Quiet Walk

[Judy Harder]

October 30

Colossians 3

We have been raised up with Christ and should seek the things above.

INSIGHT

It is possible to be one place physically and another place mentally. It happens every Sunday morning in church. Bodies warm the pews while minds roam the kitchens and golf courses of the nation. In a graver example, prisoners of war survive by taking themselves mentally into another world away from the prison and there find meaning and solace. We, as Christians, are to do the same. We are to take ourselves out of the physical world, into the spiritual world, and operate according to its values, truths, and realities. "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above. . . . Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (vv. 1-2).

PRAYER

Place your mind on Christ, and give Him your praise as you seek the things above:
O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;
Save me from all those who persecute me;
And deliver me . . .
I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High (Psalm 7:1, 17).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving, and pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin and in fellowship with Him:
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
(Psalm 51:10-13)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
This is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
(1 John 3:23)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
faithfulness in sharing Christ,
the Lord's work in national and world affairs,
your activities for the day.

Close your time of worship by offering this prayer to the Lord:
May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen
(1 Peter 5:10-11)

[Judy Harder]

October 31

Colossians 4

Conduct yourself with wisdom, and let your speech be filled with grace.

INSIGHT

"Out of the abundance of [a man's] heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). A man cannot claim his heart is kind if his words are unkind. He cannot claim his heart embraces heaven's values if his mouth speaks the values of the world. The heart is a reservoir and the mouth a faucet. When the faucet is turned on, whatever is in the reservoir comes out. Paul writes: "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt" (Colossians 4:6). Elsewhere he writes: "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). Listen to your speech! Analyze your heart!

PRAYER

Out of the abundance of your heart, offer to the Lord the praise of your lips:
Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints!
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested (Revelation 15:3-4).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise (Psalm 51:14-15).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
If you love Me, keep My commandments (John 14:15).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
your growth as you pursue your full potential as a child of God,
fulfillment of the Great Commission,
whatever else is on your heart.

Close with this prayer to the Lord:
We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
(Hebrews 2:9)

[Judy Harder]

November 1

1 Thessalonians 1

The Thessalonians follow Paul's life example and grow to spiritual maturity.

INSIGHT

Because the Christian life is more easily caught than taught, personal godliness is a powerful ministry tool, and imitation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth. Paul gave the Thessalonians not just the words of the Gospel, but also his very life - "you know what kind of men we were among you" (v. 5). The Thessalonian believers witnessed Paul's life and imitated him, which resulted in spiritual growth for them - "you became followers of us" (v. 6). As a result, they became an example to the Macedonians and Achaians. This pattern of "life-on-life" ministry was first demonstrated by our Lord. Jesus selected 12 men "that they might be with Him" (Mark 3:14). Take a moment to think about how you can learn from or teach someone else in a mentoring relationship.

PRAYER

Praise God that He is our perfect example:
Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our
Father, forever and ever.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
(1 Chronicles 29:10-11)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Now pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy . . .
As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
(Psalm 103:8, 13-14)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
We are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
(2 Corinthians 5:6-8)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
health and strength to serve Him,
His will to be done in your life,
whatever else is on your heart.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
May the God of peace . . . make you complete in every good work to do His will.
(Hebrews 13:20-21)

[Judy Harder]

November 2

1 Thessalonians 2

Paul's method of ministry is described. He communicates the Gospel with love and integrity.

INSIGHT

Whenever the message of your words and the message of your actions conflict, the message of your actions will always win out. You may speak gruffly but act kindly, and you will be known as having a hard shell but being a "softie" on the inside. Or you may speak well but act selfishly, and you will be known as a hypocrite. There is no accusation leveled at Christians more consistently than that of hypocrisy. Our lives must support the reality of the Gospel, or the Gospel will not be taken seriously and we will be resented. Paul writes: "We were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives" (v. . Unless we are willing to impart our lives in ministry, our words will mean little.

PRAYER

Thank the Lord and praise Him that He was willing to give us His very life:
Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11)

"You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You,
nor is there any God besides You,
ccording to all that we have heard with our ears." (2 Samuel 7:22)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

As you pray this confession to the Lord, seek to keep your life free from sin and in fellowship with Him:
You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart
These, O God, You will not despise.
(Psalm 51:16-17)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affir-mation to the Lord:
There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
(1 Timothy 2:5-6)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater sensitivity to sin,
the ministry of your church,
your activities for the day.

Close with this prayer to the Lord:
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen
(2 Peter 3:18)

[Judy Harder]

November 4

1 Thessalonians 4

Paul informs the Thessalonians regarding the Lord Jesus Christ's second coming.

INSIGHT

Death is a mysterious, unavoidable experience. For the most part a fearful and foreboding process, death is a common factor in human experience: We live to die. Understandably, the most profound question human beings ask is: What happens when we die? Death is fully addressed in the Scriptures - and the answer is one of the most satisfying answers in the Bible: "The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (vv. 16-17).

PRAYER

Praise God that Christ's death andresurrection removed the sting of death:
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God (Psalm 14:2).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
(1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
deeper understanding of Scripture,
missionaries in west Africa,
whatever else is on your heart.

Close your worship time with this prayer:
I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. (Psalm 7:17)

[Judy Harder]

November 5

1 Thessalonians 5

The coming of the Lord will be instantaneous, and we should be ready!

INSIGHT

Many people who claim to believe in God have never made a commitment to Him. They say that at the end of their lives they will accept Jesus as Savior, preferring instead to live as they please rather than bowing to His claims. In their deceived minds, they have outwitted God and had it both ways. This is extremely foolish and very dangerous. Such people rarely get more spiritually sensitive in their old age. In fact, they often become more resistant to the Lord. Also, we never know when we will die. An accident might take us before we can repent. Or the Lord could come at any minute, and it would be too late. The coming of the Lord will be like "a thief in the night" (v. 2).

PRAYER

Praise God that in Christ we can be ready for the coming of the Lord:
Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him;
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! (1 Chronicles 16:28-29).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared. . . .
O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
(Psalm 130:1-4, 7)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
(2 Timothy 1:12)

The Lord encourages us to come to Him with our concerns and desires. As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
the hungry around the world,
your activities for the day,
whatever else is on your heart.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
"The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you." (Numbers 6:24-25)

[Judy Harder]

November 6

2 Thessalonians 1

Because God will avenge the righteous, we should be patient during times of persecution.

INSIGHT

"This world is not my home. I'm just passing through. If heaven's not my home, O Lord, what would I do? The angels beckon me from heaven's open door, and I can't feel at home in this world anymore." We are not of this world; we are sojourners and pilgrims. This world will deal with us unkindly; we cannot expect it to be otherwise. If we insist on getting our meaning or justice in life only from what comes to us in this world, most of us will be gravely disappointed. Complete justice for us will come only "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels" (v. 7).

PRAYER

The Lord gives us a home in heaven with Him, and so we praise Him for this wonderful gift to us:
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations,
"The Lord reigns." . . .
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever. . . .
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
(1 Chronicles 16:30-31, 34, 36)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving. Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.
(Psalm 103:9-11)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart (Psalm 40:.

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater faithfulness with your time,
the president, national leaders, national affairs,
whatever else is on your heart.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
(Psalm 19:14)

[Judy Harder]

November 7

2 Thessalonians 2

Signs of the Day of the Lord, a day preceded by a vast "falling away," show us we must stand fast.

INSIGHT

Unbelief is dangerous: It leads to deception, and deception leads to destruction. Jesus performed many miracles,convincing people of His identity so they could have a basis for believing in Him. Before His return, the Antichrist, empowered by Satan, will be loosed on the earth and a time of great deception and apostasy will occur. Those people who hate the truth will buy into this deception, precipitating their ultimate destruction. Meanwhile, believers must stand firm, holding tightly to the truth. In a world of falsehood and deliberate deception, we must always be on guard.

PRAYER

Praise the Lord for the encouragement He gives us through His Word, through the Holy Spirit, and through other believers:
He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He (Deuteronomy 32:4).

The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let God be exalted,
The Rock of my salvation! (2 Samuel 22:47).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
Let not those who wait for You, O Lord
God of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek You be confounded
because of me, O God of Israel (Psalm 69:5-6).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affir-mation to the Lord:
And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.
(Psalm 39:7)

The Lord encourages us to come to Him with our concerns and desires. As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater wisdom for living life,
needs of your immediate family,
your activities for the day.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!" . . . "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!"(Revelation 5:12-13).

[Judy Harder]

November 8

2 Thessalonians 3

We are to hold other Christians accountable for the integrity of their lifestyles.

INSIGHT

Past generations of Christians have been guilty of excess in judging other people. The Inquisition and the Salem witch trials are glaring examples, but other examples abound throughout history. Today we live in an age of greater understanding and acceptance, which is certainly preferable - unless it degenerates into careless acceptance of things which are clearly wrong - in which case the pendulum swings too far the other way. We are to be tolerant of debatable things, but clear sin is to be dealt with. "Withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly" (v. 6).

PRAYER

Praise your heavenly Father for being the perfect Judge:
"O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim,
You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made heaven and earth"(2 Kings 19:15).
"Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above
or on earth below like You,
who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants
who walk before You with all their hearts."
(1 Kings 8:23)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits . . .
Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul! (Psalm 103:1-2, 22).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show
Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."
(2 Chronicles 16:9)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater love for other Christians,
missionaries in Europe and Asia,
whatever else is on your heart.

Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 7:12).

[Judy Harder]

November 9

1 Timothy 1

Beware of false teachers who may lead you or others astray.

INSIGHT

Lack of integrity is fast becoming a sign of our age. Once highly respected, many professionals are falling into disrepute: lawyers, doctors, journalists, and, most unfortunate of all, ministers. Whereas we once could invest considerable trust in these people, we now must exercise caution and discernment. With the proliferation of books, radio, television, and magazines, the opportunity for unscrupulous or inadequate ministers to foist themselves upon the public increases. Anything we hear being taught must carefully be compared with the Bible and other Bible teachers whom we know to be credible. We must take care not to be led astray by false teaching.

PRAYER

Offer your praise to the Lord for the Scriptures, which lead us to truth:
Stand up and bless the Lord your God
Forever and ever!
Blessed be Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
You alone are the Lord . . .
The host of heaven worships You (Nehemiah 9:5-6).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving and pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well. . . .
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:14, 23-24).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater commitment to the Lord,
specific Christian ministries,
your activities for the day.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen (Jude 24-25).