October 6

Standing Firm - Shoes of Peace Day Six by SGLY Ministry

and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation,
[to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. Ephesians 6:15 Amplified Bible.

Standing firm requires a good foundation and good shoes. A soldier’s shoes are a very important part of armor. God’s Armor fits us with Shoes of Peace to stand firm in. The Peace is the gospel of Christ. We should always be ready to share the good news of the gospel as we walk through this world, that is the Great Commission given to us by Jesus in Mark 16:15. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
However, we have an enemy who does not want us to do that, therefore we need to prepare ourselves so we can stand firm and be ready. We need to put on the Shoes of Peace daily and be ready to share the good news with everyone we meet.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for providing me with these firm-footed, stable shoes of Peace that I can walk and stand in daily. I want to always be prepared to share the good news of the gospel as Jesus has said to do. I know I have an enemy who will try his best to stop me but I also know You are greater than he, therefore I will prepare myself so that I maybe a soldier who is always ready. Thank You God, Amen.

Today:
A soldier always has a plan. A soldier is always prepared, always ready. Therefore, read and know the gospel. Memorize key verses.
Preach the gospel to yourself daily so that you will be prepared to share it with others easily and naturally in any situation, Pray that God will open doors of opportunity for you to speak the good news with those you meet.

Blessings to you as you walk through your day wearing the Armor and standing firm in the Shoes of Peace.

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A Bible Devotion

You Are Important!

1 CORINTHIANS 12:22,27 NKJ 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

There are NO unnecessary parts in the Body of Christ.

The devil wants you to think your part does not matter, so you will slack off.

But your part IS important. Your prayers are important. Your giving is important. Your witness to others is important.

It is easy to believe a famous person who ministers to thousands is vital in God's plan. But we need to be reminded that every member of the Body of Christ is needed -- including you!

Don't condemn yourself because you aren't doing a job that puts you in the spotlight. Don't worry that no one knows what you are doing. God knows.

Someone witnessed to Billy Graham. Someone prayed for Oral Roberts to be healed of tuberculosis. Do you know their names? God does. What if they hadn't been faithful and obedient to do their part?

What if the person who brought you the Gospel hadn't been obedient?

So, when you are tempted to be discouraged and think what you do doesn't matter -- resist those thoughts!

No one but God may see what you are doing, but it is significant.

Have confidence in God. He knows what He is doing. God placed you where you are. God has a plan and a job for you to do there. Be faithful and do it. When it is time for you to do something else, God will arrange it and lead you out.

Don't try to be somebody else. Just be faithful and obey God where you are.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:22 NLT 22 In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary.

Do your part! God thinks it's meaningful. Don't let the devil convince you otherwise.

Maybe all you can do is pray, but that is most important.

Obey God and be faithful where you are. You are needed or God would not have placed you there.

SAY THIS: God says I am necessary and important.

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Kindness

I am kind and loving to myself and others.

Kindness is a choice. It costs nothing, yet it is wonderfully fulfilling. When I treat others with kindness, I feel better about myself. Every act of kindness—large or small—produces joy, peace, and happiness.

Any person I meet may carry a burden inside. A simple, heartfelt smile may bring them hope. Opening a door, saying hello, and offering a helping hand may make a major difference in someone’s day.

I also remember to be kind to myself. If I criticize my looks, actions, or thoughts, I stop and find one aspect of myself that I like. Being kind to myself is the first step toward being kind, patient, and loving to others. Kindness is a choice. As I choose kindness, I am rewarded with love, peace, patience, and joy.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.—1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Daily Word

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Welcome to Verse of the Day!

Today's Bible Verse: Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you ... (ESV)

Today's Inspiring Thought: Cast Your Burden

When your internal resources are running low, when you have the very least to give, that is when you need him most. When you realize you're carrying a heavy load, what is your natural response? Like me in times of stress, maybe you fight the urge to "stay on top of things," when in reality the best thing to do is "just let go." Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will lift you up and sustain you.

It's vitally important when we're feeling depleted and empty, to stop, refill, and refuel our spiritual resources with the life of God. Our mighty Lord is so much better at carrying heavy burdens.

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Answers for Each Day

God’s Provision for Your Failure

Psalm 37:23-24 states, The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.

When you first read these verses, it is easy to focus on the truth that God orders the steps of a good man, someone who is following God. That is certainly a comforting, motivating, and powerful truth.

But I want to point you to the second sentence, Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.

What an amazing statement! Even when your steps are being ordered by the Lord, you can still goof up! God affirms that you may be seeking to walk with Him and you can still mess up, there is always that human factor.

Our flesh gets in the way. Sometimes we make wrong decisions. Sometimes we can be a bit stubborn. And sometimes we blow it, even when that is the last thing we want to do!

Here is what I want you to grasp today: Even if you mess things up, even if you stumble and fall, God will not utterly abandon you. He will support you, and He will lift you up with His hand.

The Bible says in the book of Deuteronomy that God is our refuge and our strength and that underneath us are His everlasting arms. That brings me a lot of comfort.

You and I may stumble, you and I may fall, but we are not going to stay down, because God’s arms and His hands are underneath us, and they will uphold us.

Thank God for that!

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Bible Verses

PHILIPPIANS 4:6 NLT 6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

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MATTHEW 6:25-34 NKJ 25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

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And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

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Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

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Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Philippians 4:6

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Prayers

For the Spirit of Prayer

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, oh Lord. Let your Holy Spirit guide me in my prayer and in thought, and grant me the grace to listen and hear your Word. Soften my heart, that I may be directed by your truth, and not the devices of my body and mind. In the name of Christ I ask this, Amen.

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Confession

Have mercy on me, Oh Lord, for I am a humble and miserable sinner. [At this point, pause to remember specific sins you have committed during the week and speak or think them.] I renounce all of these sins, heavenly Father, and repent of them, and I promise to make every effort not to repeat them.

Have mercy on me, pardon me for these offenses and any I might have omitted from forgetfulness or ignorance; in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, I pray for forgiveness. And I pray that your Holy Spirit may dwell with me today and throughout the coming week, to comfort me, to give me strength against temptation, and to guide me into the path of righteousness. Amen.

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For Forgiveness Among Fellow Christians

Teach me, O Lord, to act so that all my deeds will glorify your holy name and your wonderful creation. Take pity, O Lord, on all Christians. Hear the desires of all who cry out to you, and deliver them from evil. Send them comfort; consolation in sorrows, and your holy mercy.

O Lord, I especially pray for those who have in any way insulted, abused or aggrieved me. Do not punish them for the sake of me, a sinner; but pour your mercy upon them. I also pray to you for all those whom I, a sinner, have insulted or tempted in word, deed, or thought; whether knowingly or without realizing it. O Lord God, forgive us our sins and offenses and insults against each other. Dispel from our hearts all indignation, suspicion, anger, remembrance of evil, quarrels, and all that might hinder and lessen brotherly love. Replace resentment with forgiveness, I pray, in the name of Christ. Amen.

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Blessing

May God the Father bless us; may Christ take care of us; the Holy Ghost enlighten us all the days of our life. The Lord be our defender and keeper of body and soul, both now and for ever, to the ages of ages. Amen.

by Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester, 958 A.D.)

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Father, with the help of the Holy Spirit and according to your Word, I prepare my mind for action with self-control; set my hope fully on the grace to be given me when Jesus Christ is revealed. As an obedient child, I will not conform to the evil desires I had when I lived in ignorance. You called me and you are holy, so I will be holy in all I do in the name of Jesus. Amen.

1 Peter 1:13-15

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Lord of life, may I pause to remember that rest may not be obtained with wretched thoughts, nor can it be enjoyed in discontent. In my moments of rest wilt thou show me how to relax, and with tranquility may I gather hope for renewed ambition. Amen.

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In my own part of the world, Lord, I pray today and commit myself to be loving and understanding in all that I do, and to be generous in giving of myself without expecting anything in return. I pray and commit myself to have an attitude of respect for each and every person, treating everyone as the equals that they are. All that I am determined to be, Lord, I ask for the power of your Spirit to enable me to be. Amen.

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Dear Lord, thank you for all you do. As I face the day give me the wisdom to know that I will never fail as long as I try. Give me the strength to keep trying.

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Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit. Truly, Your spiritual water has quenched my thirsty soul. May I be like one who brings good news from a far land, as I testify and witness to those around me who do not know about the Living Water found in Christ. Lord, fill me daily with the Holy Spirit so that I may overflow with those living waters and minister life to others. Lord, speak to Your children who do not have this gift, and reveal to them their need to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Dear heavenly Father, fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I am one through whom sweet water can always flow forth. Lord, help me to guard my mouth and speak good things from Your Word. Deliver me from all compromise and give me the grace to always stand in integrity before men. Help Your people to be good witnesses in this world so that we do not bring any reproach on the Kingdom of God. Forgive us when we fall down and lift us back up and rebuild our walls, so that the enemy is defeated in our lives. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.