In this one-week devotional author, Kirt A. Schneider takes us on a journey to overcome struggles and dark moments in our life. The Bible speaks to every aspect of our lives, and only when we are grounded in the truth of God’s Word, are we able to walk in the strength, peace, and victory of God’s promises.
Charisma House
Day 1
Scriptures: Exodus 15:3, Ecclesiastes 3:8, Joel 3:9, 2 Corinthians 10:4
Be A Warrior
“The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name.” —Exodus 15:3
Some people are born with more of a warrior spirit than others. We’re all wired differently. Some people are more outgoing, and some are more gentle. You’ve probably heard people say, “I’m a lover, not a fighter.” Regardless of our natural bent, we have to be able to take out of the reservoir of the Lord within us that which is necessary for every situation. And sometimes it’s necessary in life to be a warrior—to make decisions and act in a way that might be very hard in the natural.
Think, for example, of Abraham. Abraham was a kind and loving person, but there were certain times in his life when he had to be a warrior in order for him to obey God. For instance, the Lord spoke to Abraham and said, “I want you to leave your father, your relatives, and this place that is familiar to you, and I want you to follow Me.” It took a warrior spirit for Abraham to rise up, cut off his past, and enter into the new reality and destiny that God had for him.
Now consider this: There may be certain things in your life that you’ve been tolerating, and God doesn’t want you to tolerate them any longer. There may be certain changes in your life that need to be made, but you haven’t made them because you’re afraid they’re going to hurt somebody. If you have been passive in your spirit, I want to remind you today that one of the attributes of your Father is that He’s a warrior, and as His child, that same warrior strength has been imparted to you.
So I say to you today in the name of Jesus: Rise up and be the warrior that our Father has called you to be. Make those decisions Jesus is asking you to make. Take those actions in your life that God is asking you to take. You have the Spirit of God living in you. That means you have a warrior spirit. “The Lord is a warrior, the Lord is His name” (Exod. 15:3).
Day 2
Scriptures: Romans 6:14, Genesis 4:7, Romans 6:23, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7-8, James 4:7
This is a Fight
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” —Romans 6:14
There’s a topic we don’t often hear about in the church today—sin. To many in our culture, the word sin is like a prehistoric term. They put sin and dinosaurs in the same category. But the Bible tells us that sin has separated humanity from God. Sin looks like this: God is moving in one direction, and we are going in another. It creates a break in the relationship. That’s what happened with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and that’s what we’re battling with today.
In Genesis 4:7 we read, “Sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Sin is a power, and it is being projected onto you and me. The enemy is trying to lead us away from God by enticing us to make wrong choices, develop wrong attitudes, think wrong thoughts, and live in rebellion. And the outcome is always the same. Sin brings isolation, accusation, shame, and finally death because it leads to separation from God.
Yes, church, we’re in a fight! This is why Paul said sin is not to be our master. Some people think they’re supposed to yield to whatever they feel because they think their identity is defined by their feelings. But this is not true. God’s Word defines how we should live. We’ve been called to repent of sin, return to the Creator, and live according to God’s Word. But we don’t have to do it alone. We do it through God’s grace. If we have a yes in our hearts, if we strive to overcome sin, God is going to meet us and help us, and we will overcome!
Beloved, it won’t happen overnight, but if you’re committed to overcoming sin, if you’re committed to putting God’s Word into practice in your life, you will enjoy the fruit of everlasting life forever and ever! You see, the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God and the reward of walking by the Spirit is everlasting life and peace.
Day 3
Scriptures: Isaiah 60:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, Isaiah 8:12, 1 John 5:4
Don’t Fear the Darkness
“For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you.” —Isaiah 60:2
The darkness is growing thicker in and on the earth. In fact, it has been overtaking the world so quickly that if we realized what was happening, it would take our breath away. Satan is gaining dominion in the atmosphere of our planet. The Bible says that in the last days, He that restrains, speaking of the Holy Spirit, will no longer restrain (2 Thess. 2:6–7). What this means is that in the last days, the Holy Spirit will withdraw His influence, and as He does, evil will rise in that vacuum and become predominant.
Today’s verse says that darkness will cover the surface of the earth, even deep, thick darkness. This is what is happening now, and it’s only going to get worse. It’s going to become more intense than you can imagine, and it’s going to happen more quickly than you’d expect. But hear this: the Lord said He will shine upon you! So let’s not be afraid of what we see happening around us. The Bible says, “You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, and you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it” (Isa. 8:12). You and I are to fear the Lord alone. And when we do, He will become our sanctuary.
Beloved, as the world continues to spin out of control, as chaos increases, as corruption becomes more severe, as all the things spoken of in Scripture concerning the end times come upon us, do not be afraid. Even though the darkness is getting deep and thick outside in the world, you have another destiny. God’s glory will continue to be your portion and will shine upon you even in the midst of the darkness. In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer, so be of good cheer and do not be afraid. He that “is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).
Day 4
Scriptures: Luke 10:19, Genesis 1:26, Genesis 9:1-2, Ephesians 2:6
Use Your Authority
“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.” —Luke 10:19
God created the heavens and the earth for you and me. He created the plants, the fish, the animals, and the birds, and He made them all for you and me. After He created the plants and the animals, after He separated the night from the day and the waters from the land, He put mankind on the planet. And He said to the man and woman, “Name everything. I’ve given you the authority to have dominion and reign over My creation.”
This is not only literal but is also a type and shadow of the nature of the authority and victory that we have been called to in the spiritual realm. Because of sin, man’s relationship with God was broken and his authority was lost. But through Jesus, that relationship has been restored. And in that restoration, we’re brought back into the place of authority that God established for us at the beginning.
God has given us victory over all the power of the enemy through our relationship with Him in Messiah Jesus. We need to continue to develop a triumphant mindset. Paul the Hebrew apostle said in Ephesians 2:6 that we have been “raised up with Him, and seated. . .with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” So be bold and take authority in the spirit over the darkness of fear, worry, and hate. Break accusation off your life. God has given you mastery over the enemy. We are born of God’s very life and light. The Spirit we have received is uncreated and everlasting. The light within us shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot extinguish or overcome it. Let’s take authority.
Day 5
Scriptures: Exodus 33:14-16, Psalms 91, Psalms 17:8-10, Psalms 32:7
Under His Shelter
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” —Psalm 91:1
If a terrible hailstorm is coming and you’re outside, what do you do? You find shelter. That is the concept being presented in this verse. To dwell under the shelter of the Most High means we actively come under His covering in our lives by choosing to cling to Him. It’s not something that just automatically happens. Coming under the shelter of the Most High is a choice we need to make. We need to purposely look to the Lord to be our refuge, our covering, our shelter.
We see this posture in the life of Moses. When the Lord commanded Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, Moses said to the Lord, “Unless You go with me, I am not going to do it.” (See Exodus 3–4.) Moses would only go out on that mission if he knew God was with him. That’s how I feel in my life. I’m afraid to live life without God. I look around me at all the negative things that could happen—all the tragedies, all the accidents, all the uncertainties, all the sicknesses, all the dangers that are out there—and I know my only security is my relationship with God.
Beloved, we need to embrace Him as our shelter. When we do that, the Lord responds to that commitment, that humility, that dependency we have on Him by covering us with His wings. In that place of security, we experience the benefits of Psalm 91. The Lord becomes our refuge and safety. He delivers us from every trap and protects us from attacks. His faithfulness becomes our shield and much more. (Read Psalm 91.)
God loves you. Run to the safety of His covering. Let’s cling to Him every second of every day. As we do, a wonderful opening will be developed in us, which will become a channel through which God’s power and fullness will flow into our lives, and His strength will protect us.
Day 6
Scriptures: James 1:13, 1 John 4:1-3, 2 Corinthians 11:14, Hebrews 5:14
Guard Against Deception
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.’” —James 1:13
Many times people do things that are wrong, but they don’t think they’re wrong because they believe God is the One leading them. For instance, I’ve known too many people who have left their churches or even their marriage partners, claiming God told them to leave, when in reality, although they thought He said that, He didn’t. People are doing things they think are OK with God but, in fact, those things are not right. James is warning us not to be deceived.
I want to stress the truth in today’s verse. Often when we love God and are sincerely seeking Him, we can make the mistake of thinking that everything we feel is from Him. We can incorrectly begin thinking that all of the thoughts we’re thinking, and all of the emotions we’re feeling are from the Lord- when sometimes they’re just not.
This was a huge lesson I had to learn years ago. I knew that God supernaturally spoke to me, but in my inexperience, I made the mistake of thinking that every time I sensed something, it was the Lord. I had to learn the lesson found in 1 John 4:1–3, which says to test the spirits because not every spirit is from God.
The Bible says Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). How, then, do we know what’s from God and what’s not? First, we have the Word. If a thought, a feeling, a statement, or an action contradicts the written Word, it’s not from the Lord. Second, the Scriptures tell us that we gain discernment through experience and maturity. Hebrews 5:14 reveals to us that as our senses are trained by the Lord we are able “to discern good and evil.” And third, counsel from mature and trusted friends in Messiah serves as a safeguard to keep us on track.
Beloved, I want to encourage us today: let’s be on guard against deception and the pride Satan can use to deceive us.
Day 7
Scriptures: Psalms 27:12, John 14:2, Isaiah 41:10, Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9, Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord is With You
“With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory.” —Psalm 27:12
Read today’s verse again. The psalmist declared by faith that God was with him in the present, was going to keep him and guide him in the future, and in the end, would receive him into glory. I love this verse. It contains the essence of what a confident and intimate relationship with God looks like.
Asaph, the psalmist here, knew that when he died, he was going to go straight into the glory of His Father. It’s just as Jesus said: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2, NKJV). Beloved, Jesus has prepared a place for you and me.
What a carefree life we would have if we knew and believed in the innermost part of our being that God is with us—He’s closer to us than our own heartbeat—and that as we move forward in life, He’s going to guide us, and at the end of our days, we will join Jesus in paradise.
In Isaiah 41:10 the Lord tells us, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” The same truth is echoed in Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9, Zephaniah 3:17, and many other scriptures because our God wants us to receive it.
Beloved, if we would really take hold of this truth, we would live in joy, confidence, and peace. Today, I release and speak a word of faith over your life to go forward with confidence in the name of Messiah Jesus. Know that God is with you. He will lead you in the future and He has a place prepared for you in His glory.