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Today's Battle Drill Devotional: God Wants You to Live with a Clear Conscience   Search me, O God, and know my heart;     test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you,     and lead me along the path of everlasting life. (Psalm 139:23-24)   Read Psalm 139:1-24. In the brilliant television comedy series, Yes, Prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s Principal Private Secretary, Bernard, is in conversation with the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby about what he should put in some Committee Minutes. Sir Humphrey asks him what he wants. Bernard replies, “I want to have a clear conscience.” Sir Humphrey snaps back, “And when did you acquire this taste for luxury?”   Click on this link - https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ak_QYEqdXpfKoMww3lQiEkB-6Mab4w?e=WhyCC0 - to read more of this devotional, or listen below.   Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: God Knows Your Intentions   You know what I am going to say     even before I say it, Lord. (Psalm 139:4)   Read Psalm 139:1-24. Have you ever said to someone, “ Don’t say it! I know what you’re going to say!” Usually, it’s someone we’ve gotten to know well – perhaps our spouse, another family member or perhaps a co-worker we’ve worked closely with for a number of years. When we know someone well enough, we think we can complete their sentences for them!   Click on this link to read more of this devotional, or listen below.   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.  

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: God Knows Your Thoughts and He Wants to Help You Manage Them    You know when I sit down or stand up.     You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. (Psalm 139:2)   Read Psalm 139:1-24. How would you feel if you were pursued throughout the day with a speech bubble above your head revealing to everyone each thought you had? I’m not sure I would ever want that to happen!   Click on this link to read more of this devotional, or listen below.   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.  

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: God Knows Your Weaknesses, and He Still Loves You!   O Lord, you have examined my heart     and know everything about me. (Psalm 139:1)   Read Psalm 139:1-24. One of our deepest fears is that if others were ever to see us as we really are, then they would reject us. It is a fear that causes many of us to pretend to be someone we’re not, to wear a mask in front of other people.   That fear extends to God. We fear a God who knows everything about us. We are reluctant to be known so well by anyone, let alone our Creator. He has watched us all along. He sees our comings and goings. He knows when we have been faithful to him. He also knows when we have shown nothing but faithlessness. If that’s the case, then how can he love us?   But he does! God is always good. He could never reject us. He remains present with us. He fully knows and loves us. We can trust him even when we let him down. If we come to him and confess our wrongdoing he receives us. He never rejects us.   God knows our weaknesses. He still loves us. He’s a good Father, and in the end, that’s all that matters.   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: How does it feel to know that you don’t need to pretend with God?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: God Knows Everything About You, and He Loves You   O Lord, you have examined my heart     and know everything about me. (Psalm 139:1)   This week we are reminded our God is an all-knowing God, and that’s good news! It means we can call on him whenever we need direction and hope.   Read Psalm 139:1-24. God knows everything about you. Everything! Does that fill you with fear or fill you with hope?   The psalmist tells us that God knows everything we do: when we sit down, when we stand up and when we lie down. When we’re travelling and when we’re at home resting. Even when we are thinking! And not only does he know what we are doing, he is able to understand and evaluate our motives behind what we are doing, much better than we can ever do ourselves.   There is a sense of impending judgment in these words as God “examines” us. But the general spirit of the psalm is one of trust rather than fear. The psalmist finds God’s all-pervasive knowledge comforting as well as demanding. It is precisely because God is all-knowing that the psalmist has a profound sense that God loves him and is in a deep, personal relationship with him.   God knows your faults and your failures. He knows your feelings and your frustrations. You don’t have to pretend to him. You can leave them all with God because he loves you. Now that’s good news, isn’t it?   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: God knows you in every possible way. Is that good or bad news to you? Why?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.  

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: Above All, Your Love Will be Your Legacy   She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. (Matthew 26:12)   Read Matthew 26:6-13. It may have been expensive. It may have been a family heirloom. But Mary’s decision to anoint Jesus with expensive perfume would have meant nothing if it was not given in love.   Mary could have made her sacrifice in expectation that Jesus would give something back to her in return. She could have poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ head because she felt guilty about something. She could have done it for attention – after all, she chose to do it in the middle of meal in someone else’s house! But love was the motivation for her giving. Jesus – who knows our deepest motivations – said so. He said that what she did was a good thing. He said that she had done it to prepare his body for burial – perhaps the most loving thing someone can do for someone else. He said that because her sacrifice was given in love, her deed would be remembered and discussed.   Today, almost 2,000 years later, it is still an example for all of us. If we don’t give out of love, then nothing we give will matter. If we give in love, then it will be remembered.   So, let’s pledge to give our lives away for others. As we do so in love, God and they will remember our sacrifice.   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: What do others say about how you show your love to others?   Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.  

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: People Will Remember the Way You Served Them   I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.” (Matthew 26:13)   Read Matthew 26:6-13. What are you good at? What capabilities has God given you? Whatever they are, they have been given to you not for your own benefit, but to benefit others. When you serve others, they remember.   Mary used what God had given her to serve her Master, Jesus. As he faced the long and lonely road to Calvary, where he would make the ultimate sacrifice for you and for me on the cross, Mary discerned that he should be anointed with the expensive perfume that God had placed under her stewardship. How soothing it must have been for Jesus as the expensive ointment flowed down his body from his head. What love he must have felt pouring from Mary as she served him in this way. Jesus said her service – her giving – would be remembered.   Whatever capabilities and abilities God has given you, the best thing you can do with them is to give them back to him by serving others with them. You can use them for the purpose for which God gave them to you. One day God is going to ask you what you did with what he gave you. How did you use your abilities? Did you make a living with them? Did you serve others? How wonderful it will be if he is able to interrupt you and remember that “whatever you did for the least of these … you did for me”! (Matthew 25:40).   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: How can you show God you are using your abilities to serve others rather than yourself?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: Your Generosity Will Stick in People's Minds   While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. (Matthew 26:7)   Read Matthew 26:6-13. How much are you willing to give to others? Are you miserly with your time, money, or other resources? Or are you willing to sacrifice your time, money, and resources to give to others? People remember those who make sacrifices for them.   Mary sacrificed a great deal to show her love to Jesus by anointing him with expensive perfume. The alabaster jar she carried it in was beautiful. It likely had a long, slender neck and was carved from translucent gypsum. It was beautiful and expensive. The pure and genuine nard from the mountains of India was also very expensive. We don’t know how Mary came to possess it, but it could have been a family heirloom. But she loved Jesus so much she was prepared to break the vase and pour all the ointment on Jesus’ head. It was a royal anointing, suitable for her Messiah. Jesus made it clear her sacrifice would be remembered and discussed, and now it appears in our holy scripture.   There is always a cost in giving to someone else. We must be prepared to give up our resources – time, money, talents, whatever – to give them to others. We must be willing to make sacrifices if we are going to be agents of healing in the world.   We may or may not be called to give the ultimate sacrifice. But every time we sacrifice something for the benefit of someone else, that deed will be remembered – both by the other person and by Jesus himself.   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: How do you use your worldly resources to benefit others?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: Your Blessing Will be Remembered   I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.” (Matthew 26:13)   Read Matthew 26:6-13. All of us remember people who are generous towards us. People who can’t wait to bless us because God has blessed them. Whether it’s their time, money, or other resources they share with us, we remember their generosity.   The woman who anointed Jesus’ head with expensive perfume from her beautiful alabaster jar was certainly generous. The perfume is described in Mark’s gospel as pure nard, a fragrant ointment imported from the mountains of India. It was very expensive! Mary was nothing but radically generous with what she had.   What if you and I were as radically generous? What if our Salvation Army corps and churches were as radically generous? We are all responsible for what God has given us. But his blessings are not to be hoarded for ourselves. They are to be shared with others. We can use the resources God has given us – individually and corporately – to make an impact. A Kingdom impact. We can make an impact in our families, amongst our friends, in our neighbourhood, in our community, in our school or workplace and in the world at large. Christians and the Christian church can be remembered for their radical generosity. We have been blessed! Let’s be a blessing to others.   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: What’s one practical step you can take this week to be radically generous towards someone? There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: Your Gratitude Will be Memorable   While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. (Matthew 26:7)   This week we ask ourselves, what will we be remembered for? What will our legacy be?   Read Matthew 26:6-13. Do you know someone who always shows gratitude in everything they do? It is so beautiful! A gift to those around them. Something they will be remembered for.   The woman who anointed Jesus during a meal at Simon the Leper’s house in Bethany certainly showed her gratitude. She is identified in John’s gospel as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She had much to be grateful for! She was a long-time follower of Jesus, sitting at his feet and learning about the Kingdom of God from him. She believed Jesus was Messiah, the Saviour of the world. Jesus had raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead.   Her decision to take a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and pour it over Jesus’ head was a sacrifice of praise. In doing this, she was proclaiming who she knew Jesus to be and how thankful she was for his presence in her life. Jesus says it is an act that will be remembered and discussed. Sure enough, here we are nearly 2,000 years later remembering what she did that day. That’s the power of an attitude of gratitude!   We have much to thank God for today too. An attitude of gratitude is contagious. As we show gratitude to God and to others around us, it catches on! Others begin to do it too. People remember someone who shows gratitude to them.   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: What are you grateful for today?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.  

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: Revel in Your Calling!   Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. (Mark 3:14)   Read Mark 3:13-19. Little did Jesus’ apostles know when he called and appointed them, but they were about to embark on a lifetime journey of adventure when they said “yes” to him.   And that’s what happens when you accept that Jesus has chosen and called you too. It’s an adventure. It’s exciting. It is something to be enjoyed! When you are using your God-given talents, abilities, and skills for him, you know you are in the right place doing the right thing. When you follow the passion of your heart that he has given you, you have a sense of fulfilment that nothing else can bring. When you are using the spiritual gifts God has given you, then you know you are fulfilling your life purpose.   We don’t serve God out of a sense of duty. We don’t work for God because he forces us to. We don’t answer his call because we feel guilty. We do it all because we know he loves us, and we want to learn to love him back. When we do what God has called us to do, it brings glory to him!   What has God called you to do? Whatever it is, say yes and do it! And find the greatest joy available on earth. It’s the only way to truly live!   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: What steps can you take today to accept that Jesus has chosen you and to answer his call to work towards your purpose in life?   Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: Trust Jesus to Help You Find Your Calling   These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter), James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him). (Mark 3:16-19)   Read Mark 3:13-19. Are you ever tempted to reject Jesus’ calling? Do you ever think Jesus can’t have chosen me?   Most of us have things we don’t like about ourselves. They might be to do with the way we look physically. Or perhaps it’s about the abilities and gifts we have – perhaps we’re tempted sometimes to compare ourselves to others. Or it might be a character flaw or a habit we just don’t seem to be able to get rid of.   But Jesus chose you and called you with your strengths and your weaknesses. Look at the twelve men he chose and called to be his apostles! He called Simon the Rock, but he was anything but! What do you imagine was behind the nickname “Sons of Thunder?” Matthew was a hated tax collector. Thomas doubted he even believed in Jesus. Simon was a political troublemaker. And Judas? Well, Judas betrayed him.   The reason many Christians fail to answer Jesus’ call is that they just don’t trust him. They just don’t trust that he loves them, that he has chosen and called them. They don’t believe he has a purpose for their lives. All this can prevent them from being the person God has made them to be.   But Jesus does love you. He has chosen you and he is calling you. Will you believe that today? Will you trust him to help you fulfil your life purpose?   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: What have you always wanted to change about yourself? How do you think Jesus might use that to help fulfil his calling on your life?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.  

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: You Have a God-Given Gift to Bless Others   Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. (Mark 3:13)   Read Mark 3:13-19. As a Christian, the Holy Spirit has given you at least one special ability to help fulfil God’s calling on your life.   The moment you accepted that Jesus had chosen you, the moment you answered his call, and came to him, he saved you. He forgave you for all the wrong things you have done in your life. He gave you eternal life. He gave you the gift of his Holy Spirit to help you become more like him and as a witness to your salvation. And he gave you at least one special ability with which to serve him and other people.   We call these special abilities “spiritual gifts.” There are several of them, dotted throughout the New Testament, but they are all given to help you do what Jesus has chosen you for and called you to do.   Sadly, most Christians don’t know what their spiritual gifts are, and as a Christian leader I must take my share of the responsibility for that. But you have at least one, and if you don’t know what it is, then I urge you to discover what it is. There are small group courses like Network you can take, and assessments or questionnaires you can complete. Ask your spiritual leader for some help.   Once you know what your spiritual gifts are, God doesn’t expect you to keep them to yourself. They should be used to benefit other people! I can be blessed by your spiritual gifts (which may be different to mine), and you can be blessed by mine.    Perhaps the biggest blessing in your life is when you are using your spiritual gifts to bless others and fulfilling Jesus’ calling on your life. Why not take a step towards that today?   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: How are you using your spiritual gifts today to bless others?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.  

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: God Doesn't Call the Equipped - He Equips the Called   Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, giving them authority to cast out demons. (Mark 3:14-15)   Read Mark 3:13-19. Jesus has chosen and called you for a life purpose. But he doesn’t wait until you say “yes” before he equips you for it.   God did not create you without a purpose. He knew what he was choosing for you and calling you to do before he created you. God’s calling on your life is to fulfil that life purpose. We were not meant to be spectators. We’re not here just to breathe in the air and use up resources!   Jesus has chosen and called you to work, just as he did his first disciples. As you look at the abilities, talents and skills God has given you, as you sense the passion he has laid on your heart, as you discover the spiritual gifts he has given you, you can begin to discover what your life purpose is.   It might be a job. It might be a career. It might be to serve your family. It might be to help your community. But whatever your abilities, talents, skills, passions, and spiritual gifts are pointing to, that’s God’s purpose for your life.   And the best thing you can do is to fulfil it! Life is too short to do anything else! If you have not yet answered Jesus’ call, if you are not doing what you have been chosen for, then ask God to open doors to allow you to do it. Don’t waste another minute doing something Jesus has not chosen or called you for.   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: What do you think God has chosen you for? Do you need to make changes to do it more effectively?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: Why Has Jesus Called You?   Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. (Mark 3:14)   This week we focus on Jesus’ calling. How we discover it and how Jesus wants us to use our talents, skills, abilities, passions, and gifts to serve him and connect with others.   Read Mark 3:13-19. Jesus has chosen and called you for a purpose. Do you know what it is? If you haven’t discovered it yet, how do you find out?   God designed you with talents, abilities, and skills. He has put a particular passion in your heart and as a Christian, he has given you at least one spiritual gift so you can serve others. Jesus doesn’t expect you to follow someone else’s calling. He doesn’t choose you to fulfil someone else’s purpose.   God made you to be you and no-one else. Jesus has chosen you for a specific calling, a divine purpose. A calling is not just for Salvation Army officers! Everyone has been called by Jesus. Your God-given abilities, talents and skills, the passion he has placed on your heart and the spiritual gifts he has given you are all a clue to your life’s calling, your purpose, your mission in life.   Once you’ve spotted the clues, are you ready to accept your calling?   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: What do you think Jesus wants you to do with your life? Are you doing it?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.  

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: You Reflect Our Relational God   Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26)   Read Genesis 1:1-2:3. As a human being designed to connect with others, you reflect the image of the God who desires to connect. You are not exactly like God. But you do reflect both his glory and his character. And a major part of his character is the desire to connect with others. He has planted that same desire in each one of us. We have an innate need to connect with God and with other human beings.   As we do what we are designed to do and develop deep and lasting relationships with each other, we reflect his love in the love we have for each other. As we are patient with those who sometimes irritate us, we reflect God’s infinite patience with us. As we forgive others when they hurt us and cause us pain, so we reflect God’s willingness to forgive every wrong thing we have done in our lives. As we show kindness to each other, we reflect God’s kindness and care for us. And as we are faithful to each other, we reflect God’s faithfulness through all time.   When we see and connect with another being, we should remember that person is also made in God’s image. No one is made more in the image of God than another. We should not define others’ identity by culture, experience, or environment. Each person has an innate worth because they are God’s image bearers too. May our connections – our relationships – bear that out, today and every day.   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: How can you let someone know today that they are valuable to God and to you?   Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: You are Designed to be Relational   Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26)   Read Genesis 1:1-2:3. God made you in his image and designed you to connect. Have you ever noticed how God uses the plural when he says, “Let us make human beings in our image”? What does this mean? Some have argued it is regal language – the “royal we,” like Queen Victoria stating, “We are not amused.” Some suggest that God was consulting with the angels of heaven, but this is not borne out elsewhere in the Bible.   Whilst the original writer of Genesis nor the original hearers of the creation account would not have understood it this way, as God continued to reveal himself to human beings through the rest of the Scriptures, Christians can now see the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – all of whom are God discussing the creation of humanity together. Genesis 1 clearly mentions God the Father and God the Spirit in the creation account, and at the beginning of his gospel, John echoes “In the beginning God …” by declaring that “In the beginning was the Word” – Jesus.   In the beauty and mystery of the Trinity, God continually reveals himself in the plural, and we discover that God himself is relational. Our God is a connecting and connected God. And designed in his image, we are designed to connect too – with God and with each other. You were not designed to walk alone!   The best way to fulfil your destiny to connect with others is in a local church family. Your church family can protect and support and help you become the person God designed you to be. Life is about deep and lasting relationships. God is love and he created you in his image to learn to love him and to love others with his love.   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: Who are the people in your life who walk with you and support you? How could you connect with them today?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: God is Actively Watching Over You Today   The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)   Read Genesis 1:1-2:3. The Bible has many pictures of the ways God cares for and protects you. For example, it describes God as like a mother bird caring for and protecting her young (see Deuteronomy 32:11-12 and Isaiah 31:5). But right at the beginning of the Bible, in the account of God’s creation of the universe, we have this picture of his Holy Spirit hovering over the surface of the waters. God’s Spirit was actively involved in the creation of the heavens and the earth. And he is still actively involved in our world today. Through his Holy Spirit, God continues to care for and protect you.   When you bring your hurt and your pain to God, his Spirit soothes you and shows compassion towards you. When you don’t know which way to turn, his Spirit will guide and lead you to the next step to take. If you are confused and feel as if you become disconnected from God, his Spirit is there to reconnect you. If you trust God to save you, then he will, and his Holy Spirit acts as the witness that you belong to God and are connected to him as his child. May you sense God’s Holy Spirit hovering over you as you face whatever today will bring.   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: Do you trust that God’s Spirit will never leave you and will always search for you if you wander away from him?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: God Places Great Value on You   So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)   Read Genesis 1:1-2:3. God chose to create you. You are loved by and valuable to God. The creation account in Genesis makes it clear that God chose to create the universe because he wanted to connect with a family to love. He placed human beings – you and me – on the earth so we could be his children. God loved you before the heavens and the earth were made and created you so he could connect with you and continue loving you for ever!   In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul declares: Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. (Ephesians 1:4-5)   If you ever feel unloved or rejected and long to be chosen, or if you ever suffer from a lack of self-worth or struggle with your identity, then know this today: God loves you, God has chosen you and you are accepted by him through Christ Jesus. That is your identity! You are a child of God. Take time to connect with God, your Father and rest in these truths today.   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: How does knowing you’re loved and accepted by God make you feel?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.  

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: Our Creator Designed Everything to Connect   In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)   This week we consider how everything God created – including you and me – is designed to connect with each other.   Read Genesis 1:1-2:3. Have you ever stopped to think how incredible it is that everything in our universe fits and works together? The very beginning of the Bible starts with the very simple yet profound statement that God created the heavens and the earth. Our faith is tested by only the fourth word into the Scriptures!   The galaxy we live in is vast! It is spinning at a speed of about 490,000 miles an hour, but it still takes it over 200 million years just to make one rotation. And there are at least another one trillion galaxies like ours in the universe.   The number of stars in the universe is more than all the grains of sand on the beaches of the world. But this complex sea of spinning stars functions with remarkable order and efficiency. There would be disastrous consequences if just one of the features of the universe were to get seriously out of kilter. If all that is true, then it seems to me that it takes more faith to believe that anything other than God is behind it all. God really did create this universe and he is worthy of our worship and praise.   The connectedness of the universe reveals something of this God. He is relational. He wants to connect with his creation. God did not need to create the universe; he chose to do so. God’s creation of the universe, this earth, and its people – you and me – is an expression of his love. As you move through creation today, marvel once again that God created it all because he loves you!   THINK IT OVER Think about the following: Where is your favourite place to “get away from it all” and connect with your Creator?   There's a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday. Head to https://battledrilldevotional.podbean.com for more details and to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.