1 Timothy 6:18-19//  Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. ¹⁹ By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

This final devotion is one we believe will provide you with one of the most important philosophies we as believers need to have in order to be successful in living and leading a God-first life, especially when it comes to our money. Once this philosophy is fully embraced, you will never have a problem receiving money, managing money, and most importantly, being a blessing to others with your money.

So here it is: our money is a tool.

This tool is one given to us by God as a gift to unlock everything we believe we are in lack of concerning our lives. When we see money as a tool and a gift, we no longer place our focus on possessions and experiences in this life that have no heavenly good. We no longer are consumed with earthly things, because our treasure is no longer found in money. It is found in how we can use money to store up greater treasures; the kind that will last beyond us.

Many of us understand (or should understand) the importance of saving and spending money wisely. There is wisdom in having good things in life, but not letting things have us. When we spend wisely, we place less stock in what is temporary and have room for what is eternal. But God wants us to be much more than wise spenders and savers of our money.

He wants us to be extravagant givers of our money too.

The Apostle Paul shares in this passage that we have not experienced true life until we have become generous givers. When we live with an eternal perspective concerning our money, how when invested into God’s kingdom, our money can actually make us rich in good works, that is when this tool of generosity is used the way God designed it.

As believers, when we give our treasure on Earth we are making an eternal difference in the lives of people and we are storing up treasure in heaven. We can’t take our treasure with us but can deposit it into our eternal future. Jesus commanded us to do so, when He said don’t store up treasures on Earth but rather in heaven where they will last for us forever. We ought to get excited about treasures that will last for an eternity.

If heaven is our goal, then how we spend our money here on earth should reflect that.

Today, why don’t you try challenging yourself to become a generous giver.

No matter what you’ve given in the past, there is still an opportunity to stretch and invest more into those around you and to what God loves more than anything, the ministry of the local church. We have the greatest tool to make a lasting difference in the earth.

So let’s use it together. Today.

Day 21 of 21 Days of Prayer

*This devotional is from A God First Life, written by Pastors Michael and Charla Turner

Matthew 28:19-20 // Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,^[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

If you love old pirate tales or movies, you know all about how they love to find hidden treasure. Pirates search all over for treasure chests that may have fallen to the bottom of the ocean from some long lost ship or wreck. Those chests would often be filled to the brim with rubies and diamonds, making whatever pirate was fortunate enough to find it wealthy beyond his dreams. Well, the greatest treasure you and I can ever find is not hidden inside a chest.

It is hidden inside the good news of Jesus Christ. There is nothing that can outweigh the value of receiving the good news of who Jesus Christ is, but sharing it with others – that is priceless.

You and I share good news about something every day. It could be a product we love or a recent movie we’ve seen. But when we share the good news of Jesus, and the grace He so generously has given to us, the reward is so much greater than anything else in the world.

In fact, this passage in Matthew is what we call the ‘Great Commission’ – it was one of the last things Christ asked His disciples to do before ascending to Heaven. While most of us believe this command to us to share the good news looks like a fancy sermon or perfected monologue, it is actually just generosity in action. Simple acts of generosity that we can share every day.

Is there anything God has done for you? Share it. Is there anything God has said to you? Share it. How different has your life been since you’ve turned it over to God? Share it.

The commission is all about sharing and being a witness for someone. It’s about being open with your life and always looking for someone who is in need of the goodness of God. Is there someone you know that needs more of God? Why not try sharing more of you?

The more you and I become a witness for God, the more opportunities He provides for us to be one. He loves to trust us with more people to bless when we have proven faithful to share what we ourselves have been blessed with.

There is no greater act of generosity than sharing the treasure we have found in God.

It literally can turn a life of piracy into a life of eternal blessing.
And that’s a life worth living.

Day 20 of 21 Days of Prayer

*This devotional is from A God First Life, written by Pastors Michael and Charla Turner

2 Corinthians 9:6 // Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop, but the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.

While most of us did not have the opportunity to grow up on a farm, you would have thought that the Apostle Paul may have. Through many of the letters in the New Testament, he loved to provide life lessons that had to do with planting crops. Especially when conveying the importance of giving our best to God.

When writing to a church in Corinth, Paul shared a blueprint of how our financial giving can be compared to planting seeds. In essence, the seeds we sow have been created by God to reproduce what is inside of it. If we plant orange seeds, we should reproduce orange trees. If we plant lemon or apple seeds, lemon and apple trees are what we will reproduce. No matter how hard we pray for a different kind of fruit to appear, we receive based on the seeds we sow.

Paul also shares that our giving is not just based on what we sow. The more we sow, the more we are able to receive. And the less we sow, the smaller our return. However, what’s great about God’s system of sowing and reaping is that when we give generously, He does as well.

Whenever we give, He is faithful to multiply it. When we give to His Kingdom and to the local church, when we give to those in need, and to do with a cheerful and joyful heart, we are essentially releasing seed as a sower into a ground that will always reproduce greater than what we gave. In fact, when it comes to sowing seed and giving God your very best, here is something you should try saying whenever what you have appears to be too small:

“What’s in my hand is the most it will ever be. But when I give this, when it leaves my hand, it’s the least it will ever be.”

Repeating that simple phrase every time to yourself can help shift you from simply wanting to be blessed, to becoming a blessing for others. When we give generously, our needs will always be taken care of, and best of all, God’s kingdom is expanded.

You and I rarely see or have heard of a farmer complaining about a harvest that hasn’t come in yet. He doesn’t get weary and he doesn’t quit, because He understands what due season is all about. The same needs to be true for us. When we sow our best, and have not seen a return yet, there’s no need for discouragement. We simply need to keep sowing.

Your due season will come. Keep sowing, growing and giving. And watch for a harvest that is far beyond what was in your hand.

Day 19 of 21 Days of Prayer

*This devotional is from A God First Life, written by Pastors Michael and Charla Turner

Hebrews 10:24-25 // Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

As believers, there is something special and supernatural that happens whenever we come together. Whether it is for the purpose of worshiping on Sunday or connecting during the week to build healthy relationships with each other. However, one moment that seems to top them all is when we come together for the purpose of giving and serving.

There is something about generosity and actually seeing others give away what is important to them that inspires others to grow. As the body of Christ, a body that has been created to fit and function together with purpose, when we choose to love others by giving away our time, talent and treasure, we are able to demonstrate the primary purpose God has us here on earth.

While giving is fun to do alone, it is so much better when we do it alongside others. Giving in isolation often is about our own self-gratification, but when we give openly and as a group or family, the world can’t help but to stand back and take notice.

Our God was such a great example of this kind of public generosity, as the book of Genesis tells us He saw fit to consult with His own personal company in the person of Jesus and the Holy Spirit when creating us. His generosity continued thousands of years later, when giving up His own son to die and take on the penalty for our sin. That gift was not a private one, but a public one; a gift that has redeemed our lives for eternity.

What public act of generosity can you display today? Who is in need of your time, your listening ear, or perhaps even some of your finances? What other people at your job or your church can you connect with this week and together bless someone when they least expect it.

As believers, we should never be in lack to give because God’s Word tells us that the generous soul will always prosper.

God has made it so that your current generosity and your future prosperity are inseparable. So if you seem to be prospering less today, try giving more. You’ll be glad you did.

Day 18 of 21 Days of Prayer

*This devotional is from A God First Life, written by Pastors Michael and Charla Turner

Ephesians 5:16 // Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.

The Bible tells us that when we compare the length of our life to that of eternity, it is just a vapor. It’s short and flies by us no matter how much we pray for it to slow down. We can’t make more of it, and unfortunately, tend to waste more than actually invest.

When it comes to the concept of time, the Apostle Paul says that it is very important for us to redeem it as much as possible. Not spend it or waste it, but redeem it. The word redeem literally means to put time back where it belongs. It means to prioritize our time knowing that our days here on earth are numbered and as Paul describes: evil.

Time is not something we should ever believe we have an abundance of. God is very clear that we should make every day count as though it is our very last.

It’s important to know that what you and I order in life will determine our capacity. More often than not, the order of our day begins with a ton of distractions. Studies show that we are distracted almost every three minutes, which is why we tend to look back at our days and wonder what in the world did we do with our time. Our minds are wired for distraction, which is why it is so vital to begin each day giving God the first order and place of our time. When we make time with Him our highest core value, He provides us the wisdom to steward our time, and to make a greater impact with it.

Setting a new precedent with our time and how we can maximize it better by putting God first protects us from waste. In fact, it helps us stop over-estimating the time we have tomorrow, and helps us under-estimate and appreciate what we have available to us today. Once you embrace the simple fact that eternity is forever, heaven is real and hell is hot, the idea of redeeming the time becomes so much easier.

Let’s make God’s kingdom today a renewed focus for our life. Let’s have a sense of urgency about putting His values first, and less of an urgency about things that really aren’t that important. What should be important today is our time in worship, our time in prayer, our time spent with our family, and our time serving a world that is desperately in need of hope.

Let’s agree to no longer put off what needs to get done today. Let’s begin redeeming our time and watch how God increases our productivity in every area of our lives.
God-First Life

Day 17 of 21 Days of Prayer

*This devotional is from A God First Life, written by Pastors Michael and Charla Turner

Galatians 6:7 // Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

There is a principle and process of growth that God placed into existence before you and I were ever born and it is what He calls seed-time and harvest. This principle points to the fact that whatever you and I choose to do today will produce results tomorrow, whether they be good or bad. Every single day, no matter what we may believe we are in lack of, we have the opportunity to plant and sow the seeds that we believe we will produce and reap a great harvest.

One of the most potent and powerful seeds God has given us to sow into the world is our words.

Every word we say is a seed, and they have the potential to build others up and to tear them down based upon the level of love, honesty and grace in which we say them. The same is true with our deeds, the things we actually do in life. Every deed we do is a seed, and if we choose to do good and uphold the righteousness of God with our thoughts and actions, we are able to harvest good for ourselves in return.

God makes it crystal clear for us here in Galatians that there is no way around the process of reaping. Everything we give will be returned to us eventually. By the measure we give it, we will receive it back. That’s why sowing as much as we possibly can is so very important if we want our futures to look different. But the truth is, one of the biggest reasons we don’t sow is because we want our reaping season and harvest to happen quickly.

When we think in more natural terms, sowing can take time. When you plant fruit or vegetable seeds, you don’t see an immediate retum once that seed hits the ground. It takes time and a great deal of patience. But when the harvest comes, it is far greater than the seed we first planted. An apple tree doesn’t just produce one apple, but baskets full of apples season after season, year after year. The same is true when we sow spiritually.

The little we sow every day, we can be sure that God is able and willing to do much with it. Let’s sow some seeds of faith today, in both word and deed. No matter where you may be or what you may believe you don t have, take confidence that you will reap a great harvest.

Day 16 of 21 Days of Prayer

*This devotional is from A God First Life, written by Pastors Michael and Charla Turner

Matthew 6:21 // For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If you want to know what the key is to having a more intimate relationship with God, it is found in one simple word: generosity.Giving is the gateway to more intimacy with God, because we are never more like God than we are generous with what is most important to us.

Jesus makes it clear in this passage that our heart can not be separated from our treasure. In fact, our treasure never follows our heart, it is our heart that follows our treasure. What we value most can be seen when we examine our finances, as well as what we value least. As believers, we want to commit ourselves to a life of generosity, a life where His Kingdom is first concerning our money.

If we want our heart to remain close to God, then our treasure must be put in Him and what He loves. And what He loves more than anything is His kingdom. It should be a joy and an honor for us to give towards Kingdom work whenever we can. Giving should never be a burden or something that grieves us. We never have to worry about sacrificing our finances for His Kingdom because our God is someone we can never out give. He will never owe us. And we give beyond our comfort levels, we are able to access and experience His presence in ways unimaginable.

Our giving is the purest form of worship that we have.

We are drawn closer to God every time we do.

It is important to understand that God does not need our money or our treasure. It is our heart that He’s after. He is well aware that gaining wealth outside of Him will not fulfill us. We are only fulfilled when we become a vehicle through which God can give to others. When our families, neighbors and strangers can experience God through our giving, we are able to see what a true treasure really looks like.

Our God gives us the free will to do what we want with our treasure, and as believers, we should choose Him over all. His kingdom and His righteousness is what we seek. It is what living and leading a God-first life is all about.

If you are determined to leave a legacy in the earth, and to make sure what you’re doing today will be remembered by your children’s children, then begin to live a life of generosity. Don’t allow fear to stop you from becoming a giver. Always remember that whenever you give, people will get saved, you and I get blessed, but God will get the glory.

God is ready and willing to multiply whatever you give to Him when you do so in faith and with your whole heart.

Day 15 of 21 Days of Prayer

*This devotional is from A God First Life, written by Pastors Michael and Charla Turner

*This devotional is from A God First Life, written by Pastors Michael and Charla Turner

1 Kings 8:61 // And may you be completely faithful to the Lord our God. May you always obey his decrees and commands, just as you are doing today.

It’s been said that motivation is what may get you started, but commitment is what will keep you going. Despite that truth, it is amazing how many people are actually afraid of making commitments, especially long-term ones. It can make some feel trapped, but the truth is, in order for us to truly be successful in life, we have to be willing to make some commitments.

Whether it is a commitment to ourselves, to others, or to God, it takes great intentionality whenever we are choosing to pursue new paths and outcomes for our lives. But we can take assurance that God is with us and for us, ready to guide and ready to support us.

Making new decisions can always be difficult, especially when it comes to our health, wealth or relationships. We often struggle with the idea of giving up something to get something, but it is in our willingness to give up what no longer is sustaining us that God begins to help us build up the character and integrity we need for the future.

As believers, God requires us to be accountable for every commitment we make. And accountability to God looks a lot like being all in, holding nothing back at all. Our love for Him is predicated on that one word: all. To give Him all of our heart, all of our soul, and all of our mind leaves no room for doubt. He requires our full commitment and He expects us to always be people whose word is firm and unwavering.

When you say you’re going to do something, then you do it. No matter how tough the circumstances, you refuse to quit. I’m sure we all have encountered people who were just on the verge of a major breakthrough, but decided to quit instead. How many marriages could have made it if they had just decided to go to counseling instead of the courtroom? How much different would our bodies look today if we had decided to continue to eat differently and exercise more consistently, instead of throwing in the towel after just a few weeks?

No matter what area in our lives requires more commitment from us to change, we have to be willing to stay the course. One area that we all could use a lot more commitment is in the reading of God’s Word. For it is in His Word, where we are can be stirred up daily to pursue His best for our life. In fact, it is amazing that the more you read His Word, the more you will want to read it. The same is true with prayer and with worship. The more you do it, the more you will want to do it.

Our motivation for commitment grows whenever we refuse to quit.

Today, let’s take on that attitude, an attitude that is ready to pursue God’s best no matter the cost. When we are committed to go all in, we will never fail in the sight of God.

Day 14 of 21 Days of Prayer

*This devotional is from A God First Life, written by Pastors Michael and Charla Turner

John 15:8 // When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

We love to describe our God as a God of increase because He saw fit to give His creation the ability to grow, to reproduce and to multiply. Although there are some who struggle with the idea that God is highly interested in growth, when you take time to study nature and how it behaves, you can clearly see that increase is indeed the heart of God.

We’ve said it before but it bears repeating: our God wants us to be fruitful.

Whether it is in our marriages, our families or our finances, God wants us to increase in every area of our life. He wants us to increase in our purpose. To increase in our love and generosity to others. He also wants us to increase in our relationship with Him, which comes with increasing our knowledge of His Word. In order for His kingdom to expand throughout the earth, it requires for us to maintain a faithful commitment to grow and to increase.

Earlier on in this passage of scripture, Jesus describes Himself as a vine, and those of us who believe in Him as His branches. If you have ever seen a fruit vine in person, you know that the branches are only alive and productive when they are connected to the vine. As His branches, the same is true with us. When we are committed to staying connected to God through His Word and through prayer, we are essentially staying connected to a source of constant increase for our lives.

When we agree to abide in His presence, we rarely have to worry about the results. God does that for us. There’s nothing we have to do or make happen. When we abide in Him, fruit happens. By producing fruit, we are demonstrating the difference between simply being a believer and being a disciple. A disciple is someone who doesn’t just believe in God, he or she is connected to God.

Connection always produces, and when we are connected to the right things, it can produce a life of joy. Did you realize the most fulfilled and happiest people on the planet are those people who are being productive? They’re not just being busy doing things that don’t matter; but they’re being fruitful because they are focused only on what will bring results.

Perhaps today is one that you just aren t experiencing the results you are looking for. It could be a season of barrenness or one that feels like a dry wilderness. Well, we’ve got good news for you. Where you are now is not where you have to stay. Just like a branch connected to a vine, there are seasons where God desires for us to be pruned. It’s not that He is mad at us, but so He can produce more fruit in and through us.

 God wants us to grow there before we go there.

This season of focus and discipline can produce an amazing harvest of fruit if you lean into God’s presence. Believe today that where you are is designed for increase. This pruning has a purpose.

Once you realize that you were created to multiply and produce, you will begin to see that what God has for you just ahead may in fact be your best season yet.

Day 13 of 21 Days of Prayer

*This devotional is from A God First Life, written by Pastors Michael and Charla Turner

Proverbs 23:7 // As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

All of us have been guilty at one time or another of having wrong thoughts. They could be wrong thoughts about something, or wrong thoughts about someone. Either way, our way of thinking is often based on how we were raised and what we were taught early on as children. However, as children of God, we have an opportunity to embrace the benefits of a whole new way of thinking.

When you and I align ourselves with the Word of God, we are able to toss aside our old traditions and mindsets and take on those that only reflect the goodness and righteousness of God. We are able to do this because devoting ourselves to the Word of God does not change our mind.

It changes our hearts.

The author of this passage of Proverbs is describing a person who is struggling through life being one way on the outside, and another on the inside. On the outside, he appears to be someone who is generous, but on the inside he is actually a miser, someone who doesn’t want to share with anyone. And as we see, he is not putting on this act because of something he thinks in his head.He does so because of the condition of his heart.

Some of us are struggling today in the same way. We often go through life divided between our heart and our mind. When we are not in alignment with what we believe and what we think, it means we aren’t living a life that is whole, but one that is fragmented. And when we aren’t in the right alignment, everything we try to do will fail.

Friends, God has no interest in us failing. He has called us to prosper! The word prosper means to continuously go forward and upward. If we want to move forward and upward, whether it be in our homes as parents or at our jobs, then we have to begin to exchange our old hearts for His.

When we take the time to truly embrace God’s way of thinking, we will never live a divided life, stuck in the old traditions of the past.

Whenever we feel stuck in something, it may be an indication that we are believing something that God has not said.

Take confidence today that God’s word will never leave you and I stuck. It’s sole purpose is to provide us with the right path and the right heart to live a life that is abundant. When we focus our hearts on what He says, will we enter every day with a renewed expectation to prosper!

Day 12 of 21 Days of Prayer

*This devotional is from A God First Life, written by Pastors Michael and Charla Turner