KING JAMES BIBLE (Night Devotion)

  NIGHT PRAYER Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. From: Romans 12:15 INSPIRATION There is a time and place for everything, and having the emotional intelligence to understand when and how to act is important. Empathy is an important and learned attribute, one that nobody displayed more than Jesus Christ. Observe the people around you and be in touch with their emotions so that you know when and how to act at the appropriate times. PRAYER All-knowing God, give me the vision to understand the audiences and settings that I am in, so that I may behave appropriately. Help me to empathize and understand the feelings of others, so that I can assist those that need it. I ask that You compel me to help other people mnore than before, for I have kept quiet too often when I should have spoken up. Let me use this new courage only for good, and please prevent me from ever causing harm. I pledge this in service to You, O Lord. Amen.

  NIGHT PRAYER For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. From: Hebrews 6:10 INSPIRATION God has always kept his promises to us, to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9). He always hears when we ask anything to him (1 John 5: 14-15). Our God is just and fair. He will forgive you if you ask, he will listen when you pray. Whether you do those things is entirely up to you. PRAYER Lord, how can I ever repay my life debt to you? With this prayer, I pledge to honor a pact with You: I know that You will hear me and I will constantly pray; I know that You will keep Your promises to me so I will keep my promises to You; I know that You love me so I will love You with all of my heart and strength. The rest I trust You and Your gracious power. Amen.

  NIGHT PRAYER Rejoice evermore.Pray without ceasing.In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. From: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 INSPIRATION Is there any other place in your life that you feel that you really "rejoice" other than at Church? Do you take time out of your day to explicitly pray to God, or is it constantly happening in the way you talk and act? Are you grateful for everything or are you sometimes bitter when things don't go as you hoped? Think carefully about this passage, because if you implement the changes that these verses command, your entire life view will be positively altered. Think about it and you will discover that you already know it is true. PRAYER All the glory be to God! I wish to have no evil in my thoughts, precious Lord Jesus, and hope that every moment of my life is spent rejoicing in Your name. I know that I am not perfect; no, I am far from it. Forgive me for neglecting the virtues bestowed on me ...

  NIGHT PRAYER Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. From: Hebrews 7:25 INSPIRATION Jesus' time on earth was a learning experience for all sides. Although God created everything, he had never experienced life as a mortal man. Knowing what He could gain from this experience, God sent his only son to us so that we could better understand Him. Trust in Jesus and be saved completely! PRAYER Precious God, You knew your son Jesus would die for us. We are sinners, and You chose to help us live a life that is more holy through the sacrifice of Your only begotten son. Forgive us for trespassing against You in the first place, O Lord! Today I pray that I may dutifully fulfill my obligation to You, by living in a godly and respectful way, carrying out Your commandments. I love You, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and all people as You have taught me. Thank you for loving me. Amen.

  NIGHT PRAYER But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. From: 1 Corinthians 2:9 INSPIRATION Science and philosophy have explained so much about our world. However, some things are beyond explanation, beyond even our imaginations. So many things are impossible to even understand for humanity. God's love and His plan for us is one of these things. PRAYER Dearest God, I trust that You have a divine plan, even if I do not understand it. I pledge my faith to You, all that I can give and yet next to nothing compared to what You give to me. If my imagination wanders, I ask that You bring it back to focus on my faith in You. In honor of Your service, my God in heaven. Amen.

  NIGHT PRAYER Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; From: Romans 12:10 INSPIRATION While there is a love we should have for all men as our brothers in Adam, here Paul speaks of the special love and affection that exists between brothers and sisters in Christ. There is a fellowship they have with one another based on their common fellowship with God. They share the same love for Christ, the same basic experience of salvation, the same eternal destiny. PRAYER Give mea new level of love for my spiritual brothers and sisters, o Lord. Let me rejoice in our common love for You and in all that we share in common. Help me to be kind towards them and to put others above myself. Amen.

  NIGHT PRAYER Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. From: 2 Corinthians 9:11 INSPIRATION When Paul brought the offering from the churches to the church in Jerusalem, it was as a sweet smelling savor to the Lord above. And it was the cause of great thanksgiving to God by those who gave and those who received. And many who only heard of what happened would also give thanks to God and glorify his name for this. PRAYER Let us not, Lord, take giving to Your ministry and to Your people in need lightly. Let us not think it mundane and of merely carnal value. We know that giving is an opportunity to grow in grace, to show others Your love, and to see great thanksgiving arise to You out of truly thankful hearts. Amen.

  NIGHT PRAYER O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?1 thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the lavw of sin. From: Romans 7:24-25 INSPIRATION Paul cries out here in anguish over indwelling sin that remained in him. He longs for the day when he will be free fully from the power of sin. While we live, a conflict is in us between the old and the new natures. It is a daily battle. It does not end until we leave this world, but God can help us subdue the flesh and live increasingly out of the new nature. PRAYER We long,O Lord, as did Paul long ago, for the full deliverance from indwelling sin. We struggle day by day, we feel the conflict that is in us. "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love, " we sing and experience. Fit us for the conflict, Lord, and let us fight on each day with new zeal for your glory. Amen.

  NIGHT PRAYER But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. From: Galatians 4:4-5 INSPIRATION We are children of God. Think about that for a minute. The God of the universe sent his son to be born of a woman on earth living under the law - a woman like us. He sent his son so that we might be free from this law - the law of sin and death. We are free because of his sacrifice, and we have been made sons and daughters of God through him. How amazing! PRAYER Dear God, You are the Lord of the universe and above all things, and yet, You have called me Your child. It is too much for me to comprehend. Thank you, O Lord, for sending Your son, Jesus Christ, to our world so that we might be set free from the law of sin and death so we may become sons and daughters of the living God and enter your kingdom. We praise Your holy name! Amen.

  NIGHT PRAYER Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. From: John 8:12 INSPIRATION Sin = darkness. Since we live in a fallen world, darkness surrounds us. However, those who follow Jesus Christ will never walk in this darkness. Jesus is the light of the world. Through salvation, we are given this light. Therefore, even though we live in this fallen world with darkness, we carry His light with us wherever we go. We have no reason to fear the darkness because we have a powerful Savior and will spend eternity with Him. PRAYER Dear God, you are the light of the world. You shine like a light in the darkness of this sinful world. Thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ, to pull me out of the darkness and give me this light to guide me. When darkness surrounds me, help me cling to the eternal hope I have in you, O Lord. May I love my life full of your light. In Jesus' nam...

  NIGHT PRAYER For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. From: Romans 8:18 INSPIRATION Childbirth can be a painful experience. Even with the best pain killers available, the stress and trauma of childbirth cannot be lessened greatly. A mother giving birth may travail in labor for hours. Her contractions may be painful and the birth process may be grueling. In that period of labor, she suffers greatly. But as soon as she sees the face of that newborn child, all of that passes away. The suffering, the pain, isappears and is replaced by joy. Here Paul gives us a similar situation. Paul explains here that the Gospel has great power to sustain us in times of trouble. He was not talking only about the trials that Christians in his time had to endure, but the sickness, pain, and trouble that all Christians, throughout time would have to endure. He says that no matter how difficult the suffering in this...

NIGHT PRAYER For we brought nothing into this world. and it is certain we can carry nothing out.And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. From: 1 Timothy 6:7-8 INSPIRATION Someone once said that there are no u-hauls behind hearses. The implication is that you can't take it with you when you die. There's a story ofa man who tried. When the doctors told him he had a short time to live, he converts some of this cash into gold bricks, puts them in a suitcase and instructs that this suitcase should be buried with him. When he approaches the pearly gates carrying the suitcase, St. Peter stops him and asks to look inside the suitcase. The angel Gabriel asks, "What's in the suitcase?" "Pavement," replies St. Peter. The storv illustrates that in heaven what we consider to be wealth on this earth is really nothing. Heaven's streets are paved with gold. That would be the equivalent of us finding some kind of value in asphalt or concrete chunks he...

  NIGHT PRAYER And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?0r how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. From: Matthew 7:3-5 INSPIRATION There is a story of a young girl who watched her mother peer out of her window at the neighbor's laundry hanging on line. "Humphh!" said the mother. "Look at her laundry. Who would hang such dirty laundry out there for everyone to see? She should be ashamed." The young girl looked closer. She touched the window with her finger and looked at the dirt there. "Mama," she said, "it's not her laundry that's dirty; it's your window!" Too often we are so quick to judge others on their shortcomings. We focus on the...

  NIGHT PRAYER As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. From: John 17:18 INSPIRATION Christ was sent into the world to be the Good News. During His time here, he went about His Father's business. In this prayer to God, Jesus tells Him that He will send the disciples into the world to do the same thing. They will tell the Good News and go about the Father's business. Just as Jesus was sent here to save the world, He sends us to do the same through Him. PRAYER Lord, make me a disciple to spread Your Good News. I want to continue the work You started on this earth. Amen.

  NIGHT PRAYER Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. From: Ezekiel 38:23 INSPIRATION The best movie heroes are the ones who are kind of low, key. We see this good guy, who is kind to old people and animals, who does the right thing always, but who tends to be underestimated. Then there comes this moment in the movie when the hero rises to the occasion. He seems larger than life; he fills up the screen. Then we really see him for who he is, who he has been all along. That is the God that we see in this passage. The Mighty God who rises up and makes Himself known. When He is finished, all the nations will know that He is Lord. PRAYER Father, You are holy and Mighty. You are the Lord God Almighty. You are known in the sight of many nations and You are the Lord, my God. Amen.

  NIGHT PRAYER Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?0r when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. From: Matthew 25:37-40 INSPIRATION This passage is generally used to help people understand our role as Christians towards the "hungry,' "thirsty, "'naked," "sick," and imprisoned people in our world. It should note that everyone of these situations was experienced by Christ Himself, though at the particular moment, He is speaking prophetically. He explains that every kind of thing we do for people (in this case, His "brothers" or disciples) is the equívalent of doing the same for Christ. It is a call to us ...

  NIGHT PRAYER That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: From: Ephesians 1:17 INSPIRATION When we first come to Christ, it is usually an emotionally charged union. Our repentance and our joy combine often to create tears as we pray for forgiveness and receive our salvation. As young believers, our exuberance and our passion for Christ are boundless and our zeal buoys us to action. Eventually, however, this type of emotionalism dies out and unless we are firmly rooted in the Word of God, we are lost again. The scripture exhorts us to gain knowledge of God so that His Word may be revealed to us. It is the Word of God that roots us in our salvation. Without it, we are too easily led astray. That is why Bible study is so important. The more we study, the more we know God. The more we know God, the stronger the bond that ties us to Him. PRAYER Father, help me to study Your word, so that I ma...

  NIGHT PRAYER Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: From: Matthew 7:7 INSPIRATION Ask. Seek. Knock. Three one word commands. Each one more intense than the other. Standing before the "door," in this case, the door to good things. This passage is about not giving up. When we truly want something, we are persistent. Every child knows this. "No" is the starting point. A determined child can turn around a parent's "no" in record time. Persistence pays off. So, in seeking God, be persistent. This verse is followed by a promise from Christ that everyone who asks receives, everyone who seeks will find, and everyone who knocks will have the door opened. That being said, what are you waiting for? Ask. Seek. Knock. PRAYER Lord Jesus, You have promised me that if I am persistent, I will have the desires of my heart. You are faithful to honor Your promises. Help me to be courageous enough to ask for and s...

  NIGHT PRAYER Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. From: Proverbs 31:8 INSPIRATION As children of God, made in His image, we are to be His representatives on this earth. Just as He defends those who cannot defend themselves, so must we. We have an ironclad obligation to speak up when we see those who are "dumb," meaning those who have no voice for themselves. These could be unborn babies, children, the disabled, older adults, or animals. We have a voice compelled to use it. When we see someone being bullied or mistreated in any way, we are to speak up. We are called to defend the defenseless, just as God defends Us. PRAYER Father, give me the boldness to speak up for those who have no voice. Give me the wisdom to say what needs to be said, when it needs to be said. Help me never to look away from helpless people, but to act on their behalf, just as You have acted on my behalf. Amen.

  NIGHT PRAYER For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, From: Philippians 1:19 INSPIRATION In this passage, Paul rejoices, though he is in prison. He proclaims that, whatever the motive people have for proclaiming Christ, He is still being proclaimed. And Paul rejoices in this. His "distress" has advanced the cause of Christ. Instead of complaining and lamenting his imprisonment, he sees it as a tool that will bring attention to Christ. Celebrities have a saying: "There's no such thing as bad publicity." Any publicity, negative or positive, brings attention to the celebrity and makes him even more famous. This is Paul's attitude towards this negative position he finds himself in. Though he is suffering, Christ is still in the spotlight. And to Paul this is all that matters. PRAYER Lord, let me be like Paul. Through my trials, let me point the light, not at myself, but towards You. Let ...

  NIGHT PRAYER But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. From: 1 Corinthians 2:9 INSPIRATION The world is full of things to see. Even if you aren't a world traveler, all you have to do is hop online and you can see it all. Whatever your mind can imagine, you can probably find it on the internet. You can literally see just about anything online, if you search long enough. Nothing is left to the imagination anymnore. How amazing is it then, that what God has prepared for us is greater than anything that our eyes have seen or our ears have heard? It is even greater than anything we could have imagined in our hearts! Our God is a creative God. What he has in store for us is so far beyond anything we can ever think about! How exciting to know that we "ain't seen nothing yet"! PRAYER Father, I am filled with anticipation at the thought of what You have prepar...

  NIGHT PRAYER Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? From: Psalms 85:6 INSPIRATION Church folks love a good old fashioned revival. Guest speakers, special music, late nights, wonderful God experiences. Pastors usually call for revivals as a type of "booster shot" for the church. Revivals help to direct some much needed spiritual energy into the weary saints of God. But some revivals last for weeks, months, and years. It is in those places that God is truly reviving or "bringing back to life" dead hearts and souls. This prayer is a prayer for the believer whose soul is parched. It is a prayer of someone desperate to experience the joy of the heart. A prayer for revival is a prayer for renewal in the mind, heart and soul of the believer. PRAYER Father, revive me. Fill my heart and soul with a new understanding of You. Where I have poured out to others in Your name, pour out to me. Let the revival in my heart spark a revival in those aroun...

  NIGHT PRAYER Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. From: 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 INSPIRATION Here Paul shares a "mystery" with the church at Corinth. He tells them that they will not all sleep but they will be "changed." He reveals the plan. In the "twinkling of an eye" the dead will be raised and the living will be "changed". He is talking about what Christians commonly refer to as "The Rapture." Though the word "rapture" itself is not found in the Bible, the references to this "lifting up" are many. Paul seeks to give hope to his listeners as he explains how believers will be transformed when Christ returns to claim us. We will be...

  NIGHT PRAYER But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: From: 1 Corinthians 1:30 INSPIRATION We are connected to God in a very real way. Through Christ, we are connected to God's wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Everything that God is, we are because of our blood bond with Christ. The attributes of God, become our attributes, as well. The connection established between God and His child is permanent and unbreakable. PRAYER Father, thank you for the connection with you that we are given through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Praise be on you today and every day of my life, and let me never forget all of the blessings that are given me by You. In Jesus' name, amen.

NIGHT PRAYER The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom. From: Proverbs 10:21 INSPIRATION In these verses, we are once again told to "trust in the Lord." Every time we are reminded of this, we are also given a promise. In this case, we are promised that God will bring forth our "righteousness" and our "judgment." When we commit ourselves to the Lord, we put our cares in His hands. We trust Him to maintain our reputation. We no longer have to justify ourselves to anyone. We don't have to worry about any aspersions people may cast on us. He has it covered. If we but trust Him, we can stop wasting time trying to prove ourselves to other people and let God Himself bring our story to light. PRAYER Father, save me from the need to justify myself to others. Help me to stop worrying so much about how others see me. Instead, let me commit myself to You. Help me to trust You to take care of my reputation. Let others say whatever they w...