Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 94
"Does He who implanted the ear not hear? Does He who formed the eye not see? Does He who disciplines the nations not punish? Does He who teaches man lack knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man; He knows that they are futile.
Blessed is the man You discipline, O Lord, the man You teach from Your law; You grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance. Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' Your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul." ( vs. 9 -19 )
God knows. God knows everything. He knows every thought that comes into our mind. He is completely beyond our comprehension. We are finite and our thinking is finite. God is infinite. We are stuck to time and space. We can only be in one place at a time, and we can only know what is in our minds and hearts; sometimes not even that. So how is it that we think somehow that we are smarter than God or that we have something figured out that He hasn't yet? God knows us. God is not surprised by anything.
To me, this makes it all the more amazing that God pays attention to us at all. God knows everything about each and every one of us. He knows who will listen to Him and who will not. He knows all of the things we do in secret and all of the sinful leanings of our heart. And yet, He still cares. He still died. He still forgives. He invests His time to train us up; to discipline us. And He has a plan and a dream for us to make a difference in the world. He wants to see change. He desires change in each of our hearts and He is calling us. He asks, "Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand? Who will make a difference? Who will love as I have loved?" It is an overwhelming task but we have been called. If we look at the task, we will slip as the psalmist states. But God will help us. God will support us in the task if we go and try. God will calm the anxiety that comes and God will bring us joy as we obey. We just need to start and go and try.
Here are some of my favorite quotes on these thoughts:
"The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step"
Chinese Proverb
"If the Lord calls you, He will equip you for the task He wants you to fulfill."
Warren Wierbe
"Have thy tools ready. God will find the work."
Charles Kingsley
"You will invest your life in something or you will throw it away on nothing."
Haddin Rosisson
"Employ whatever God has entrusted you with in doing good, all possible good, in every kind and degree."
John Wesley
"Start by doing what is necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible."
St. Francis of Assissi
"Discipline yourself so no one else has to."
John Wooden
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are not deaf or blind or dumb. You know exactly what is going on here. You know exactly what is going on in my heart. You know and still care. That is amazing to me. I am so grateful that You have called me and given me a part in Your amazing work. Help me to rise to the occasion. Help me to live a life worthy and to cling to You because You will make it all work out.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about the difference between God and me? Do I ever find myself thinking that I know better than God? How might my actions show this even if I don't think this outright? What can I change to have a better view of God and myself?
2. Do I allow God to discipline me? Do I listen to His word and to the people God has put in my life? Do I take advice? Why or why not? Am I teachable? Am I learning or have I become set in my ways? What can I do to become a lifelong learner?
3. Am I taking a stand for God? Do I stand up for God's word? If I am standing up for God and His ways, am I doing so in a loving and respectful way or do I just let people "have it"? What can I do to be more effective in the way I talk to people about God and His ways?
4. Do I feel that God can use me? Am I allowing myself to be a part of God's plan to change and transform the world? Why or why not? Do I want to do this? Do I see the importance of it? What can I do to change and allow myself to answer God's call.
5. Do I feel anxious or hopeless? Am I turning to God for help or am I trying to do everything on my own power? How can I allow God to support and console me? What role do my friends and fellow believers have in helping me? Do I allow others into my life so that they can be there for me? Why or why not? What should I change so that I can strengthened and receive joy?
Showing posts with label discipline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discipline. Show all posts
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/26/15 (1/26/10)
Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 86
"Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to You. You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You.
The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life - men without regard for You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant. Give me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me." ( vs. 1-2, 14-17)
Sometimes we feel like we are being attacked on all fronts. We feel poor and needy and overwhelmed. I often find myself saying that my life is just too much for me, and I know there are so many people out there that have more difficulties than I do. But life can be overwhelming regardless. This is when it is good to remember who God is and meditate on His characteristics. God is good, always good and faithful, always faithful. He is slow to anger. He is strong. We also need to remember that He has given us a specific race to run that is already marked out for us. Everything is all in God's hands and He does know what He is doing.
God is also compassionate. He is not being mean to us when we face challenges. He is training us. I give my students a lot of work and push them because I want them to be excellent. I make them follow my directions so that they can become thorough and learn to complete projects. If I made things too easy for them, it would be as if I thought they were not intelligent enough or capable enough to do more. Difficulty is often a sign of the belief that one is able. God feels that we are able to handle whatever He has given to us. He knows exactly what we can take and He is faithful. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear (I Corinthians 10:13). He is training and disciplining us for our eternal benefit and also for His glory here on Earth. As we grow in our faith throughout our lives and through our struggles, we are being transformed and this points others to God as well.
God will also often push us to our limits because He wants us to rely on Him. As I go about my incredibly busy schedule, sometimes I look back and wonder how I got everything I did, done that day. I know it was only because of God because it seems too much for one person to accomplish. I laugh and think that I am walking on water. I do not know how long I can keep it up but I will focus on one day at a time and on the One who is able. He will grant me strength and He will save me. Each sunrise I see as I drive to work in the morning is His sign of goodness to me that I have another day. I am so grateful to be alive.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Continue to grant us Your strength. We are nothing without You. We appreciate all the signs of goodness that You bring us. The sunrises and sunsets remind us that we have another day. The ocean and mountains loom large and unfathomable. They are solid representations of the unchanging nature of You. We get so caught up in the now and forget to see You. When we look at You, everything else seems to fall away. Thank You for believing in us and for pushing us to be our best. We want to please You. We put our days in Your hands and we wait for Your salvation.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my view of God? What influences how I feel about Him? Why? How can I develop a more accurate vision of who He is?
2. Do I seek God's mercy and strength or am I trying to do it all on my own? What holds me back from relying on God? Why? When do I find I can easily trust God and when do I struggle with letting go?
3. What signs of God's goodness have I received? Do I miss some of God's signs? Why? How can I change my view of life so that I see the good more than the bad?
4. How do I feel about my struggles? Do I see them as an opportunity for growth and as training or do I blame God? Why? How can I improve my perspective?
5. Do I ever feel that God is not taking care of me or does not have control over the events of my life. How will trusting that nothing is outside of God's will affect how I react to difficulties?
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 86
"Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to You. You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You.
The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life - men without regard for You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant. Give me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me." ( vs. 1-2, 14-17)
Sometimes we feel like we are being attacked on all fronts. We feel poor and needy and overwhelmed. I often find myself saying that my life is just too much for me, and I know there are so many people out there that have more difficulties than I do. But life can be overwhelming regardless. This is when it is good to remember who God is and meditate on His characteristics. God is good, always good and faithful, always faithful. He is slow to anger. He is strong. We also need to remember that He has given us a specific race to run that is already marked out for us. Everything is all in God's hands and He does know what He is doing.
God is also compassionate. He is not being mean to us when we face challenges. He is training us. I give my students a lot of work and push them because I want them to be excellent. I make them follow my directions so that they can become thorough and learn to complete projects. If I made things too easy for them, it would be as if I thought they were not intelligent enough or capable enough to do more. Difficulty is often a sign of the belief that one is able. God feels that we are able to handle whatever He has given to us. He knows exactly what we can take and He is faithful. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear (I Corinthians 10:13). He is training and disciplining us for our eternal benefit and also for His glory here on Earth. As we grow in our faith throughout our lives and through our struggles, we are being transformed and this points others to God as well.
God will also often push us to our limits because He wants us to rely on Him. As I go about my incredibly busy schedule, sometimes I look back and wonder how I got everything I did, done that day. I know it was only because of God because it seems too much for one person to accomplish. I laugh and think that I am walking on water. I do not know how long I can keep it up but I will focus on one day at a time and on the One who is able. He will grant me strength and He will save me. Each sunrise I see as I drive to work in the morning is His sign of goodness to me that I have another day. I am so grateful to be alive.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Continue to grant us Your strength. We are nothing without You. We appreciate all the signs of goodness that You bring us. The sunrises and sunsets remind us that we have another day. The ocean and mountains loom large and unfathomable. They are solid representations of the unchanging nature of You. We get so caught up in the now and forget to see You. When we look at You, everything else seems to fall away. Thank You for believing in us and for pushing us to be our best. We want to please You. We put our days in Your hands and we wait for Your salvation.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my view of God? What influences how I feel about Him? Why? How can I develop a more accurate vision of who He is?
2. Do I seek God's mercy and strength or am I trying to do it all on my own? What holds me back from relying on God? Why? When do I find I can easily trust God and when do I struggle with letting go?
3. What signs of God's goodness have I received? Do I miss some of God's signs? Why? How can I change my view of life so that I see the good more than the bad?
4. How do I feel about my struggles? Do I see them as an opportunity for growth and as training or do I blame God? Why? How can I improve my perspective?
5. Do I ever feel that God is not taking care of me or does not have control over the events of my life. How will trusting that nothing is outside of God's will affect how I react to difficulties?
Saturday, September 19, 2015
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.
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.
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?
Friday, September 18, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/18/15 (11/18/09)
Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 7
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
One thing that is needed in your life
Focus on how the fulfilled need will help impact people's:
spiritual life
physical life
emotional life
mental life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 78
"The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by His law. They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them. He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan." ( vs. 9-12)
"They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, 'Can God spread a table in the desert? When He struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can He also give us food? Can He supply meat for His people?' when the Lord heard them, He was very angry; His fire broke out against Jacob, and His wrath rose against Israel, for they did not believe in God or trust in His deliverance." (vs. 18-22)
"In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of His wonders, they did not believe. So He ended their days in futility and their years in terror. Whenever God slew them, they would seek Him; they eagerly turned to Him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. But then they would flatter Him with their mouths, lying to Him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to Him, they were not faithful to His covenant. Yet He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time He restrained His anger and did not stir up His full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return." (vs. 32-39)
There are many ways to displease God and this psalm uses the stories of the Israelites to remind us of what to avoid. The first thing to avoid is turning back on the day of battle. We are equipped for whatever we have to face because we have God with us. God has appointed a path for us, a race to run. He does not give us more than we can handle. We must go up to battle when it is time.
Next we must remember God's covenant and keep His laws. We have to obey if we want things to go well for us. The third pitfall to avoid is ingratitude. We have to remember the miracles and wonders God has done in our lives and in the lives of those around us. The fourth way to displease God is to put Him willfully to the test. He does not need to prove anything to us. He has already proved enough. We just need to start believing and living out His word. Then we will see the victories in Christ. Next we need to not speak against God. We do not need to doubt Him or be dissatisfied with what He provides. We can be so spoiled sometimes. We have our minds set on one thing and when God provides for us in a different way, we say, "Yeah, but what about this?" We can be displeased in the midst of plenty. This is just not right.
We can anger God. Sometimes we think that no matter what, God just keeps on forgiving and doesn't really care what happens in our lives, good or bad. As long as most of the time we are decent people, (by our standards of course), then we will be okay with God as well. This is just not true. God went to so much trouble and pain to save us that it does matter to Him. He is invested in us and what we do. Each time we sin, it is a reminder to Him of what Jesus had to go through. We need to realize this and realize that the Israelites wandered in the desert because of all of these previously mentioned sins. They did not get to go to the promised land because they did not go up to take what God had promised. They doubted God. They doubted that He could get them into the promised land and, therefore, they received what they believed. Let us believe in God and trust in His deliverance. Let us enter into His rest. Let us strive to avoid these problems that brought the Israelites down. We can be faithful. We can make it, with God.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
The Israelites were Your promised people and You went to so much trouble to get them out of Egypt. You worked so many miracles in their lives and yet they still doubted and turned back on the day of battle. It is so important that we don't do this. We have to strive to believe and have faith. We want to enter into Your eternal rest. You have provided. Help us to live in such a way as to embrace Your will and covenants. You are great. We are grateful to be with You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I turn back on the day of battle? Am I being a soldier of Christ? What battles am I being called to fight? What is my reaction? How can I be a better warrior?
2. What has God done for me in my life? Do I recognize His blessings and His leading? What is the race God has marked out for me like? Am I satisfied with it? Why or why not?
3. Am I putting God to the test? Do I demand God prove Himself to me? In what areas am I tempted to do this?
4. What is my speech like towards God? Do I utter more praise or doubting? How can I focus more on praise and less on doubt?
5. Am I loyal to God? How do I show my loyalty? In what ways have I been unfaithful? How can I change this?
Day 7
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
One thing that is needed in your life
Focus on how the fulfilled need will help impact people's:
spiritual life
physical life
emotional life
mental life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 78
"The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by His law. They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them. He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan." ( vs. 9-12)
"They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, 'Can God spread a table in the desert? When He struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can He also give us food? Can He supply meat for His people?' when the Lord heard them, He was very angry; His fire broke out against Jacob, and His wrath rose against Israel, for they did not believe in God or trust in His deliverance." (vs. 18-22)
"In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of His wonders, they did not believe. So He ended their days in futility and their years in terror. Whenever God slew them, they would seek Him; they eagerly turned to Him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. But then they would flatter Him with their mouths, lying to Him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to Him, they were not faithful to His covenant. Yet He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time He restrained His anger and did not stir up His full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return." (vs. 32-39)
There are many ways to displease God and this psalm uses the stories of the Israelites to remind us of what to avoid. The first thing to avoid is turning back on the day of battle. We are equipped for whatever we have to face because we have God with us. God has appointed a path for us, a race to run. He does not give us more than we can handle. We must go up to battle when it is time.
Next we must remember God's covenant and keep His laws. We have to obey if we want things to go well for us. The third pitfall to avoid is ingratitude. We have to remember the miracles and wonders God has done in our lives and in the lives of those around us. The fourth way to displease God is to put Him willfully to the test. He does not need to prove anything to us. He has already proved enough. We just need to start believing and living out His word. Then we will see the victories in Christ. Next we need to not speak against God. We do not need to doubt Him or be dissatisfied with what He provides. We can be so spoiled sometimes. We have our minds set on one thing and when God provides for us in a different way, we say, "Yeah, but what about this?" We can be displeased in the midst of plenty. This is just not right.
We can anger God. Sometimes we think that no matter what, God just keeps on forgiving and doesn't really care what happens in our lives, good or bad. As long as most of the time we are decent people, (by our standards of course), then we will be okay with God as well. This is just not true. God went to so much trouble and pain to save us that it does matter to Him. He is invested in us and what we do. Each time we sin, it is a reminder to Him of what Jesus had to go through. We need to realize this and realize that the Israelites wandered in the desert because of all of these previously mentioned sins. They did not get to go to the promised land because they did not go up to take what God had promised. They doubted God. They doubted that He could get them into the promised land and, therefore, they received what they believed. Let us believe in God and trust in His deliverance. Let us enter into His rest. Let us strive to avoid these problems that brought the Israelites down. We can be faithful. We can make it, with God.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
The Israelites were Your promised people and You went to so much trouble to get them out of Egypt. You worked so many miracles in their lives and yet they still doubted and turned back on the day of battle. It is so important that we don't do this. We have to strive to believe and have faith. We want to enter into Your eternal rest. You have provided. Help us to live in such a way as to embrace Your will and covenants. You are great. We are grateful to be with You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I turn back on the day of battle? Am I being a soldier of Christ? What battles am I being called to fight? What is my reaction? How can I be a better warrior?
2. What has God done for me in my life? Do I recognize His blessings and His leading? What is the race God has marked out for me like? Am I satisfied with it? Why or why not?
3. Am I putting God to the test? Do I demand God prove Himself to me? In what areas am I tempted to do this?
4. What is my speech like towards God? Do I utter more praise or doubting? How can I focus more on praise and less on doubt?
5. Am I loyal to God? How do I show my loyalty? In what ways have I been unfaithful? How can I change this?
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/16/15 (11/16/09)
Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 5
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
Focus on how the fulfilled need will help impact people's:
spiritual lives
physical lives
emotional lives
mental lives
Day 5
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
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 76
"In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. His tent is in Salem, His dwelling place in Zion...
You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before You when You are angry?...
Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared. He breaks the spirit of rulers; He is feared by the kings of the earth." (vs. 1-2, 7, 11-12)
God is known by His people! Think about who you really know and who really knows you. Isn't it our best friends and our closest family members. People we love and trust. We can have a lot of friends but most likely we have very few that have gotten that close. We do not share our hearts with our casual friends or our acquaintances. Yet, God is desiring that His people know Him intimately. He wants a very close relationship with us. He also wants to dwells with us. He wants to be with us day in and day out. He is concerned with even the minute details for our lives. The scriptures state that He knows the number of hairs on our heads (Matt 10:30). How amazing is this! We can know God! He knows us and He still wants to live with us and deal with us! We know we don't deserve this, but praise God, He offers it anyway.
God is love (I John 4:8). His desire to be known by us is proof of His love. His whole being is perfect love. The problem is that we don't always understand what true love really is. We usually like to dwell on the softer aspects of love such as acceptance, trust, and kindness, but there is also the aspect of love that disciplines and the aspect of love that at times has to let go and step back from a situation. Sometimes we have to be strong if we love. If we think of our children, we may have experienced this. When we see or learn that they are doing things that will hurt them, we do not just allow them to do these things. We can't sit by idly because we don't want them to be angry with us. We can not be cowards. We have to be strong at times and set standards. We may be seen as very unloving by them, but this is surely not our hearts. Our hearts are breaking when we have to discipline them because we want a relationship so badly with them but we can not have want we want if they do not change and follow some rules. This too is love.
Our children need to fear and respect us in a healthy way so that they can learn the lessons we need to teach them and so that we can impart the wisdom we have learned through our experiences. After all, we have lived longer than them and this counts for something. I believe it must be similar to this with God. We are His children. He deserves our fear and respect. In fact, He alone is to be feared. We don't like this idea. We will fear just about anything else, but to fear God we often think is just not right. Usually, He is the last thing we fear. It is so easy for us to start fearing men because we can see them and they can speak to us and voice their displeasure with us. Circumstances and the uncertainty of life is also easy to fear because it is so present and often overwhelming. But to fear God is often laughed at or condemned. It is difficult to swim against the current and follow God because more and more this puts us at odds with our society. We struggle with living counter to our culture because we want to look cool and fit in. It is also hard for us to be disliked, talked about, or have enemies because we want so much to be accepted.
We have to come to grips with the fact that we will never be fully accepted by the world if we are truly following God. We may be liked, tolerated, and even respected at times, but we will never be "one of the gang" if we are truly standing up and living by God's standards. We should not even really want to be accepted by the world if we think about what the world stands for. (James 4:4)
We just need to focus on pleasing God. He is the one who created us and the one who will take care of us. Some day what we hold to be true will be real for everyone else as well. Our faith will be sight and even the kings of earth will one day bow before the Creator. God is the true controller of everything and He is the only one that really matters in the long run. We need to remember that and then strive to fulfill our vows to Him. This should be our focus each and every day. When we can say that it is, then we will be truly at peace no matter what comes.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We praise You for allowing us to know You. We want to know You better each and every day. Help us to not waste the time we have with You and help us to walk in Your presence today. We want to fear You. Although fear is not popular, it is what is due You as You are able to give and take away all that we have and are. We praise You for Your goodness and mercy. Without both, we would not be able to stand. None of us are worthy. Help us to fulfill our vows and live lives pleasing to You. Guard our hearts and keep us from pride and arrogance. Help us to walk humbly before You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I know God? How would I describe my relationship with Him? Are we best friends, friends, acquaintances, or strangers? How can I deepen my relationship with Him? Am I focusing on the reality that God wants to dwell with me?
2. Do I fear God? How do I feel about that concept? Do I shy away from it? Why do I feel as I do? Why do I need to fear God? How will that improve my relationship with Him and my obedience to His word?
3. What do I fear the most? Do I ever fear man or circumstances? How does my life show this? Am I happy about how I am living? Am I standing up for what I believe in or do I feel like I am a coward?
4. What vows have I made to God? Am I fulfilling them? Why or why not? What do I need to start doing to fulfill them?
4. Do I believe that everyone will bow before God someday? What is my views of other religions? Do I see them all the same or do I see the difference in Christianity? Do I see everyone as needing a relationship with God? Why or why not?
Monday, September 14, 2015
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?
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?
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/6/15 (11/6/09)
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 about the state/region that you live in
Thank God for the effect that what you are grateful for has on:
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 )
We are reminded here 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 because that is what is most important. The heart is the wellspring of life and often it is not as pure as it should be. We desire to do good, but evil seems to be right with us. Testing is like the furnace that purifies metal. All the impurities are burned off. Sometimes our testing is very intense as well and we can question God. This testing does not mean that God is upset with us, however, or that He is being mean to us. He loves us so much, as evidenced by the cross of Christ. He wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth but He also knows what it is going to take to get us to heaven.
I think about all the sports I have played and this concept makes sense to me. I went through so much to excel. I put up with early morning workouts, "twice a days", and "hell weeks". I put up with persecution during the times I played on boys teams, often to the point of wanting to give up. But I loved the sport and so I kept going. I am glad I persevered because I became a better person, and a better player. The same was true with school and all the time I put into getting good grades and finishing college. It was difficult and I was tempted to quit, but once you start quitting, it becomes easier and easier and soon finishing anything seems like an impossibility.
Our society does understand commitment and enduring hardships in athletics, and maybe in a career, but in life, it seems odd to us. We have moved so far from this concept of enduring hardship that anytime something is hard or hurts, we think it must be bad or wrong. Also, many of the problems we see arising in our society stem from this lack of the ability to endure. We don't want to have to struggle for anything. Instant gratification is king. For example, no one wants to wait until they have the money in order to spend it. I know that was me until 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. We would rather watch someone succeed, then get out there and do it ourselves.
But God wants to change us from the inside out. He doesn't want us to be spectators, He wants us to be participants in life. He knows that nothing good comes without sacrifice and struggle. He allows this to happen in our lives because He wants us in heaven. If we can start living with eternity in our minds, we will be able to view our troubles in a different way. They will become light and momentary. Our entire lives here on earth will become only a dot on the timeline of eternity. None of this will matter so much anymore. The only thing that will matter then is being right with God and we will endure whatever comes to ensure that.
God knows, and He will not leave us hanging. He will bring us out to a place of abundance someday. The trials do not last forever. The times of rejoicing come. It is like the beauty after the rainstorms, or the rainbows that come when the sun shines through. When that happens, if we have persevered, we will be ready for it.
Scriptures for thought:
II Corinthians 4: 16 - 18
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Hebrews 12: 7 - 13
"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 'Make level paths for your feet', so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed."
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 our own ways. We praise You for all of Your guidance and all the second chances that You have given us. We will not cherish sin in our hearts. You are good.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I praise God even in the difficult times? Why or why not? How can I praise Him more?
2. What is going well in my life? What am I being tested in? How do I feel about persevering through difficult times?
3. What specific difficulties am I facing right now? 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? What is this like for me? What can I imagine it will be like?
5. Am I cherishing any sin in my heart and therefore hindering God's ability to do work? How can I deal with these things?
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing you are grateful for about the country that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the state/region that you live in
Thank God for the effect that what you are grateful for has on:
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 )
We are reminded here 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 because that is what is most important. The heart is the wellspring of life and often it is not as pure as it should be. We desire to do good, but evil seems to be right with us. Testing is like the furnace that purifies metal. All the impurities are burned off. Sometimes our testing is very intense as well and we can question God. This testing does not mean that God is upset with us, however, or that He is being mean to us. He loves us so much, as evidenced by the cross of Christ. He wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth but He also knows what it is going to take to get us to heaven.
I think about all the sports I have played and this concept makes sense to me. I went through so much to excel. I put up with early morning workouts, "twice a days", and "hell weeks". I put up with persecution during the times I played on boys teams, often to the point of wanting to give up. But I loved the sport and so I kept going. I am glad I persevered because I became a better person, and a better player. The same was true with school and all the time I put into getting good grades and finishing college. It was difficult and I was tempted to quit, but once you start quitting, it becomes easier and easier and soon finishing anything seems like an impossibility.
Our society does understand commitment and enduring hardships in athletics, and maybe in a career, but in life, it seems odd to us. We have moved so far from this concept of enduring hardship that anytime something is hard or hurts, we think it must be bad or wrong. Also, many of the problems we see arising in our society stem from this lack of the ability to endure. We don't want to have to struggle for anything. Instant gratification is king. For example, no one wants to wait until they have the money in order to spend it. I know that was me until 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. We would rather watch someone succeed, then get out there and do it ourselves.
But God wants to change us from the inside out. He doesn't want us to be spectators, He wants us to be participants in life. He knows that nothing good comes without sacrifice and struggle. He allows this to happen in our lives because He wants us in heaven. If we can start living with eternity in our minds, we will be able to view our troubles in a different way. They will become light and momentary. Our entire lives here on earth will become only a dot on the timeline of eternity. None of this will matter so much anymore. The only thing that will matter then is being right with God and we will endure whatever comes to ensure that.
God knows, and He will not leave us hanging. He will bring us out to a place of abundance someday. The trials do not last forever. The times of rejoicing come. It is like the beauty after the rainstorms, or the rainbows that come when the sun shines through. When that happens, if we have persevered, we will be ready for it.
Scriptures for thought:
II Corinthians 4: 16 - 18
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Hebrews 12: 7 - 13
"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 'Make level paths for your feet', so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed."
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 our own ways. We praise You for all of Your guidance and all the second chances that You have given us. We will not cherish sin in our hearts. You are good.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I praise God even in the difficult times? Why or why not? How can I praise Him more?
2. What is going well in my life? What am I being tested in? How do I feel about persevering through difficult times?
3. What specific difficulties am I facing right now? 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? What is this like for me? What can I imagine it will be like?
5. Am I cherishing any sin in my heart and therefore hindering God's ability to do work? How can I deal with these things?
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/3/15 (11/3/09)
Prayer Focus - Strangers
Day 6
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
One person you met/meet today
One person that is in the entertainment industry
One person in politics
One person you always see but have never spoken to
One person that you have read about that is still alive
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 63
"O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is not water.
I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You.
On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." ( vs. 1 - 6 )
I have seen the power of God. I have seen Him change me. I have seen Him change others. I have also seen great victories. I know I would be nothing without Him and that He is all that I have that is good. I don't know how I knew this at 17 but I did. I had been wandering and I was thirsty and weary. I had great achievements - valedictorian, athlete, popular. I had been able to travel to Europe and Japan, among other places. Basically, I had done everything that I wanted had wanted to. I had accomplished all my goals up to that point, and yet I was dying. I was so empty. Life was meaningless to me. I went from one party to the next trying to fill the ache inside; using and being used. I made an ultimatum with God. Show me this is real! And He did. When I finally saw the Bible being lived out, then I knew. I had to respond. I clung to God because I knew that He was my only hope for a better life and that if I walked away from Him, I would be walking away from the best thing that I ever would have. I was right. I have had many wonderful things in my life and even now, life is good; but I still have never found anything like God.
I must always remember this. God's love is better than life. Life is a struggle, God's love is not. I will be satisfied. I will choose to be satisfied. Day in and day out. It is a choice and I will make it.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We will be satisfied. We will turn our eyes to You and our hearts to remembering. We have beheld Your power and Your glory. We will remember. Help us when we are faltering and forgetting. Help us when we wander. We choose today to be satisfied. Your love is better than anything that we have. All our blessings have come from You. You are the great Giver. You are the perfect Father and Husband. We run to You and hide in the shelter of Your wings. Help us. We are damaged people longing to be healed. Help us to learn to sing again and to be mentally, emotionally, physically, and most important of all, spiritually healed so that we might be able to serve You. We desire to worship You completely and acceptably. We come before You in humble adoration. Please accept us today and always.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How am I feeling about life? Do I feel weary, thirsty, and parched or do I feel refreshed and rejuvenated? How is my relationship with God?
2. How has God's power been expressed in my life? Do I recognize God's glory? Am I praising Him daily?
3. Do I truly believe that God's love is better than life? How do I know this? How do I show it?
4. Am I satisfied with God alone? What tends to get me feeling dissatisfied? How can I stop allowing these things to distract me from God?
5. Am I clinging to God? Am I letting God heal me? What do I need to be healed from? How can running to the shelter of God's wings heal me?
Day 6
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
One person you met/meet today
One person that is in the entertainment industry
One person in politics
One person you always see but have never spoken to
One person that you have read about that is still alive
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 63
"O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is not water.
I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You.
On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." ( vs. 1 - 6 )
I have seen the power of God. I have seen Him change me. I have seen Him change others. I have also seen great victories. I know I would be nothing without Him and that He is all that I have that is good. I don't know how I knew this at 17 but I did. I had been wandering and I was thirsty and weary. I had great achievements - valedictorian, athlete, popular. I had been able to travel to Europe and Japan, among other places. Basically, I had done everything that I wanted had wanted to. I had accomplished all my goals up to that point, and yet I was dying. I was so empty. Life was meaningless to me. I went from one party to the next trying to fill the ache inside; using and being used. I made an ultimatum with God. Show me this is real! And He did. When I finally saw the Bible being lived out, then I knew. I had to respond. I clung to God because I knew that He was my only hope for a better life and that if I walked away from Him, I would be walking away from the best thing that I ever would have. I was right. I have had many wonderful things in my life and even now, life is good; but I still have never found anything like God.
I must always remember this. God's love is better than life. Life is a struggle, God's love is not. I will be satisfied. I will choose to be satisfied. Day in and day out. It is a choice and I will make it.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We will be satisfied. We will turn our eyes to You and our hearts to remembering. We have beheld Your power and Your glory. We will remember. Help us when we are faltering and forgetting. Help us when we wander. We choose today to be satisfied. Your love is better than anything that we have. All our blessings have come from You. You are the great Giver. You are the perfect Father and Husband. We run to You and hide in the shelter of Your wings. Help us. We are damaged people longing to be healed. Help us to learn to sing again and to be mentally, emotionally, physically, and most important of all, spiritually healed so that we might be able to serve You. We desire to worship You completely and acceptably. We come before You in humble adoration. Please accept us today and always.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How am I feeling about life? Do I feel weary, thirsty, and parched or do I feel refreshed and rejuvenated? How is my relationship with God?
2. How has God's power been expressed in my life? Do I recognize God's glory? Am I praising Him daily?
3. Do I truly believe that God's love is better than life? How do I know this? How do I show it?
4. Am I satisfied with God alone? What tends to get me feeling dissatisfied? How can I stop allowing these things to distract me from God?
5. Am I clinging to God? Am I letting God heal me? What do I need to be healed from? How can running to the shelter of God's wings heal me?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Daily Devotional - 8/30/10 (9/30/09)
Prayer Focus - 10's
Pray for:
Ten things you are grateful for
Ten people you are thinking about
Ten places that are important to you
Ten characteristics to grow in
Ten characteristics/habits to work on
Dear Lord - Help me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 30
"Sing to the Lord, you saints of His; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (vs. 4-5)
" You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." (vs. 11-12)
The Lord is the perfect Father. He disciplines and trains us so that we may become excellent, like refined gold. I know it is important to train my children. I know it is important to train my students. Sometimes, however, I am not willing to be trained myself. In my head, I know that I need to receive instruction in areas I am weak in, be it at a job or in some life area, and yet I falter. I do not like correction naturally, but I know that in all the areas that I have done well in, I have had a coach. Why do we become so unteachable as we get older? Is it our pride; our confidence in our ability to manage our lives? Sometimes it takes losing everything to show us that we have not yet arrived; that we still need to humble ourselves before the Lord and learn. Then, sometimes, even when I acknowledge my need for training, in day to day living I fail to seek it out or respond to it. Consistency is so hard to come by. I am so glad that God does not give up on training us when we are difficult. He is truly the perfect Father.
I am reminded of Hebrews 12:5-11.
"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined ( and everyone undergoes discipline ), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
I can't say this any better. Whatever I go through, it is for my training. I want to share in God's holiness so I am glad for it in the long run. Although our children fight our discipline, deep down I believe they are grateful. I know that I experienced the opposite growing up and it profoundly affected me. I was rarely disciplined by my parents and it bothered me. I remember being angry in one situation when I deserved to be disciplined and wasn't. I thought, "Why don't they care about me enough to tell me that I am doing something wrong?" I knew in my heart I had done wrong and I wanted the correction and the love and healing that I thought it would bring to me. I needed their direction and so often it didn't come. This left me feeling all alone in the world and bitter. I felt that I had to do everything by myself and for myself.
Why my parents were so lenient with me is hard to say, but I do know that it has helped me to understand and appreciate the reasoning behind God's discipline. I understand better why He lets me go through hard times in order to help me and strengthen my character. I am God's child. He is telling me that He loves me by not letting everything come easy. I love the story that many I am sure have heard about a man watching a butterfly come out of its cocoon. It goes something like the following. A man saw a butterfly struggling to come out of its cocoon. He felt sorry for the butterfly and so helped it by cutting the cocoon open. The butterfly came out but his wings never fully expanded and the butterfly was unable to fly. The man was confused as to what had happened. Later he learned that the struggle of emerging from the cocoon enables the butterfly's wings to be strengthen as they need to be for flight. In helping the butterfly and making things easier, he had in essence crippled it.
We are those caterpillars that need the struggle we go through in order to emerge from our cocoons a beautiful butterfly. If God did not allow us our struggles and did not discipline us, we would be spiritual and emotional cripples. We would never fly as God intended. I am so grateful God does not give up on us or make things too easy. I will exalt God because of this. I will also exalt God because He doesn't let our struggle go on forever either. In the morning, rejoicing comes. Our wailing and sadness becomes dancing and joy. His discipline and His anger is short lived, but His favor is forever! Amen.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We praise You that You care enough to discipline us and we are grateful also that there is an end to the struggle as well. There truly is a time for everything. Help us to accept Your training and discipline and so be strengthened by it. Help us to not rebel against it as a child might. We long to fly. Grant us the wings we need.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about discipline? Am I coachable? Why or why not? How can I become more teachable?
2. Am I being trained in any area right now? What am I learning and who is teaching me? How do I feel about this training?
3. What struggles am I going through presently, and how am I handling them? Am I looking for the easy way out or am I looking for God's way to deal with them? What struggles have I had in the past? How have they helped me? Do I have anything to rejoice about now from them?
4. Am I being trained spiritually in any way? Is anyone coaching me spiritually? Who could I get to mentor me in this area?
5. What type of disciplinarians were my parents? How has this affected the way I teach/train others such as my children? How has this affected the way I respond to teaching/training?
Pray for:
Ten things you are grateful for
Ten people you are thinking about
Ten places that are important to you
Ten characteristics to grow in
Ten characteristics/habits to work on
Dear Lord - Help me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 30
"Sing to the Lord, you saints of His; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (vs. 4-5)
" You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." (vs. 11-12)
The Lord is the perfect Father. He disciplines and trains us so that we may become excellent, like refined gold. I know it is important to train my children. I know it is important to train my students. Sometimes, however, I am not willing to be trained myself. In my head, I know that I need to receive instruction in areas I am weak in, be it at a job or in some life area, and yet I falter. I do not like correction naturally, but I know that in all the areas that I have done well in, I have had a coach. Why do we become so unteachable as we get older? Is it our pride; our confidence in our ability to manage our lives? Sometimes it takes losing everything to show us that we have not yet arrived; that we still need to humble ourselves before the Lord and learn. Then, sometimes, even when I acknowledge my need for training, in day to day living I fail to seek it out or respond to it. Consistency is so hard to come by. I am so glad that God does not give up on training us when we are difficult. He is truly the perfect Father.
I am reminded of Hebrews 12:5-11.
"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined ( and everyone undergoes discipline ), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
I can't say this any better. Whatever I go through, it is for my training. I want to share in God's holiness so I am glad for it in the long run. Although our children fight our discipline, deep down I believe they are grateful. I know that I experienced the opposite growing up and it profoundly affected me. I was rarely disciplined by my parents and it bothered me. I remember being angry in one situation when I deserved to be disciplined and wasn't. I thought, "Why don't they care about me enough to tell me that I am doing something wrong?" I knew in my heart I had done wrong and I wanted the correction and the love and healing that I thought it would bring to me. I needed their direction and so often it didn't come. This left me feeling all alone in the world and bitter. I felt that I had to do everything by myself and for myself.
Why my parents were so lenient with me is hard to say, but I do know that it has helped me to understand and appreciate the reasoning behind God's discipline. I understand better why He lets me go through hard times in order to help me and strengthen my character. I am God's child. He is telling me that He loves me by not letting everything come easy. I love the story that many I am sure have heard about a man watching a butterfly come out of its cocoon. It goes something like the following. A man saw a butterfly struggling to come out of its cocoon. He felt sorry for the butterfly and so helped it by cutting the cocoon open. The butterfly came out but his wings never fully expanded and the butterfly was unable to fly. The man was confused as to what had happened. Later he learned that the struggle of emerging from the cocoon enables the butterfly's wings to be strengthen as they need to be for flight. In helping the butterfly and making things easier, he had in essence crippled it.
We are those caterpillars that need the struggle we go through in order to emerge from our cocoons a beautiful butterfly. If God did not allow us our struggles and did not discipline us, we would be spiritual and emotional cripples. We would never fly as God intended. I am so grateful God does not give up on us or make things too easy. I will exalt God because of this. I will also exalt God because He doesn't let our struggle go on forever either. In the morning, rejoicing comes. Our wailing and sadness becomes dancing and joy. His discipline and His anger is short lived, but His favor is forever! Amen.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We praise You that You care enough to discipline us and we are grateful also that there is an end to the struggle as well. There truly is a time for everything. Help us to accept Your training and discipline and so be strengthened by it. Help us to not rebel against it as a child might. We long to fly. Grant us the wings we need.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about discipline? Am I coachable? Why or why not? How can I become more teachable?
2. Am I being trained in any area right now? What am I learning and who is teaching me? How do I feel about this training?
3. What struggles am I going through presently, and how am I handling them? Am I looking for the easy way out or am I looking for God's way to deal with them? What struggles have I had in the past? How have they helped me? Do I have anything to rejoice about now from them?
4. Am I being trained spiritually in any way? Is anyone coaching me spiritually? Who could I get to mentor me in this area?
5. What type of disciplinarians were my parents? How has this affected the way I teach/train others such as my children? How has this affected the way I respond to teaching/training?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Daily Devotional - 1/26
Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 86
"The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life - men without regard for You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant. Give me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me." ( vs. 14-17)
Sometimes we feel like we are being attacked on all fronts. I find myself at times saying that my life is too much for me, and I know there are so many out there with more difficulties than I. It can be overwhelming dealing with life, but we know that God has given set the race that is marked out for us to run. It is all in His hands and He knows what He is doing. God is compassionate. He is not being mean to us. He is training us. I give my students a lot of work and push them because I want them to be excellent. I make them follow my directions so that they may become thorough and learn to complete projects. If I made things too easy for them, it would be as if I thought they were not intelligent enough or capable enough. Difficulty is often a sign of the belief that one is able. God feels that we are able to handle whatever is given us. He knows what we can take and He is faithful. He is training and disciplining us to our eternal benefit and for His glory here as we are being transformed. He often pushes us to our limits as well because He wants us to rely on Him. As I go about my incredibly busy schedule, sometimes I look back and wonder how I got everything I did done that day. I know it was only God because it seems too much for one person. I laugh and think I am walking on water. I do not know how long I can keep it up but I will focus one day at a time on the one who is able. He will grant me strength and He will save me. Each sunrise I see as I drive to work in the morning is His sign of goodness to me that I have another day. I am so grateful to be alive.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Continue to grant us Your strength. We are nothing without You. We appreciate all the signs of goodness that You bring us. The sunrises and sunsets remind us that we have another day. The ocean and mountains loom large and unfathomable. They are solid representations of the unchanging nature of You. We get so caught up in the now and forget to see You. When we look at You, everything else seems to fall away. Thank You for believing in us and for pushing us to be our best. We want to please You. We put our days in Your hands and we wait for Your salvation.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my view of God? What influences how I feel about Him? Why? How can I develop a more accurate vision of who He is?
2. Do I seek Gods' mercy and strength or am I trying to do it all on my own? What holds me back from relying on God? Why? When do I find I can easily trust God and when do I struggle with letting go?
3. What signs of God's goodness have I received? Do I miss some of God's signs? Why? How can I change my view of life so that I see the good more than the bad?
4. How do I feel about my struggles? Do I see them as an opportunity for growth and as training or do I blame God? Do I ever feel that God is not taking care of me or does not have control over the events of my life. How will trusting that nothing is outside of God's will affect how I react to difficulties?
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 86
"The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life - men without regard for You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant. Give me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me." ( vs. 14-17)
Sometimes we feel like we are being attacked on all fronts. I find myself at times saying that my life is too much for me, and I know there are so many out there with more difficulties than I. It can be overwhelming dealing with life, but we know that God has given set the race that is marked out for us to run. It is all in His hands and He knows what He is doing. God is compassionate. He is not being mean to us. He is training us. I give my students a lot of work and push them because I want them to be excellent. I make them follow my directions so that they may become thorough and learn to complete projects. If I made things too easy for them, it would be as if I thought they were not intelligent enough or capable enough. Difficulty is often a sign of the belief that one is able. God feels that we are able to handle whatever is given us. He knows what we can take and He is faithful. He is training and disciplining us to our eternal benefit and for His glory here as we are being transformed. He often pushes us to our limits as well because He wants us to rely on Him. As I go about my incredibly busy schedule, sometimes I look back and wonder how I got everything I did done that day. I know it was only God because it seems too much for one person. I laugh and think I am walking on water. I do not know how long I can keep it up but I will focus one day at a time on the one who is able. He will grant me strength and He will save me. Each sunrise I see as I drive to work in the morning is His sign of goodness to me that I have another day. I am so grateful to be alive.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Continue to grant us Your strength. We are nothing without You. We appreciate all the signs of goodness that You bring us. The sunrises and sunsets remind us that we have another day. The ocean and mountains loom large and unfathomable. They are solid representations of the unchanging nature of You. We get so caught up in the now and forget to see You. When we look at You, everything else seems to fall away. Thank You for believing in us and for pushing us to be our best. We want to please You. We put our days in Your hands and we wait for Your salvation.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my view of God? What influences how I feel about Him? Why? How can I develop a more accurate vision of who He is?
2. Do I seek Gods' mercy and strength or am I trying to do it all on my own? What holds me back from relying on God? Why? When do I find I can easily trust God and when do I struggle with letting go?
3. What signs of God's goodness have I received? Do I miss some of God's signs? Why? How can I change my view of life so that I see the good more than the bad?
4. How do I feel about my struggles? Do I see them as an opportunity for growth and as training or do I blame God? Do I ever feel that God is not taking care of me or does not have control over the events of my life. How will trusting that nothing is outside of God's will affect how I react to difficulties?
Monday, January 18, 2010
Daily Devotional - 1/18
Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 7
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
One thing that is needed in your life
Pray about:
How it will help those concerned with their spiritual life
How it will help those concerned with their physical life
How it will help those concerned with their emotional life
How it will help those concerned with their mental life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 78
"The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by His law. They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them. He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan." ( vs. 9-12)
"They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, 'Can God spread a table in the desert? When He struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can He also give us food? Can He supply meat for His people?' when the Lord heard them, He was very angry; His fire broke out against Jacob, and His wrath rose against Israel, for they did not believe in God or trust in His deliverance." (vs. 18-22)
"In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of His wonders, they did not believe. So He ended their days in futility and their years in terror. Whenever God slew them, they would seek Him; they eagerly turned to Him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. But then they would flatter Him with their mouths, lying to Him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to Him, they were not faithful to His covenant. Yet He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time He restrained His anger and did not stir up His full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return." (vs. 32-39)
There are many ways to displease God and this psalm uses the stories of the Israelites to remind us of what to avoid. The first thing to avoid is turning back on the day of battle. We are equipped for whatever we have to face because we have God with us. We must go up to battle when it is time. Next we must remember God's covenant and keep His laws. We have to obey. The third pitfall to avoid is ingratitude. We have to remember the miracles and wonders He has done in our lives and in the lives of those around us. The fourth way to displease God is to put Him willfully to the test. We do not need to make Him prove anything. He has already proved enough. We need to start believing and living out His word. Then we will see the victories in Christ. Next we need to not speak against God. We don't need to be doubting Him or being dissatisfied with what He provides. We can be so spoiled. We have our minds set on one thing and when God provides for us in a different way, we say, "Yeah but what about this?" We can be displeased in the midst of plenty. This is just not right.
We can anger God. Sometimes we think that no matter what, God just keeps on forgiving and doesn't really care what happens in our lives, good or bad. As long as most of the time we are decent people, (by our standards of course), then we will be okay with God as well. This is just not true. God went to so much trouble and pain to save us that it does matter to Him. He is invested in us and what we do. Each time we sin, it is a reminder to Him what Jesus had to go through. We need to realize this and realize that the Israelites wandered in the desert because of all of these previously mentioned sins. They did not get to go to the promised land, all because they did not go up to take what God had promised. They doubted God could get them into the promised land and so they got just what they believed. Let us believe in God and trust in His deliverance. Let us enter into His rest. Let us strive to avoid these problems that brought the Israelites down. We can be faithful. We can make it, with God.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
The Israelites were Your promised people and You went to so much trouble to get them out of Egypt. You worked so many miracles in their lives and yet they still doubted and turned back on the day of battle. It is so important that we don't do this. We have to strive to believe and have faith. We want to enter into Your eternal rest. You have provided. Help us to live in such a way as to embrace Your will and covenants. You are great. We are grateful to be with You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I turn back on the day of battle? Am I being a soldier of Christ? What battles am I being called to fight? What is my reaction? How can I be a better warrior?
2. Am I putting God to the test? Do I demand God prove Himself to me? In what areas am I tempted to do this?
3. What is my speech like towards God? Do I utter more praise or doubting? How can I focus more on praise and less on doubt?
4. Am I loyal to God? How do I show my loyalty? In what ways have I been unfaithful? How can I change this?
Day 7
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
One thing that is needed in your life
Pray about:
How it will help those concerned with their spiritual life
How it will help those concerned with their physical life
How it will help those concerned with their emotional life
How it will help those concerned with their mental life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 78
"The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by His law. They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them. He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan." ( vs. 9-12)
"They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, 'Can God spread a table in the desert? When He struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can He also give us food? Can He supply meat for His people?' when the Lord heard them, He was very angry; His fire broke out against Jacob, and His wrath rose against Israel, for they did not believe in God or trust in His deliverance." (vs. 18-22)
"In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of His wonders, they did not believe. So He ended their days in futility and their years in terror. Whenever God slew them, they would seek Him; they eagerly turned to Him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. But then they would flatter Him with their mouths, lying to Him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to Him, they were not faithful to His covenant. Yet He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time He restrained His anger and did not stir up His full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return." (vs. 32-39)
There are many ways to displease God and this psalm uses the stories of the Israelites to remind us of what to avoid. The first thing to avoid is turning back on the day of battle. We are equipped for whatever we have to face because we have God with us. We must go up to battle when it is time. Next we must remember God's covenant and keep His laws. We have to obey. The third pitfall to avoid is ingratitude. We have to remember the miracles and wonders He has done in our lives and in the lives of those around us. The fourth way to displease God is to put Him willfully to the test. We do not need to make Him prove anything. He has already proved enough. We need to start believing and living out His word. Then we will see the victories in Christ. Next we need to not speak against God. We don't need to be doubting Him or being dissatisfied with what He provides. We can be so spoiled. We have our minds set on one thing and when God provides for us in a different way, we say, "Yeah but what about this?" We can be displeased in the midst of plenty. This is just not right.
We can anger God. Sometimes we think that no matter what, God just keeps on forgiving and doesn't really care what happens in our lives, good or bad. As long as most of the time we are decent people, (by our standards of course), then we will be okay with God as well. This is just not true. God went to so much trouble and pain to save us that it does matter to Him. He is invested in us and what we do. Each time we sin, it is a reminder to Him what Jesus had to go through. We need to realize this and realize that the Israelites wandered in the desert because of all of these previously mentioned sins. They did not get to go to the promised land, all because they did not go up to take what God had promised. They doubted God could get them into the promised land and so they got just what they believed. Let us believe in God and trust in His deliverance. Let us enter into His rest. Let us strive to avoid these problems that brought the Israelites down. We can be faithful. We can make it, with God.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
The Israelites were Your promised people and You went to so much trouble to get them out of Egypt. You worked so many miracles in their lives and yet they still doubted and turned back on the day of battle. It is so important that we don't do this. We have to strive to believe and have faith. We want to enter into Your eternal rest. You have provided. Help us to live in such a way as to embrace Your will and covenants. You are great. We are grateful to be with You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I turn back on the day of battle? Am I being a soldier of Christ? What battles am I being called to fight? What is my reaction? How can I be a better warrior?
2. Am I putting God to the test? Do I demand God prove Himself to me? In what areas am I tempted to do this?
3. What is my speech like towards God? Do I utter more praise or doubting? How can I focus more on praise and less on doubt?
4. Am I loyal to God? How do I show my loyalty? In what ways have I been unfaithful? How can I change this?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Daily Devotional - 10/29
Prayer Focus - Strangers
Day 1
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
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 59
"But You, O Lord, laugh at them; You scoff at all those nations. O my Strength, I watch for You; You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me." ( vs 8-9)
God is not worried by evil people. He laughs at them and scoffs at them because He knows their days are numbered. God knows the big picture and all I need to know is God. I will watch for Him. I will pray and then watch for the answers to come from Him. I will watch for His provisions and for His ways of escape from the troubles that seem to outnumber me. God is my fortress. I can run to Him when I am troubled or under attack. I need to be going to Him regardless! He is my loving God. He loves me. I am special to Him in spite of all the trouble that overwhelms me. The trouble does not mean that He does not love me. Nothing of the sort. The hardships are a part of life and what is needed to refine me for eternity. I am to view hardship as discipline and training, and in fact, evidence of my Father's love. God is going before me and I will not falter if I let Him clear the way and stay in the path He has carved out for me.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful that You go before us to clear the way. Help us to walk in the path that You have prepared. You are good. We are grateful that nothing can hinder Your plan and that evil people are nothing but something to laugh and scoff at. We get so worked up and worried over evil men but we need to leave them up to You. Help us to let go of this. You are our fortress. Help us to run to You when we are tempted to worry or be discouraged. You will keep us safe. You love us. We are so grateful for Your love.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I realize that evil people are best left up to God? What do my actions show of what I believe? Do I pray for these people? Do I care about their eternal destiny?
2. Am I watching for God? Am I asking God for anything? Am I praying and waiting in eager expectation? How can I improve this aspect of my relationship with God?
3. Do I believe God is going before me and clearing a path for me? How do I know what the path He is preparing for me is? How can I ensure I am following it?
4. What is God using in my life right now to train me? Do I see my hardships as discipline and training from a God who loves me? How have I seen good come out of my struggles?
Day 1
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
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 59
"But You, O Lord, laugh at them; You scoff at all those nations. O my Strength, I watch for You; You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me." ( vs 8-9)
God is not worried by evil people. He laughs at them and scoffs at them because He knows their days are numbered. God knows the big picture and all I need to know is God. I will watch for Him. I will pray and then watch for the answers to come from Him. I will watch for His provisions and for His ways of escape from the troubles that seem to outnumber me. God is my fortress. I can run to Him when I am troubled or under attack. I need to be going to Him regardless! He is my loving God. He loves me. I am special to Him in spite of all the trouble that overwhelms me. The trouble does not mean that He does not love me. Nothing of the sort. The hardships are a part of life and what is needed to refine me for eternity. I am to view hardship as discipline and training, and in fact, evidence of my Father's love. God is going before me and I will not falter if I let Him clear the way and stay in the path He has carved out for me.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful that You go before us to clear the way. Help us to walk in the path that You have prepared. You are good. We are grateful that nothing can hinder Your plan and that evil people are nothing but something to laugh and scoff at. We get so worked up and worried over evil men but we need to leave them up to You. Help us to let go of this. You are our fortress. Help us to run to You when we are tempted to worry or be discouraged. You will keep us safe. You love us. We are so grateful for Your love.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I realize that evil people are best left up to God? What do my actions show of what I believe? Do I pray for these people? Do I care about their eternal destiny?
2. Am I watching for God? Am I asking God for anything? Am I praying and waiting in eager expectation? How can I improve this aspect of my relationship with God?
3. Do I believe God is going before me and clearing a path for me? How do I know what the path He is preparing for me is? How can I ensure I am following it?
4. What is God using in my life right now to train me? Do I see my hardships as discipline and training from a God who loves me? How have I seen good come out of my struggles?
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Daily Devotional - 10/11
Prayer Focus - Family
Day 4
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
One family member that lives near youPray 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 41
"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; He will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness." (vs. 1-3)
We need to have regard for the weak. When I tend to think of "the weak", I tend to think of the elderly or those who are down and out, perhaps those who I might consider to be "struggling" in some manner. As I consider this passage though and go a bit deeper, I am forced to look at what are my stereotypes and prejudices. Who is weak really? Lately, I would have to admit that it is me. I am the one who is "struggling". I am the one who is having trouble with so many things. I do not like to admit that I am weak. I think many of us do not like this. All of our lives we have been building up our walls to protect and guard ourselves so that we will be strong. Often, if we have been terrorized as children, we have built up very high walls so that no one will ever think we are weak again. We feel that our weakness will be used against us because it was in the past. We even begin to look down on anyone we consider open or vulnerable and we feel that displays of emotion are a sign of weakness as well and we dislike them immensely. Because we have been robbed of this ourselves, we resent it in others and it angers us. We become rocks and islands because as Simon and Garfunkel so eloquently put it, "a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries."
But once again, this is not God's way. First of all, we are to rejoice in our sufferings and weaknesses because they allow God to work fully through us (Romans 5:1-5, II Cor 12:8-10). Then we are to see that it is our pride that makes us want to appear strong. God just wants us to be ourselves and He views us as His children. Our children are obviously not as strong as we are. They are weak. God knows we are weak and He wants to take care of us. He even carries us when we can go on no further. I love the story of the footprints that so vividly expresses that sediment of Him carrying us through our most difficult times in life. Finally, God wants us to depend on Him in everything. Then, when we have been strengthened, we are to turn back and help others to be strengthened and comforted as well (Luke 22:31-32).
So I will admit that I am weak and that I also need to have regard for where I am at. I need to get my self strengthened so that I can in turn strengthen those who need me. That would be my children, my husband, and my students. In many ways, these people are weak and I must view them differently than I have been doing. My children are weak because they are young. I expect so much out of them and often get frustrated by their misbehavior. Much of this is my fault, as I need to be more consistent in my discipline and training of them, but I must also remember that they are children. I must remember the proverb (Proverbs 22:15) that states that "folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drives it far from them."
It is not strange that my children are foolish and morally weak right now. That is a natural part of being a child. I must not take it so personally, and I must also see, therefore, how important it is for me to train and instruct them so that I can help them to out grow it. If I do nothing to help them get rid of the inherent folly in their souls, then I am truly leading them down a path of destruction. I have seen many children that have never been lead away from their natural folly in my days of teaching. They fail and fail miserably, even if they are brilliant. Folly must be removed through love and consistent training. I must have regard for these, my children, and help them. I must not get mad but I must train. Both are imperative.
Then there is my husband. He is weak right now because of his illness. I must have regard for him and be there for him more than I ever have. Sometimes it is exhausting to be a caregiver and I am glad for the times when my husband is not that sick. Some people get no respite and it is easy to get overwhelmed and angry at the one who is ill. We must remember if we find ourselves in this position to have regard for the weak. We must find the refreshing and strength we need so that we may be able to go back and give the proper care to our loved ones in the way that will be most beneficial to them.
Finally, I have may students. Many are educationally disadvantaged and many of them have difficult home lives as well that might make them emotionally weak. God has placed me in these students' lives for a reason. I have much to give to them. I have educational skills and learning and most importantly, I have a relationship with God I can share in some way. I need to have regard for each of these children placed in my classes and give them whatever I can to help them grow academically and as individuals as well. They look to me to set them an example and to give them hope in an often hopeless world. Many times I might be the only one believing in them. I must have regard for them and give them my best. I am responsible.
It seems overwhelming when I contemplate all of this, but I love the promises that come with that small statement to have regard for the weak. God will delivers us. The Lord will protect and preserve our lives. God will fill us up so that we can pour out blessings to others(II Cor 9:6-11). The Lord will bless us in the land and will not give us up to our enemies. God will even help our health to be better. So many wonderful promises await us if we can just have regard for the weak. We will in turn be made strong. We can do it. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13). We need to be confident in this. We can be confident of this because in our integrity, God upholds us and sets us in His presence forever (vs. 12)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Help us to have regard for the weak. We know that at times we are weak and at times we do not want to admit it. Help us to see ourselves correctly and to turn to You for strengthening. We need Your strength so that we can go out and in turn strengthen others. We fail and we are so weak but You are strong. You say that Your power is made perfect in our weakness. Allow Your power to be fully developed in us and help us to have regard for the other people in our lives who are weak in some way. Help us to remember our children and their weaknesses. Help us to be kind and loving despite their failures and help us to train our children so that it will go well for them. They are so precious and such a great responsibility. Help us to keep them a priority in our lives so that we can give them the best we have to offer.
Help us to have regard for our spouses in their weakness and our family members. If any of them are sick, help us to be there for them completely. Often those we should love the most are the most difficult for us. Grant us the strength to do all we ask. Only You can provide us what we need to do what You ask. We run to You, for You can do it. In our integrity, You uphold us. Increase our integrity and our obedience. Help us Lord to have regard for the weak.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I weak or strong right now? How do I know?
2. Who are the weak in my life? Am I having regard for them? What would that look like?
3. How am I doing with my children? Am I training them for the future? Am I teaching them about God and His ways beyond taking them to church?
4. How is my relationship with my spouse? Am I having regard for him or her? What are they weak in right now? How can I support them?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Daily Devotional - 9/30
Prayer Focus - 10's
Pray for:
Ten things you are grateful for
Ten people you are thinking about
Ten places that are important to you
Ten characteristics to grow in
Ten characteristics/habits to work on
Dear Lord - Help me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 30
"Sing to the Lord, you saints of His; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (vs. 4-5)
" You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." (vs. 11-12)
The Lord is the perfect Father. He disciplines and trains us so that we may become excellent, like refined gold. I know it is important to train my children. I know it is important to train my students. Sometimes, however, I am not willing to be trained myself. In my head, I know that I need to receive instruction in areas I am weak in, be it at a job or in some life area, and yet I falter. I do not like correction naturally, but I know that in all the areas that I have done well in, I have had a coach. Why do we become so unteachable as we get older? Is it our pride, our confidence in our ability to manage our lives? Sometimes it takes losing everything to show us that we have not arrived; that we still need to humble ourselves before the Lord and learn. Then, sometimes, even when I acknowledge my need, in day to day, living I fail. Consistency is so hard to come by. I am so glad that God does not give up on training us when we are difficult. He is truly the perfect Father.
I am reminded of Hebrews 12:5-11.
"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined ( and everyone undergoes discipline ), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
I can't say this any better. Whatever I go through, it is for my training. I want to share in God's holiness so I am glad for it in the long run. Although our children fight our discipline, deep down I believe they are grateful. I know that I experienced the opposite growing up and it profoundly affected me. I was rarely disciplined by my parents and it bothered me. I remember being angry in one situation when I deserved to be disciplined and wasn't. I thought, "Why don't they care enough to tell me I am doing something wrong?" I knew in my heart I had done wrong and I wanted the correction and the love and healing that I thought it would bring to me. I needed their direction and so often it didn't come. This left me feeling all alone in the world and bitter. I felt that I had to do everything by myself and for myself.
Pray for:
Ten things you are grateful for
Ten people you are thinking about
Ten places that are important to you
Ten characteristics to grow in
Ten characteristics/habits to work on
Dear Lord - Help me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 30
"Sing to the Lord, you saints of His; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (vs. 4-5)
" You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." (vs. 11-12)
The Lord is the perfect Father. He disciplines and trains us so that we may become excellent, like refined gold. I know it is important to train my children. I know it is important to train my students. Sometimes, however, I am not willing to be trained myself. In my head, I know that I need to receive instruction in areas I am weak in, be it at a job or in some life area, and yet I falter. I do not like correction naturally, but I know that in all the areas that I have done well in, I have had a coach. Why do we become so unteachable as we get older? Is it our pride, our confidence in our ability to manage our lives? Sometimes it takes losing everything to show us that we have not arrived; that we still need to humble ourselves before the Lord and learn. Then, sometimes, even when I acknowledge my need, in day to day, living I fail. Consistency is so hard to come by. I am so glad that God does not give up on training us when we are difficult. He is truly the perfect Father.
I am reminded of Hebrews 12:5-11.
"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined ( and everyone undergoes discipline ), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
I can't say this any better. Whatever I go through, it is for my training. I want to share in God's holiness so I am glad for it in the long run. Although our children fight our discipline, deep down I believe they are grateful. I know that I experienced the opposite growing up and it profoundly affected me. I was rarely disciplined by my parents and it bothered me. I remember being angry in one situation when I deserved to be disciplined and wasn't. I thought, "Why don't they care enough to tell me I am doing something wrong?" I knew in my heart I had done wrong and I wanted the correction and the love and healing that I thought it would bring to me. I needed their direction and so often it didn't come. This left me feeling all alone in the world and bitter. I felt that I had to do everything by myself and for myself.
Why my parents were so lenient with me is hard to say, but I do not know that it helped me to understand and appreciate the reasoning behind God letting me go through hard times in order to help me. I am God's child. He is telling me that He loves me by not letting everything come easy. I love the story that many I am sure have heard about a man watching a butterfly come out of its cocoon. It goes something like the following. A man saw a butterfly struggling to come out of its cocoon. He felt sorry for the butterfly and so helped it by cutting the cocoon open. The butterfly came out but his wings never fully expanded and the butterfly was unable to fly. The man was confused as to what had happened. Later he learned that the struggle of emerging from the cocoon enables the butterfly's wings to be strengthen as they need to be for flight. In helping the butterfly and making things easier, he had in essence crippled it.
We are those caterpillars that need the struggle we go through in order to emerge from our cocoons a beautiful butterfly. If God did not allow our struggles and did not discipline us, we would be spiritual and emotional cripples. We would never fly as God intended. I am so grateful God does not give up on us or make things too easy. I will exalt God because of this. I will also exalt God because He doesn't let our struggle go on forever either. In the morning, rejoicing comes. Our wailing and sadness becomes dancing and joy. His discipline and His anger is short lived, but His favor is forever! Amen.
QFT
1. How do I feel about discipline? Am I coachable? Why or why not?
2. Am I being trained in any area right now? What am I learning and who is teaching me? Am I being trained at all spiritually?
3. What struggles am I going through presently, and how am I handling them? Am I looking for the easy way out or am I looking for God's way to deal with them?
4. Am I being trained spiritually in any way? Is anyone coaching me spiritually? Who could I get to mentor me in this area?
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