begrudging attitude is a heart condition. As with any other measures of the heart, Jesus can and will work through us if we allow Him to. I still do not like cleaning toilets, but it is much better for me to remain positive and joyful than sour and bitter. When I focus on the good, it makes the bad a lot less noticeable.

Miranda Embry

Devotional: Well Done Good and Faithful, Daughter…

The more I grow in my walk with God, the more I press in, the stronger my desire is to hear this. When I stand before God I want to know that I have done as much as I could to minister to the world, to love others and to live for Jesus. The parable Jesus gives about this (Matthew 25:14-28) hits home in so many ways.

You don’t have to be a minister or counselor to be serving the Lord. We are given many gifts to use in the kingdom of God and everyone is capable of utilizing them for His glory. These are the gifts given when we are brought into His family through salvation, adorned by the spirit of God and given to each to be used for growth! It is never too late to do more for Jesus.

Here are 2 passages about gifts of the Spirit:

Romans 12:6-8 (NLT)

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NLT)

7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

I want to challenge you all today…are you doing enough for the Lord? When you stand before Him is this the message He will say to you? Pray and ask Him to reveal the gifts He has given you and get busy! If you want freedom, true freedom in Christ you need to be active in the body. There is nothing more rewarding than serving Him. There is no greater joy then knowing you are trying to live like Jesus.

Miranda Embry

Devotional: The Serenity Prayer

This prayer is near and dear to my heart. For those of you who have read my bio, you know that I have battled addiction. The serenity prayer was something that I was taught early on in sobriety and it helped me to gain my footing back into prayer. For a long time I only knew the first two verses, but when I learned the whole prayer it became one of those life changing affirmations, it became a part of me and it still is today.

We can take a lot from this prayer and as you read it I hope it will minister to you the way that it has to me. As you read it today, really consider each verse; determine how it applies to your life and ask God to move. My favorite saying: “Prayer Changes Things.” Enjoy!

GOD, grant me the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,

Courage to change the
things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the
pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this
sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make
all things right if I
surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy
in this life, and supremely
happy with Him forever in
the next.

Amen

Miranda Embry

Devotional on Routine: The Good and the Bad

I have noticed something recently that has caused some deep and prayerful thought… Routine or the lack there of, can be a problem for me.

A Routine Example:

My kids make a mess; my kitchen is less than par, laundry- well… Saturday morning is when I like to set aside time for the full cleaning, outside of the normal daily attempt to pick up. By the time I get home from work in the evenings, the house is generally last on the to-do list. My issue here is if I don’t get that Saturday morning cleaning in, I feel out of sorts, frustrated, and in some ways defeated. You may be thinking this is a silly example, but this applies to my spiritual life and relationship with God as well. Routine for me is more than my just Saturday morning cleanings, it is being able to get to my life groups/bible study groups/church services, it is my 8-5 job, then dinner and family time, it is following the activities a plan for the kids, getting a bath, etc.

The thing I have noticed is that my fervor and dedication in my walk is also impacted with routine and the lack there of. When I am in my routine, in control, I read and study the word more, pray more, DO MORE FOR JESUS! When I am out of the comfort of routine, I read less, pray less, DO LESS FOR JESUS! I recently went on vacation for a few days in a week, came home, and then had a business trip the following week. I have missed two Sundays at church, two Saturdays of cleaning, time with my family, and am home to realize I have a lot of catching up to do! Aside from the to-do list at home, I am behind on my devotionals, notably drained from less prayer, and pent up from not doing more for the Lord as I am accustomed to.

The point of this is that my stability and strength in God cannot rely on routine; it has to be a daily commitment. Routine or not my relationship with God cannot be based on my level of comfort and control; it has to be a continual walk of progression. So today, I choose to focus on the Lord regardless of what is going on around me, no matter how big OR small! If I can’t focus on Him during the small things, how can I truly expect to focus on Him in the big things?

Prayer: Lord, help me to seek and follow You at all times. Whether I am in the path daily living or life is turned upside down with change, if I am not living for You I am living for nothing. Father, show me where I am weak that I may rely on You to make me strong. Holy Spirit, help me to recognize my errors and guide me in the right direction. With Your word in my heart and prayer on my tongue, let my life reflect one lived for You to the world. In Jesus name, AMEN!

Scriptural references:

Luke 16:10 (NLT)- If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT)- So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17 (NLT)- And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

 

Miranda Embry

Prayer for Seeking His Will

Father, I thank You for this time that I can come before You and seek Your face.

Lord I worship You above all and I ask that You would hear my prayers.

Though at times I may feel as though they never pass my ceiling, let me stand firm on the word of God in spite of my feelings.

You have called me to pray constantly, in all occasions, in every season, and to do so with a thankful heart.

Hear me this day Lord as the only thing that I ask of You, is more of You.

Empty me that I may be filled to overflowing with You.

Lord let Your spiritual manna from heaven rain down on me that I may be a walking testimony to You. You have declared me cleansed by the blood of Jesus, may I never take that cleansing for granted.

Lord, use me in whatever way You choose.

I devote myself entirely to You and I pray Father that Your will would be done.

Father Your will is far better than anything I COULD EVER ask for- with fasting and I prayer I seek Your will through the precious word of God.

In the name of Jesus I pray, AMEN!

 

Derived from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Romans 15:13, Nehemiah 9:20, 1 John 1:7, Matthew 6:10, Ephesians 3:20, Proverbs 3:6, Matthew 4:4

Miranda Embry

Devotional on Being an Overcomer, NOT a Survivor

I used to thank God that I survived some test, trial, catastrophe, etc. I was grateful that I made it through…but with the survivor mentality, I was never fully aware of the power that I had in the Spirit of God.

Survivor is defined as: “to continue to exist”                 Overcome is defined as: “to defeat”

I don’t know about you, but I would rather defeat life’s battles than just continue to exist in spite of them!

When I think about the survivor mentality, to me it relays that I held on tight to the end of the rope and I barely made it. It is not a joyful experience at all, it is a tiring and draining experience full of turmoil. I forgot how much power I was given as a Christian, by the blood of Jesus I do not have to merely survive the battles in this life, I have the ability to overcome them! With the overcomer mentality I have joy because I am applying the word of God in my battles and knowing that He is there to fight for me. I have more control of the situation in the sense that I can choose to focus on the strength of God rather than the storm at hand. I am not holding on at the end of my rope as an overcomer, I am climbing it!

Are you walking in a survivor mentality or an overcomer mentality?

Scriptures to reference (NASB):

John 16:33- These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.

1 John 4:4- You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

1 John 5:4-5-For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Revelation 3:21- He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne

Miranda Embry

 

Prayer of Adoration

How mighty is Your love o Lord that You laid down Your life for me!

You died that I might live and not merely live life on this earth, but to have everlasting life with You in heaven.

Jesus thank You for paying the ultimate price so that my sins may be forgiven.

I was born into this world separated from You, and by the age of recognition I heeded Your call in my heart.

May I lay down my life for You daily and walk in the life that You desire for me.

I pray to always follow Your call and walk where You lead me.

I pray that I will not be hindered by the wrong turns that I take but that You will guide my hand back onto the path You have laid out before me.

Lord make me a vessel that will be filled with You all of the days of my life, that I may proclaim Your gospel to a hurt and dying world and that above all I may walk in love.

Merciful father, thank You so much for sending Your son to die for me!

Lord may I never forget that I am Yours, called by Your name, cleansed by Your blood and purified from all unrighteousness.

I will praise Your name all of the days of my life and with every breath that I take I will sing songs forever giving You all glory and honor.

In the name of Jesus I pray. AMEN!

Derived straight from the heart- Luke 6:45…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks

 

Miranda Embry