Quiet Walk

[Judy Harder]

September 26

Romans 8

What the Law cannot do in delivering us from sin, God does through Christ.

INSIGHT

In Greece, a little boy might run into the kitchen and call "Mama, Mama!" when he wants to find his mother. And late in the afternoon as he hears familiar masculine footsteps approaching the house, he may run out to his father and cry "Abba, Abba!" "Mama" and "Abba" are terms of close family endearment. God loves the whole world, but He loves His spiritual children in a different, special way. With respect and joy, we can express our love back to Him with the tender name, "Abba, Abba." It's a term of endearment in the spiritual family.

PRAYER

Because the Lord has made us a part of such a loving entity as the body of Christ, offer your praise to Him:
Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
(Psalm 100:1-5)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving, and pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel."
(Joshua 7:20).

Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day. (Psalm 25:4-5)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." (Romans 8:15)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

Health and strength to serve Him
His will to be done on earth
Today's activities
Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
"I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. . . . I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You." (Job 42:2, 5) 

[Judy Harder]

September 27

Romans 12

The Christian life is a life of total dedication and service to others.

INSIGHT

To better understand the implications of the first two verses of chapter 12, it is helpful to read them backwards. We all want to be a living demonstration of the fact that the will of God is "good and acceptable and perfect." In order to do that, we must have our minds transformed and renewed. In order to have our minds transformed and renewed, we must make our bodies "a living sacrifice" to God. We all want the will of God in our lives. We can experience it if we present ourselves as a living sacrifice to Him.

PRAYER

Praise the Lord for the bond of love that binds us to Him and to other Christians:
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. . .
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
May the Lord rejoice in His works. . .
May sinners be consumed from the earth,
And the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 104:1-2, 31, 35)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
"For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.
With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,"
Says the Lord, your Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:7-8)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." (John 15:10)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

That others will see Christ in you
That the Lord of the harvest will send forth laborers
Your activities for the day
Finally, offer this closing 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]

September 28

Romans 13

The Christian is to obey the government and love his fellow man.

INSIGHT

Love is the central characteristic of the Christian. In Matthew 22:37-40, a lawyer asks Jesus which is the greatest commandment. Jesus says: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." Then the Lord gives the second greatest commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul writes that love is the greatest characteristic-even greater than faith or hope. Now in Romans this theme is picked up again. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the Law. God is love. If we are to be like Him, we also must love.

PRAYER

Thank the Lord that He loves you, and praise Him that through Him you can love others:
You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous,
And gladness for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
(Psalm 97:10-12)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin and in fellowship with Him:
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. . . .
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 53:3, 6)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

Greater sensitivity to sin
Your role in the ministry of your church
Your activities for the day
Whatever else is on your heart
Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23) 

[Judy Harder]

September 29

Romans 14

Christians should not exercise personal liberty if it destroys another Christian.

INSIGHT

We are a part of others; what we say and what we do affects others. This is especially true of Christians. We are a part of the body of Christ; we are a part of one another. Not only does God not want us to live isolated lives but He has made it so that we cannot make it alone. Therefore, we must always be alert to how our actions affect others. If something we do harms another person, we must take that into account. If our freedom causes hurt to a brother or sister in Christ, then love dictates that we limit our freedom.

PRAYER

Praise your heavenly Father for your brothers and sisters in Christ:
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity! . . .
It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing-
Life forevermore. (Psalm 133:1, 3)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving, and as you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession 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)

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

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:1-6)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

Kindness in your dealings with others
Encouragement for missionaries in Europe
Your activities for the day
Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
"For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2) 

[Judy Harder]

September 30

Romans 15

We are to conduct our lives in a way that glorifies God.

INSIGHT

When we become Christians, we exchange our citizenship on earth for citizenship in heaven. Therefore, we live according to the value system in heaven, not the value system on earth. On earth we look out for ourselves, and we satisfy our own wants and desires. In heaven we look out for the welfare of others. This does not mean that we neglect ourselves and our families. Other passages in Scripture indicate that we are to love our spouses, children, and parents and care for their needs, which brings this teaching into balance with other truths.

PRAYER

Praise God for His love that we can pass on to others:
"Praise the Lord, call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
Sing to the Lord,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!" (Isaiah 12:4-6)

Having offered Him your praise, pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
The fool has said in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity;
There is none who does good.
God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
Every one of them has turned aside;
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one. (Psalm 53:1-3)

Pray this affirmation to the Lord:
I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

Greater peace and trust
Guidance for your church leaders
Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
As we have heard,
So we have seen
In the city of the Lord of hosts,
In the city of our God:
God will establish it forever. Selah.
(Psalm 48: 

[Judy Harder]

October 1

1 Corinthians 1

Paul appeals for unity among the Corinthian believers.

INSIGHT

It has been said: God does the work of God and man does the work of man. Man cannot do the work of God. God will not do the work of man. Paul's exhortation to the Corinthian believers certainly supports this. The Corinthian church had split into factions, following different men. Some said, "I follow Paul." Others said, "I follow Apollos." The most pious among them disdained to follow mere men and said, "I follow Christ." Using the imagery of a husbandman, Paul says, "I planted (brought the message of salvation), Apollos watered (taught you more advanced things), but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). Pursue the work of man with all diligence. And rest in the work of God.

PRAYER

Praise God for caring for the things that are out of your control:
Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works.
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
(Psalm 105:1-3)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me. (Psalm 19:12-13)

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations.
(1 Chronicles 16:14-15)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

The fruit of the Spirit in your life
Those who minister in the inner cities
Whatever else is on your heart
Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations,
"The Lord reigns." . . .
Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
(1 Chronicles 16:31, 33) 

[Judy Harder]

October 2

1 Corinthians 2

When Paul ministers to the Corinthians, he relies on the work of the Holy Spirit.

INSIGHT

When we speak, teach, or preach to the unsaved, we are not speaking to those who are merely blindfolded; we are speaking to those who are blind. It is not as though we can appeal to them to remove their blindfolds. Rather, we must appeal to the Lord to remove their blindness through the power of His Holy Spirit. "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore, it is foolishness on our part to attempt to minister to others without first praying fervently for that ministry, asking the Lord to draw those hearts to Christ.

PRAYER

Praise the Lord that He broke through your blindness with the Light of life:
O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions . . .
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord. (Psalm 104:24, 33-34)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)

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

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

That others might see Christ in you
That the Lord of the harvest will send laborers into His fields
Today's activities
Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
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) 

[Judy Harder]

October 3

1 Corinthians 3

Paul says no foundation can be laid other than Jesus, and anything else is worthless in eternity.

INSIGHT

When the events of life are viewed with an eternal perspective, things that initially seemed important become unimportant, and things that seemed unimportant become important. Religious activity that is not undertaken with the right spirit or motive is worthless in view of eternity, regardless of how much weight it is given by men. And conversely the smallest cup of water given in the name of Christ receives eternal reward. Be careful how you build your life's work. Keep eternity in mind at all times.

PRAYER

Praise the Lord that He loved us enough to sacrifice His pleasures in heaven for our welfare:
O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. . . .
I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples,
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your mercy is great above the heavens,
And Your truth reaches to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
And Your glory above all the earth.
(Psalm 108:1, 3-5)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him" (John 14:21).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

Greater wisdom for living
Needs of your immediate family
Your activities for the day
Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 7:11-12). 

[Judy Harder]

October 4

1 Corinthians 6

Brothers should not go to court against brothers, especially before unbelievers.

INSIGHT

When we come to Christ, we give up our title to all earthly possessions, and we receive eternal possessions that are fabulous beyond imagination. All of the riches of Christ are ours as co-inheritors with Him; all those things that we might have viewed as possessions must now be seen as "on loan." We are now merely administrators, stewards of these things that belong to the Lord. We must hold them loosely with an open hand, not as possessions, and use them as we believe Christ would.

PRAYER

Thank the Lord and praise Him that Christ's passion for us went as far as the Cross:
Praise the Lord!
I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. . . .
His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. . . .
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever. (Psalm 111:1, 3-4, 10)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten the God who fathered you. (Deuteronomy 32:18)

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

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

Patience in dealing with others
The hungry around the world
Whatever else is on your heart
Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
"The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you,
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26). 

[Judy Harder]

October 5

1 Corinthians 7

Paul instructs the Corinthians concerning marriage, divorce, and singleness.

INSIGHT

Within the bonds of marriage, spiritual, emotional, and physical dimensions exist. The relationship should be established by a spiritual bond out of which flow emotional and physical bonds. When this order is properly maintained, the relationship is balanced and satisfying. However, many marriages take the opposite direction. Out of physical attraction grow emotional bonds, and spiritual bonds may or may not follow. Strive to strengthen the spiritual bonds in your relationships in order to keep them healthy and balanced. Even in a marriage where one partner is unsaved, the relationship will be stronger and more satisfying if your spouse sees the reality of your spiritual life and love for Jesus Christ.

PRAYER

Praise the Lord that our spiritual bond with Christ can strengthen the bonds of other relationships:
Praise the Lord!
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?
Who can declare all His praise? . . .
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, "Amen!"
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 106:1-2, 48)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving as you pray this confession to the Lord:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:23).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

Greater sensitivity to sin
The ministry of your church
Your activities for the day
Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
Every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea,
and all that are in them, I heard saying:
"Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" (Revelation 5:13)