Daily Devotional
Are You Relying on Your Strength?
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
July 1, 2022
Ponder This
If you study the great saints of God, you find out they failed at their point of strength, not weakness. What was Simon Peter’s greatest strength? His courage. In Luke 22:33, he said, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” He was the one who pulled out a sword and went after the man in the garden of Gethsemane. (See John 18:10.) Peter had physical courage and strength. You wouldn’t want to get in a fistfight with Peter. He was a big and tough fisherman. And yet where did he fail? At the point of his courage. Those who identified him as one of Jesus’ disciples prompted him to curse and deny the Lord Jesus Christ. (See Matthew 26:74-75.) We must be careful that it is not our own strength we rely on and boast in. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us we must guard our hearts with diligence. If we don’t, we’ll trust in the place where we will certainly fail.
- Where are you most tempted to rely on your own strength?
- When have you failed because you trusted in your own strength over God’s strength?
Practice This
Write out a list of your personal strengths. Take time to reflect on this list and thank God for the ways He has gifted you, then ask Him to help you guard your heart against trusting in yourself over Him.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
