A Crown Beyond Compare: A 90-Day Devotional

A Crown Beyond Compare

A 90-Day Devotional

Joelene Merriman

ISBN 979-8-89130-438-3 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89130-439-0 (digital)

Copyright © 2024 by Joelene Merriman

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Featuring scriptures from the authorized 1611 King James Version of the Bible

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

How This Works

Prelude

Recommendations

Introduction

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Day 26

Day 27

Day 28

Day 29

Day 30

Day 31

Day 32

Day 33

Day 34

Day 35

Day 36

Day 37

Day 38

Day 39

Day 40

Day 41

Day 42

Day 43

Day 44

Day 45

Day 46

Day 47

Day 48

Day 49

Day 50

Day 51

Day 52

Day 53

Day 54

Day 55

Day 56

Day 57

Day 58

Day 59

Day 60

Day 61

Day 62

Day 63

Day 64

Day 65

Day 66

Day 67

Day 68

Day 69

Day 70

Day 71

Day 72

Day 73

Day 74

Day 75

Day 76

Day 77

Day 78

Day 79

Day 80

Day 81

Day 82

Day 83

Day 84

Day 85

Day 86

Day 87

Day 88

Day 89

Day 90

About the Author

How This Works

While this devotional has ninety daily passages, you don't have to read it every day. You could do one passage per week or each month even. There are no rules really except that you should start with the passage listed as Day 1 and read them in order until you reach Day 90. The reason for this is that there are things mentioned in the latter passages that reference back to the earlier ones.

This devotional is not meant to serve as any one thing to you, but it is meant to serve as many things to many people in many different situations. Here is a list of things this might be, just to name a few:

An encouragement to get through a hard time in your life

A reason to open your Bible

A reminder to pray to your Father in heaven

A journaling prompt

A way to build your relationship with God

This devotional is also not meant to replace or be read instead of reading the Bible. These passages are just words of testimonies and encouragement, but his word is the Word. The word of God is alive, and there is power in it, so always choose it first. That being said, if you wake up late and only have ten minutes to dedicate to reading, choose his Word, not this devotional. Choose the Bible and leave this book for another day because you need him today, and you will always find him there.

Prelude

I have never been one to journal. I have tried several times to keep a diary throughout the years, but it never stuck. I tried at one point in my early twenties to write blog posts, but again, it just wasn't my thing. I never thought much about writing a book, and I certainly don't have the imagination to try to write fiction.

As the events recorded in this book took place, I documented them in real time. I wasn't sure why I felt the need to document them, but I did and I dated the event each time I wrote them down. First, it was just a quick outline with scratched notes randomly placed one after the other. Later, I went back and added details to each entry from memory. I did this a few times and drew strength from reviewing the notes and remembering all the miracles God was performing just for me along the way. While jotting them down, I didn't know if anyone would ever read my notes, and there were times I hoped no one would. I was ashamed of some of the thoughts I had and knew people would judge me. I am generally a private person by nature, but I have drawn so much hope, encouragement, and strength from these events that I felt led to share them with others so that they could also draw strength and hope from these testimonies too.

Once I realized that God was calling me to make the scribbled out notes into a book, I prayed for guidance and courage. I also began to elaborate more with each entry. I doubted and tossed around all the what-ifs as the enemy would have me to do. I thought through all that could go wrong and all the people I could hurt or cause shame, but at the end of the day, I knew what I was being called to do. When the Holy Spirit calls you to do something, you should do it without hesitation; delayed obedience is still disobedience.

You will find throughout the passages in this devotional that I am an imperfect human who has been saved by grace. There is nothing that I have done to deserve the blessings that have been poured out on me, but it is all by grace through faith. I hope that if nothing else, this book drives you into the scriptures more often so that you can further build your relationship with your heavenly Father.

Recommendations

(Again, There Are No Rules)

I do recommend you complete at least one devotional day reading each morning as the sun is rising when it is still relatively quiet and you can focus. I know we all have lives to hurry off to, but I promise you that if you make time with God a priority every single day, it will change your life. It will be hard, and you will forget some days, but don't let that stop you from trying again the next day. That statement applies to more than just reading this devotional!

I recommend that you keep your King James Version of the Bible handy. This is the very best way to hear and confirm what the Holy Spirit has to say. Pray that the Lord will reveal his secrets to you through his word, and then get into his word.

Each day, I will share with you a significant event, a miracle that God performed, or an inspiring thought or memory from my personal life. Each day you will also be given scriptures from the King James Version of the Bible for you to reference, cross reference, study, think about, pray about, and meditate on throughout your day. If the scripture hits home with you, I want to encourage you to write it down on a sticky note, a note card, or on some other pocket-sized paper that you can carry with you that day or that week. Anytime you need it, pull it out and read it. If you are in a crowded place, and you hear the enemy speaking lies to you, pull it out and quietly review it. If you are alone and you are upset about something, you can take the scripture out and read it aloud. It is amazing what a scripture can do to fight against depression, anxiety, and inappropriate or unhealthy thoughts.

Along with this book and your King James Version of the Bible, I also recommend you have a journal or notebook and pen nearby so that you can quickly jot down what you believe the Spirit is saying to you. You could also note scriptures that coincide with the ones listed. There will be days when I encourage you in the reading to notate something or write out something specific. Of course this is totally optional, but I do feel that you will get more out of it if you do.

While I know you will want to schedule out your time each morning, try not to. Set your alarm as early as you can stand to, and when it goes off, get up (don't snooze)! Complete your daily reading, pray earnestly for as long as you need to, and after you close your prayer, just sit there. Just stay there in the quiet and allow time for the Spirit to speak to you. Don't rush through it. I know you want to, but don't. If you are unsure about whether what comes to mind is the Holy Spirit or your own thoughts, there are a few things I recommend you do that I have noted below:

Pray and ask for God to give you confirmation.

Check the scriptures; use Google referencing KJV, the Holy Bible app set to the KJV translation, or your actual KJV-reference Bible to search for topics that relate to the thought that came to your mind.

Ask yourself, "Would the thought or