Daily Devotional - 9/21/15 (1/21/10)

Prayer Focus - Personal Transformation

Day 3
Pray for:
One thing that you want to see improved in your relationship with God - (Love God)
One thing that you want to see improved in the way you relate to others - (with all your heart)
One past hurt that you want to see healed and overcome - (with all your soul)


Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.



Psalms 81


"Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!... He says, " I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket. In your distress you called and I rescued you,.." ( vs. 1, 6, 7a)

Sing for joy...

Be happy and excited about God and His strength...

No matter what is going on in our lives, we are to rejoice in the Lord. Circumstances will always let us down but God will not. We can always rejoice in Him for He removes our burdens. He frees up our hands from the slave labor of the world. He gives us a new perspective. He rescues us from all that would harm us including ourselves. God answers. God is worthy of our praise, always.


"Hear, O my people, and I will warn you - if you would but listen to me, O Israel! You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it." (vs. 8-10)

Beyond rejoicing, we must listen and obey. There should be nothing that rivals God in our lives and in our hearts; nothing should get in the way to our obedience and worship. Work, schedules, exhaustion, ourselves - these things are not worth serving. Life will go on without us, but will we go on without God? Don't bow down to them. Remember it is God that has brought us here to this point in our lives and will continue to take care of us if we let Him. He brought us up out of our Egypts; our captivity. He is wanting to fill us up. We need to open wide our mouths. Give God the opportunity to work. There is no limit to God and how He works.


"But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices." (vs. 11-12)

The problem though, is that we struggle to listen. We forget God is speaking to us all the time and the world is so noisy that it is hard for us to hear His voice unless we are focusing intently on it. We need to make a concerted effort to hear and when we ask for something, we need to pay attention so that we can hear the answer. I think we are often like children who ask questions of their parents and then get so sidetracked that they never hear the answers. We need to be still and listen and then we will hear God. Beyond hearing, though, we need to obey. We have to submit our will to His because He knows what is best for us. If we ignore Him, eventually He will let us go our own way.  He will give us over to our rebellion and self will but it will break His heart.  We will wander like the Israelites in the desert until we die or have a change of heart.

"If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! Those who hate the Lord would cringe before Him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you." (vs. 13-16)

When we decide to change our minds, however, and begin listening to God, then He can come to our rescue.  If we start putting His words into practice, we will see miracles. God's love for us is so clear as He speaks of how quickly He will subdue our enemies if we take His messages to heart. He is speaking to us relentlessly and waiting to bless us and take care of us. If we will listen and obey, God can and will turn anything around in our lives - illness, debt, clutter, lack of organization, ineffectiveness, bad schedules, bad parenting, bad marriages. God can transform any of these things in a minute. God is waiting. It's up to us now.

Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,


We long to be filled by You. Help us to rid ourselves of the idols in our lives and the things that we strive after instead of you. Help us to be still and hear Your voice. Help us to be still and know that you are God and we are not. Life will go on without us. We are not indispensable. Our relationship with You is all that really matter and You will take care of the rest. We want to obey. We want to rejoice. Help us. We are opening wide our mouths. We are waiting on You. We will let You lead us.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT


1. Am I praising God and focusing on all He has done for me? What did He set me free from? What was I in slave labor to and what burdens has He lifted from me?

2. Do I have idols in my life? What do I devote most of my time to? Is it worth it? How can I change my priorities to make sure God is in first place?

3. Am I listening to God's voice? What distracts me from hearing Him? Am I allowing myself quiet time in which I can meditate on His word? How can I incorporate more time for reflection into my life?

4. Am I obeying the voice of God in my life?  Am I allowing Him to subdue my enemies? What enemies do I have that need subduing?

5. Am I remembering God's love for me in all of this? How has He shown His love in my life?  How can I focus on this more?

Daily Devotional - 9/19/15 (11/19/09)

Prayer Focus - Personal Transformation

Day 1

Pray for:
One thing that you would like to see improved in your relationship with God



Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.




Psalms 79



"O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble...How long, O Lord, will You be angry forever? How long will Your jealousy burn like fire?..Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may Your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need...Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will praise You forever; from generation to generation we will recount Your praise." ( vs. 1, 5, 8, & 13)


God allowed Jerusalem to be destroyed and His people taken into captivity. He allowed them to get into such a difficult situation that they were in desperate need. The Israelites were in captivity many times, often for such a long period of time that the original people that had sinned were long gone. This did not stop the latter generations from still reaping the consequences. This can be troubling to think about. In the Old Testament, there are long periods of silence from God when His people wondered where He was. In our lives, at times, we can feel the same. We face various trials from without and within. There can be issues with our health, our finances, our parenting, our marriage, our job or lack there of. Internal struggles can include grief, anger, bitterness, depression, guilt, obsessions, and worry. The list goes on and on. Struggles can endure for days, months, years. And we wonder, "God where are You?  God, do You even exist at all?"

Why is this? Why does God allow this? What can we learn from these times? There are many lessons in this, but they often run contrary to our modern culture.  This sometimes makes it hard for us to understand. We are people of sight. We are people of immediate gratification. We are people that deny there are consequences to our actions. Remember the slogan, "If it feels good, do it?" But reality doesn't base itself on our culture. There really are eternal truths that we will need to internalize if we are ever going to walk successfully through this life. The following are a few of them.

First, we need to learn that there are consequences to every action. We don't want to believe this. We are so used to being rescued.  I know I was.  When I was growing up, I was rescued many times in big and small ways by my parents. Although I know it was done in love, I think I might have been better off I had faced some consequences for my actions in my youth. As a result of how I was raised, I had to learn the hard way that no one comes to rescue you anymore when you are an adult. If you don't pay your bills, bad things happen, such as the lights get shut off.  If you overspend, you have to pay it off. Also, there are laws that have to be obeyed and there are deadlines that can not be denied. We can't always talk our way out of something. How many of us were shocked when we began to realize this? Often, we are still fighting this same issue.  We argue the consequences of our actions with a policeman that stopped us even though we know we were speeding. We bail our children out when they procrastinate or get in trouble. We blame others for our problems rather than face what we really deserve. Thankfully, God is not like this. He sees the big picture. He knows the ultimate consequences of life and He is not afraid to let us face what we deserve to face or need to face. He is the ultimate loving parent who is willing to let us go through the hard lessons so that in the end we might live.

Secondly, we need to learn that sin has far reaching consequences, not just in our own lives, but in the lives of those around us as well. Many times the Bible talks about the sins of the fathers (Ezekiel 18). We are not held responsible in the sense that we will die spiritually for what someone else does, such as our parents, but their sins will still impact us. Children and spouses' of alcoholics know the truth in this. Sin leaves scars that are often difficult to heal. Even sins we might consider less dramatic such as impatience and selfishness damage others. When we say careless and mean things in our anger, those around us will have to deal with the depth of that wound. Even if they forgive us, the words have gone out and can never be taken back. We often hear the echoes of cruel things that were said to us years later, try as we might to forget. The Bible states that we will be called to account for every careless word we speak (Matt 12:36-37). This verse is sobering to me as I know I have said many careless things in my life. It reminds me that we have to take our lives seriously because we do impact others for eternity, whether we want to or not.

Finally, the last lesson I will mention here is that God is still there in the silence; working away at the plan He has for our lives. In the silence of the Old Testament, God was working out His plan of salvation for not only Israel but for the whole world. We do not know why it took so long but it was worth the wait. The behind the scenes work of the universe is a bit beyond us, but it is good enough for me to know that someone who is able is back there working it out. As a child, most of us did not have to worry about the bills or the more complicated issues about what had to be done to provide for us. We trusted our parents and lived life. Think about all that went on to get us to adulthood. Even if our childhoods were not that good, there was work done on our behalf by many people. We will never know the full extent, but as we become parents, we get a glimpse of what it takes to raise a child and hopefully we have more mercy on our parents for all of their failings. It is so hard and although we try our best, we fail so often. But God is the perfect parent and we can rest easy knowing that He is working to take care of what needs to be done to get us to our final destination. We need to be like that weaned child resting with its mother, confident in the safety she provides (Psalms 131). God is there. God does exist. He has a plan.  The trials will eventually pass.  All hard times do eventually come to an end, and that in itself is good.

 

"My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore."  (Psalm 131)

Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,


It is so hard to be like the weaned child. We have so many fears and it is so hard for us to just rest in You. Yet, You are majestic and able. Forgive us for insulting Your power and goodness. We, as sinful humans, know how to give good gifts to our children. You are so much more. Thank You for thinking in the long term and for not always giving us what we want. Thank You for letting us go through the hard times so that we might in the end make it to be with You in eternity. Help us to keep our eyes on the eternal and in the times of silence know that You are there. Just as the sun shines behind the clouds though we see it not, You shine throughout the universe. We praise Your name.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1. Do I feel like God is moving and present in my life or do I feel like He is silent and absent?  Why?  When have I felt these two different ways?  How do I deal with the times in my life when I feel that God is being silent?  What can I do to get through these difficult times?

2. Am I willing to face the consequences of my actions? Am I helping my children to face the consequences of their actions? How can I teach them this concept? Do I blame others for anything in my life?  In what areas do I see this?  How can I stop blaming others for my problems and start dealing more with my actions?

3. Am I dealing with any scars from the sins of those around me? How can I work on being healed?

4. Am I creating any scars? Are my sins affecting my children, spouse, significant other, roommate, etc.?  How?  What do I need to change and how can I?

5. Am I trying to control everything in my life? Am I filled with worry about all of the issues I face? Am I like the weaned child or like an unhappy child? How can I change? What will I do today to start trusting God more?

Daily Devotional - 9/17/15 (11/17/09)

Prayer Focus - Needs


Day 6
Pray for:
One thing that is needed in the world
One thing that is needed in your country
One thing that is needed in your state/region
One thing that is needed in your city
One thing that is needed in your family
One thing that is needed at your work or in your social circle


Focus on how the fulfilled need will help impact people's:
spiritual lives
physical lives
emotional lives
mental lives



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




Psalms 77



"I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted." ( vs. 1-2 )


"I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds. You are the God who performs miracles; You display Your power among the peoples." (vs. 11-12, 14)


"You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron." (vs. 20)



The keys to spiritual success are to cry out to God unceasingly, remember His incredible power and the ways He has rescued us in the past, remember He works miracles, and follow the people He has put in our lives to guide us spiritually. If we obey God and His directions, He will be able to bless us. I am convinced that to the degree that I obey His word, I will be blessed. The more I obey, the more I open the door for Him to be able and willing to bless me. I do not reward my children when they are disobeying me and having bad attitudes. Neither does God. I wait until they are doing well with what is required of them and walking in communion with me. Is God not like this? Why do we expect good from Him when we are unwilling to give Him what He requires and expects from us. He has laid down precepts that He expects to be fully obeyed (Psalms 119:4). This applies to my marriage, my parenting, my everyday life, my eating habits, and all the rest of my life. There is so much in the Bible for us to learn. Let us go after it as a loving child would go after pleasing their parents. It is worth it.




Prayer for the Day




Dear Lord,


You are the God of miracles. Help us to remember that. Help us to obey more and more each day. We know and believe that You exist and that You reward those who earnestly seek You. We are seeking You. Help us to find You and grant us the strength to obey, now and forever


In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. Do I cry out to God unceasingly? Am I determined in prayer or do I pray when it is convenient?

2. How can I improve my prayer life? How can I be more consistent?

3. What miracles have I seen in my life? Do I meditate on God's power and miracles? Or do I focus more on my wants and needs? How can I change my perspective?

4. Who has God placed in my life to guide me right now? Am I following their guidance? Why or why not? Am I following anyone right now in any area of my life? Do I believe mentoring in any form is useful? Why or why not? Is my view in line with God's?

5. Am I obeying God's precepts? Which areas in my life are the most difficult for me to obey in? Why? Which are the easiest? Why? How can I become more obedient in my weak areas?

Daily Devotional - 9/14/15 (11/14/15)

Prayer Focus - Needs

Day 3
Pray for:
One thing that is needed in the world
One thing that is needed in your country
One thing that is needed in your state/region



Focus on how the fulfilled need will help impact people's:
spiritual lives
physical lives
emotional lives
mental lives



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




Psalms 74



"We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be." ( vs. 9)


"But You, O God, are my king from of old; You bring salvation upon the earth." (vs. 12)




How do we respond when everything seems to be going wrong and there is no end in sight? This is the true test of our spirituality. It is easy to praise God when things are going well or when we are at the end of some long ordeal, but what about in the middle of it? How many of us have quit something because it seemed too difficult? We will never know how close we were to victory. God was not allowed the chance to finish His work in this area because we gave up. Quitting is a dangerous matter because once we quit one thing, the next time it is so much easier to quit again. Soon we are experts at quitting and we have lost the self-discipline to complete anything. It takes effort to become skilled at something or to endure a difficult time but in the end we always look back with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Our character has grown. We must stop quitting and start finishing!

In our spiritual life, it is just as important to stop being a quitter. We must begin finishing what we start. We need to set goals for ourselves and then see them through. This will develop our maturity and our ability to see a very difficult time through. Someday we may really need the ability to keep going when everything in our being says, "Stop, I can't handle it!" We can handle it - with God. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). We can with God, if He remains the Lord of our lives. Let us make and keep Him as King, no matter what comes and goes in our life. Then we will see the salvation of God now and in the life to come.





Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


You are our King from of old. You bring us salvation. We know that hard times may come for us and we pray to be strong during them. Help us not to become quitters. Help us to finish what we start and see things through to the end. We know that in this way, we will become stronger and ready for whatever may come in the future. Help us to always cling to You and Your promises no matter how dark the road may seem. We know and believe that it is worth it and in the end we will be the victors if we remain with You.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. Am I going through a difficult time right now? If so, how am I dealing with it? If not, the last time I went through a difficult time how did I deal with it?

2. Would I classify myself as more of a quitter or a finisher? What have I quit on lately? Why? What am I doing now that I am tempted to quit? When can I go back and finish some of the things that I have quit on?

3. What can I do to start working on to become more of a finisher?  How can I learn to have more perseverance?  Can I set some goals and finish them?  Should I learn a new skill or pick up an old one that I have put aside?

4. Am I making God the King and Lord of my life daily? How am I doing this? How can I improve?

5. How do I see God's salvation at work in my life? How have I seen it in the past? How do I hope to see it in the future?

Daily Devotional - 1/20/13 (10/20/09)

Prayer Focus - Friends


Day 6
Pray for:
One friend that you feel close to
One friend that has become distant and you would like to be closer to
One friend from long ago
One new friend
One friend that has hurt you
One friend that has always been there for you


Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs

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


Psalms 50


"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." (vs. 23)



What is it that God requires?  Sacrifice, work, hardship, toughing it out, denying ourselves, piety?  We have many ideas in our heads, but God's words drown them out. 

"God comes and will not be silent...Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

Then what does He say to us?

"Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me." ( vs 14-15)




The foremost thing on God's mind is thank offerings.  He wants us to be thankful; to rejoice always.  He says it again, Rejoice.  When we rejoice, all the rest flows out naturally.  Living our lives as a Christian is not a burden when we have a grateful heart.  I know I gladly do things for those I appreciate; those to whom I am grateful for.  When I lose gratitude for God and others, then everything becomes a burdensome chore. Besides enabling us to fulfill the rest of our vows, the thankfulness of our hearts honor God.
 
We must no longer think of this as an optional tenant of Christianity.  I must be thankful. It is so easy to be ungrateful and complaining. It seems to be natural for us. But negative thinking spirals us down to depression and futility. Positive, grateful hearts enable us to see God and the ways He has laid out to help us in any and every situation. My gratitude and thanks enable God to usher in His salvation. The road to victory is paved with thanks. Let us call out to God in our times of trouble and do it with rejoicing since we are blessed to even have a life to be struggling with. God will answer.



Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,

Thank You for giving us life. We are grateful to exist and we are grateful that You care for us. Help us to remember that our gratitude opens the doors for Your salvation. Help us to not be like the Isrealites that wandered for years in the desert because of their ingratitude and unfaithfulness. They continued to complain in spite of all the miracles You brought to them. We can be no different. We want to amaze You with our faith and our good attitudes and happy hearts. We ask for Your strength and blessing as we strive to be pleasing to You in each and every moment of our days. We love You.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. Am I sacrificing thank offerings to God? How often do I thank God for something?


2. Am I fulfilling my vows to God? What vows have I made to God? What do I need to change to fulfill them more completely?


3. Am I calling upon God in my times of trouble? Who do I turn to first when I am having a problem? Is it God or a friend/spouse?


4. Am I seeing victories in my life? What is my mental attitude like?


5. Do I see any correlation between when I am positive and grateful and when I see victories/ success in my life? If so, how can I do a better job at sustaining my gratitude level?

Daily Devotional - 9/18/10 (10/18/09)

Prayer Focus - Friends


Day 4


Pray for:
One friend that you feel close to
One friend that has become distant and you would like to be closer to
One friend from long ago
One new friend


Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs



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




Psalms 48




"Within Your temple, O God, we meditate on Your unfailing love. Like Your name, O God, Your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is filled with righteousness." (vs. 9 - 10)


"For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end." (vs. 14)




God will never stop being our God. He will guide us till the end if we let Him. His love for us is unfailing and as high as the heavens are above the earth. His love never fails. Everything else will. I have experienced that.  At the waterpolo reunion I went to last week end, the memories of failing to win the National Championship in my senior year of college haunted me. After playing my freshman year, I took two years off. My team won the championship one of the years I did not play and then won once again the year after I graduated. The elusive victory that was so important to me never came. I failed. I had a chance to win the game for us, as did many other of my teammates. All we had to do was tie the game and we would have been the champions but we could not do it. I missed a shot that I had taken many other times over the years, my easiest shot and I barred the ball.


I again asked myself the question I had asked off and on for the past twenty years - Why? Why couldn't I have made it? It haunts me still, if I let it, although everyone else seems to have moved on. It was a lifetime ago, but for me, if I allow myself to think about it, it seems like yesterday. I wanted to be the best. For once in my sporting life, I wanted to be a winner. I was always the next best, always on the losing teams. Always -almost, but not quite. I wanted to win this last time, this last chance for me. I was sure it was going to happen this time. So when the game was over, it was devastating to know that that victory would never come for me. It was over. My waterpolo career was over. Waterpolo had failed me. I had failed me.


As I walked around the campus of my Alma mater, the questions came back up for me - Why? I had prayed. I had always tried to put God first, even in my waterpolo. I had not missed church for a game. I did not party. I tried to be a good example. So why had God not answered my prayers that day when He knew how important it was for me. This thought of having missed the mark and having failed echoed in mind, but it echoed over more than just my waterpolo career. It seemed to loom large over my entire college experience. Mediocre grades, mediocre relationships, always on the outside looking in at what others were experiencing. Always - almost victorious, almost good friends, almost happy. Almost.


I missed out on so much being so "almost". I felt like such a failure most of the time I was there in college. So much sadness. I had done so well in high school and yet I had struggled so much in college just to make it. So I asked myself - Why?

As I walked through the Eucalyptus forests on campus, a thought came to me.  Maybe it was because God wanted me to realize that I was a winner already. I was a Christian and I had a relationship with Him. I was willing to forgo the immediate gratification that the world offered for something that would be longer lasting. I was willing to walk a different path and I was willing to do the hard work of dealing with my character and striving to become like Christ. That is true victory, anyway, not a fleeting athletic victory that is remembered only by a handful of individuals and posted in old scrapbooks.

I had won the victory in Christ; an eternal victory, and I have still won that victory. God had not failed me at all. He was guiding me to a greater victory. The peace that I feel now with my life and the blessings I have in my husband and children were bought with the hard work that I began in college. I have won the victory, the one that really matters, because Christ has won the victory, and that should be enough.




Here are additional verses to consider on the victory we have already won if we are right with God and Christ:



“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him." (2 Corinthians 2:14)


"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:57 - 58)


"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things. In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all." (1 Chronicles 29:11-12)


"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35 &37-39)



“This is the love for God: to obey His commands. And His commandments are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"  ( 1John 5:3-5)





Prayer for the Day




Dear Lord,


We thank You for the victories You give. They are eternal victories and far outweigh anything we can win here on earth. Temporal victories can be so fulfilling and we enjoy Your blessing but often even better comes for us when You say no to something we desire. Help us to not be like spoiled children who sulk and pout over not receiving something we have asked for. You are looking at these moments of our lives from the perspective of eternity and we cannot even fathom the riches and depth of Your wisdom and knowledge. We are grateful that You give us each new day and we are grateful for what our momentary troubles are gaining us. Help us to be obedient and joyful despite failures because they are really not failures in the long run. Keep our perspectives right and help us to let go of any past regrets. We cannot go back and take anything over so let us truly forgive and forget. Let us live today and each day from now on like there is no other for us and then we will find we can look back with a happy heart. We are grateful for Your directive to forget the past and strain toward what is ahead. Grant us obedience in this so that we may truly live.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen




QFT



1. Am I letting God be my guide? How can I do that?

2. Do I have any past regrets or failures that are haunting me? Have I ever talked to anyone about them? How can I let them go?

3. How do I feel when God says no or wait to me regarding something that I am praying about? Do I lose faith? Do I pout or sulk?

4. Do I have God's perspective about who is a winner? Do I consider myself a winner because I have a relationship with God or am I looking at more worldly achievements for my feelings of success?

5.  Do I feel that my work for the Lord is worthwhile or am I tempted to feel discouraged when results are not readily evident?  How can I keep the proper perspective on eternity?

Daily Devotional - 9/10/10 (10/10/09)

Prayer Focus - Family



Day 3


Pray for:
One family member that you feel close to
One family member that you are not close to
One family member that lives far away from you


Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs


Dear Lord - Help me to listen to You each and every day and please grant me the strength to obey.





Psalms 40




"I waited patiently for the Lord: He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and put their trust in the Lord.

Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.  Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done.  The things You planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare." (vs 1-5)



Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust. One online dictionary defines blessed as enjoying the bliss of heaven. I like that definition. If I can hang onto my trust in God and I do not give in to worry or running after other gods such as money or security, then I can enjoy the bliss of heaven down here. I can go about happy in the midst of chaos and trouble because I can see it as all in God's hands and all in His plans. I have started to try and look at life this way. Although I am far from perfecting my focus, it is getting better. Today, for example, whenever something unexpected or unfortunate happened, I asked God what I needed to see in this.  I tried to see the bigger picture so that I could understand where God was going with everything that was happening in my life. It has been good for me to focus this way and it has been good for me to remember that God does have plans for me. In fact, God has so many plans for me and for each one of us that we wouldn't be able to even recount them. How amazing is that! Plus, He makes these plans for us because He loves us, not because He is trying to control us!  He dreams of giving us the best life and the best eternity. Surely we can trust Him.

Yet, day to day life can hinder us in trusting Him.  It is not as easy as it seems it should be. We can get to the point where we feel we are in a slimy pit and need rescuing as the psalmist states.  My life schedule can make me feel that way.  When I am working, I am going nonstop from 4 AM to 11 PM.  It is exhausting to even think of all that I have to do and I can easily get overwhelmed.  I have to keep my focus and keep telling myself that I am waiting patiently for God. I am putting one foot in front of the other. I am walking and waiting. When I do this, good things happen, when I don't disaster.  For example, yesterday, I worked hard trying to take care of all my business so that I could get to the computer and write this devotional.  I began to struggle with feeling overwhelmed at about 9:00 pm as I tried to get my children to bed.  I knew that my night of cleaning, straightening, and other tasks was just beginning.  When I began to think about everything else on my to do list, I began to get frustrated and upset. I began to sink like Peter did when he was walking on the water and stopped looking to Jesus ( Matt 14: 22-33 ).  I had to stop and remind myself that I had I accomplished quite a bit during the day, however, and that had only happened because I had not worried about what else I needed to get done. I just kept going.  I was finally able to sit down at the computer at 11:22 pm but I was so tired I couldn't even finish writing.  I had to give up and go to bed.


I was sad about this at first but I had to remind myself that I will not be able to do everything that needs being done.  And besides, it might not even be God's will for me at this time.  With my schedule, it is impossible for me to do everything.  At times I feel like sitting down and crying - but God knows what I need to get done.  He has a plan for me and He has always had my back so to speak when I can't finish something up.  He has heard my cry and He will hear my cry.  He helps me to able to keep myself under control when I turn to Him and He helps me to not give in to my growing frustration.  He lifts me out of what feels like an endless pit of work on a daily basis and puts me in a safe place. With His help, last night, I was able to get my children to bed. With His help, I was able to get Joelle's asthma under control. With His help, I got most of my housework done. With His help, I worked a bit on this writing, and then finally, with His help, I was able to accept that I needed to go to bed and let go of what "I" felt needed to be done.  God does grant sleep to those He loves! (Psalm 127:1-2).

Tomorrow will start another overwhelming day, but God will be there as well. He will continue to place my feet on solid rock so that I may stand.  He will keep me walking on water if I keep focused on Him. I can not look to the future or it will overwhelm me.  I can only look to now and live it to the full as God intended.  He is able and He will help me.  I love the quote used in Messies Anonymous, a site I have found very beneficial in my fight against my messie nature.  It states, "Never underestimate the inevitability of gradualness." I can do gradualness. I can do one step at a time. And God is there. He gives us a new song, a song of praise. I do have a new song and I will keep singing.




Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


We have made it through another day. We cry out to You as we are waiting and struggling. It often feels like we are slip sliding away. But we are not. Keep our focus on You and keep us climbing up the hill, one step at a time. Help us to keep our eyes on You so that we can get out of the boat and walk on water. You told Peter to come. You did not think he was foolish to ask to walk on water. You just said come. We desire to walk on water. We need help keeping our eyes on You and not on the waves and the water. Keep us in your care and Help us to see that You are in control. Bless us as we put our trust in You. We want to experience the bliss of heaven down here. We need this to stay refreshed. We are grateful for all of the plans You have for us and we pray to walk in them. Be pleased to save us Lord because we need saving. We are poor and needy, and You are our help and deliverer. We wait in eager expectation. We wait patiently. Most of all, we just wait.


In Jesus' name,
Amen



QFT



1. Am I waiting patiently for God? How do I know?

2. Am I trusting in God? How do I know? What fruit is this producing?

3. How can I keep my focus on God when there are storms raging around me?

4. What is my new song? Am I singing it?  Am I really living and thinking differently than I used to? How do I see this?

5. Am I following God's plans for me or my own?  Do I have any ideas what some of God's plans for my life might be? How could I find out?

Daily Devotional - 9/2/10 (10/2/09)

Prayer Focus - Leaders (any type - World, State, Local, Church, Business, Work)



Pray for:
One leader who inspires you
One leader who you know is struggling with something


Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs


Dear Lord - Open my ears to hear You and grant me the strength to obey.



Psalms 32



"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.  Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said,' I will confess my transgressions to the Lord' - and You forgave the guilt of my sin." (vs. 1-5)



We all want to be blessed.  Here are some keys for us to consider.  We are blessed if we are forgiven. We are blessed if we have no deceit. Why is this?  First of all, we can be right with God and have a relationship with Him now and after death.  But secondly, and quite relevant while we are here on earth, we can walk with out fear and guilt. It is a terrible state to be in when there is something we are hiding.  The psalmist writes that when he was silent his bones wasted away and he groaned night and day.  He was miserable.  That is how undealt with sin affects us.  We can think that eventually we will forget, but we are still haunted.  Only when we get things out can we feel that light free feeling that comes with a transparent life. It is a truly blessed feeling.  I have been in both places.  I know. We need to be open channels for God's love to flow through us. There is so much that needs to be done in this world, that we just can't let sin, clutter, confusion, and disorder of any kind block us and stop us up. We will lose the strength and power that is available to us.  We will miss the opportunities that God has in store for us.  We need to just open up our lives and then call out to God to search us and heal us.




"Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. 
     I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.  Do not be like the horse or mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.  Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him." (vs. 6-9)


We do this by confessing and then by going to God in prayer.  We can't wait.  We must pray while God can be found. There are opportunities when God is calling us and we can miss them.  People miss out on God and eventually our hearts can get so hardened to everything that it will be almost impossible for us to change.  Unfortunately, there are deadlines in life. Whether or not we want them to exist, they do. Thank God, however, that we can hide in Him. We don't have to run and hide somewhere when we are feeling guilty.  We can go to Him because He is much better place to hide than any real physical place. God will protect us and restore us. He will make us into someone incredible if we let Him.  He created us for great and glorious things and He will teach us and show us the way to go. He will counsel us and watch over us.

There is a catch to these incredible promises though.  We have to receive His direction. We need to not be like an animal who has to be forced to go where its master wants it to go. God is longing for us to follow willingly.  Our attitude should be, "I will do it!" Let's not force God anymore.  The road is much easier for us when we are not rebellious.  The way of the rebellious is hard the Bible states elsewhere, but unfailing love surrounds us if we trust in God.


"Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!" (vs. 11)


If I am righteous and upright in my heart, I will be able to do this. I will rejoice and be glad.  I will be able to see beauty in everything. This is God's world. Despite the sadness and difficulties, it still is good, and there is always hope.



Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,

We are grateful for Your forgiveness.  Help us not to be deceitful.  We are praying.  Help us to pray more.  We want to find You.  You are our hiding place and it is good to be able to run to You.  We do not want to run away any longer.  Grant us the strength to face where we have gone wrong and turn to You.  We need You and we long for Your unfailing love.  We will rejoice in You for You are good.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. How am I deceitful?   How can I become honest in all my ways?
2. Is there anything blocking the flow of God's love and communication through me? If so, how can I get rid of it?
3. Am I praying about my needs and the needs of others regularly? Why or why not? How can I get in the practice of praying for others on a regular basis?

4. How am I doing at receiving God's instruction? Am I willing to learn or am I like an animal that needs a bit and bridle in my mouth to force me to obey? Why am I like this and what results am I gaining from my attitude towards instruction?

5.  Am I rejoicing daily?  What is my attitude about life?  Have I let undealt with sin make me bitter?  How can I change and start seeing the beauty that God intended for us in the world?

Daily Devotional - 9/1/10 (10/1/09)

Prayer Focus - Leaders



Pray for:
One leader who inspires you

Specifically:
their physical strength and needs
their emotional strength and needs
their mental strength and needs
their spiritual strength and needs


Dear Lord - I pray that you would open my ears to the messages You want to share with me today. I also ask for the strength to obey.




Psalms 31



"I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place." (vs . 7-8)


"My times are in Your hands;" (vs. 15a)



Everything is in God's hands. He has determined the times and places for me so that I would turn and seek Him (Acts 17: 26-27). Nothing is done away from the eyes of God. He has seen everything about my life and has been calling me all along. My times are truly in His hands. When I was 17, I made an ultimatum with God. I had grown up going to church and had gone to a Christian school from 1st through 8th grade. I knew the Bible. I knew what a Christian should be. I had tried at times. I had given my testimony before a large crowd at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes my junior year of high school. I had taught people to pray the prayer. I had tried, but the next year found me at every party I could find, drinking anything I could find. I was a hypocrite and almost everyone else I knew that professed to be a Christian was pretty hypocritical as well. I was done with it.


I went to Europe as a graduation present that year and proceeded to party across the continent. While in utter desperation with my life one night in Paris, I told God that I would give it one more try. I was going to go away to college where no one knew me. I would start over. If I could find people truly being Christians as the Bible said, and if I could actually do it myself and find freedom from the many sins that plagued me, then I would be a Christian and give it my whole heart. If I could not find it, then I would become an atheist. I reasoned that if God was real, He would answer this prayer, although I didn't really believe I would find anything different in San Diego. I would then become an atheist because there was no God and the Bible was false since it offered something that didn't exist. There was no grey area for me. Either God and His word were real and true and really did offer freedom as it said, or it was all a lie and I was going to live my life however I wanted and not worry about it anymore. It would be "eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow I die." I prayed that prayer and I finished my trip out unchanged.


I went away to college at UCSD that September and the first night I was there met someone from the church I now attend. What a surprise! My times were in God's hand! I went to church and was amazed, although I did not like it the first time. These people were truly different I was soon to discover. Initially, I had hope that perhaps I could be different, but I was not convinced. I studied the Bible, and although no one particularly thought I would become a Christian, one person from the church stuck it out with me. I remember one particular study, she challenged me about some issues in my life and I became angry with her. I did not even see her out of my apartment. But when she left, I went and took some inappropriate pictures down off my wall. I sat on my bed and looked at the empty wall for quite awhile. I felt a strange emotion. I felt relief and I was surprised. For the first time in a long time, someone had called me on something that was wrong and I was so happy. Not even my parents were willing to ask me why I had these types of photos up, but here was a stranger that cared enough to lay our friendship on the line. It was the beginning of a great change for me.

I was so grateful to become a true Christian not much later. I had called out to God in desperation and He had truly answered me. I knew that finally. God did exist. The Bible was real. God would not let me be put to shame and God has not let me be put to shame all these years. At the precise time that I was most open, God was there. He put me where I needed to be back then so that today, I would be here where I am now. I praise God for never letting go of me. Despite all the years of ups and downs, there is nothing I would trade my life for. There is nothing I would trade my relationship with God for. I have spent all of my adult life trying to do this. Trying to be a disciple of Christ, and I can truly say with the psalmist:


"How great is Your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you,...Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city...The Lord preserves the faithful, ...Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord." (vs. 19, 21, & 23-24)


I hope and pray that everyone reading my posts may someday feel the same, if you do not already. Amen.




Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,

Thank You for continually reaching out to us.  You have placed us exactly where You want us to be so that hopefully we will find You and come to know You.  We are so grateful for Your unseen hand.  A life with You is truly the best life we could find.  We praise You for Your faithfulness.  You are good.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. How did I become a Christian? Has there been a change in my life? What has it been?

2. Have I experienced God placing me in a particular place so that I might turn to Him and find Him? What happened and how did I become closer to God from this event?

3. How do I feel about God's faithfulness and about the truth of the Bible? What holds me back from trusting completely? What can I do to develop greater trust in both?

4. How do I feel about my relationship with God? What is great about it and what could be improved?

5. Have I ever shared with anyone how I became a Christian?  If not, why?  What would I gain by letting others know about my experiences?

Daily Devotional - 8/28/10 (9/28/09)

Prayer Focus - 8's



Pray for:
Eight things that you are grateful for
Eight people that are on your heart
Eight places that you care about
Eight characteristics to grow in
Eight characteristics/habits to get rid of


Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your everpresent voice and grant me the strength to follow through and obey.



Psalms 28




"He will tear them down and never build them up again." (vs. 5b)


This fragment of a verse in the middle of Psalms 28 catches my attention.  Who will God tear down? This sounds so ominous and final and so I think, "Will it be the murders? The violent? The criminals?"  When I look back to see exactly who the psalmist is talking about, I am convicted and challenged. Let's start looking in verse three.


"Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts." (vs. 3)


Wow! He is talking about people who are holding grudges against someone or have hatred, anger, or prejudice against another. I know I have sinned against others in this way. Maybe there is someone right now I need to clear things up with. I need to always search my heart to be sure it is clear. How often have we been upset with someone and then they come up to talk to us and we act like nothing is wrong. We speak nicely to them and all the while we are angry deep down. Or perhaps we just avoid them altogether.  God is expressing just how He feels about that in this verse. What we are doing when we do this is evil and is putting us in danger of being torn down.


Why would this upset God so much? After all, isn't this exactly how the world works? This is so common. We are stabbed in the back continuously. People talk nice to us and as soon as we are gone gossip about us to their friends. We expect it. Sometimes we engage in it.  In the church, we are tempted to do no differently. So why would it upset God so much?  The answer lies in the first part of the psalm I quoted at the beginning of the devotional.



"Since they show no regard for the works of the Lord and what His hands have done," (vs. 5a)



The answer goes back to Psalms 24 which reminded us that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it is His as well (Psalms 24:1). Every person belongs to God and is special to Him; whether they have a relationship with Him or not. He created them and knit them together in their mother's womb (Psalms 139:13-16). They are important to God and as such deserve good treatment, especially from me as I profess to be a Christian. This is referring to my family, to strangers, and especially to those in the church. We are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with special regard (Gal 6:10).  But how is this possible?


"Hear my cry for mercy as I call to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your Most Holy Place." (vs. 2)
Thank goodness that God hears our cries for mercy (vs. 2). By myself, I cannot stand. I need the mercy of the Lord. I need His strength to do right, especially in this area; even after all this time. Conflicts will continue to happen in my life. As long as I am alive and interacting with people, I will have to deal with my heart, hurt feelings, and conflicts. I will never out grow it. Sometimes it will be my fault, sometimes it will be the other person's fault, and sometimes it will be just a misunderstanding. Even so, I need mercy and I need to give mercy.


When I do this and clear my heart so there is nothing false in me, I will be able to rejoice. My heart will leap for joy (vs. 7). It is so good to have a clear heart and a clear conscience. We can truly thank God then. He is our strength and will save and bless us when we are obedient. He will be our Shepherd and carry us forever.


Thank You Lord, because I cannot do it alone.


"Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy.  The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.  My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.  The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one.  Save You people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever." (vs. 6-9)


Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,

We want You to be our shepherd forever.  Purify our hearts and help us to not harbor any ill will towards anyone.  It is so easy to do wrong in this way.  We struggle to value people as You do.  It is easy to love those who love us but it is difficult to love everyone and keep our hearts pure.  Grant us strength.  We do not want to be torn down but rather built up.  Have mercy on us we pray.  We know You will do it.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. What is my reaction to the seriousness of harboring ill feelings towards another person? Do I see it as as serious offense as God does?

2. Is there someone I need to speak to and work something out with? When will I do this?

3. Do I have any stereotypes or prejudices that are hindering my relationship with God and my effectiveness for Him? How can I change my attitude about these things?

4. How do I feel when I have a clear conscience? How can I strive to maintain this?

5. Am I treating everyone as a person that is special to God?  Who is the most difficult for me to treat right?  Why?  How can I change this?