James 5:13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 

Lord, may I remember to pray for others when they are in trouble and may I sing praise ten times as much when all is well! 

Luke 8:37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

Fear can cause us to either distance ourselves from the Lord or draw us nearer. Which will it be for me today?

James 4:2-3 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 

Lord, please give me an attitude of gratitude. Enable me to give generously out of what You give me, so that others may find You. Make my motives pure when I ask for anything. Amen.

James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 

Do I put into practice what I read in God’s word? Or, do I simply hear the words, briefly consider them, and move on without implementing Biblical behavior in my life?

Luke 8:27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.

Jesus will confront the demons in our lives that seek to control and destroy us. Thank You for loving us that much, Lord. 

Hebrews 13:2a Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers. . .
Do I remember to show strangers hospitality? Or, do I quickly dismiss them in my own selfishness?

Luke 8:25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. 

Faith is to be exercised, not kept hidden away. 

Hebrews 12:2-3 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

When I am disappointed, saddened, weary, at rock bottom, do I consider what Jesus endured? Or, do I grow angry, resentful, and bitter at our Lord?

Luke 8:24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.

Prayer = Peace

Hebrews 11:35-38 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 

Faith is more than mere belief. It is evidenced in our behavior, seen in our sacrifice, and ultimately, rewarded by the Lord our God.