DEVO T I ONA L

7 D A Y S

W I T H

G O D

BY PASTOR SAMMY LOPEZ

7 Days with God Devotional

By Pastor Sammy Lopez

DAY ONE

Psalm 46:1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we

will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of

the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.”1

As we are living in times of uncertainty, it’s always refreshing to know that we have a God who

is both a refuge and a source of strength! It is in Him and Him alone that we find our covering

when trouble comes. Whether through illness, diseases, financial struggles, conflicts at home, or

uncertainty of tomorrow, our God is our “Machseh”! Being that the Lord is our Refuge

(Machseh), this means that He is our shelter and our hope. We have the assurance that as long as

we belong to the Lord our hope is in Him and Him alone! He is also our strength. It is when we

feel powerless and insufficient that His strength is made perfect in our weakness.2 Often times

the Lord allows us to come across moments of testing so that we can in turn see His power at

work and experience His strength! This is why we walk through these uncertain days without

fear, because we know that our God is our covering and strength that lets us press on another

day.

Prayer of the Day: “Father God thank you for being my refuge and my strength. For it is in You

that I find my safety. I ask You that as I begin a new week that You will guide me and allow me

to see Your power at work and experience Your strength during these uncertain days. In Jesus

Name I pray…amen.

1 NASB Version 2 2 Corinthians 12:9

DAY TWO

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love

and discipline.”3

The word “timidity” is the word in Greek “Deilia”, which means a fearful cowardice. If we were

to put this verse in context, it would mean that our God did not give us or create us to be fearful

cowards, but to walk in power, love, and discipline! When reading articles on the web or

listening to information communicated by news sources, often times it is easy to find ourselves

giving into the fear of what we heard and what we see. However, God has placed in us His Spirit,

and His Spirit fears nothing or no one! His Spirit is one of power! We too have the “dunamis”

power given by the Lord. To have this power means we can overcome life’s challenges. Not

because of who we are but because of who He is in us. His Spirit is also one of love4. Which

means one of affection and goodwill. His affection and His goodness towards us should bring us

hope knowing that our lives are in His hands; and His hands are huge! It covers us and nothing

can take us out!5 His Spirit is also one of discipline6, which means self-control and of sound

mind. If not careful, fear can cause us to make unwise decisions and lose control of our ability to

think straight. This is why the Lord has given us a spirit of discipline so that in times of trials we

can make the right decisions without fear or losing our mind. May this day be a day that you put

fear under the blood of Jesus and walk in the unrelenting truth that you and I were given the

Spirit of the Lord!

Prayer of the Day: Father God, thank you for giving me Your Spirit that has not only sealed me

with promise but has also taken fear out of my vocabulary. Lord teach me to trust you in these

days so that my decisions will be wise, my reactions will be godly, and that my faith will be

seen. You receive praise today, for it is in Jesus Name that I pray…amen.

3 NASB Version 4 Agape- Greek word for Love 5 John 10:28 6 Sophronismos- Greek word of Discipline

DAY THREE

Luke 12:22-25 “And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry

about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is

more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor

reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you

are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?”7

In times like these, worry can be a major stress. Especially when we see and hear the bad news

of these past few weeks. Jesus, however, told His disciples to not worry about life, food, or

clothing. He also made reference to ravens how they don’t worry where they will get their

provisions because God is there provider. As the raven, we are encouraged to do likewise. Worry

is a paralyzer of our mind and our energy. When we worry, it gives way to stress, stress to

anxiety, and anxiety to depression. Jesus asks, which of us who worry can add a single hour to

our life’s span? If anything, worry can take hours from our lives and cause other ailments that

will bring us to worry even more! It’s best that we learn to take our worries and our anxieties and

place them before Jesus. Today, I challenge you to do 3 things when worry seems to find its way

to you. First, open up God’s Word and read! There is relief and healing in the reading of the

Scriptures. It’s good for the soul and can bring us back to serenity. Second, put your praise music

on blast! Whether it be contemporary worship or Christian hip-hop, find yourself worshiping the

Lord out loud so that your “worry” can hear you! Finally, get together with brothers and sisters

in Christ who can pray with you and for you. There is power in prayer and a cord of 3 strands is

not easily broken!8 Worry is not from God. Allow Him to bring freedom to you today so that

your worries will turn into peace!

Prayer of the Day: Father God, I know that worry does not come from You. In fact, it is a sin to

worry. So help me today to trust in You and in Your promises. May I take what worries me and

place it at Your feet and under the blood of Jesus so that I might walk in the freedom that comes

from You. Thank you for Your promises as I walk in them today. In Jesus Name I pray…amen.

7 NASB Version 8 Ecclesiastes 4:12

DAY FOUR

Psalms 4:8 “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in

safety.”

With so much on our minds or concerns that we have no control over, we can find it difficult to

rest much less get any sleep. One of the worst feelings is going to bed and getting no sleep.

What’s even worse, is getting sleep but no rest. Throughout the night we tossed and turned with

so much on our minds and hearts, just to wake up restless, groggy, in a bad mood, and taking it

out on everyone around us. God does not desire that for us. If anything He gives sleep to those in

whom He loves!9 He wants us to lie down, but to lie down in peace. He wants us to sleep, but to

sleep in peace. This comes when we recognize that the Lord is our safety! There is nothing we

can do apart from Him and His plan. Therefore, we can learn to lie down in peace and to sleep in

perfect peace. Our God is not only mighty to save but mighty to give us rest! This evening before

you lie down for bed, follow these 3 steps to prepare you for a peaceful sleep. First, turn off all

electronics or things that will stimulate your mind (television, cell phone, social media, etc.),

your day has been on mental overload already. Second, meditate on a scripture that you can

constantly quote while laying down (you will find yourself dozing off while you do). Finally,

instrumental worship music on a low volume can help us focus on the Lord while giving Him

praise until we drift off to sleep. Knowing that the Lord is our safety and that He never sleeps or

slumbers,10 allows us to sleep in peace, being aware of the very fact that He watches over us.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, as I go through the day with much to do, help me to come home

and to leave the worries of the day to You. I also ask that You be gracious to me and give me rest

and sleep this evening. Teach me how to sleep in Your presence being fully aware that you are

watching over my family and I. Thank you for your mercy, in Jesus Name…amen.

9 Psalms 127:2 10 Psalms 121:2-4

DAY FIVE

Psalms 130:5 “I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope.”

If you are an impatient person, one of the most difficult words to hear is the word “wait”. It’s

like when we were children and we are driving with our parents in the car; within five minutes

into the drive we scream from the back seat, “are we there yet”? Just to hear our parents telling

us to sit back and be quiet and that we’ll get there soon. The funny thing is that age has nothing

to do with impatience. I would venture to say that the older we get the more impatient we

become. This is why microwaves and fast-food restaurants are not as fast as they used to be!

Whether in the physical or the spiritual, waiting can be a difficult task. If anyone had to learn the

word “wait”, it was King David. He says that his “soul does wait”. The word soul in this context

means his desire, appetite, and emotion.11 David is saying that everything within him (desire,

appetite, emotion) will be disciplined to wait for the Lord. Even though he may have wanted an

answer or a response in his time, he was willing to wait for God’s time. How fitting this is,

especially as we are living in times when we need the Lord to move swiftly on our behalf now

more than ever! David also says that as he waits for the Lord, that his hope will be in His word.

One of the greatest ways of helping us wait on the Lord is to read His word and His promises.

His word will show us that He is never too late but always on time! So today, knowing that there

is much that we need, let us learn to discipline our soul while waiting on the Lord.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, teach me how to wait. Even when I want things done my way or

in my timing, show me that Your timing is better and that you are never late. I will trust you

while I wait and will live on the promises of Your word. In Jesus Name…amen.

11 Hebrew word for Soul is Nephesh

DAY SIX

1 Timothy 2:1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers,

petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority,

so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”12

One of the most powerful privileges we have is that of prayer. As followers of Christ, we have

direct access to the Lord. We can go before Him with boldness and confidence anytime we need

to.13 Prayer should not be seen as the absolute last resort to a problem, instead prayer should be

seen as the privilege that is given to us by God that allows us to have communion with Him.

Through the good times and through the trials, the apostle Paul encourages Timothy to pray to

the Lord on behalf of all men. One of the greatest gifts we can give someone is the gift of a

prayer request. When we go before the Lord on behalf of someone else’s need, we are obeying

one of the greatest commandments given to us which is to love our neighbor as we love

ourselves.14 The second encouragement Paul gives Timothy was to pray for “kings and all who

are in authority”. Unfortunately, we live in a country where politics takes precedent of prayer. If

we don’t agree with those in current authority, we find ourselves being critical about them on our

social media posts rather than placing them on our prayer lists! Our country more than ever

needs wisdom and peace. We receive that however when we pray for wisdom, direction, focus,

and protection upon those the Lord has placed in authority. Today will you join with the millions

of believers around our country and around the world and pray for the following. First, for other

believers. Second, for the lost. Third, for our country. Fourth, for the world. Fifth, for our first

responders. Sixth, for our military men and women. Seventh, for our president, governor, mayor,

and those in our House, Senate and city officials. Prayer is one of the greatest gifts we can give

someone in these times.

Prayer for the Day: Father God, on behalf of all humanity, leaders, and civilians, we ask of

Your to bless them today. Give wisdom to those who lead, protection for those who protect, and

peace to those who need You. Thank you for allowing us to have access to Your throne, and we

with confidence pray to You in the Name of Jesus…amen.

12 NASB 13 Hebrews 4:16 14 Mark 12:31

DAY SEVEN

Psalms 118:24 “This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”15

As we have gone through the week, we have experienced ups and downs, victories, and defeats.

Yet each day was a blessing and each moment was God-given! King David writes such an

amazing passage by reminding us that this day was given to us by the Lord. From the air we

breathe, the food on our table, to the roof over our head, our God is faithful and we will rejoice

and be glad in it! We don’t know what this day holds for us, but we know who holds it. We don’t

know what this day will bring to us, but we know who created it. It is with this in mind that

today is the day we will rejoice and be glad. Let us be glad for our family, for our relationships,

for our jobs (or the one we will one day get), for our church family, for the cross, for the

resurrection, and for the fact that one day Jesus will come back for His bride! This is the day He

has made, let us rejoice and be glad! As you begin the day, write out on a journal or wherever

you take notes, seven things that you are thankful for. Let us be thankful, for our God is faithful!

Prayer of the Day: Father God, I thank you for this day that You have given to me. Thank you

for your provision, Your love, Your grace, and Your faithfulness. May I go throughout this day

knowing that I am in Your hands, and for that I am thankful. This is Your day, and I will rejoice

and be glad. In Jesus Name…amen.

15 NASB