Xtreme Daily Bible Study
Monday, November 30th
Written by Kyle Shultz
Luke 18:1, 8
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?
“I have tried praying but nothing ever happens.” If you’ve felt this way, raise your hand. It can be a struggle trying to understand why God says in His Word to ask and keep on asking when it doesn’t turn out how we want. What’s the point of praying if it doesn’t turn out “right”? If the only reason you’re praying to God is that He make things turn out the way you want, than you’re missing the point. Am I saying that it’s pointless to pray for things we want? Not at all. God made us with needs and He wants to and will fill those needs. What Jesus is saying in this passage is that there’s more to praying than just getting what we want. As a matter of fact that is such a base form of prayer that we’ll miss the big picture if our needs is all we see. We live in a physical world, and prayer is an act of faith. Prayer is the exercise that brings us out of depending on the physical and focusing on the Lord in the spiritual. Prayer just based on our wants keeps the focus on us, which is not a true prayer. It’s complaining. Prayer brings all of ourselves in line with Him and makes us fit to walk our lives in faith. That is the ultimate goal of prayer, and that is what Jesus is looking for when we pray, that our faith in Him be made complete. By all means, make known your desires to Him. But leave them at His feet and discipline yourself to focus on Him.
Extra time in the Word Luke 18
Sunday, November 29th
Written by Bill Scott
1 Peter 5:7
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. (NLT)
So the question today is why are you worried? Some of you have lost sleep this week over something huh? Some of you are having a tough time eating or just being joyful. Satan is here to steal your joy, rest and peace. There are times in my own life when I do not give my worries to God. For some stupid reason I would rather hang onto them and just lose sleep, get depressed, not eat, live in fear etc… It’s a choice to give your worries to God, it’s your choice! God cares for you more than you’ll ever know. He said if you’ll give your worries to God that he’ll care for you. God loves you and has promised you peace, not fear. Today you need to choice, keep your worries or trade them for God’s peace. What choice are you going to make today?
Extra time in the Word 1 Peter 5
Saturday, November 28th
Written by Kyle Shultz
Luke 16:31
But he said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”
This is a powerful reminder that still applies to us today. Today’s verse is at the end of the story of the beggar Lazarus and a rich man. The rich man died and was tormented in Hades while the beggar Lazarus died and went to Sheol (Paradise). The rich man cried out to Abraham, who he could see in Paradise, and begged that someone from the dead go back and warn his brothers of the horrors of the torment he was in. He wanted his lost brothers to see an amazing supernatural sign that proved that the Truth was worth believing. Abraham told this man that if they were not willing to believe based on the trustworthiness of God, it wouldn’t matter what sign was given. While I am a firm believer that we need to be witnesses of the Light given to us, I have another application in mind. Many of us are believers, and we want God to give us a great sign so that we can be awakened in our love for Him. If you’re waiting for a sign to bring you back to God, you’re acting in the way that God will not perform. That is how this man in the story wished for his brothers to get saved. The way to a reviving has always been the same, and it’s coming to Him based on Who He says He is. That is why we must be in His Word daily asking Him to make us teachable and begging Him to make us sensitive to Him and His leading.
Extra time in the Word Luke 16
Friday, November 27th
Written by Janet Scott
Psalm 119:133
Order my steps in your word; and don’t let iniquity have dominion over me.
David was a “man after God’s own heart” the Bible says, so how do you think that happened? Do you think God just made him special that way? David obviously spent time reading the Word of God he had to have spent time really getting to know who God is in order to be “like” Him! Have you ever had a friend that you were just so close to that people started to say that you acted like twins? Or, have you ever seen a couple that are married and they seem to even look alike? They have gotten to know each other so well they seem to have taken on each others looks and that is how we need to be with God. When we are in God’s Word, The Bible, which keep in mind we have even more than David did to be able to know God, we will be able to have our steps ordered by God just like David did and we will be able to resist old habits and temptations easier as well! Take the time today to get in your Bible and study it more. If you need a Devotional book email us at office@xtrlive.com and I will send you one as long as they last, I do have a limited number of them left so email me right away.
Extra time in the Word Psalm 119:1-25
Thursday, November 26th
Written by Kyle Shultz
Luke 17:15-17
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
This is the story of the ten lepers that Jesus healed. The other nine went to the priest to show that they were clean so they could return to society and be outcasts no more. The other one looked past himself and saw that the Lord had touched him and he went back to give him thanks for His mercy. If you read the whole passage, you’ll see that Jesus is impressed with this Samaritan for his gratitude. Thankfulness is a choice that we make, much like that of faith. It’s choosing to put the idea aside that we deserve anything. The main quality in someone that’s unthankful is that they expect their needs to be met because they deserve it. Truth is there is not one thing we deserve when we realize who God is and see how much we don’t measure up. Thankfulness is simply being aware that all we have is given from Him and expressing gratitude for His kindness to us. If you’re focused on your wants, that’s a sign of ungratefulness. We’ve been given everything we need in salvation, and He promises to take care of our earthly needs. By all needs we should lift those needs to Him, but confidently knowing He’s looking out for our best interest and will provide in His time. Ask yourself this question, “Is there anything you really can do on your own without the help of God?” Whatever you find God having His hand on in helping you, thank Him for that.
Extra time in the Word Luke 17
Wednesday, November 25th
Written by Bill Scott
Isaiah 46:3-4
“Listen to me, all you who are left in Israel. I created you and have cared for you since before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime–until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” (NLT)
The promise God made Israel is for you today as well. God has cared for you even before you were born and he promises he’ll continue throughout your life time. Why is it that when tough times come we often feel as though God will not provide? We can look back and see all the times he was there for us but when the next tough moment arrives we are ready to give up. God has promised he will take care of us for a life time, until your hair turns white. God even promises us that he will carry you and save you. There are times in life when things are so tough that we actually need the Lord to pick us up to carry us and good news. He has promised to do actually that. Do not let fear steal the promise that God has given you in their verse today. Let this devotional be a reminder how much God loves you and that he will care for you, even through this most difficult time.
Extra time in the Word Isaiah 47
Tuesday, November 24th
Written by Kyle Shultz
Isaiah 45:19
I am the Lord, and there is no other, I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’” I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
There are a million times that we think that God is not here and that He can’t be reached. Those times when things don’t go our way, we get upset with Him. We’ll think in our hearts, “I deserve better than this. I try to do what’s right, but God isn’t returning a favor.” Now we may not say those exact words, but we sure think along those lines.
I once heard a man of God say that it was his firm belief that all things are naturally wrong in us until God makes them right. If you think about that, you’d have to say that he’s right. If sin has effected every area in our life, we have to be retrained. Now God has forgiven us, and the power of sin is not over us, but the effects of sin will take a lifelong journey of rewiring, mind renewing, and heart reviving to undo in us. God is always reaching out to us, He makes His way very clear. What we don’t like is that His way is hard. It goes against our nature. We want to be in control, and that’s the first thing that has to go in order to follow Him. He’s not hiding. He’s right there with you. Do you want Him on His terms?
Extra time in the Word Isaiah 46
Monday, November 23rd
Written by Janet Scott
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
That is pretty simple instruction for how to be in the will of God. That is our “whole duty”, to keep God’s commandments! Jesus was even more specific in the New Testament when He was asked which of the commandments were the most important He said these two, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind and second is like it, “love your neighbor as yourself”. If you set your priorities with those two commands in mind, the rest of your lifetime priorities will fall into place. God tries to make things very simple to follow, we are the ones who complicate things! Think about it! If you love God and other people the way you should then it will cut out a lot of things you might do wrong. You will find the will of God for your life because you will be spending the time with Him that you need to, whether it is in your Bible or at your Church. When you truly love someone you want to spend as much time with them as possible. It isn’t a “duty” to hang with someone you love it is something you desire. The same is true with God, when you love Him with your whole heart, mind and soul, you want to spend more time with Him in any way you can and the more time you spend with Him the more you will fall in love with Him!
Extra time in the Word Ecclesiastes 12
Sunday, November 22nd
Written by Bill Scott
Ecclesiastes 11:5 (MSG)
“Just as you’ll never understand the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman, so you’ll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does.”
Even doctors do not understand the miracle of a baby forming in a pregnant woman. This is truly a medical mystery. We should never try to understand the mystery for God working in our lives. You can be certain today that God is working in your life and on your behalf. I am personally waiting for God to do some great things in my life and yet I don’t understand the timing and how he is going to bring things full circle in my life. People haven’t stopped having babies because they cannot figure out how life grows in a mother, they just accept it. We should not stop trusting God because we cannot figure out how he works, we need to accept it and be blessed by what he does for us. God delights in you today and is at work on your behalf so don’t give up! The best is yet to come.
Extra time in the Word Ecclesiastes 11
Saturday, November 21st
Written by Kyle Shultz
Isaiah 45:22
Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
Has it ever hit you that God is really beyond human reasoning? I went to a service recently with over a thousand people offering praise and prayers to the Lord, and He heard every single one of them. If you’ve ever taken a mission’s trip to another country and gone to a service, it does something to you to see people of a completely different culture, completely foreign to you and still worshipping the Lord Who saved them. Has it ever struck you that there is none His equal? Sure we can get distracted with things and people may rise to power and seem invincible. Over time, armies and world powers that conquered the entire known world eventually crumbled. God says in His Word that He held those leaders hand in giving them what authority and power they had. This God that has no equal and is God in Guatemala, France, Afghanistan, and Zaire is the same God that looks out for you. We need to take our eyes off our own little world and catch glimpses of just how big He really is.
Extra time in the Word Isaiah 45
