Daily Devotional - 11/6

Prayer Focus - Gratitude

Day 2
Pray for:
One thing you are grateful for about the country that you live in
One thing you are grateful for the state/region that you live in



Thank God for how what you are grateful for affects:
your spiritual life
your physical life
your emotional life
your mental life



Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.


Psalms 66


"Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of His praise be heard; He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For You, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance." ( vs. 8-12)


Once again we are reminded that sometimes God allows us to go through hard times in order to train and refine us. He lets testing go on to see what is in our hearts. Sometimes the testing is very intense but this does not mean God is upset or being mean to us. It is tough love that is willing to allow another to go through struggles so that in the long run they will win.



Our society has moved so far from this concept and many of the problems we see arising stem from this lack of the ability to endure. We don't want to have to struggle for anything. Instant gratification is king. No one wants to wait til they have money to spend it. I know that was me til I racked up a credit card debt that was insurmountable. No one wants to wait to get married in order to be involved physically. Very few people want to put in long hours of study and practice on order to learn a subject, skill, or trade (except of course if it's in athletics which is fun anyway and promises millions to the right individuals).



But God wants to change us from the inside out. He knows that nothing good comes without sacrifice and struggle. He allows this to happen because He wants us in heaven. If we can start living with eternity in our minds continually, our troubles will become light and momentary. Our entire lives will become a momentary spot on eternity and none of this will matter so much anymore. The only thing that matters is being right with God. He will bring us out to a place of abundance someday, and when that happens, we will be ready for it.



Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,

We will shout for joy today because we are alive. We will praise Your name because You are powerful. We will be grateful for all of the challenges and trials that come along because we know that they are refining us and making us into the men and women that will make a difference in the world. We praise you for not letting us go about in our own ways. We praise you for all of your guidance and all the second chances that You have given us. I will not cherish sin in my heart. I will keep a clear pathway for You to travel between where I am and where I need to be. You are good.




In Jesus' Name,
Amen




QFT




1. How do I praise God? How can I praise Him more?

2. What is going well in my life? What am I being tested in?

3. What prisons am I in? What burdens are on my back? Who is riding over my head? How am I dealing with all of these things?

4. Has God brought me out to my place of abundance yet? Am I cherishing any sin in my heart and therefore hindering God's ability to do work?