HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 1
BE FULL OF ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD (Eph. 3:19)
“…to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God”
This devotional enables you to live a life that is filled with all the fullness of God. Understand: God is all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present, is love, gives hope, and prepares us for eternal life.
To be filled with all His fullness is to be filled with His power! Just as God is supernatural; so, will our lives be when we are filled with all the fullness of God. Just as the verse states: we must know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge. This fullness includes:
- That you fall more deeply & passionately in love with God each day Matt. 22:37,38
- Living a life of love vs. fear, doubt & being without hope Eph. 5:1,2
- Living a life having the fruit of the Spirit continually displayed in and through your life Gal. 5:22
- Living with the power of God each day 1 Cor. 4:20
- Living a life that is being transformed into the image of Jesus 2 Cor. 3:18
There is no greater life than this. You can’t get this life through any other means than to become full of Him. You will see a more prosperous person within you; beginning with a prosperous heart. We must be willing to sacrifice anything that is of this world in order to gain this life God is offering us. You may have heard these words before, but we will challenge you to live them; living them in the power of the Spirit. If you are full of all the fullness of God; then you will move mountains within your life by being in partnership with Him. There is nothing any of us has in our lives that is more valuable for us & for all eternity. Our lives will become more fruitful in every way from this point forward as we gain more of Him, daily, within our lives.
What is it that you would like to see God do within/through you as you go through these devotionals, daily? _________________
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PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 2
TO LOVE WITH ALL (Matt. 22:37,38)
Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
Loving God is loving Him like a brother, a friend. It is loving Him with “unconditional love” and loving Him with a “passion for Him” like none other in all of life. If we love Him in this way, with all our heart; nothing else is more important; we then get to the fullness of God within us. Loving Him with ALL YOUR HEART is not a switch you turn on; it is more than an idea. It must be discovered and lived. We learn to trust Him in everything. When we live dependently upon Him, trusting Him in everything; that is when our spiritual life begins a journey to the heart of God. We cannot be filled with all the fullness of God without loving Him with all our heart! As a result of loving Him with all our heart, we begin becoming like Him! We will be transformed into the image of Jesus. As we are being transformed, it will be so magnificent being in the likeness of Jesus, doing the things He did in ministry here on earth (John 14:12); that our lives will have the joy of the Lord overflowing from within us. We will be living with so much hope, that it impacts those around us. Loving him with all our heart will lead us to a life filled with love & joy.
How can you move your love for Him to being deeper & fuller, today? ________________________________________________
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PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 3
WHERE DOES THE POWER COME FROM? RELATIONSHIP! (John 17:20,21)
I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word!
That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
Let us focus on the phrase: “that they also may be one in Us.” This oneness means that our minds and hearts are weaved into the Lord Himself; that as we are transformed into the image of Jesus; that we will think & do as Jesus did: thoughts, passions, knowledge; all in His likeness. Loving Him with all will draw us into relationship with Him and as we seek Him; we will know Him in our minds & hearts. And we will yearn for the same things that He yearns for.
As a result of relationship with Him, the power of God is brought into our lives. As we love more, we take on more of His Presence, which includes His power. It is good, as we see need, to ask Him for His power in every situation.
The Holy Spirit has come upon us (Acts 1:8). We have Him within us now. If we do not have the mind & heart of Jesus, we will not utilize the power of God in and through the situations in our lives. This power, that is made available to us, is not to be focused on worldly things but first upon the things of the Kingdom. Not only will the Lord transform our mind & heart, but He will also transform us in the use of His power, in us and through us, to His glory.
In order to change relationship & power with Him, what needs to change in your life? __________________________________
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PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 4
ARE YOU EXHIBITING HOLY SPIRIT POWER? (1 Cor. 4:20)
For the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power.
We have the Kingdom of God within us; therefore, we have His love & power as well. It is an ever-increasing love for Him that ignites more of His power in our lives. If we are weak in faith, carrying sin, having wrong beliefs or are lukewarm in our love for God; we will not see much of His power exhibited in/through our life. Acts 19:11,12 – Paul did unusual miracles with people (being healed from his handkerchief/apron). Acts 5:15 – Peter performed miracles as well: people were healed as a result of touching his shadow. We have this same power available to us, especially when loving the Lord with all our heart; being daily in relationship with Him; experiencing His very Presence! 1 Cor. 2:4,5 – Paul states: “my preaching was not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. When Paul preaches, he is using God’s power with his words. It is being demonstrated: people are being blessed. 2 Peter 1:3,4 “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life & godliness.” As a result of God loving us and us loving Him with all our heart, this miraculous power can be exhibited in and through our lives.
Are you daily preparing to be full of God? ___________________________________________________________________
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How can you prepare better than what you are today? _________________________________________________________
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As you are preparing, ask Him to empower you each day, so you are ready to be used by God.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 5
THE FULLNESS OF GOD’S LOVE IN YOU IS TO BE EVIDENT (John 15:8)
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Bearing much fruit not only glorifies God; it confirms that you are His disciple. God wants us to have everything that He is offering to His people. That cannot take place if we do not have the fullness of God within! We must receive the fullness of God as we seek…seeking never ends! The fullness of God means you will bear Kingdom fruit through His power, living daily with joy & the peace of God. We will love others as Jesus has loved us; because He has given us a new capacity for loving. We will bless others with effectual prayer to heal or overcome issues in their lives. God will encourage you & empower you while having victory in helping others overcome wounded hearts: soul-ties, addictions, patterned sin, wrong loves & wrong beliefs. You will become one of Gods mighty men/women, that He will use to change your world & community!
Would you like to bear much fruit; impacting people’s lives for the sake of the grace of God? __________________________
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PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 6
DO YOU WANT JESUS-LIKE POWER IN YOUR LIFE? (John 14:12)
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also;
and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the Father.”
Jesus is making it very clear: He is leaving earth & will ascend to heaven to the right hand of the Father. God wants the miracles & love that Jesus brought, to continue! He told us in the scriptures that if we believe in Him (Jesus), in everything He said, did, & purposed; we have the capacity to change the world by the power of God. God wants to work through us, not only to positively impact the world, but to see lives changed so they might live with Him eternally! God wants to see this power used in our community by US! He requires that we believe in Him and have faith that displays a God-courage to confront, bless & heal! Do not be intimidated by this calling that God has on our lives. We will have great joy & thrills because of what He does in other’s lives because of us. He wants our whole community to be the best, most protected, most joyful and that all would be saved.
Do you want this calling on your life to be just like Jesus? _________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 7
NO RELATIONSHIP/NO POWER! (John 1:12)
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”
This power isn’t available to us unless we have received Jesus as our Savior, unless we have chosen to be in on-going relationship with Him. Jesus would like to save every person in the world; but not everyone will say yes. This yes is filled with following Jesus in every way. It is asking Jesus to come into our lives and the Holy Spirit to fill us; asking the Lord to prepare us! This isn’t just a mental decision; this is a decision of the heart where one is willing to confess to God Himself (and even trusted others) how we are in desperate need of Him and His salvation.
You can make this decision, today, now! If you make this decision now, you enroll yourself in Jesus’ plan for you: to operate in life with His power & for His glory. There is not a better solution to life. God will prosper you; especially your heart, your skills, your thinking, as wear His name. Do not enter into this relationship halfheartedly, because He will make you a mighty person of God! He is more than you could ever dream or imagine; He has the answers to life that you need! Just pray this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I believe that You died to save me from my sin.
Please forgive me for _______________________________,
and my iniquity & sin.
Please come into my heart. Dwell in my heart from now through eternity.
Thank You Jesus that I am cleansed by Your blood & that I am in relationship with You now.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 8
CHANGING THE WORLD WITH HIS POWER (Matt. 28:19)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Jesus commanded the disciples to go change the world by being disciples with the power of God. These 12 men have affected millions, billions throughout time. 1/3 of the world (2 billion people at present) have received Jesus as their Savior. These 12 men had Jesus to transform them. (Judas was replaced.) This is/was God’s plan: as we become disciples and on fire for God; we share that fire of God with our family & friends. They are so moved by God, they reach others. As you reach out to your church; people are affected and the church gets transformed. As a result of God moving in His people, that church affects other churches, schools, government, all the elements of the community. As all the elements of the community are transformed, the whole community becomes changed. Community Transformation can take place because of your life and your life only: because you have decided to be “just like Jesus” in every way! Without God, we cannot change the world by our own thoughts & works. It will take God to move those mountains & you will lead the way: whether just in your family or throughout the whole community! This is your chance to make a difference. Now is the time to make the commitment to follow Him, every day, in every way.
Will you make the commitment to change the world as a real disciple? ___________________________________________________________
If so, tell someone!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 9
POWER FROM WHERE? (Acts 1:8)
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be my witnesses to Me in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to end of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit is the One that works within each of us with the power of God. When He enters, because of our desperately wanting Him and inviting Him in, we walk in the Spirit. (Gal. 5:16;) therefore we actively receive Him and His power. This is not a one -time ask; it is a continual asking Him to work in us and through us for His glory, each day! This power is from God Himself. He uses it to transform us and our community. Please, do not hold anything back from the Lord (sin, wrong beliefs, wounds, disappointments). Allow the Holy Spirit to take His place; allow the Holy Spirit to purify & heal all that could get in the way. If we want God to change our world, our marriage/friendships; God will do it and in the right way. Hold nothing back and begin walking with Him as we never have walked with Him before!
Have you asked the Holy Spirit to dwell in you fully, with a pure heart? _________________________________
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What is the Lord saying to you right now? ______________________________________________________________
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Let Him have His way!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 10
ARE YOU FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT, THEREFORE A POWERFUL PERSON OF GOD? (Eph. 5:18; Acts 11:16)
“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”
We are each called to be “filled with the Spirit”, as Stephen was and all his friends. Jesus was filled with the Spirit when He was baptized. It is the Spirit that makes us mighty and powerful. The writer here is making it clear that being drunk is careless living, wasteful living, reckless living. As we empty ourselves of our sin & the world, we ask the Spirit to “fill us to the full”! In some translations, it speaks of these men being “known” to be full. (Acts 6:5,8) We are to be “known” as being filled with the Spirit. We are also to be known “to be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19) When we are pure hearted, we can receive all that God has for us! We will do mighty things, just like Jesus did! I have heard of many, many ways in which people have been “baptized in the Holy Spirit”. It does not matter which way; the question is “do I have the Spirit and am I filled with the Spirit and the fullness of God?”
What is your daily plan to be “filled with the Holy Spirit”? ___________________________________________________________________________
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PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 11
ARE YOU LIVING IN HIS POWER DEMONSTRATED WITH THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT?
(Gal. 5:22,23)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law”
This fruit is God’s power! We do not have the capacity on our own to display the depth of each one of these fruits. It is given to us by the Holy Spirit and enabled when we are full of the Holy Spirit. Years ago, I would set a goal to be more loving, out of my flesh. In my pride, at the end of the year…nothing had really changed. It was when I became full of the Holy Spirit, that I gained a new capacity to love…a new capacity of peace…a new capacity of faithfulness. These are the greatest treasures that come out of your relationship & intimacy with God. The world can’t have what we have: being full of the Holy Spirit and exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit. To be “full of the Holy Spirit” is to “live in the Spirit”! Let us walk “in the Spirit”. (Gal. 5:16,25) This means being in lock step with the Holy Spirit. This assures you that you will exhibit the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.
As you are in “lock step with the Holy Spirit”; are you asking and expecting the Fruit of the Spirit?
At the end of every day; reflect on how often you saw His Fruit in you. Record the instances in a journal & THANK HIM!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 12
GOD’S POWER IS DISPLAYED IN YOUR LIFE THROUGH BEARING MUCH FRUIT (John 15:8)
“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so that you will be My disciples.”
What a great picture that our Father is glorified through our lives. He is magnified, extolled, and praised. He is honored and desires that this comes from you. How is He glorified? When we are full of the Spirit and His power, we will bear imperishable fruit. We will share with others what He is doing in and through our lives. When we live this lifestyle, we have great miraculous stories to tell others about what God is doing. God’s expectation is that the fruit will be much, many & great. You will lead people into the Presence of God; they will experience the miracles of having the Fruit of the Spirit, of a love that is like Jesus’ love, a peace that passes all understanding. They will receive His mercy & forgiveness. They will be set free to live this lifestyle and be free from the cares of the world. You can bear much fruit! If you are experiencing these miraculous things in your life – don’t hold it within you but proclaim the joy of it to those around you. By God’s power, you will bless others in many ways!
Are you bearing much fruit?
Is it happening every day?
What can God do in you & through you to increase your fruit?
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 13
ARE YOU ARMED WITH GOD’S POWER FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE?
(Luke 10:18-20)
“And Jesus said to them, I saw satan fall like lightening from heaven. Behold, I give you
the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy,
and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Jesus makes it very clear here: satan was thrown out of heaven. God gave us His power to tread on snakes (such as satan) and other demonic rulers and principalities…authority over all the power of the enemy! We should not take on the enemy directly, if we are not operating in the Spirit and full of the Spirit! Our authority is most significant when we are in the “full of the Spirit” state. Eph. 6:10-18 states: we have on the full armor of God, when we are full of the Spirit, when we are in Him. If we are in the flesh and trying to put on this armor…we are vulnerable to the dark world. But, if we are in the Spirit & put on the armor of God; operating with the authority God has given us, we will have VICTORY over the dark world. We can declare to the enemy: “flee in the name of Jesus”! (James 4:7) We can operate with the same authority with which Jesus operated, when we are in lock step with His Spirit! This may require fasting and prayer, but God has given us this authority and power. Luke 10:18 states that we have “authority over all the power of the enemy”. There is no reason for fear and doubt…fear & doubt are not of God! We are to operate with fullness of faith!
Are you utilizing the authority God has given you, as often as you should? _________________________________
What can you do to accelerate the use of God’s authority in you? ________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 14
ARE WE DEMONSTRATING GOD’S POWER THROUGH OUR GIFT(S)? (1 Cor. 12:4-7)
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all…but one and the same Spirit…”
God’s power is displayed through the supernatural Spiritual Gifts from God. There are even more gifts than what is mentioned in this one place in this scripture. By walking in the Spirit, we are to discern what our gift(s) are. They are given by the Holy Spirit for the profit of “all”! To one is given the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another faith, to another gifts of healing, to another working of miracles, to another prophesy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another interpretation. These are all given by the same Spirit for the PROFIT OF ALL! Whatever gift(s) you have, they are to be utilized to bless others and are supernatural. God loves to display His beauty though us. We never know when He will give us another gift for a specific situation. When we are in a difficult situation, we should go ahead and ask Him for needed gifts. He wants the world to know that He is God! We should use our gifts supernaturally, as God leads us into situations and let Him manifest His power through us. We praise Him and thank Him because of His power through us.
What supernatural gift(s) has God given you? ________________________________________________________
What can you do to use it/them more? _____________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 15
IS IT EVIDENT THAT WE ARE EXERCISING GOD’S POWER & AUTHORITY IN OUR LIVES?
(2 Cor. 3:18)
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
We are the “unveiled face”, the open face that should reflect the glory of the Lord to the rest of the world, especially when we walk in the Spirit. We are being transformed into the “likeness of Jesus” and as we are being transformed, we are gaining the ever-increasing glory of God.
We know Jesus was distinctive in His time and culture- absolutely distinct! This verse states: when we are fully transformed, we will look like Jesus and be powerfully distinct to the world. Whether it is exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit through our spiritual gifts, bearing much fruit, overflowing with thankfulness, displaying the love of Jesus; displaying our peace & joy no matter our circumstance, our being full of faith, much answered pray, passionately yearning & loving the Lord, doing unusual miracles, or our victory in spiritual warfare: these are the things that will make us distinct to the world. When we function according to God’s design & provision, the culture around us will be affected and therefore no longer condone abortion, divorce, sexual promiscuity, or co-habitation. Not only will we see ourselves become like Jesus, but our Church Community will be affected and they too will desire to become more like Jesus, being filled with His power. This visible change then affects the community at large; perhaps many in our community will be saved. You could be strategically used for all of this to take place!
What is God saying to you about this strategic, visibility of God’s Presence in you? __________________________
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In order to see this kind of transformation, what are you going to do, additionally of differently? _______________
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PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 16
GOD’S POWER ON DISPLAY (John 14:12; 2 Cor. 3:18)
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also;
and greater works than these he will do…”
This is the power of Jesus on display. The person who is believing, trusting, having faith in Jesus…will do as Jesus did. We will have the mind of Christ, His heart, His compassion. Therefore, we will see what He sees and do what He did. There is no reason to doubt. If we have this powerful faith, we will demonstrate (with evidence), that we are just like Him with His love & power. Of course, Jesus had no sin, no worldly loves. He was not seeking after His own glory. Jesus was pure hearted. We can become just like Him but it requires that we seek it fresh every day! God wants to empower us, just as Jesus experienced the Fathers power…but it requires a pure heart. (Matt. 5:8) We must sit daily before His Presence: confess, repent of worldly loves and sin patterns. The Holy Spirit is within us; helping us to have the pure heart that God has so designed for us to experience! When we recognize impure thoughts, impure patterns; we must go to Him immediately, confess, repent and know that in Jesus’ name and blood we are covered. Jesus is granting us the pure heart by His redemptive love, His blood!!
Do you daily seek to have a pure heart and be filled with the Presence of God? _____________________________
Do you hunger and yearn for the things of the Kingdom? ____________________________________ All the time?
Do you thirst to be Kingdom focused every day & throughout the day? ____________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 17
GOD’S POWER WILL BE EXHIBITED IN US—IF WE ARE SATURATED WITH HIM! (Eph. 3:19)
“…to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Romans 7:20 helps us understand why we keep on sinning! It is because we are holding sin within our hearts. We are thirsting for things of this world. If we are holding these things in our hearts, then we are not pure hearted, not Saturated with His Presence!! He wants us to know Him: to know His words, His thoughts, His heart motivations. He wants us to know when to use His power and see things as He sees them. Being Saturated with the Presence of God requires that you know every aspect of Him and embrace everything about Him. One of the tools His gives us to accomplish this is His Word! We need to fill our hearts & minds with His Word, saturate ourselves with His Presence through the reading & meditating upon His Word: the Bible. When we are Saturated, we are full of all the fullness of God. What an incredible opportunity we have, just sitting there and waiting for us!
Is there any sin you are holding within you now, that prevents you from being fully Saturated with God’s Presence? _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Are you seeking everything that He is? _____________________________________________________________
Stop now and think on this. Move into prayer with Him!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 18
GOD LOVES TO MOVE WITH HIS POWER (Acts 2:1-4)
“When the day of Pentecost had fully come…they were in one place…they were all filled with the Holy Spirit….”
God loves to move in Revivals; to impact a place, a community, all at one time! Isaiah 64:1 “Rend the heavens and come down.” Revivals have taken place throughout history in supernatural moves of God. He loves to come when the people are of one accord and in one place, then supernatural things take place. It is good for us to hope for Revival in our community. It is even better to hope for Revival within us personally; a great move of God within us. God will do supernatural works in us and through us in order to bless other people around us. The day of Pentecost was one of those days. There are other locations in scripture where God suddenly comes. There are days & weeks where He has come to different locations on earth throughout history; His Presence has dwelt there. We may not know when or where! But if we are eager to have a special time with Him; being ignited by Him…we have a higher probability of experiencing this Revival!
Will this be your day? ___________________________________________________________________________
Daily, what is one thing you could do that would welcome the Presence of God to dwell within you? _______________
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PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 19
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN WHEN WE ARE PERSONALLY IN REVIVAL? (Matt. 22:39)
“…you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus was telling us how important it is to love our neighbor. When we are being moved into Revival & Awakening & Igniting by God…we should take the very message He is giving us & share it with those closest to us. We will overflow with the love of God, bubbling out to others: first, our family, friends, and of course those in our church. They may want this “taste of fire” from God. They may even want to be ignited with the fire of God through us. We might even ignite our whole church, awakening them to the power of His Presence. This fire of God is being shared with anyone and everyone that is around us. God likes to work this way.
Are you available to be used by God, to be ignited personally? _________________________________________ Will you ask for His overflowing Presence? _________________________________________________________ Will you hunger & thirst for His Presence; sharing with others, that they may know Him more fully? ___________
How? _______________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 20
ARE WE PRAYING WITH GOD’S POWER? (Eph. 6:18)
“…Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints and for me…”
The scripture is telling us to pray “always”. When is a good time to pray? Now! We should bring forth our prayers and supplications, and bring them forth “in the Spirit”! These are not to be prayers from our agenda, but prayers that come from Him. The Holy Spirit will show us what to pray. So, we can “listen to the Holy Spirit” about what to pray in all aspects of our life: mind, heart, body, circle of friendships, as well as for our leaders. Our prayers will be answered when we are “in Him”, in His purposes, abiding in Him –then we will see His power. We must each withdraw from this physical world and dwell in Him. He will lead us into a dynamic prayer that will bring forth His will. Enjoy His Presence & power!
Lord, it is all about YOU!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE:PART 21
DO YOU WANT TO EXHIBIT GOD’S POWER IN & THROUGH YOUR LIFE?
(Heb. 6:1; Luke 8:13,14)
“Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God…”
Is it difficult for us to leave the elementary teachings, because our deep-down desire is not to become mature in Christ? Too often, we want to be affirmed that we will go to heaven. Then, we go on living our lives the way we want to live them…with little regard to God’s purpose for us! This is man’s design, not God’s design. To receive the fullness of God and to be full of the Holy Spirit, is to be full of faith & the power of God! In order to experience all that God has for us, we must have as our aim to become MATURE, COMPLETE IN HIM. When we want God’s power in our life, we will not see the full expression of that power by living in the elementary teachings. God has much, much more to offer us: the Fruit of the Spirit. We cannot have those 9 fruits in our life to the full, without being mature & complete. God wants to bless us. He wants to give us the full capacity of love & peace that passes all understanding. This cannot be realized unless we leave the elementary teachings. Our Lord wants us to thrive & prosper.
What is your aim, your goal in life? ________________________________________________________________
Stop now & repent of all things that keep you from becoming mature & complete. _________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 22
ARE YOU PREPARED FOR BEING SATURATED WITH THE VERY PRESENCE OF GOD?
(Jer. 29:13)
“…and you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Our aim is to become mature and complete. This does not just happen; it takes organization & preparation! Our aim is to become Saturated in every aspect of your life, mind, body & soul; with Him! It means we are opening our heart & life to be filled with His Presence. It means we will continually be reading our Bible. We will unceasingly pray – as you kneel and as you walk. You will be obedient in all that God has told you to do. You will participate in group prayer. We will desire to praise & worship God with all of our heart; thanking Him for all that He is doing. We will be active in studying our Bible so that we know Him in every way. We will do Bible memorization, so His very Words are on the tip of our tongue, always. We will have intimate relationships/friendships that encourage us to be our very best before God. We will participate in community fellowship to serve & love our fellow man. We could consider ourselves as a circle whose aim is to be full of Him – mature! Each one of the subjects discussed should be coming into our mind, body & soul; to saturate us and then to transform us!!
What will you do today & from this day on, that will accelerate your Saturation with Him? ____________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 23
DO WE DESIRE TO COMPLETE THE THINGS
GOD HAS ASSIGNED FOR US TO DO IN OUR LIFETIME? (John 14:10-13)
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me…the Father Who dwells in Me does the works…”
There is a tribe in northeast India call the “Naga’s”. A century and a half ago, they were known as head-hunters! Because a few were willing to go to that land, to the point of losing their lives, to share the love of Jesus; the head-hunting culture was transformed, as a result of a Saturation of the Lord. First: there was 1 or 2 that became saved; then many others. Today, more than 90% of this tribe are Christian! They are church planters. As a result of the saturation of the Lord in their lives, they were able to TRANSFORM THEIR WHOLE CULTURE!
Hold nothing back from God & we will be as prosperous as they now are.
“Lord, I give You all of me!”
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 24
WOULD YOU LIKE MORE OF GOD’S BLESSINGS IN YOUR LIFE? (Gal. 5:22,23)
“…but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.”
Love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are characteristics of God. They cannot be received in any other way than as gift from the Spirit of God. We cannot love like Jesus loves, or have joy like Jesus has, without it being given to us from God Himself. When we receive this fruit from the Spirit, we have a new capacity to live and our purpose isn’t for our glory & earthly comfort; but for His glory and our satisfaction in that. When we are Saturated, we get these gifts all the time. Imagine ourself a circle and we are following God & seeking to know Him in every way! The result that takes place is that all we have taken in of God is filling us and overflowing out of us! We will bless others with the fruit of the Spirit within us. We will serve more people; we will have greater compassion; we’ll be walking in God confidence; we’ll have quality friends; we will be free of anxiety and worry; we’ll even have the capacity to love & serve our enemies; temptation in our life will be quenched; we’ll live a life full of hope!
Congratulations in seeking to be Saturated with all your heart! Now, enjoy the Presence of God within you and see what He does in and through you! Praise God.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 25
ARE YOU OVERFLOWING WITH THE THINGS OF GOD AS A RESULT OF SATURATION?
(John 15:4,5)
“…Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch can not bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine…
I in Him bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
Because we fully experience God on one day, does not mean it will remain true on the next day. It is necessary to seek Him every day with all our heart! We are to be like a cup that is being filled and overflowing with the goodness & blessings of God. When we are Saturated and stay Saturated, the overflowing will continue. We will not just overflow, we will bear much imperishable fruit. But when we stop abiding in Him; when we stop being connected to the vine…that is when the overflowing stops. When we stop abiding, we are without Him and apart from Him in our life; whatever we do has no eternal value. So continually ABIDE! Do not let go; do not get distracted; do not be impacted by false teaching. If we stay on course, our life will be awakened and we will be in Revival. We will be igniting many around us.
What is your plan to abide in the Vine? _____________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 26
ARE YOU OVERFLOWING WITH GOD’S POWER? (Eph. 3:16)
“…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,
to be strengthened with might/power through His Spirit in the inner man…”
God desires for us to have & display His power. It is to be evident within us: to our family, our church, wherever we go. I want this for my life, don’t you? His power comes from the Holy Spirit & being “in Christ” in all areas of our lives; permeating into many areas in our family, churches & communities, making them “great in God’s eyes”. But to do this, we cannot just be strengthened with His might once, we must be strengthened with His might, daily! In James 1:4, the Lord desires that we be perfect & complete, lacking nothing. To exhibit God’s power every day, we must simultaneously seek to be mature & complete in Him! We must pursue living “in Him”. When we are living in Him, we will be living with purified hearts. This verse is Paul’s prayer for the saints: that we would operate with God’s “dunamis” power – walking in the Spirit. Why? That we would be transformed ourselves & the Spirit’s power would permeate out into the people around us.
Could you be accused, by those around you, of operating with His power daily? ______________________________________________
What is it that you can do (additionally to what you currently are doing) that would keep you complete in Him[KP1] ? _________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 27
ARE YOU TRANSFORMING YOUR COMMUNITY? (Matt. 28:19)
“…go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
I have previously mentioned the Naga people, in northeast India! In the 1850’s, they were still being labeled “headhunters”; today they are church planters. 90% of their community are living “complete in Him”! Wherever they go, they are “in Christ” – transforming the people in their community and beyond. They are looking to transform their marriages, churches, education system, business community, the arts, government, media…and setting free the poor and oppressed. They have a burning desire to share the life of Christ.
You are pivotal to fostering this same level of transformation & Saturation in your community. Our hearts are to be transformed, so we are in the likeness of Jesus; so that the world sees the likeness of Jesus through us. God has transformed us so that we can share the gospel and transform the rest of the world. This is not something we do occasionally; this is something we do daily. If we live to become complete and mature in Him and to transform the rest of the world; God will move mightily in us and through us. Many will become disciples.
God’s Word & the Holy Spirit transformed Naga Land. The Naga people were relentless in sharing Jesus.
Will you become relentless? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who is God calling you to impact? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 28
WHAT KIND OF FRUIT WILL YOU SEE? (Col. 1:28)
“Him we preach, warning every man & teaching every man in all wisdom,
that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
As we are making disciples, we must also serve the Lord by presenting every man perfect in Christ Jesus. God is calling us to proclaim/preach, wherever we are. This message is written to all the saints, not just to pastors! As we proclaim Christ, people will receive Him as their personal Lord & Savior. As we seek Jesus and become mature, learning how to be Saturated with His Presence daily; we have a new capacity & power. As the Lord magnifies who He intended for us to be; we will have more love & compassion. God will inspire us to raise up churches that are Saturated with His Presence; exhibiting the very character of Jesus. There will be:
– Prayer Movements raised up that will change the face of the earth…especially in our communities.
– Parents will be empowered
– Students will have greater success
– The oppressed will be freed
– Business people will be enlightened & anointed to be leaders
– Great marriages will be formed & built
– Government will become efficient and serve the people
– Media will speak truth.
ALL will become great in God’s eyes because of His Presence & power in our personal lives!
Who is God calling you to proclaim His message to, today? __________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 29
TRANSFORMING YOUR WORLD & COMMUNITY IS PURE JOY (Gal. 5:22)
“…but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…”
When we are Saturated with His Presence; when we are proclaiming His Presence; when we are complete in Him daily…God pours out His uncommon joy upon us. We will have a joy that overcomes any circumstance we may have, and this comes from the Holy Spirit Himself. We will have joy when we see highly successful students in our community. We will have joy when we see the entertainment industry and media honoring God. We will have joy when the business community becomes leaders in the world…when our medical system is healing people …when we see churches flourishing…when we see abortion & pre-marital sex & cohabitation disappearing…when we see citizens experiencing innovative freedom…when we see the people overflowing with the Fruit of the Spirit…when we see our communities transformed. This is what it looks like when we present every man perfect in Jesus. Ask for His joy & live for His joy. REJOICE!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE:
PART 30
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A PERVASIVE REVIVAL CULTURE? (2 Cor. 3:18)
“… But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
We are the ones with the unveiled face – showing the glory of the Lord from within us. We are transformed into the image of Jesus, with ever-increasing glory. That glory is being built up within us by the Holy Ghost. When we are transformed, we are exhibiting a move of God within us, looking like our blessed Jesus, more and more every day! We call this move of God: being Saturated with His Presence and being in Revival! In Matt. 28:19, we are commanded to “go and make disciples”. This is a structure created by God, a Revival Culture resulting in: pastors on fire, true repentance toward pure hearts, a fullness of faith that risks daily, a House of Prayer that sees answers, a desperateness for God, heart transformations that exhibit miraculous change, people being led by the Spirit daily – proclaiming the gospel wherever they go, the love of Jesus being exhibited through us, engaging people with the fire of God. This is the culture that will be in us—we will be used by God to create that same culture within our community. This is God doing Community Transformation; this is a community becoming Saturated with the Presence of God & prosperity in all different ways will be taking place. Hundreds & thousands will be coming to the Lord to be saved.
You, being Saturated with the very Presence of God, is God’s answer to your world—He wants to work through you!
Will you make Him your daily purpose? ___________________________________________________________________________________________
To what would you give testimony that exhibits God’s love, power & transformation in your life? __________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 31
ARE YOU SATURATED? (Eph 3:19)
“…to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Eph. 5:18
“…be filled with the Spirit.”
It is always necessary to have the love & power of God to the full, due to being Saturated with the Divine Presence of God! This is when God can move in us and through us. This is when our heart is pure & empty of all sin, filled with His Presence. As a result of this Saturation, He transforms us & will utilize us to transform our community. We have a Sovereign God, able to dwell within us, if our heart is pure & seeking His Presence. Imagine what others will see in us? They will see God’s almighty power, His glory on display. They will see us blessing others through serving & loving them. They will see us share the life of Jesus with those around us. They will see God using us as a harvesters to bring people into His Kingdom. They will see the joy of the Lord & the peace of God within us. We will no longer strive for success to please the world. We will no longer seek acceptance of the world, only God Himself. We will no longer be characterized by worry, anxiety & stress. We will no longer be caught up with the busyness of the world. We will be an effectual tool of God. When we try to live life on our own, without Saturation, we are like Solomon in Ecclesiastes: he sought power, influence, wealth, entertainment of every kind to give himself satisfaction. He stated “this is chasing after the wind; satisfaction comes from God!”
Satisfaction can be yours, if you are daily Saturated with His Divine Presence.
What have you done today to be Saturated? _________________________________________________________________________________________
What are you going to do to stay Saturated? ___________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 32
IS YOUR JOY COMPELTE? (John 15:11)
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full.”
Our joy will be complete only in a state of Saturation with His Divine Presence. Joy is too often misunderstood. The world would say: joy is happiness, receiving blessing, or success in something. This is not joy. Joy means “cheerfulness that comes from God”. This joy comes from the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that delivers joy to us, if that is what we are seeking while being Saturated with Him. Saturated is “dripping, overflowing, no room for anything else in our hearts”. This causes us to think, feel, act, have power & be full of joy!
If you desire to have joy & satisfaction in life today: seek His Divine Presence & receive it. ___________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 33
WHAT DOES JOY LEAD TO? (Cor. 8:2)
“…that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and
their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.”
Paul is speaking to the churches of Macedonia. He speaks of the grace of God being bestowed on them. We know that in this life, each of us will experience trials and pressures of many kinds. Though these believers experienced trials, they had joy even in their deep poverty. They abounded: they had great bounty, they were overflowing, they were a generous people. Their circumstances were not ideal, but because they were experiencing the grace of God, they had joy! In their joy, no matter their circumstance; they abounded & were a generous people!
Generosity is one of the measures of being Saturated and therefore joyful! Today is not only a good day to be Saturated, but also to allow the Spirit to work in you with joy; that you might exhibit a generous spirit wherever you go!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 34
THE CHOICE IS OURS: MEDIOCRITY OR SATURATION (Acts 6:3)
“Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you 7 men of good reputation,
full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business…”
I am 69 years old. I have walked with the Lord for decades. I am sorry to say that it took me until I was 50 years old to begin thinking about being Saturated with His Presence. I was arrogant about my spiritual position because I was seeking God & could be characterized: dutiful, determined & disciplined. My goal was not to be Saturated, being full of the Holy Spirit. I tried to attain the things of God & the things God wanted me to do…with my own strength – too much so.
1 John 5:5
“who is he that overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
If we believe, then we overcome. It was made clear to me in my journey: if I believed, then I would seek to be Saturated with the fullness of God! It is when I was Saturated that I made better daily choices in life. My goal became to be in the “likeness of Jesus”. I no longer wanted to be somewhat loving; but I desired to love like Jesus loved. I no longer wanted some joy, I wanted joy overflowing. I no longer wanted a somewhat happy marriage; I wanted a joyful marriage. I no longer wanted some of God, I wanted all of Him. My purpose in life became “being full of Him, Saturated with Him”. God’s Presence then moved in all my life, every area, every relationship. Do not hold back; do not just be religious—be Saturated!
What is one thing in your life that keeps you from being Saturated daily? __________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 35
WHAT IS A KEY IN BECOMING SATURATED? (Psalm 84:1,2)
“How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts. My soul longs, even faints for the courts of the Lord;
my heart & my flesh cry out for the Living God.”
How do we see God? Is He loving, generous, filled with high expectations and blessing us; a beautiful God in every way? This is how the psalmist saw God. As a result of seeing God this way: we see the tabernacle, the courts around it, the holy atmosphere…as a place where I want to dwell in my heart! I see a generous God towards me because I am a son/daughter of His. He wants to bless, grow, and lead me!
When we anticipate being in His courts, personally with God Himself…our soul longs, even yearns, cries out for His Presence; even to the point of fainting; because we are willing to do whatever it takes to be in His Presence. It is not just crying out with our hearts, but we feel so strongly that even our flesh, our very skin, is crying out for Him! When we live each moment with this type of attitude; we will see God! We will see His power in us and through us.
How do you see God? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Are you yearning to be in His Presence? _______________________________________________________________________________________________
What can you do to develop this same attitude as the psalmist or Jesus? __________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 36
A FRUIT OF SATURATION (John 2:17)
“And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Scripture has told us in 1 John that we are not to love the world or anything of the world. The world is passing away—why is it passing away? Because of our fellowship with Him! No longer do we find the world “tasteful”; we have no lust, no hunger for it. We are led to do the will of God & we are so impassioned about His will that we want to abide in His will daily. This leads us to the promise of abiding in Him forever & always. Doing the will of God is not painful; it should be a joyful experience: being in the very center of where He wants us to be – full of joy because God is using us to our fullest & we are bearing much fruit. To be Saturated, which leads us to doing God’s will; we will move from living our will to doing God’s will. We will be releasing the things of this world, including the desire for earthly success. We will be releasing being important in other people’s eyes. Therefore, we will find there are fewer activities in our life; only the important ones remain. We will be living to an audience of ONE – God Himself. We will be choosing to listen to God alone. We will be compelled to do what He tells us to do. And we will please Him!
Doing the will of God is His higher purpose for us: all our gifts, talents, and passions peaked and directed towards His will. We will bear much fruit and have joyful lives as we are doing His will due to being Saturated with His Divine Presence.
What hinders you from being Saturated today? _____________________________________________________________________________________
Overcome it with God’s help!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 37
ARE YOU EXPERIENCING ABUNDANT LIFE? (John 10:10)
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that you might have life, and that you may have it more abundantly.”
The thief, satan & his demons, is ever present in our world. He does not have our best interest in view. Every day, from the beginning, he desires to be the thief, murderer and destroyer of our lives. If we choose not to be Saturated with the Presence of God; then we are choosing to be a slave to the enemy. He is the one who causes us to become distracted or lack the fortitude to become Saturated each day. The way to a more abundant life is to be & stay Saturated with His Presence. The enemy is powerless against this. The enemy cannot get close when we are overflowing with the fullness of God; he cannot stand in the Presence of God.
God desires that we be more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37). We cannot do this in our flesh. It occurs when we are fully armored with His Holy Spirit. His Presence in our life will bring us incomparable blessings. Our Lord is waiting for us to desire to be filled with Him so that He can pour out blessing upon blessing upon blessing in our lives.
Do you feel like a conqueror today? __________________________________________________________________________________________________
If not, stop right now and drop to your knees to worship Him.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 38
PARTAKING IN THE FRUITS OF DOING HIS WILL (1 Cor. 9:22b-23)
“I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
Now this I do for the gospel sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”
It is God’s will that we all share the gospel, for the glory of God. The gospel includes the mystery of Christ: that Jesus Christ died, rose again and ascended into heaven, to make a place for us. The great thing in all this is that as a result of doing the Lord’s will, we become partakers of the blessings of God. Partakers of joy, peace, and love. Partakers of satisfaction in life, His power being made full in us. He has many blessings for us: a fullness of faith that has capacity to move mountains; a patience that is strengthened & built up; a humility that is not self-serving but rather raises up others; a goodness that comes to us; a gentleness. These are blessings from the Spirit of God, and we get to receive these blessings & many more.
What 3 blessings have you received from the Lord today? ___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 39
SATURATION LEADS TO FREEDOM (Rom. 6:17,18)
“But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves to righteousness.”
Jesus set man free from sin. We only get to receive that freedom to the degree that we free ourselves from all sin. What an incredible blessing: to be free from the incumbrance of constantly being bombarded by the enemy about our temptations & sinfulness. Unfortunately, the enemy is trying to get us to sin daily to separate us from God. But we have the freedom & authority to shut down the enemy. When we are Saturated with Jesus, the enemy cannot get to us. This is the state of total freedom, to be righteous. When we are Saturated with the Presence of God, we will not have the sinful cravings within us; we will not be jealous or covet; the sinful ambition & hate are gone; participating in division, factions, malice & gossip does not even come to mind. We are free; free to love & bless others. No longer is our mind & heart being tortured. We can think more freely & the Holy Spirit will bless us with better thinking & even open doors for us. We thank God for setting us free.
Are you enjoying freedom today? _______________________________________________________________________________________
Have you stopped to be Saturated with His Presence? Have you invited Him in? __________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION:
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 40
RECEIVE MORE BLESSINGS (Prov. 10:6)
“Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.”
We have become free to do God’s will that we might overflow with the blessings of God and therefore we are righteous. God does not want to hold back anything from us. He will not give us blessings that will destroy us because we are not mature, complete, Saturated with Him. God wants to pour out His blessings on us. He has also made it clear that those who choose to live for this world and be controlled by the enemy, thus living a wicked life, will experience violence. We are freed from the consequence of living for the world. He wants us to be submerged in doing His will and receiving His blessings. The blessings that will come to us will be full of power so that we might have a marriage full of oneness and joy, even have the capacity to love our enemies. We will be full of generosity and giving grace to others. God’s righteousness will bubble out from us, blessing others. The Holy Spirit is going to encourage us in all the right things. We will even find that we physically feel better, having more energy. He will cause us to invest in the right things. What a glorious life the Lord is offering us. These blessings are waiting for us.
Is there anything holding you back from being Saturated? ___________________________________________________________
Stop & pray right now, asking for the Lord’s power to overcome this obstacle and sweep it out of your way, in Jesus’ name.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 41
ARE YOU RECEIVING ALL HIS BLESSINGS & PROMISES? (Eph 1:3)
“Blessed be our God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, …”
We thank our Father for all spiritual blessings, beginning with the Fruit of the Spirit, and especially freedom from sin! When we are Saturated with Him: we lose our sinful cravings; we lose our desire for dissensions, jealousy, coveting, sinful ambition, hate, deceit, factions, malice & gossip, hypocrisy, boasting, lusting, haughty eyes, bearing false witness, manipulation & scheming, anxiousness, worry & stress—all gone. When we are Saturated, these cannot exist within us. They are of the enemy. In Him, we have a burning passion for people & will be graceful and generous. We will have a personal vitality; physically ready to do anything God wants. We will get to receive the promises of God. He is our shield, help & guidance. He offers us intimacy with Him. He rescues & delivers. He listens and answers. He sustains, causing us to be more productive. He is merciful to us. He gives wisdom & understanding. He leads and comforts. He multiplies fruit: 30, 60, 100 times! He is offering all this to those who are Saturated; He desires to hold nothing back. He wants us fully satisfied; powerful for His Kingdom.
Are you saturated with Him today? _____________________________________________________________________________________
Have you positioned yourself to receive all His blessings? ___________________________________________________________
If not, stop and seek Him fully!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 42
THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST (Col. 1:27)
“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery
among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
To receive the blessings, it requires that Christ be “in you”. He is our hope of glory. It is called a mystery because the Gentiles did not understand how to become saved or how to be Saturated with Christ and thus receive all that God the Father has to offer. These blessings can be given fully or partially. When we are not fully in Christ, blessings are partially given, because we have chosen to live a part of our life for the world. This dual life will destroy the opportunity to have His love and power fully within us. Hold nothing back. Give all your hopes & cares to Him and He will return them, with even more glory!!
What are you holding back from Him? __________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 43
LIVING THIS BLESSED LIFE REQUIRES SOMETHING! (Col. 2:6,7)
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
This blessed life, the Kingdom Life, is available to you every day, but you must walk in Him! Walking in Him is seeking Him in every way. It means that we desire to confess & repent of our sins daily, that our heart might be pure. It means we want to worship in song, in the Word & learn something profound from Him. When we do this daily, we are being rooted & built up, and our faith is being established. We will be a man/woman of God that will be enabled to stand against all forces; leading our people to the very Presence of God! Our life will be so rich, abounding in Christ and we will overflow with thanksgiving. We will desire to share this with everyone around us. Do not hold it back; give it out!
Are you daily walking with Him? _______________________________________________________________________________________
Continue in it. If there is something God would have you do, what is it? Begin doing it!! ________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 44
ARE YOU COMPLETE IN HIM—SATURATED? (Col. 2:9,10)
“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him,
Who is the head of all principality & power.”
When we have Christ in us; we have the fullness of His deity with us. We have the fullness of God Himself! Therefore, we are complete in Him. We are also the head over every power & authority, the ruler of the dark world. Do you see that if you love Him with all your heart, you will be able to be just like Jesus? We will no longer measure life regarding the things of the world; how rich we are; how famous we are. We will measure the world by doing the things that God wants us to do, having the mind of Jesus, doing the things of Jesus, desiring the things He desires. We will be a Kingdom conqueror. Be in Christ & stay in Christ. When we stay in Christ, we push away the world and its sin. Now, begin seeing the Christlikeness of Jesus in your life!
Name 3 things that were Christlike in your life yesterday or today.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 45
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? (Col. 3:4)
“When Christ Who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Our Lord has given us very high standards for being a Christian. These words are profound because the Lord is making it clear: if Christ is fully in us and we stay in Him, then He is our life: the purpose behind everything we do. We live life to bring glory to Him throughout the day. We want to be just like Jesus; doing the things He wants done. This is a thrilling life because we will be able to heal the sick; raise the dead; cleanse the leper; and drive out demons. We will be able to bless those who are part of our community and those within our church. We will want God’s very best for them. Being in Christ is being Saturated with His Presence! He will show us what righteousness is within our marriage, family, friends, work, and church. We can be this person. In Christ, we also have His Spirit and He will empower and enable us.
What are you going to pray for today that welcomes a miracle? _____________________________________________________
What 2 people are you going to bless today? __________________________________________________________________________
Be blessed.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 46
PRESENT EVERY MAN PERFECT: IN CHRIST, SATURATED (Col. 1:28)
“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom,
that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Presenting every man perfect – when Jesus returns. This is a tall order: to present every man perfect. The Lord tells us we are to preach,” warning every man and teaching every man” in all wisdom. With each person we know, we are being challenged to present them perfect. This cannot be accomplished because we operate in our own strength and wisdom; this happens when we are Saturated, in Christ. We will see God’s power and glory move through us to touch everyone in our life—if we are willing. One of the measures of success in our Christianity is to do what He says. We are empowered to teach the people around us through our words, our powerful prayers, our righteous actions; our loving character…to draw them to Christ through you us. We are the Lord’s calling card. When they see Christ in us; now we begin believing it can happen to them too. When they see this in someone else that we helped; once again, they will say “this is the great I Am” that is doing this” – God Himself.
Who did you bless today? ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who are you going to bless? _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Do this & God will be glorified.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 47
PUT TO DEATH THE THINGS OF THE WORLD (Col. 3:5,8)
“Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry…but now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another…”
These things were us when we walked in darkness, with the enemy. How do we put them to death? By taking ownership for them: confessing them and repenting wholeheartedly. Be embarrassed before God for them; humiliated, and desire to be free of them. Tell the Lord that you want to be in Him fully. When we walk with Him and are in Him daily, these things will be dead in our life. This is taking off the old life. They cannot follow us when we are fully in Christ. We are free of them and all the bitterness and wrath they produce. Praise God! We are a new creature in Him. We are being prepared to do His will. Hallelujah!!
Take time now to praise God for your freedom from sin.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE:PART 48
PUT ON THE NEW SELF & BE TRANSFORMED (Col. 3:12-14)
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy & beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
But, above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”
First, we must take off the old self (vss. 5-8); then we put on Christ. We become “in Christ” and are empowered by God. As we daily seek His Presence, we put on each of these characteristics as though we were putting on new clothes. This is the new you! We do not do this with our own strength; the Holy Spirit will help & encourage us. As we study to have the mind of Christ, the Holy Spirit will make these character traits a part of our wardrobe.
When we have put on Christ, the peace of God will rule in our heart. We will be thankful; we will be sharing it with others through psalms, hymns, singing, with grace in our heart to the Lord. Because we are so captivated about being in Jesus; we will do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus. We will be giving thanks to God Himself through Jesus. Amen & amen!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 49
TO BE SATURATED IN CHRIST, WE MUST OBEY IN ALL THINGS, (Col. 3:23,24)
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
Just prior to this verse, it says wives submit to your husbands; husbands love your wives; children obey your parents in all things; fathers do not provoke your children; and bondservants obey in all things your masters. This is speaking to every one of us about obedience! This verse is not speaking of obedience to please others; but to please God, in reverential fear of God. These are some of the indicators that determine whether we are in Christ or not. Christ is supreme, the deity of all mankind. He is worthy to be sought and seeking includes obeying. Without obedience the rest of it does not work. He wants to do all this blessing for us but without a willing heart and a sincere pursuit of His Presence; we will not be in Christ. We are not talking about blind obedience, legalistic obedience, or religiosity. This obedience is a result of our love for God. We want everything we do to be for His glory. Of course, this leaves out sin because we have taken it off and laid it aside. If we fall, we can repent. God wants all of us; He made us for Himself. As His son/daughter, He wants to bless our whole life.
Have you seen disobedience in your life? ______________________________________________________________
Repent now. Ask to be in His Presence now and throughout this day.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 50
SATURATION IN CHRIST MEANS ABUNDANT LIFE (John 10:10)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.”
When we are in Christ, as we have been studying, the thief cannot come to steal, kill and destroy. The thief has no access to us. Any time we choose to compromise with sin, we have given access in our life to the enemy. What Jesus wants to do is to give us life, life to the full, abundant life, a life of blessing & fulfilled promises, a life with many answered prayers.
Do you have the faith to go all the way? ________________________________________________________________________________
Will you trust Him fully to meet your every need? ____________________________________________________________________
He is calling for us to experience this abundant life. He is calling for us to love Him with all our heart. He is calling for us to surrender everything that we have in life. He wants to see joy resounding in our life.
Will you say “yes” to all this? ____________________________________________________________________________________________
He is waiting to take you further on the journey.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 51
WHAT KEEPS US FROM SATURATION? (Heb 10:11)
“And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins.”
We have talked about Saturation and power and the blessings that we receive. Now we will focus on that which keeps us from Saturation. In this verse, the Hebrew writer speaks of “priests doing daily sacrifices”. This never takes away sins! It is Jesus Who has paid the price for sin. I was caught in the trap of “religiosity”, of more duty, more discipline & more determination. I came to recognize that this was religiosity based on my own effort! Duty, Discipline & Determination (DDD) is a form of self-worship, of doing more things in my efforts, without including Him! I thought I could become more holy if I were more determined. These are not bad qualities, but without the love & power of Jesus & the Holy Spirit; they are a waste. The Lord tells us in
(John 15:5) apart from Him we can do nothing! We can do nothing through our DDD if it is apart from Him! It is dependent upon a deep walk and relationship “in Him”! When we first have a deep walking in the Lord, and add duty, discipline, and determination; our relationship is powerful & mighty.
Are you doing life in DDD without deep relationship? ________________________________________________________________
What is it that you can ask the Lord to transform in your life? ______________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 52
WHY DO OUR HEARTS BECOME LUKEWARM? (Rev. 3:15,16)
“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.”
1 John 2:15
Do not love the world or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Obviously, God hates lukewarm! He hates it when believers do not seek to be saturated with His Presence. Why do we become lukewarm? Because we do not put away the things of the world: lust, sports, shopping… These loves are replacing the things that God wants to implant within you: His character and the fullness of the Spirit. So, the love of these other things takes away the passion of a Oneness relationship with the Lord. The closer you get to Him, the more you desire Him. The closer you get to the world, the less you desire your Lord. If you have desires for the world, it is cheating you of God’s power, His blessings & promises to be received by you. You are not only cheating God; you are cheating yourself.
What love(s) is keeping you from being Saturated? ___________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Stop and ask God to give you healing and help to defeat, (to put away, to put to death) this wrong love! Tell Him you want all of Him.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 53
WHAT IS A NUMBED DOWN HEART AND HOW DOES THAT AFFECT YOU?
(Proverbs 1:32)
“For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
But whoever listens to Me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.”
Numbed down is being conditioned to expect less; to see less opportunity; to not be properly motivated about things of God! It means that we have tried many times, yet failed, so, we accept our circumstances. Numbed down means I am focused on myself and not in love with my Lord. We are to be world changers! We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and there is nothing that God cannot do! We must resist complacency and apathy; that doing good is good enough. God wants us to be great and to do great things, because of His being in us. God desires that we look appealing, powerful, and successful at what we do, because we have the power of God within us! When we are seeking to be our very best & great in God’s eyes; being numbed down falls away. We begin to think about what God desires to do, every day, in and through me. Do not let the enemy lie to you: that your circumstances will never change or that you will be mediocre all the days of your life. There are things besides money that you can be great at; that will honor and glorify God.
How has the enemy & life numbed you down to have low expectations? __________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ask Him to heal & free you! Ask Him to make you a powerful, godly person for Him!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 54
ARE YOU FREE OF AN ASSAULTED HEART? (Eph 6:12)
“For we do not wrestle against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Another problem that our heart faces are the attacks of the enemy! People hurt your heart by what they say & do, but the enemy is behind it. None of this comes from God. Hearts are assaulted with the physical, mental and emotional suffering that we experience. The less Saturated we are, the more vulnerable we are. We have memories that are sealed within us, whether it is abuse, rape, violence, harsh words, people abandoning us that we have loved and sacrificed for, shame, bitterness and resentment, cruel words, and judgements; these things leave memories that wound us and may surface when not expected. These wounds push you away from personal relationship with the Lord and being complete in Him. Wounds affect our faith & expectations; they affect our blessings and God’s power within us! We could choose to have a live picture of us and the Lord in loving, intimate relationship; to focus on the Lord & His blessings. Ephesians exhorts us to do battle against these wounds: STAND! OPPOSE THE ENEMY! Because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4) We struggle not against flesh & blood but against powers and principalities. (Eph. 6:12)
Repent and ask for healing for how your heart has been assaulted. ________________________________________________
Forgive so that you can be free of resentment & bitterness. __________________________________________________________
Deny the enemy access by destroying every one of the assault memories that plague you!
- What is one memory that plagues you? _______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Forgive. Ask God to erase that memory. YOU ARE FREE!!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 55
NOT BEING “IN HIM” SEPARATES US FROM THE “FULLNESS OF GOD”! (John 17:21)
“…that they all may be one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be in Us,
that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
Jesus was in the Father, one with Him, without sin. He had only one love: to do the will of His Father. Jesus’ words & power came from God the Father and the Holy Spirit. He was God and was with God.
To be Saturated, in Him, we must desire the likeness of Jesus, seeking His Kingdom and what is best for it. God gives us the answers to living a successful life. The first objective (once we know Christ) is to be in Christ; that we would be one with Him. When we are one with Him; He will direct our path, therefore, we are capable of being one with those around us. If we try to succeed in relationships, especially in marriage, without being one in Him; our relationships, our marriage may not succeed being great in His eyes. He is our direction and source of power.
What is one thing that keeps you from being “in Him”?________________________________________________________________
Ask God for what you should do and seek to have Him free you of this slavery position. __________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 56
SIN PATTERNS IN YOUR LIFE MINIMIZE YOUR LIFE (Rom. 7:20)
“Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”
Too often, we accept sin patterns in our lives. We justify a compromising sin that we do and repeat it over and over; this is sin “living in me”. The reality is that we are allowing sin in our life; we own it! God has given us solutions of confessing and repenting, but because we like these sins in our lives; they cheat us from the full relationship & blessings of God. Rom. 8:5,6 states that we are not to live according to our flesh, setting our minds on things of the flesh. This means dwelling on them, thinking about them, desiring them; so we go on sinning. May it never be! God is asking us to stand and telling us to live according to the Spirit, therefore, desiring the things of the Spirit. We can be set free from our accepted sin pattern within our life. WE allow it; we accept it. Put an end to the old self & kick the patterned sin out of your life.
What patterned sin have you allowed to remain in your life? _______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What are you going to do about it? ____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 57
CULTURAL CHRISTIANITY KEEPS US FROM SATURATION (Heb. 10:11, 12)
“And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God…”
Cultural Christianity is doing things that Christians do to please themselves and impress the people around them. An example is: when I was in my 40’s, I would make a checklist of the things that pleased my wife. That way, I could remind myself and plan things I would do for her. Why did I need a checklist? It meant that I did not have to think about her each day; I could just look at my checklist. What is the problem with this? It means that I was like the priest, doing religious things, that made it look like I loved my wife; but I really did not want to bother showing her how I felt. When we love someone, and God Himself, we have a passion for what we feel & we express it in what we do! When we love; it results in a passion for and desire to please. So, it is with God: when I yearn for His thoughts, for His Word, for His direction; I end up glorifying Him. Hallelujah!!
A Christian does not just do right things; but does them passionately to please the One he/she loves! Name some of these behaviors you do to please the one you love: _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What are some Cultural Christianity things that you do that you think might influence God? ____________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE:PART 58
CULTURAL CHRISTIAN OR LOVING THE LORD ONLY? (Matt. 7:21-23)
“Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name, and in Your Name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from Me, you evil doers!”
This verse is talking about Cultural Christians; doing the things that Christians do but never becoming Saturated with the Presence of God. People even drove out demons and performed many miracles. They were evil doers because they really did not believe. Cultural Christians struggle with wanting to be free but will not release their earthly passions to receive this freedom! Their hearts are white-washed tombs; just painting over their earthly desires. Cultural Christians also seek to have their lives “fixed by God”! They are not seeking an authentic relationship; being one with Him! Cultural Christians are those upon whom one sees stress, worry & anxiousness in their lives. This is the opposite of the person who walks in Christ; they are full of joy no matter their circumstance. God does not exist to fix the problems of your life; He exists to be one with you and free you, causing you to be a powerful person for Him!
What is one other thing that you do that labels you as a Cultural Christian? ______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 59
FREED FROM CULTRAL CHRISTIANITY (Matt. 4:10)
“Then Jesus said to him, Away with you, satan! For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God,
and Him only you shall serve.”
Cultural Christianity goes away when we worship Him only; worship Him in what we say, how we care for people, worshipping while in the challenges of life, worshipping Him in my marriage & family, worshipping Him in my church & neighborhood. Cultural Christianity is our problem because we choose to compromise; we choose something less than all of Him. We do not fully trust God’s promises: that He will do a better job of leading our lives than we would. Satan is working to destroy our spiritual lives. We allow him to teach us these Cultural Christian behaviors and wrong loves. We do not desire ALL OF GOD and His plan; giving our hearts totally to Him.
What one commitment can you make today to seek wholeness in loving Him alone? ___________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 60
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF A CULTURAL CHRISTIAN? (Matt. 4:10)
““Then Jesus said to him, Away with you, satan! For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God,
and Him only you shall serve.”
The answer to defeating Cultural Christianity is worshipping the Lord, only. Only serving Him! Cultural Christians have strategic blind spots that hold them back from loving the Lord with all their heart. For example: shallow intimacy with God; limited passion for the Lord; rote obedience to spiritual activities; doing spiritual activities because that is what I was told to do; busyness in spiritual activities; having earthly passions; daily dragging past sins & wounds around; a life of stress, worry & anxiousness; selfishness – me first syndrome; doing things without the power of God; doing what I feel like doing; aspiring for success in the world for my benefit; being viewed by others as a great parent; being physically attractive for the wrong reasons; comfort & entertainment; being most popular. These are the focus of Cultural Christianity!
Of which of these are you most guilty? _________________________________________________________________________________
Ask God to transform you with His power. ____________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 61
THE SOLUTION TO CULTURAL CHRISTIANITY! (Matt. 22:37)
“Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all you soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.”
We have just studied Cultural Christianity, religiosity, lukewarm hearts, assaulted hearts, not being “in Him”, accepting sin patterns in my life. The question becomes: do I really love God? Do I really desire Him more than anything? Do I really believe that He is everything for my life…if not, then I must break free! I need to be passionate about loving Him with ALL MY HEART! This requires intentionality & commitment with revelation of the Holy Spirit. If we choose to love Him with ALL our heart, we must seek Him in every way; know Him, not just “about Him”! We must discover how awesome, powerful, loving, and compassionate He is. In Proverbs it states: “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”. He desires to free us of all that is listed above. We must desire this freedom as well. This is not casual acceptance nor is it convenient; it is longing for His Presence continually in our life. He desires to deliver to us a life full of joy, hope, thanksgiving, peace and love. These fruits come from the Holy Spirit and a love beyond any other earthly love in our heart.
To what degree are you seeking to love Him? Because, He is already fully loving you! ___________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 62
WHY LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL? (Matt. 22:37)
“Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
The secrets of the Kingdom of God are available to us. The door to these secrets is loving Him with ALL our heart, soul, strength & mind. If we love Him with ALL our heart…there will be evidence:
- having sweet quiet time with Him every day;
- walking and talking with Him;
- joy no matter our circumstance;
- the power of God being released in us and through us.
- There will be a preoccupation about Jesus in our mind and heart.
- We will possess an unconditional love & a worship Him only love.
- There is no room for anything of the world within our heart.
How much time each day do you spend thinking about Him and His Presence? ___________________________________
Are you expressing thankfulness and praising Him as you walk through your day? ______________________________
Never loose faith; for He is always there and doing more than you could ask or imagine!
Is He the first thing on your mind when you wake in the morning? _________________________________________________
When you love the Lord with ALL; that love will even drive away the enemy!
Have you asked the Lord to help you love Him with all your heart? ________________________________________________
Have you made an intentional decision about seeking Him until you find Him and are filled with His love? _____
Have you asked Him to forgive you for your complacency in seeking Him? _________________________________________
Stop now and have this conversation with the Lord.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 63
COME LET US ADORE HIM! (Matt. 4:10)
“Then Jesus said to him, away with you, satan! For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God,
and Him only shall you serve.”
A synonym for worship Him, is to adore Him. Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes at His birth, He is the Christ child. He is God. Within Him are all the attributes of God, even though born in human form! He was adorable as a baby, just as He is worthy of worship today because He is God! He will catch all our tears; give us power to defeat the world. He will give us salvation for eternal life. He has sacrificed Himself for us on the cross. He has won the victory for all eternity as He was buried and resurrected. He is the One Who watches over us daily; cares for us; walks with us! He is the One Who allows miraculous happenings in our life. He is worthy of being worshipped and adored. It is only through Him that we have joy for the world. When Christmas comes, this is what we celebrate – He is worthy of our adoration!! To love Him with ALL our heart, we must embrace & recognize everything that He has, is and is going to do in our lives! HE IS WORTHY!!
What are you holding back that keeps you from loving Him with ALL? ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 64
JESUS CAME SUPERNATURALLY FOR YOU! (Luke 2:8,9)
“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were greatly afraid.”
Jesus came in a supernatural way: He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and yet born of a virgin! When he was born, an angel was shown to shepherds in the field. The glory of the Lord was shown—they were terrified! The angel spoke to them: “A Savior has been born.” Suddenly there was a great company of heavenly hosts singing “glory to God in the highest”! Now there were kings that came from the orient; they had travelled far, bringing special gifts for the King of all the world. This King, Jesus, was willing to be humbled to the point of death for you! He was crucified, buried and ascended. We are to adore a supernatural, awesome God; greater than anything in all the world. He is inviting us into a personal relationship with Himself and in that intimacy, we will become Jesus like! Out of love, He sacrificed for us; taught us; did miracles; raised up disciples & apostles; so that we could have this Jesus-life in His Holy Spirit!
Is Jesus your personal Savior? If not, ask Him to forgive you and receive you as His son/daughter!
Now, adore Him!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 65
RECEIVING POWER! (Luke 3:21,22)
“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, You are my beloved Son; in You I Am well pleased.”
Jesus will demonstrate throughout the Gospels that due to receiving the Holy Spirit, He would change the world. He would change the world through teaching, justice, miracles, and most of all love! He desires that all men be saved and come to the glory of God!
Can you think of anyone who deserves more love than He does? He has sacrificed for you; paid for your sins; and wants you baptized with water and His Holy Spirit—He wants to dwell in you fully!
If you have received this baptism, then you walk with the potentiality of the power that Jesus had. Because Jesus lived as a man and was empowered by the Holy Spirit; so too can you! Nothing like this has ever happened in all of history. This is a supernatural work of God, through Jesus! That same potential lies in you because He indwells you. You have the same capacity to love like Jesus & perform miracles; to stand for good & justice; to be used by God to have Jesus save the rest of mankind.
Is there a reason to love and adore Him? ______________________________________________________________________________
Is there a reason to bow down and worship Him, praise Him? ______________________________________________________
Please remember that if you have received the Holy Spirit, you walk around with the potential of doing what Jesus did! What is the Lord asking of you now? _______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 66
ALL YOUR HEART! (Luke 10:27)
“So He answered and said, you shall love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
There is an emphasis in this verse, which of course includes love, but it focuses on how much love. It emphasizes “with ALL”! What a simple 3 letter word, ALL! It means totally, wholly, entirely, everything! These are all encompassing words. When we are loving the Lord with ALL, there is no room for religiosity, or cultural Christianity, or sin patterns… There is only room for ALL of Him! Our Lord Jesus and His Spirit desires to occupy every part of your heart, mind, soul, emotions…ALL of you! There is no room left for the world. Satan has no access to you! You are full up and you get to live a life of love like Jesus did. It is a love that is just like Jesus’ love! There is no time to back off from this message. Now is the time to sacrifice all things that are not of God; have them crucified…to become saturated with Him; free and literally Christlike!
What is it that needs to be cleaned out of your heart? _______________________________________________________________
Ask God to remove it and fill your heart with His love and His Holy Spirit!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 67
DO YOU HAVE AN UNDIVIDED HEART? (Psalm 86:11, 12)
“Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your Name. I will praise You,
O Lord my God, with ALL my heart, and I will glorify Your Name forever.”
We often don’t know that we walk around with divided hearts: a heart that is divided between God and the world. But, to love Him with ALL, we must unite our heart, so it is undivided! To do this, we must be taught His ways. We must walk in His truth. Walk means “to go”! Wherever I go, whether in my house, market or somewhere else, He goes with me in my heart, mind and soul. I adore Him to such a degree that when I walk with others; I share Him with others. I don’t share about the latest football game or event; I share about the love of Jesus. Because we are so profoundly impacted by His Presence and are in awe of Him; this is what we think about! This is evidence of loving Him with ALL! When you stop to pray, and someone is healed—this is evidence of the Presence of God within you! You are saturated because you love Him with ALL your heart! You have power in you and through you because your heart is united with Him; one love!
Is your heart united and focused on loving Him with ALL? __________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE:PART 68
IF YOU TRUST HIM THEN YOU TRULY LOVE HIM! (Prov. 3:5,6)
“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths!”
If you love Him and you know Him; then you will trust Him! Trust is a powerful word. It means to be reliant, secure, confident and sure. One who loves the Lord with ALL their heart, will trust Him in everything: children, marriage, money, work—ALL the things in life. Even when we fear! We trust in everything, including our fears.
We will be full of faith, of what God is going to do in our life when we trust Him totally. We will be confident to share with someone about the love of Jesus because He is with me and will give me the words. If we do not trust with ALL, then we do not love with ALL! Our Lord has loved us with ALL and for us to receive ALL that He has for us; we get to love Him with ALL!
Honor Him with praise for the last thing you saw Him do as a result of your trust! _______________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 69
DO YOU LOVE WITH ALL? (Luke 10:27)
“So He answered and said, you shall love the Lord with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, with ALL your strength, and with ALL your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Love is a complex word. There are 3 types of love that come from the Greek.
- Agape: an unconditional love in all circumstances
- Phileo: a friendship love
- Eros: a passionate love
These are all wrapped together in loving the Lord with ALL! Jesus’ love for us was unconditional, His love was a friendship love where we have relationship with Him. In the relationship, He will speak to us and teach us. We have an eros love, a passionate love for Him. This passion grows out of our awe for Him: for Who He is, what He has done, what He has done for me most recently, and the future He promises me—the hope I have! How can we not be passionate for His Presence when He is offering this kind of love to us? We can’t get this love any other way: can’t earn it or produce it within ourself. It comes from Him and He gives us the capacity to love like He has loved. It is this unconditional love that separates us from all other religions. Doing sacrificial acts in my life for Him is to be a result of my love for Him.
What kind of love from/for God, are you experiencing? ______________________________________________________________
How should that change or be more fully enjoyed? ___________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 70
LOVING GOD WITH ALL LEADS TO LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR! (1 John 4:7)
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
There is much significance here and it highlights that to love, we must know God which leads to true love and leads to loving one another. Loving one another with an unconditional love, a brotherly love and a passion for others to love God with ALL! When we love in this way, we are being intimate with Him and He leads us to this kind of love with one another. We are not suggesting this is easy, especially in the flesh with our own strength. But, as God empowers us to love others with His love, it works. Loving others is giving testimony to them about what God is doing in our life! Or sharing with them a miraculous insight about God. Or sharing about how He is moving in and through our life! Or opening our heart and sharing the secrets of our life within a discipleship group. It is being available to others to help them and ultimately to become Saturated with His Presence! There is no greater thing to be shared or given to others. God is love and when we love Him the way He has loved us – heaven’s doors are open and blessings will be received!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 71
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HEART? (Matt. 6:21)
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
God has designed our heart to be our compass, our passion & our rudder in life. It is the heart, some call the soul, where we store the treasures of our life. These treasures give us direction, drive our passion, and steer our course for life. To the degree that we understand our treasures, tells us how we will lead our life. Scripture speaks of the heart over 750 times. If you compare it to the mind/thinking, which is referred to over 200 times. The mind is subordinate to the heart; the heart feeds the mind; the heart steers the processes within the mind; and helps the mind think out how the heart can accomplish/do the things it treasures. The heart is like a container within the body, it stores good & evil. We get to choose what dwells in our heart. Our Lord has given us free will. If we choose to store deceit & wickedness, that will be part of our identity or perhaps our whole identity.
The heart and what it treasures is constantly seeking to be satisfied. Whether our heart is storing up the Lord and things of Him OR storing things from the world, will determine whether our heart is satisfied or not. If we store the things of the world, (such as greed, power, influence); then we are seeking short term satisfaction. These satisfactions are like the wind; they come and go. You can not catch the wind or hang on to it. Therefore, the satisfaction is fleeting. But when you treasure the Lord and love Him with all your heart; He will satisfy your soul. You will seek to love Him with ALL your heart and your neighbor as yourself. You will seek to live a righteous life and lead others to that same satisfaction. You will seek to love and serve mankind for their betterment.
“Therefore, the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does
comes from the world and brings no lasting satisfaction.” (1 John 2:16)
What do you treasure in your heart? ____________________________________________________________________________________
For whatever our hearts thirst, whatever our preoccupied thoughts are about & yearning for, that for which we have passion, spending time and money on…this is where we will find our treasures.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 72
FOR WHAT DOES YOUR HEART SEEK? (Deut. 4:29)
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him
if you seek Him with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul.”
To seek is to inquire, consult, ask, require, frequent. If we truly desire to know God, then we must seek Him unrelentingly. This is one of the measures as to whether we truly love Him. If we merely hear about loving God with ALL our heart, we think we are doing great because our mind has “thought about Him” – that is only “mental ascent”. But, if we are seeking to “know Him”, to be “with Him”, to “walk with Him”; so that we say to ourself “I will stop at nothing to deepen my relationship with God”—we will find Him. We will talk with Him, complain to Him, & hear Him speak to us. He will lead us if we seek Him with ALL of our heart.
He will reveal to us the treasures in our heart and He will help us foster a pure heart.
Is satisfaction in life, the peace of God, love & joy, what you want in your life? ____________________________________
Do you want a fruitful & prosperous life here on earth? And a rewarded eternal life with Him? Seek Him with ALL your heart!
What else do you seek in your heart? __________________________________________________________________________________
Embrace what God is asking you to embrace from Him.
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 73
TO HAVE RIGHT TREASURES, YOU MUST HAVE A PURE HEART FIRST! (Matt. 5:8)
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”
A pure heart is an uncontaminated heart. If we have never led our heart before, then be assured: we have accepted some forms of the world/darkness within our heart. The prize we each are searching for is satisfaction and the promise of eternal life. This is not obtained if we don’t empower the Lord to help us purify our heart. It is pure when we see only Godly fruit come out of us. Fruit: what we say, what we do, how we do it, and for what we thirst. These things need to be purified. As scripture states: “you are blessed if you have a pure heart”. The great reward is that we will see God! God will help us steer our life so it counts eternally, and we will be fruitful today and forever more!
What is God saying to you about how your heart needs to be purified? _____________________________________________
What one or two things stand out with which you need to deal? ____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 74
WHAT MUST BE DONE TO PURIFY MY HEART? (Deut. 30:6)
“And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul, that you may live.”
The idea here is that our hearts must be circumcised! We cannot do this, but God does it due to our desire to fully love Him. Circumcision is to cut off the excess and destroy it. Seeking acceptance from other people rather than from God OR being preoccupied with the lust of the flesh rather than Him; these are things between which you must choose. God can purify and circumcise them from our hearts! This requires that we call out to God in anguish; to have our hearts purified, the unnecessary to be cut off, so that God can more fully fill us!
God does not leave us helpless, but He gives us answers to root out and destroy the wrong/evil things we have permitted to dwell in our heart. He is our Helper and Completer. Please know that the enemy does not want this wrong love removed from our heart; he wants evil to dwell in us! Because God is greater than the enemy, as a result of Jesus’ victory, He wants to help us, in order that we arrive at a pure heart that is filled to the full with Himself.
What is God leading you to have circumcised from your heart? ______________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 75
WHAT IF I AM IN A WEAKENED STATE? (2 Chron. 16:9)
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and from throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong
on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
The Lord is seeking for those who are loyal to Him, those who are committed to Him. He understands when we have a contaminated heart; when we feel beat up and weak. So, He is stating that not only will He help us recognize & deal with our heart; but He will strengthen us so that we can arrive at a circumcised heart/a pure heart. God will help us! He has our best interest in mind. We shouldn’t fall into the trap of the enemy convincing us that our present state is ok or better than our future state.
We need to seek to be loyal and commit self to God! He will strengthen and circumcise us; healing us of our present condition and giving us a new future.
Ask God for help and ask Him to circumcise one of the issues of your heart. _______________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 76
WHAT ELSE MUST I DO TO BE CIRCUMCISED? (Rev. 3:19)
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”
This verse is referring to the Church of Laodicea! God is saying that they are His children and He loves them. Because He loves, He rebukes and disciplines to help them on their journey. He is also saying there is a better way: be zealous, covet & desire earnestly, stretch after the love of God! Repent!! The repenting is the step that usually takes place before the circumcision. The repenting is the demonstration and communication to God, that we hate this sin/this present circumstance; we no longer want it in our life. We deny sin access in us and we declare to the Lord: “help us to throw off/cut this sin off. We desire to turn around and follow Him only. He helps us in our weakness and frees us from these chains.” “We will no longer allow ourself to sin from the temptation.” “We will ask the Lord for protection and help.” God will help us and then He will circumcise us so we can be free!
What is God speaking to you about purifying your heart? ___________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 77
WHAT HELPS ME KEEP A PURE HEART? (Joshua 22:5)
“But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you:
to love the Lord your God, to walk in ALL His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with ALL your heart and ALL your soul.”
It is too often that we have repented in our mind and not in our heart! Too often we say/confess the words but are not convicted and prepared to follow through. Our Lord gives us an objective: to love & serve Him with ALL our heart. He also gives us a plan: that we obey all His commands and stay true to our commitment to Him and deny temptation and sin into our heart. He tells us to walk in His ways and hold fast to Him. If we obey and desperately hold fast to Him daily, then we will stay in the love of the Lord. We will love Him with ALL of our heart. This will take place, especially with the Holy Spirit’s help!
What is God asking you to be obedient about, right now? ____________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE:PART 78
HOW DO YOU PROTECT THIS COMMITMENT? (Prov. 4:23)
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
We have such good intentions when we are in the church and in the Presence of God as He is speaking to us! Our commitments need to be held. We must stand fast on them! While standing fast, we will be attacked by the enemy. So, we are to guard our heart with all diligence. This means that we protect our heart from the enemy and our sinful flesh, day & night! The enemy is constantly on us. When we are walking with the Lord, He will strengthen us and keep us alert to guarding our heart to keep it pure; keeping it pure to not only see God but bring forth a well-spring of life!
This is where we get our creativity, our fresh ideas! Not only from how God has made us but from God Himself. This demonstrates to God that we are committed and dedicated to keeping a heart that is ready to be blessed with satisfaction, love, joy and power. Always be ready, always be in the Word, always be praying, always be listening to Him…and you will succeed!
What do you need to be doing to guard your heart? ___________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 79
ARE YOU BLESSED? (Psalm 84:5)
“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.”
When our strength is in Him, it means that we are staying daily prepared; we are in His Word, praying, listening to Him, asking for His help, and continuing to walk with Him throughout each day. We are strengthened because our hearts are fully committed to Him. When our hearts are set on pilgrimage, we are looking forward to what God wants in our life! A pilgrimage is an ordained journey that God has put me on to arrive at His heart! He will strengthen us on this journey. The Lord will prepare us to become stronger and to have impact in our life from this day forward. The Lord will test us, allow suffering in our life. As we embrace all that Jesus is and the power of the Holy Spirit…we will prosper in our heart, in our marriage & family, in our work, in our neighborhood, in our church. God loves to prosper His children; especially those who love Him and are on His journey.
God has something for each of us to do. Some things are immediate, some are long range. He wants us to accomplish everything that He has designed for us to do. But, if we choose not to receive His purpose, goals, and plan; we will not have His strength or help. John 15:5 “apart from Me you can do nothing”.
So, live a rich life in His strength and on your God-chosen pilgrimage.
What has God called you to do on your pilgrimage? ___________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 80
WATCH OUT! (Matt. 15:8)
“These people draw near to me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.”
When we are on our pilgrimage, it involves people! We are to love people as ourselves. But, watch out! WE cannot be careless and allow others to distract us, because the heart is deceitful above all else. People love to tell us what we want to hear, but they are not really with us! The heart can store up good and evil. The heart can be devoted to vile images and detestable idols. A perverse heart does not prosper. We must be watchful that as we travel, they do not distract us from the course we are on.
Invite others to this glorious belief in Christ Jesus. Invite them to join you on your journey. Invite them to read scripture together with you. Remember that the enemy is going to use people to take you off course. If you are diligent in your walk with Him; you will discern who is with you and who is not. You must remain strong in the strength of the Lord and He will bless your journey!
Who are the people that encourage you on your journey? ___________________________________________________________
Who are the people that are distracting you from your journey? ____________________________________________________
Be strong in the Lord!
Luke 6:45 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ezek. 11:21____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prov. 17:20____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jer. 17:9______________________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 81
DO YOU FORGIVE FROM YOUR HEART? (Matt. 18:34,35)
“And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
So, My Heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart,
does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
Forgiveness only takes place if we forgive from our heart, from the very depths of our soul. We need to send the event(s) away, releasing the situation in which we have been unjustly sinned against. Forgiveness has nothing to do with the other person. It is between us and our Heavenly Father. We are bound by satan, if we choose not to forgive. We are limited in our relationship with the Lord, if we choose not to forgive. We are separated from blessings that we could receive, if we do not forgive.
Forgiveness does not come from the head. As it states in this scripture, it comes from the heart. Unforgiveness is a negative thing we have decided to treasure in our heart. We cannot say in our mind that we forgive this person(s) and be set free; we must forgive from the heart. When we do, we will no longer carry any emotion about the situation. There will be no resentment, no gossip, no preoccupied thought regarding this person(s).
Forgiveness is emotional. If we are willing to release it, send the sin away and ask for the Holy Spirit to help us and cleanse us – we can be freed. The lack of forgiveness is a function of the enemy. Refusing to forgive, we are cooperating with the enemy and the enemy has access to our life. Do not hold back. Forgiveness is a major. Jesus spoke of it 6 times in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:5-15)
Who has the Lord set in your heart that you need to forgive?_______________________________________________________
What do you need to forgive?__________________________________________________________________________________________
Why is it so important to you to remain bound by hurt?____________________________________________________________
How has this impacted you and others?_______________________________________________________________________________
Go before the Lord now and ask Jesus to give you the power to release & dismiss this hurt, so that you may love freely again!!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 82
ARE YOU STORING UP THE WRATH OF GOD? (Rom. 2:5)
“But in accordance with your hardness and impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God,
Who will render to each one according to his deeds…”
A heart that is stubborn & refuses to turn away from sin is storing up terrible punishment when God’s righteous judgement is revealed. The verse speaks of an impenitent heart: a heart that is storing up treasures of sin by hanging on to a violation. God does not want us in this state; He wants a pure heart that is free and able to receive Him and His blessings. Unforgiveness is not a casual sin; it comes from what is stored in our heart; the evil that lies within. We must say “no, not in my heart. I refuse sin to dwell in my heart.” “Lord, I will do anything You desire as You free me from this sin.” This is a function of our will and the grace of God that will expel these sins/wounds from our heart.
What sin does God want you to release from your heart?____________________________________________________________
Why is it so important?__________________________________________________________________________________________________
What has been the fruit of unforgiveness?_____________________________________________________________________________
Now, abhor this sin. Confess it, release it and ask God to free you. Ask God and as He answers your prayer, He will fill that space in your heart with His Holy Spirit. YOU ARE FREE!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 83
CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART IS BY THE SPIRIT! (Rom. 2:29)
“…but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision that is of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter;
whose praise is not from men but from God”
God loves to praise His people. In order to be one of His people, our heart must be circumcised by the Spirit. Picture the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in the Christian’s life, cutting away the wrong heart loves that we have stored up in our heart! When this circumcision takes place, we will have a changed heart and it will be produced as a result of our desire to release what must be cut away with the Holy Spirit doing the cutting away and then blessing. We will see life differently after this. We will see life more like Jesus saw it. There is nothing that the Holy Spirit cannot cut away from our heart. But it will require our hating that sin and to never let it return, because we have asked the Spirit to fill that space as a result of the room that has been created from this circumcision of our heart.
What is God asking you to have circumcised from your heart?_______________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 84
YOU BELIEVE WITH YOUR HEART? (Deut. 30:6; Rom. 10:10)
“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Isn’t this amazing? How the heart is involved in everything, even our salvation – believing in Him is in our heart. It is the heart that cares & worships & drives a person. If a person just said the words: “I believe”, and then continues with a worldly life…there is considerable concern as to whether that person really believes from their heart. Most likely, this person has not trusted in our Lord. But if the person does trust his Lord in everything, he will never be put to shame.
Praise God now for giving each of us the opportunity to believe in our heart, so that we can be saved. If we have done this, our heart will be changed & we will lead a different life. Maybe not everything will change immediately, but a whole new direction will be established.
Eternal life is for everyone who will believe with their heart!!
Have you made this choice?______________________________________________________________________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 85
THE WILL OF GOD FROM YOUR HEART (Eph. 6:5-6)
“Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bond servants of Christ,
doing the will of God from your heart,..”
We are bond servants of Christ. We are to serve our master with a sincere heart. (obligated heart) We are to please our master, all the time. This is the evidence: we want to do the will of our Master (God) with ALL our heart: we desire to obey, serve, honor, bless others WITH ALL OUR HEART! This is a treasure that is within the heart and it bubbles out with the power of the Holy Spirit. When it is from our heart, a natural passion for God’s is exhibited!
Can you see the significance of the heart and how it is a part of all that is important?______________________________
Carefully consider what you treasure!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 86
SETTING YOUR HEART (Col 3:1,2)
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above not on things on the earth.”
Since we are raised with Christ, Christ dwells within us and we are to “seek” the things of heaven. The word here emphasizes that we “plot” to the point that our concern is the things of God. Verse 2 speaks of “setting our mind” on things above. This is setting one’s affection. It is a natural passion that is stirred from the heart. Once again, the heart is referred to. It is the heart that God desires to be filled/saturated with His Presence.
The enemy comes to distract us from God’s intention. We are not to give the enemy access with wrong thoughts or sinfulness. We are to intentionally & passionately seek “that heaven would come visit us”; that our heart would experience (as in the Lord’s Prayer) the desire that “His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven”.
Are you passionate for the things of heaven?___________________________________________________________________________
Are you yearning & hoping for the very Presence of God?_____________________________________________________________
Are you receiving everything that He is offering you?_________________________________________________________________
He desires to bless your heart as you affectionately seek Him!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 87
IS YOUR HEART DECEITFUL? (Jer. 17:9)
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it.”
Isn’t it amazing, all that is involved with the heart! Now we see that the human heart is deceitful above all things. This is a heart that is fraudulent, not truthful to self or to others. When we look at a unredeemed person, this is when the enemy can lead that individual in wrong ways. If we are not redeemed, without the mind of Christ; we often make bad decisions, say wrong things, desire wrong things. None of us wants to see ourselves as having “evil” within us or coming from us. But that is what this verse is saying. The heart can store up good or evil. When apart from Christ in our mind and heart, we will have a propensity to store up deception, non-truth, and worldly things. There is a cliche’ (a saying) “the devil made me do it”!
When we are unredeemed, the devil has great influence on us. But if our heart is totally surrendered to Him and we love Him with all our heart; the deceit is greatly diminished. When our heart is full with Him, there will be no deceit! Please remember: being full of Him is not a one time thing but a DAILY opportunity!
Do you have deceit, worry or fear in your heart?______________________________________________________________________
This is not of God. Do not allow these sins to dwell within you—when dealt with, the enemy will have no access to you!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE:PART 88
WHATEVER YOU DO—DO IT HEARTILY? (Col 3:23)
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”
Once again, we have the subject of the heart! The word here is “heartily”, which communicates “abundance”. Abundance that comes from your soul’s passion for the purposes of God! When we are Saturated with Him and we have the mind of Christ & the power of the Holy Spirit…He wants us to engage fully…whether work, or marriage, or family, or witnessing, or discipling. He wants us to do it heartily, abundantly! It is assumed: with a cheerful heart. It doesn’t matter what you are doing; work at it with ALL your heart, because, it is from the will of God.
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best), how would you score yourself in working heartily – abundantly and with a cheerful heart?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 89
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF YOUR COMMAND? (1 Tim. 1:5)
“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience,
and from a sincere faith, …”
Here we have a description of the heart in another way: that the heart is to be pure! Paul is talking about the commandment of his work; his mandate, which is “love”—a love that comes from God. Love that we show in replacement of God’s love is counterfeit and has no value. (John 15:5) We want God’s love flowing in us and through us! The Lord makes it clear that for this love to flow through us—we must have a pure heart. Pure means “uncontaminated” with anything other than being filled with God and His purposes. A pure heart is one that excels at working with God to remove anything contaminated. This is what Paul is telling us: as a result of being Saturated with Him—we have completely cleaned the house of our heart. Therefore, the goal of loving one another; the goal of Paul’s command, of his mandate is LOVE. This is how you measure whether Christianity (Christ in us) is being completed. Once again: the heart becomes the center of our Christianity!
What is the Lord telling you about the love that you exhibit for the world to see?__________________________________
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE
HEART TRANSFORMATION
DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: PART 90
WHAT IS EVERY INCLINATION OF YOUR HEART? (Gen. 8:21b)
Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”
Here we have God speaking to Noah after the flood. The Lord is informing Noah about what He knows about man. The Lord wants us to know that man’s heart is evil from his youth! Every inclination of man’s heart is evil all the time. If one never becomes redeemed (bought back through Christ), they have this evil inclination all the time. Clearly the heart is a vessel. This vessel has evil within it, if it is not redeemed. Man collects treasures and stores them in the heart, being preoccupied by them; spending time & money on them. God does not want man to live in this state of continual evil. He desires that we become like Jesus in every way: operating with His love & power, just as Jesus operated. But if our heart never becomes pure because of an unwillingness for Jesus to purify it—then man is stuck in this natural state. The Lord wants us free, able to do great things in His eyes as a result of having a pure heart; filled with His purposes and His power. The heart & what is stored in it is who we are!!
To remove sin and purify our heat is not some human behavior that we are trying to train within us. The answer is loving the Lord with all our heart and worshipping Him only. We then can be freed to truly be His disciple, functioning in His power, doing great and wonderous things for His Kingdom!!
PASTOR KEITH & KAREN PETERSON
HT PRESIDENT-WORLDWIDE