February 16 (2 Chronicles 32:18)

And they shouted it with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order that they might take the city.  (ESV)

The Assyrians were attacking Judah, and what did they do?  They spoke in the language of Judah and said things to scare the people.

What scares you?  For me it can be the long list of things I have to do.  It can be financial matters, concerns about things that are out of my control, or deadlines.  It is likely that what scares you does not scare me, and vice versa.  Satan knows this.  He may be evil, but he is not stupid.  He knows just the things to say to each of us in order to frighten us and move us farther from God.

The great thing is that God knows what scares us, too.  He has known about our fear of the dark when we were children, our fear of rejection as teenagers, and our fears about job and family today.  Satan may try to speak our language of fear, but we also speak the language of faith.  When the fears come, take them to the Lord.  He will comfort you as no one else can.

Father, it is easy for me to get caught in a web of fear.  I think things are going okay, and then something comes out of nowhere to wreck me.  Help me to listen to Your words of truth and life.  I want to listen to no one’s voice but Yours.  In the name of Jesus, I pray.  Amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

February 9 (2 Chronicles 32:7-8)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.  With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.  (ESV)

I need to be reminded to be strong and courageous multiple times in every day.  The problems and challenges and worries that come against me may as well be the king of Assyria and a horde of warriors.  How about you?  What makes up your enemy horde?

Whatever it is, Hezekiah’s words still apply.  The problems we face are real, but their force is nothing compared with the Lord our God.  Seriously, the bills, job concerns, health issues, family matters, car maintenance, temptations, fears, worries…they have only an arm of flesh.  We have been chosen and adopted by the blood of Jesus Christ.  God is a good Father, and He will help us and fight our battles.  He really will.

Will you be like the people of Judah and take confidence from Hezekiah’s words?  Can you play the role of Hezekiah and inspire godly confidence in those around you?

Father, I am weak.  My flesh causes me to see only what is right in front of me.  Help me to see my battles for what they really are and to march forth in faith with You at my side.  May my confidence in You inspire those around me to find their confidence as well.  In the name of Jesus, amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

February 2 (2 Chronicles 31:20-21)

Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God.  And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.  (ESV)

This is what I want on my tombstone.  I can only hope that the person delivering my eulogy will be able to say something like this about me.  Can you imagine coming to the end of your life and knowing that you will be remembered for doing what was good, right, and faithful before God?  Truly, that is what I want more than anything else.

So how did King Hezekiah rate such a remembrance?  Everything he did was in the service of God.  He sought the Lord in all things and did everything with his whole heart.

And this is why I know I have a way to go to get to Hezekiah’s level of faithfulness.  Many things I do are for my own service, and I do few things with my whole heart.  Too often I am distracted and do things halfheartedly at best.  Are you on a path to be remembered as Hezekiah was?

Father, I really do want to do all and only the things that please You.  Help me to focus on You and Your will.  I am so easily distracted by things that do not truly matter.  Help me do only the things that are good, right, and faithful and to do them with all my heart.  In the name of Jesus, my Lord, amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

January 26 (2 Chronicles 30:10)

So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.  (ESV)

King Hezekiah’s first order of business after taking the throne of Judah was to repair the temple.  When that was done, he sent messengers throughout the land inviting people to celebrate the Passover, which no one had done in a long time.  Many came, but many laughed at his invitation.

Not much has changed since the ancient days.  Some hear the call of God and respond with joy while others laugh it to scorn.  It is easy to get discouraged, especially if our primary windows on the world are social media, websites, and television.  Many will laugh at the invitation to worship God.  It happened in the days of Hezekiah and it certainly happens today.

Facebook posts are not the final arbiter of what we should do.  Scripture teaches and the saints model that we are to take the word of God to the world.  What people do with that word is their choice, just as it is ours.

Lord, help me not to be intimidated by those who mock You and Your word.  You are my rock and my salvation.  Through Your grace, may I have the courage to live boldly so that others may come to know You.  In the name of Christ Jesus, my Savior, amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

January 19 (2 Chronicles 29:3)

In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.  (ESV)

When Hezekiah took the throne in Judah, his first order of business was to tend to the work of God.  I am willing to bet that there were plenty of people who had other suggestions for the new king.  Most of us want our leaders to do something for us.  We want them to make our lives better, and our ancient ancestors were no different.

How often do we pray for our mayor, our governor, or the President?  Do our representatives and senators, our school superintendents and town councils ever make their way into our daily prayers?  There are many voices speaking to our leaders and trying to influence them.  As a Christian, don’t you want one of those voices to be that of the Holy Spirit?

Add some local, state, and national leaders to your prayer list.  Lift them up daily.  They need our prayers and the wise counsel of God just as much as our friends and family do.

Father, thank You for the leaders in my life.  Guide them to lead from Your wisdom and to do that which is honoring in Your sight.  Protect them from temptations of greed and power and help them to serve others by serving You.  In the name of the greatest servant king, Jesus my Lord, amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

January 12 (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.  (ESV)

“You have to do what is right for you.”  I hear that all the time, and it drives me crazy.  It is not surprising that this would become a rallying cry for those who do not have the Holy Spirit living within them, but it has no place in the mouth of a Christian.  The world has an odd understanding of freedom, one that demands each individual gets to do whatever he or she wants at the moment he or she wants to do it.  This places an unbearable burden on people to know what is best for them.

Those who have been born again and live with God Himself dwelling inside them experience true freedom.  Because I am not my own man, I do not have to figure out on my own what is best for me.  I can talk with God, reason with Him, and benefit from His wise counsel.  I do not have to be a slave to the temptations that call me this way and that but can live fully from desires rightly ordered by the One Who loves me.

I long for the guidance of my Father.  I yearn for and savor His good wisdom.  It makes my life infinitely better.

Father, what do You want from me this day?  You have blessed me with so many gifts and so many opportunities to live a rich and full life in and for You.  I want nothing more than to take each step in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Who, thanks to Jesus, lives within me.  Amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins

January 5 (Philippians 3:14)

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  (ESV)

What distracts you from your focus on Jesus?  For me it can be just about anything.  I enjoy a good life, which means that there are many things to distract me, from my passions and desires to material things like books and social media and music and television and sports and….  You get the idea.

On the other hand, there is nothing like a blinding rain or snow storm to sharpen my focus in a hurry.  I am hunched over the steering wheel, straining to keep the center line of the road in sight

When the stresses and challenges of life come your way, embrace them as opportunities to sharpen your focus on Christ.  At the same time, be careful of seasons of peace and prosperity.  They are often filled with the most tempting distractions.

Lord, as I head into this new year, I want to live a life of peaceful focus on You rather than the life of hurried distraction that is so typical of living life my way.  Help me in that, I pray, so that like Paul I, too, may press on toward the goal of Christ Jesus, in Whose name I ask it.  Amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins