If you want to be part of a revolution, this book is a great place to start. You can make a difference---in the world, in your town, in your school, in your life. The Revolution Devotionalhelps you understand and develop character traits that will turn you into a revolutionary for God. No boring reading here---instead it's fast-paced and fun. Each day you'll read a verse of the Bible, then a short devotional about the character in that verse. There's additional Scripture for you to read if you want, plus a hilarious list relating to the day's topic. For example, on the topic of being different from the crowd, you might get this list: Seven Ways to Be Really Different There's different...and there's really different. Here are seven ways to achieve the latter status: * Color your eyebrows with purple Magic Marker. * Insist that people call you 'Butterscotch.' * Wear bumper stickers on the back of your coat. * Declare yourself a 'meat-arian' and argue for vegetable rights. * Talk only in Dr. Seuss rhymes. * At the lunch table, do play-by-play commentary for a game going on in your imagination. * Randomly blurt out the phrase, 'Now that's what I'm talking about'---even when no one is talking.Editorial ReviewsAbout the AuthorFormed in 1988, The Livingstone Corporation partners with Christian Publisher to produce Bible, books, Bible studies, curricula, and other resources.Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.SECTION 1 A Genuine Relationship with God Going Deep with God So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, 'Because I asked the LORD for him.' 1 Samuel 1:20 More than anything in the world, Hannah wanted a son. Unfortunately she wasn't able to get pregnant. So she did what any God-loving woman would do in her situation. She prayed about it. She took her troubles to God and begged him to help her. Year after year after year. Every chance she got, Hannah went to the house of the Lord to pray. As you might imagine, each year her prayers became a little more intense. She begged, pleaded, and cried for God to answer her. She vowed to dedicate her son to God if God would allow her to get pregnant. And in response, God fi nally gave her a son. Hannah understood the value of constant prayer and worship. She never lost faith in God. She never stopped praising him. Maybe that's why God came through for her in such a big way. Do you understand the value of prayer and worship in your life? Not just as a way to get the desires of your heart, but as a way to deepen your relationship with God? Don't make the mistake of treating prayer like a drive-up window at a fast-food restaurant. Don't just place your order and then wait for God to fi ll it, expecting to get what you want and get it now. Instead work on developing a complete prayer and worship time with God. And include more than just your requests in your private conversations with God. Praise him for who he is. Confess the things that have damaged your relationship with him. Thank him for the things he's done in your life. And when you're fi nished with those things, talk to him about your needs and desires. It worked for Hannah. And it will work for you, too. For the full story of how God rewarded Hannah's prayer of faith, check out 1 Samuel 1:1-28. Weird Things People Have Prayed For The following list is real. People actually admitted to praying for these things. What odd prayers could you add to it? * 'During football season, I pray every Sunday that the Bears will win and the Packers will lose.' * 'When I was little, I used to pray for cartoon characters like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the X-Men.' * 'I used to pray for lots of presents from Santa on Christmas.' * 'This girl I liked was dating another guy, and I prayed she'd break up with him.' * 'When I was late for curfew one night, I prayed that God would turn back time so I wouldn't get in trouble.' * 'I used to pray that God would give me Kevin Garnet's basketball skills and give Garnet my skills.' * 'After I bombed an English test, I prayed that God would burn the school down and destroy the evidence. I don't know why I didn't just pray for my test to get lost.' REVOLUTION DEVOTIONAL No Foolin' Israel's arrogance testifies against him, but despite all this he does not return to the LORD his God or search for him. Hosea 7:10 How real is your love for God? Do you believe in him when things are going bad just like you do when things are going great? Are you aware of him in your daily life, or is he just someone you think about for an hour or two on Sundays? Are you confi dent that you know him well, or is he really just an acquaintance to you? One more question: If someone treated you the way you treat God, would you believe that person really loved you? Faking a relationship with God isn't hard to do. You just need to know a little about the Bible...sprinkle a few Christian phrases in your conversations...maintain an upbeat attitude...and pretend to care about other people's problems. With a little eff ort, you could fool your parents, your youth leader, your girlfriend, and even your closest friends into believing that you're a faithful follower of Christ---when, in reality, you're nothing more than a spiritual poseur. The two people you can't fool are you and God. If you don't have the fire of God's Holy Spirit in your heart, there's no way you can convince yourself that you do. And since God knows everything, he's not capable of being fooled. That's why putting on a Christian act is ridiculous. Other people's opinions of your spiritual condition mean absolutely nothing in the long run. So you're left with a choice: either start a genuine relationship with God or abandon the whole Christian scene altogether. Do yourself a favor: choose the fi rst option. Stop trying to act like you think a Christian should act and start living according to God's Word. Stop trying to get credit for your spiritual resume and start trying to please God with your life. In other words...stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. For more about how you can please God, check out Hosea 6:1-6. Blanking the Blank 'Walking the walk' and 'talking the talk' are pretty common phrases--- especially among Christians. But here are a few verb-noun combos that aren't nearly as well known. Can you believe that people actually say these? 1. Chalking the chalk 2. Stalking the stalk 3. Boring the bore 4. Ducking the duck 5. Winding the wind 6. Jamming the jam 7. Hiding the hide 8. Creeping the creep 9. Freaking the freak 10. Teaching the teach