Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 4
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream you have for your life
One issue in your character that you would like to see changed
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 89
"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord. They rejoice in Your name all day long; they exult in Your righteousness. For You are their glory and strength, and by Your favor You exalt our horn. Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel." ( vs. 14 - 18 )
Righteousness and justice form the foundation of the throne of God. He is righteous and just. How good it is to know that there is a standard that never changes. Although we do not necessarily like everything about it, it is steadfast and I think that we long for that type of consistency. We hate it when things are not fair. It is good to know that God is fair, and that justice will win out one day. It is also good to know that God does not forget our hard work and all of the good things that we have done. ("God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10) Someday we will reap what we have sown. ("Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6: 7-9)
What is even better than God being righteous and justice, however, is that God is loving and faithful. He is so much so, that it goes before Him. These qualities trumpet His coming. When I think about the world, I still see God; even with all the evil that is here. Sometimes people will say, "How can there be a God when there is bad things happening?" I think, "If there is no God, that is all that would be happening!" God is in all the kindness and beauty that is still here on Earth. When I see a beautiful sunset, I see God. When I look at my children playing and laughing, I see God. When I receive a kindness or am able to give to someone, I feel God's presence. God is good, always good.
We will be blessed if we can believe and hold onto this; when we can acclaim God. We will receive what we have faith in. God does not change, but we can be blinded to Him. Sometimes my students do not like me. They think I am mean and hard. They have not been able to see who I really am, because they do not cooperate with the rules of the class, or they perceive my pushing them to be excellent and to achieve as meanness. No matter how kind and loving I may be, they will never see it. They are blinded by their own perceptions and rebelliousness. I have not changed. This is how it is with God. If we are rebellious and resentful about being transformed, we will see God as a harsh taskmaster. If we follow God's laws and make Him our strength, and if we are willing to be changed, God will be our most treasured glory and strength. The choice is ours.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are good. You do bless us. Help us to see You; to see the real You and for us to not be deceived by our rebelliousness. You are righteous and just. You are loving and faithful. We are grateful that You are not like us. You are so praiseworthy. Thank You for our lives and for Your promises. Help us to live up to Your desires for us.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I see God as righteous? Am I righteous? What does this mean to me? How can I be righteous in my day to day living?
2. Do I value justice? How do I see God as just? Am I just? What does this mean to me? How can I learn to be more just and to value justice more?
3. How do I see God as loving? What does that mean to me? Am I loving? What evidence is there to support my answer? How can I be more loving?
4. How do I see God as faithful? What does that mean to me? Am I faithful to God? Am I faithful to others? Why or why not? How can I become more faithful to God and to others?
5. How do I acclaim God? What is my view of Him? Do I have a true perspective or am I tainted by bitterness or bad experiences? How can I work through any issues I have so that I can be able to see God as He truly is? How will this change my life?
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
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?
Friday, September 11, 2015
Daily Devotiional - 9/11/15 (11/11/15)
Prayer Focus - Gratitude
Day 7
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
One thing you are grateful for about the city that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the home that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about your family
One thing you are grateful for about your job/daily tasks
One thing you are grateful for about yourself
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 71
"In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in Your righteousness; turn Your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress." ( vs. 1-3 )
"For You have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth... Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone...Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me." ( vs. 5, 9, & 12 )
"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more. My mouth will tell of Your righteousness, of Your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure." ( vs. 14-15 )
"Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again." ( vs. 20-21 )
I will always have hope. That is my choice. I will praise God more and more. Today I found it hard to praise God, but I will choose to do better tomorrow. My emotions will not control me, God will.
Today I felt old and worn out. I felt like nothing is ever accomplished in my life. I felt forgotten and alone. But in reality, none of these things are true save for in my mind. In my mind I rise or fall. In my mind I praise or curse. In my mind the battle is fought.
God is still God and though I am seeing troubles, many and bitter, He will restore me again. I believe this. So as for me, I will always have hope.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are our refuge. As we grow older it can be discouraging to see all the things left undone. We had great dreams but You are still in control and Your dreams are greater than ours. We cannot even see tomorrow yet You hold all of time in Your hands. You are amazing and in You we can always have hope. Forgive us for our failures to believe and for our negativity. You will never let Your people fall or be put to shame. All we need to do is concentrate on being Your people and being pleasing to You. Help us in our unbelief. We choose to have hope. We choose to keep going. We choose You over an over again.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Why does God allow me to see troubles? What have I benefitted from them? Do I see how God has taken care of me through these times?
2. Am I becoming better or bitter? How can I make sure that I become better as a person through the difficult times?
3. How am I doing in my relationship with God as I get older spiritually and physically? Am I as zealous as I once was? Am I more serious about my relationship with God than I was? How can I ensure that I am growing more mature as I grow older?
4. What fears and discouragements am I facing as I get older? How am I turning to God with them?
5. Am I tellling of God's salvation? Is my purpose the same as God's or have I taken on some other purpose for my life? How can I get back on track?
Day 7
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
One thing you are grateful for about the city that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the home that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about your family
One thing you are grateful for about your job/daily tasks
One thing you are grateful for about yourself
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 71
"In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in Your righteousness; turn Your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress." ( vs. 1-3 )
"For You have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth... Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone...Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me." ( vs. 5, 9, & 12 )
"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more. My mouth will tell of Your righteousness, of Your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure." ( vs. 14-15 )
"Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again." ( vs. 20-21 )
I will always have hope. That is my choice. I will praise God more and more. Today I found it hard to praise God, but I will choose to do better tomorrow. My emotions will not control me, God will.
Today I felt old and worn out. I felt like nothing is ever accomplished in my life. I felt forgotten and alone. But in reality, none of these things are true save for in my mind. In my mind I rise or fall. In my mind I praise or curse. In my mind the battle is fought.
God is still God and though I am seeing troubles, many and bitter, He will restore me again. I believe this. So as for me, I will always have hope.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
You are our refuge. As we grow older it can be discouraging to see all the things left undone. We had great dreams but You are still in control and Your dreams are greater than ours. We cannot even see tomorrow yet You hold all of time in Your hands. You are amazing and in You we can always have hope. Forgive us for our failures to believe and for our negativity. You will never let Your people fall or be put to shame. All we need to do is concentrate on being Your people and being pleasing to You. Help us in our unbelief. We choose to have hope. We choose to keep going. We choose You over an over again.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Why does God allow me to see troubles? What have I benefitted from them? Do I see how God has taken care of me through these times?
2. Am I becoming better or bitter? How can I make sure that I become better as a person through the difficult times?
3. How am I doing in my relationship with God as I get older spiritually and physically? Am I as zealous as I once was? Am I more serious about my relationship with God than I was? How can I ensure that I am growing more mature as I grow older?
4. What fears and discouragements am I facing as I get older? How am I turning to God with them?
5. Am I tellling of God's salvation? Is my purpose the same as God's or have I taken on some other purpose for my life? How can I get back on track?
Monday, September 7, 2015
Daily Devotional - 9/7/15 (11/7/09)
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
One thing you are grateful for about the city 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 67
"May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him." ( vs. 5-7)
These three verses hold a key to the enrichment of our lives. I was so excited the first time I realized what they were saying. We all would like to see blessings in our lives and would like to see our activities and undertakings be successful. Often we go about trying to get the blessing by praying and begging God for it. We ask for help and we ask for guidance, and sometimes we whine and complain about it not happening soon enough and the like. We work harder and we pour ourselves into whatever it is that has captured our attention at the moment. Often we become very self focused and unhappy. We do not receive the blessing, however, or reap the harvest because we are going about it all wrong. These verses begin by saying that we are to praise God and then the land will yield the harvest. We are to praise God first, before anything has happened. What a revolutionary thought. We do just the opposite. We try to harvest and then praise God. God says praise me first and then I will give the harvest and blessings. Once again, God's ways are completely opposite to ours.
This is because God wants us to have faith. To praise God first is truly faith. Hebrews states that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). When we praise before we see something occurring, we are expressing our faith in God; communicating that He is able and willing to take care of us and meet our needs. This is what He loves to see; people who are willing to place it all in His care. People willing to be bold in their belief that God exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him. I have begun praying this way. Instead of asking for God's help with something or asking God's help for someone, I praise God for what I have already seen happen in my life and the lives of others, and I praise God for what I desire to see happen as well. For example, I will pray - "I praise You, God, for what I will accomplish today or I praise You for taking care of my children." It is so different to pray in this way and sometimes I have to admit I feel silly doing this but then I remember the passage above. Since I have started praying in this manner, I have seen encouraging results as well, and I feel better praising God instead of just asking Him for things. I feel more confident and faithful too. The bottom line is this, God wants us to believe in Him. He wants to bless us. Praising Him paves the road somehow for Him to be able to do this. So, let us praise God today and wait and see what happens tomorrow!
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are praising You first. We are grateful for the ways that You will meet our needs and for the ways that You will guide us. You know what we need and You know what is best for us. We are so grateful for Your care and praise You for allowing us the opportunity to exist. We praise You for all the exciting things that will happen tomorrow and we praise You for the ways that You will bring us victories over our enemies. We look forward to Your blessings and to the harvest that we will receive from You when we are faithful. We know that it is impossible to please You without faith. We want to have faith. Increase our faith today.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How important do I feel praising God is? Do I realize that my praise of God can ultimately lead to others learning to fear God?
2. Do I praise God before I receive something or only after? Why? How can I practice praising God before anything I desire happens? Why is God worthy of praise regardless of what I have or receive in my life? Do I deeply understand this?
3. What areas of my life do I have strong faith in God to take care of? What areas do I have a weak faith about? Why? How can I grow in faith for these weak areas?
4. What harvests am I waiting for? What blessings do I want to receive? In what ways has God already blessed me and brought me a harvest? How can I become more grateful for what I already have?
5. Do I have faith in God's ability and desire to take care of me? What makes it difficult to believe that God will bless me if I praise Him first? How can I have more faith so that I can do this?
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
One thing you are grateful for about the city 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 67
"May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him." ( vs. 5-7)
These three verses hold a key to the enrichment of our lives. I was so excited the first time I realized what they were saying. We all would like to see blessings in our lives and would like to see our activities and undertakings be successful. Often we go about trying to get the blessing by praying and begging God for it. We ask for help and we ask for guidance, and sometimes we whine and complain about it not happening soon enough and the like. We work harder and we pour ourselves into whatever it is that has captured our attention at the moment. Often we become very self focused and unhappy. We do not receive the blessing, however, or reap the harvest because we are going about it all wrong. These verses begin by saying that we are to praise God and then the land will yield the harvest. We are to praise God first, before anything has happened. What a revolutionary thought. We do just the opposite. We try to harvest and then praise God. God says praise me first and then I will give the harvest and blessings. Once again, God's ways are completely opposite to ours.
This is because God wants us to have faith. To praise God first is truly faith. Hebrews states that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). When we praise before we see something occurring, we are expressing our faith in God; communicating that He is able and willing to take care of us and meet our needs. This is what He loves to see; people who are willing to place it all in His care. People willing to be bold in their belief that God exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him. I have begun praying this way. Instead of asking for God's help with something or asking God's help for someone, I praise God for what I have already seen happen in my life and the lives of others, and I praise God for what I desire to see happen as well. For example, I will pray - "I praise You, God, for what I will accomplish today or I praise You for taking care of my children." It is so different to pray in this way and sometimes I have to admit I feel silly doing this but then I remember the passage above. Since I have started praying in this manner, I have seen encouraging results as well, and I feel better praising God instead of just asking Him for things. I feel more confident and faithful too. The bottom line is this, God wants us to believe in Him. He wants to bless us. Praising Him paves the road somehow for Him to be able to do this. So, let us praise God today and wait and see what happens tomorrow!
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are praising You first. We are grateful for the ways that You will meet our needs and for the ways that You will guide us. You know what we need and You know what is best for us. We are so grateful for Your care and praise You for allowing us the opportunity to exist. We praise You for all the exciting things that will happen tomorrow and we praise You for the ways that You will bring us victories over our enemies. We look forward to Your blessings and to the harvest that we will receive from You when we are faithful. We know that it is impossible to please You without faith. We want to have faith. Increase our faith today.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How important do I feel praising God is? Do I realize that my praise of God can ultimately lead to others learning to fear God?
2. Do I praise God before I receive something or only after? Why? How can I practice praising God before anything I desire happens? Why is God worthy of praise regardless of what I have or receive in my life? Do I deeply understand this?
3. What areas of my life do I have strong faith in God to take care of? What areas do I have a weak faith about? Why? How can I grow in faith for these weak areas?
4. What harvests am I waiting for? What blessings do I want to receive? In what ways has God already blessed me and brought me a harvest? How can I become more grateful for what I already have?
5. Do I have faith in God's ability and desire to take care of me? What makes it difficult to believe that God will bless me if I praise Him first? How can I have more faith so that I can do this?
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Daily Devotional - 1/20/13 (10/20/09)
Prayer Focus - Friends
Day 6
Pray for:
One friend that you feel close to
One friend that has become distant and you would like to be closer to
One friend from long ago
One new friend
One friend that has hurt you
One friend that has always been there for you
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your everpresent voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 50
"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." (vs. 23)
What is it that God requires? Sacrifice, work, hardship, toughing it out, denying ourselves, piety? We have many ideas in our heads, but God's words drown them out.
"God comes and will not be silent...Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
Then what does He say to us?
"Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me." ( vs 14-15)
The foremost thing on God's mind is thank offerings. He wants us to be thankful; to rejoice always. He says it again, Rejoice. When we rejoice, all the rest flows out naturally. Living our lives as a Christian is not a burden when we have a grateful heart. I know I gladly do things for those I appreciate; those to whom I am grateful for. When I lose gratitude for God and others, then everything becomes a burdensome chore. Besides enabling us to fulfill the rest of our vows, the thankfulness of our hearts honor God.
We must no longer think of this as an optional tenant of Christianity. I must be thankful. It is so easy to be ungrateful and complaining. It seems to be natural for us. But negative thinking spirals us down to depression and futility. Positive, grateful hearts enable us to see God and the ways He has laid out to help us in any and every situation. My gratitude and thanks enable God to usher in His salvation. The road to victory is paved with thanks. Let us call out to God in our times of trouble and do it with rejoicing since we are blessed to even have a life to be struggling with. God will answer.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Thank You for giving us life. We are grateful to exist and we are grateful that You care for us. Help us to remember that our gratitude opens the doors for Your salvation. Help us to not be like the Isrealites that wandered for years in the desert because of their ingratitude and unfaithfulness. They continued to complain in spite of all the miracles You brought to them. We can be no different. We want to amaze You with our faith and our good attitudes and happy hearts. We ask for Your strength and blessing as we strive to be pleasing to You in each and every moment of our days. We love You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I sacrificing thank offerings to God? How often do I thank God for something?
2. Am I fulfilling my vows to God? What vows have I made to God? What do I need to change to fulfill them more completely?
3. Am I calling upon God in my times of trouble? Who do I turn to first when I am having a problem? Is it God or a friend/spouse?
4. Am I seeing victories in my life? What is my mental attitude like?
5. Do I see any correlation between when I am positive and grateful and when I see victories/ success in my life? If so, how can I do a better job at sustaining my gratitude level?
Day 6
Pray for:
One friend that you feel close to
One friend that has become distant and you would like to be closer to
One friend from long ago
One new friend
One friend that has hurt you
One friend that has always been there for you
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your everpresent voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 50
"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." (vs. 23)
What is it that God requires? Sacrifice, work, hardship, toughing it out, denying ourselves, piety? We have many ideas in our heads, but God's words drown them out.
"God comes and will not be silent...Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
Then what does He say to us?
"Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me." ( vs 14-15)
The foremost thing on God's mind is thank offerings. He wants us to be thankful; to rejoice always. He says it again, Rejoice. When we rejoice, all the rest flows out naturally. Living our lives as a Christian is not a burden when we have a grateful heart. I know I gladly do things for those I appreciate; those to whom I am grateful for. When I lose gratitude for God and others, then everything becomes a burdensome chore. Besides enabling us to fulfill the rest of our vows, the thankfulness of our hearts honor God.
We must no longer think of this as an optional tenant of Christianity. I must be thankful. It is so easy to be ungrateful and complaining. It seems to be natural for us. But negative thinking spirals us down to depression and futility. Positive, grateful hearts enable us to see God and the ways He has laid out to help us in any and every situation. My gratitude and thanks enable God to usher in His salvation. The road to victory is paved with thanks. Let us call out to God in our times of trouble and do it with rejoicing since we are blessed to even have a life to be struggling with. God will answer.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Thank You for giving us life. We are grateful to exist and we are grateful that You care for us. Help us to remember that our gratitude opens the doors for Your salvation. Help us to not be like the Isrealites that wandered for years in the desert because of their ingratitude and unfaithfulness. They continued to complain in spite of all the miracles You brought to them. We can be no different. We want to amaze You with our faith and our good attitudes and happy hearts. We ask for Your strength and blessing as we strive to be pleasing to You in each and every moment of our days. We love You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I sacrificing thank offerings to God? How often do I thank God for something?
2. Am I fulfilling my vows to God? What vows have I made to God? What do I need to change to fulfill them more completely?
3. Am I calling upon God in my times of trouble? Who do I turn to first when I am having a problem? Is it God or a friend/spouse?
4. Am I seeing victories in my life? What is my mental attitude like?
5. Do I see any correlation between when I am positive and grateful and when I see victories/ success in my life? If so, how can I do a better job at sustaining my gratitude level?
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Daily Devotional - 9/1/10 (10/1/09)
Prayer Focus - Leaders
Pray for:
One leader who inspires you
Specifically:
their physical strength and needs
their emotional strength and needs
their mental strength and needs
their spiritual strength and needs
Dear Lord - I pray that you would open my ears to the messages You want to share with me today. I also ask for the strength to obey.
Psalms 31
"I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place." (vs . 7-8)
"My times are in Your hands;" (vs. 15a)
Everything is in God's hands. He has determined the times and places for me so that I would turn and seek Him (Acts 17: 26-27). Nothing is done away from the eyes of God. He has seen everything about my life and has been calling me all along. My times are truly in His hands. When I was 17, I made an ultimatum with God. I had grown up going to church and had gone to a Christian school from 1st through 8th grade. I knew the Bible. I knew what a Christian should be. I had tried at times. I had given my testimony before a large crowd at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes my junior year of high school. I had taught people to pray the prayer. I had tried, but the next year found me at every party I could find, drinking anything I could find. I was a hypocrite and almost everyone else I knew that professed to be a Christian was pretty hypocritical as well. I was done with it.
I went to Europe as a graduation present that year and proceeded to party across the continent. While in utter desperation with my life one night in Paris, I told God that I would give it one more try. I was going to go away to college where no one knew me. I would start over. If I could find people truly being Christians as the Bible said, and if I could actually do it myself and find freedom from the many sins that plagued me, then I would be a Christian and give it my whole heart. If I could not find it, then I would become an atheist. I reasoned that if God was real, He would answer this prayer, although I didn't really believe I would find anything different in San Diego. I would then become an atheist because there was no God and the Bible was false since it offered something that didn't exist. There was no grey area for me. Either God and His word were real and true and really did offer freedom as it said, or it was all a lie and I was going to live my life however I wanted and not worry about it anymore. It would be "eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow I die." I prayed that prayer and I finished my trip out unchanged.
I went away to college at UCSD that September and the first night I was there met someone from the church I now attend. What a surprise! My times were in God's hand! I went to church and was amazed, although I did not like it the first time. These people were truly different I was soon to discover. Initially, I had hope that perhaps I could be different, but I was not convinced. I studied the Bible, and although no one particularly thought I would become a Christian, one person from the church stuck it out with me. I remember one particular study, she challenged me about some issues in my life and I became angry with her. I did not even see her out of my apartment. But when she left, I went and took some inappropriate pictures down off my wall. I sat on my bed and looked at the empty wall for quite awhile. I felt a strange emotion. I felt relief and I was surprised. For the first time in a long time, someone had called me on something that was wrong and I was so happy. Not even my parents were willing to ask me why I had these types of photos up, but here was a stranger that cared enough to lay our friendship on the line. It was the beginning of a great change for me.
I was so grateful to become a true Christian not much later. I had called out to God in desperation and He had truly answered me. I knew that finally. God did exist. The Bible was real. God would not let me be put to shame and God has not let me be put to shame all these years. At the precise time that I was most open, God was there. He put me where I needed to be back then so that today, I would be here where I am now. I praise God for never letting go of me. Despite all the years of ups and downs, there is nothing I would trade my life for. There is nothing I would trade my relationship with God for. I have spent all of my adult life trying to do this. Trying to be a disciple of Christ, and I can truly say with the psalmist:
"How great is Your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you,...Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city...The Lord preserves the faithful, ...Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord." (vs. 19, 21, & 23-24)
I hope and pray that everyone reading my posts may someday feel the same, if you do not already. Amen.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Thank You for continually reaching out to us. You have placed us exactly where You want us to be so that hopefully we will find You and come to know You. We are so grateful for Your unseen hand. A life with You is truly the best life we could find. We praise You for Your faithfulness. You are good.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How did I become a Christian? Has there been a change in my life? What has it been?
2. Have I experienced God placing me in a particular place so that I might turn to Him and find Him? What happened and how did I become closer to God from this event?
3. How do I feel about God's faithfulness and about the truth of the Bible? What holds me back from trusting completely? What can I do to develop greater trust in both?
4. How do I feel about my relationship with God? What is great about it and what could be improved?
5. Have I ever shared with anyone how I became a Christian? If not, why? What would I gain by letting others know about my experiences?
Pray for:
One leader who inspires you
Specifically:
their physical strength and needs
their emotional strength and needs
their mental strength and needs
their spiritual strength and needs
Dear Lord - I pray that you would open my ears to the messages You want to share with me today. I also ask for the strength to obey.
Psalms 31
"I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place." (vs . 7-8)
"My times are in Your hands;" (vs. 15a)
Everything is in God's hands. He has determined the times and places for me so that I would turn and seek Him (Acts 17: 26-27). Nothing is done away from the eyes of God. He has seen everything about my life and has been calling me all along. My times are truly in His hands. When I was 17, I made an ultimatum with God. I had grown up going to church and had gone to a Christian school from 1st through 8th grade. I knew the Bible. I knew what a Christian should be. I had tried at times. I had given my testimony before a large crowd at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes my junior year of high school. I had taught people to pray the prayer. I had tried, but the next year found me at every party I could find, drinking anything I could find. I was a hypocrite and almost everyone else I knew that professed to be a Christian was pretty hypocritical as well. I was done with it.
I went to Europe as a graduation present that year and proceeded to party across the continent. While in utter desperation with my life one night in Paris, I told God that I would give it one more try. I was going to go away to college where no one knew me. I would start over. If I could find people truly being Christians as the Bible said, and if I could actually do it myself and find freedom from the many sins that plagued me, then I would be a Christian and give it my whole heart. If I could not find it, then I would become an atheist. I reasoned that if God was real, He would answer this prayer, although I didn't really believe I would find anything different in San Diego. I would then become an atheist because there was no God and the Bible was false since it offered something that didn't exist. There was no grey area for me. Either God and His word were real and true and really did offer freedom as it said, or it was all a lie and I was going to live my life however I wanted and not worry about it anymore. It would be "eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow I die." I prayed that prayer and I finished my trip out unchanged.
I went away to college at UCSD that September and the first night I was there met someone from the church I now attend. What a surprise! My times were in God's hand! I went to church and was amazed, although I did not like it the first time. These people were truly different I was soon to discover. Initially, I had hope that perhaps I could be different, but I was not convinced. I studied the Bible, and although no one particularly thought I would become a Christian, one person from the church stuck it out with me. I remember one particular study, she challenged me about some issues in my life and I became angry with her. I did not even see her out of my apartment. But when she left, I went and took some inappropriate pictures down off my wall. I sat on my bed and looked at the empty wall for quite awhile. I felt a strange emotion. I felt relief and I was surprised. For the first time in a long time, someone had called me on something that was wrong and I was so happy. Not even my parents were willing to ask me why I had these types of photos up, but here was a stranger that cared enough to lay our friendship on the line. It was the beginning of a great change for me.
I was so grateful to become a true Christian not much later. I had called out to God in desperation and He had truly answered me. I knew that finally. God did exist. The Bible was real. God would not let me be put to shame and God has not let me be put to shame all these years. At the precise time that I was most open, God was there. He put me where I needed to be back then so that today, I would be here where I am now. I praise God for never letting go of me. Despite all the years of ups and downs, there is nothing I would trade my life for. There is nothing I would trade my relationship with God for. I have spent all of my adult life trying to do this. Trying to be a disciple of Christ, and I can truly say with the psalmist:
"How great is Your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you,...Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city...The Lord preserves the faithful, ...Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord." (vs. 19, 21, & 23-24)
I hope and pray that everyone reading my posts may someday feel the same, if you do not already. Amen.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Thank You for continually reaching out to us. You have placed us exactly where You want us to be so that hopefully we will find You and come to know You. We are so grateful for Your unseen hand. A life with You is truly the best life we could find. We praise You for Your faithfulness. You are good.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How did I become a Christian? Has there been a change in my life? What has it been?
2. Have I experienced God placing me in a particular place so that I might turn to Him and find Him? What happened and how did I become closer to God from this event?
3. How do I feel about God's faithfulness and about the truth of the Bible? What holds me back from trusting completely? What can I do to develop greater trust in both?
4. How do I feel about my relationship with God? What is great about it and what could be improved?
5. Have I ever shared with anyone how I became a Christian? If not, why? What would I gain by letting others know about my experiences?
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Daily Devotional - 8/12/10 (9/12/09)
Focus Letter - L
Pray for:
Five things you are grateful for beginning with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic to grow in that begins with the focus letter
Dear Lord - Thank You for always speaking to me. Please help me to hear You today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 12
"The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men." (vs. 8)
Our society is moving more and more away from its Christian roots. Some even go so far as to say it was never based on Judeo-Christian principles at all. The many scenes we see around us are often overwhelming and depressing. We want to change the course of society, but how? We immerse ourselves in politics and become passionate about some cause. We immerse ourselves in separating from the evil world and refuse to vote, read the paper, or listen to the news. We give up. I have been all of these places.
We need to balance social responsibility with our spiritual mission. It is so easy to sway too far one way or another on this spectrum. As a new Christian, I completely renounced any involvement with politics and major social issues. I was focused on my purpose as a disciple so I didn't have time to vote or to know about any world/social issues. I did not have time to become immersed in these "worldly issues". I used the verse in II Tim 2:4 about a soldier not getting involved with civilian affairs to justify my lack of involvement.
Then later, when I became discouraged with my lack of effectiveness in helping others know about God (the reasons for this were many and varied) I turned to politics as the saviour of the world and threw myself into that. When this proved to be completely ineffective and frustrating, I turned to my career as a teacher. Perhaps in this way I could make a difference in the world. It did not and so I turned to "just living." This made no difference to anyone as well. My family and I became no different than anyone else I saw around me. We were like everyone else and this also made me very unhappy. Where could I turn now? Fortunately, I turned back to God who had the answers all along. My discouragement with my perceived failure as a Christian had nothing to do with God. He had not changed. I had.
We do have a social responsibility, though, because evil will definitely triumph if good people do nothing. We are also completely responsible for living out our purpose in Christ. We will never be satisfied if we do not order our priorities correctly and seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. If we do not do this, we will always be seeking something to fill us. In our hearts, God has embedded eternity and a desire to make a difference (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Every child grows up with great dreams. Only after failure and discouragement do we give up on our dreams. Often we turn to the wrong avenues for fulfillment if we become discouraged or disillusioned with God and the church.
Psalms 12 states that the wicked can go about without fear when vile things are honored and when there is no one to oppose them. We must strive to the best of our ability to remain set apart and holy and to not honor what God considers vile. We also need to help our society to not be vile as well. We need to be involved with voting and trying to help laws and causes that we believe in and yet we cannot become so absorbed in this that we lose sight of what will really make a difference. God's purpose is what will make the most changes, one by one, for we do not know what God's ultimate course is for our country or our society. He does allows negative things to happen. Things we do not understand may be a part of His bigger plan.
We also need to make sure that we look at what we do and what we accept and make sure that it is not dishonorable to God. Our consciences are easily dulled by the constant bombardment of the world. "What would Jesus do" was a popular saying and movement but I think it is important for us to think about. What would Jesus do? Would he be listening to this music? Would He be watching this movie? It is not enough to just stay away from the "big sins". We must be becoming like Jesus. We need to not be ashamed about being righteous and refraining from evil. We need to be happy that we do not have to spend our time addicted to the behaviors that we indulged in before we knew God. I must remember, "Do not love the world or anything of it. Friendship with the world is hatred towards God" (James 4: 4-6).
Finally, I must be faithful. I must be faithful in the good and in the bad times. I must be faithful for myself and also for others. Sometimes, for the sake of others, I have to do what I do not want to do. About twenty years ago, I went through a very intense period of time as I tried to deal with a deeply ingrained character issue. I considered walking away from God. Many of my friends had when times got tough for them. Why not? Life would be so much easier. I could just go with the flow and be me.
I couldn't do it. I kept thinking about my friends in the church who had left and I thought about how much it had hurt me and my faith. I decided that even if my heart wasn't into it at the time, since I knew the Bible was right, I would keep going. I knew my faithfulness would help others in the long run, and for them, I would keep it up for as long as it took. Even if it was only to help a few people stay faithful, I would keep fighting.
The Lord was faithful, however. He changed me and renewed the joy of my salvation. He will always change us if we are willing to do the hard work as well. He will keep us safe and protect us from evil people. He does have a plan. We need to do our part, both in the social arena and in the spiritual realm, and then we need to wait on Him. His words are flawless and perfect. His promises will never fail. In this depressing world, we can be joyful. The future is as bright as God's promises and God's promises are amazing.
His promises include:
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29 : 11)
"'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'" (Malachi 3:10)
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks find; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matt 7:7-8)
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7)
"But seek first his kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well." (Matt 6:33)
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph 3:20-21)
"Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." (II Cor 9:10-11)
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matt 11: 28-30)
"With God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26b)
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (Matt 21:22)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Help us to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. Help us to have our priorities correct and yet not forget our social responsibility. You will fill our hearts when we are focused on You. We long to be faithful in the good and bad times. Although the world moves farther and farther away form You, we will stay close. Strenghten us and increase our faith. We know Your promises are true.
In Jesus' Name
Amen
QFT
1. What is my focus right now? Am I focused on my spiritual mission or on another mission or goal? Am I seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? What does that mean to me? Do I have a proper balance of concern for the kingdom and for societal causes? Am I willing to get involved to make the world better in both spiritual and physical ways?
2. What do I use to try and give my life meaning? Is it always God or do I use relationships, work, or anything else to try and fulfill me? Is it working or should I change my focus?
3. Do I love the world? What does my life show? Is there anything I am doing that I feel Jesus wouldn't do? Am I different from those who do not claim to be Christians? Is there anything I need to change?
4. Am I faithful to God in the good and bad times? What tempts me to lose faith? Has God always been faithful to me? Why or why not? How does my faith affect those around me? Am I an inspiration to others?
5. What promises of God are most meaningful to me? Why? How can these promises give me hope and joy despite what I see going on around me?
Pray for:
Five things you are grateful for beginning with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic to grow in that begins with the focus letter
Dear Lord - Thank You for always speaking to me. Please help me to hear You today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 12
"The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men." (vs. 8)
Our society is moving more and more away from its Christian roots. Some even go so far as to say it was never based on Judeo-Christian principles at all. The many scenes we see around us are often overwhelming and depressing. We want to change the course of society, but how? We immerse ourselves in politics and become passionate about some cause. We immerse ourselves in separating from the evil world and refuse to vote, read the paper, or listen to the news. We give up. I have been all of these places.
We need to balance social responsibility with our spiritual mission. It is so easy to sway too far one way or another on this spectrum. As a new Christian, I completely renounced any involvement with politics and major social issues. I was focused on my purpose as a disciple so I didn't have time to vote or to know about any world/social issues. I did not have time to become immersed in these "worldly issues". I used the verse in II Tim 2:4 about a soldier not getting involved with civilian affairs to justify my lack of involvement.
Then later, when I became discouraged with my lack of effectiveness in helping others know about God (the reasons for this were many and varied) I turned to politics as the saviour of the world and threw myself into that. When this proved to be completely ineffective and frustrating, I turned to my career as a teacher. Perhaps in this way I could make a difference in the world. It did not and so I turned to "just living." This made no difference to anyone as well. My family and I became no different than anyone else I saw around me. We were like everyone else and this also made me very unhappy. Where could I turn now? Fortunately, I turned back to God who had the answers all along. My discouragement with my perceived failure as a Christian had nothing to do with God. He had not changed. I had.
We do have a social responsibility, though, because evil will definitely triumph if good people do nothing. We are also completely responsible for living out our purpose in Christ. We will never be satisfied if we do not order our priorities correctly and seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. If we do not do this, we will always be seeking something to fill us. In our hearts, God has embedded eternity and a desire to make a difference (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Every child grows up with great dreams. Only after failure and discouragement do we give up on our dreams. Often we turn to the wrong avenues for fulfillment if we become discouraged or disillusioned with God and the church.
Psalms 12 states that the wicked can go about without fear when vile things are honored and when there is no one to oppose them. We must strive to the best of our ability to remain set apart and holy and to not honor what God considers vile. We also need to help our society to not be vile as well. We need to be involved with voting and trying to help laws and causes that we believe in and yet we cannot become so absorbed in this that we lose sight of what will really make a difference. God's purpose is what will make the most changes, one by one, for we do not know what God's ultimate course is for our country or our society. He does allows negative things to happen. Things we do not understand may be a part of His bigger plan.
We also need to make sure that we look at what we do and what we accept and make sure that it is not dishonorable to God. Our consciences are easily dulled by the constant bombardment of the world. "What would Jesus do" was a popular saying and movement but I think it is important for us to think about. What would Jesus do? Would he be listening to this music? Would He be watching this movie? It is not enough to just stay away from the "big sins". We must be becoming like Jesus. We need to not be ashamed about being righteous and refraining from evil. We need to be happy that we do not have to spend our time addicted to the behaviors that we indulged in before we knew God. I must remember, "Do not love the world or anything of it. Friendship with the world is hatred towards God" (James 4: 4-6).
Finally, I must be faithful. I must be faithful in the good and in the bad times. I must be faithful for myself and also for others. Sometimes, for the sake of others, I have to do what I do not want to do. About twenty years ago, I went through a very intense period of time as I tried to deal with a deeply ingrained character issue. I considered walking away from God. Many of my friends had when times got tough for them. Why not? Life would be so much easier. I could just go with the flow and be me.
I couldn't do it. I kept thinking about my friends in the church who had left and I thought about how much it had hurt me and my faith. I decided that even if my heart wasn't into it at the time, since I knew the Bible was right, I would keep going. I knew my faithfulness would help others in the long run, and for them, I would keep it up for as long as it took. Even if it was only to help a few people stay faithful, I would keep fighting.
The Lord was faithful, however. He changed me and renewed the joy of my salvation. He will always change us if we are willing to do the hard work as well. He will keep us safe and protect us from evil people. He does have a plan. We need to do our part, both in the social arena and in the spiritual realm, and then we need to wait on Him. His words are flawless and perfect. His promises will never fail. In this depressing world, we can be joyful. The future is as bright as God's promises and God's promises are amazing.
His promises include:
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29 : 11)
"'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'" (Malachi 3:10)
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks find; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matt 7:7-8)
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7)
"But seek first his kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well." (Matt 6:33)
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph 3:20-21)
"Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." (II Cor 9:10-11)
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matt 11: 28-30)
"With God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26b)
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (Matt 21:22)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Help us to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. Help us to have our priorities correct and yet not forget our social responsibility. You will fill our hearts when we are focused on You. We long to be faithful in the good and bad times. Although the world moves farther and farther away form You, we will stay close. Strenghten us and increase our faith. We know Your promises are true.
In Jesus' Name
Amen
QFT
1. What is my focus right now? Am I focused on my spiritual mission or on another mission or goal? Am I seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? What does that mean to me? Do I have a proper balance of concern for the kingdom and for societal causes? Am I willing to get involved to make the world better in both spiritual and physical ways?
2. What do I use to try and give my life meaning? Is it always God or do I use relationships, work, or anything else to try and fulfill me? Is it working or should I change my focus?
3. Do I love the world? What does my life show? Is there anything I am doing that I feel Jesus wouldn't do? Am I different from those who do not claim to be Christians? Is there anything I need to change?
4. Am I faithful to God in the good and bad times? What tempts me to lose faith? Has God always been faithful to me? Why or why not? How does my faith affect those around me? Am I an inspiration to others?
5. What promises of God are most meaningful to me? Why? How can these promises give me hope and joy despite what I see going on around me?
Monday, August 9, 2010
Daily Devotional - 8/9/10 (9/9/10)
Focus Letter - I
Pray for:
Five things you are grateful for beginning with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic to grow in that begins with the focus letter
Dear Lord - Please let me hear You today and understand. Grant me the strength to obey
Psalms 9
"My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before You." (vs. 3)
I have begun to view things that are not right in my life, such as sins, character flaws, and weaknesses, as my enemies. In fact, anything that is hindering me from knowing God and serving Him to the best of my ability has now become my enemy. This has helped me to fight my issues better. If I view my character and all its faults, as "just the way I am", then nothing will ever change in my life. Proverbs 26:11 states it well, "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."
I am forever repeating that which I do not hate. If, however, I make these things my enemy, I will be ready to do battle. This is what God desires for me to do as well. He wants me to flee from evil, not coddle it (II Tim 2:22 & Proverbs 3: 7-8). He wants me to resist the devil, not accept him (James 4:7). God has called me to fight. I am to be a soldier in His army. When I am fighting His way, in His battles, my enemies will turn back. They will stumble and perish. They will do so because God will be fighting for me. I just need to show up.
I will be able to win because nothing can stand before God. He says nations are as nothing to Him and His plans never fail. I just need to align my plans with His and be willing to do battle against my enemies when He says to. I cannot fail to go up to fight like the Israelites did when God told them to outside of the Promised Land (Deut. 1: 19-46 ). He said, "Go" and they said, "No! It is too hard." Later when they found out that they would not be able to go to the promised land because of their disobedience, they said they would go. Moses told them not to go because God would not be with them but they went anyway and were defeated. How many times have I been like this - refusing to obey something that I know God has told me to do? Then later, when I am reaping the consequences, I try to go up and do it, only to fail. I must listen to God when He speaks. I must be willing to fight, and fight in God's way.
If I do things God's way, the results will be astounding. God will aid me in my battle with myself. He can even wipe out the memory of my character issues. This reminds me of Hebrews 11:32 - 34, the inspiring chapter on faith. Many great men of God are mentioned in this chapter along with their successes. At the end of the section, the Bible states that these men's weaknesses were turned into strengths. Our weaknesses, our enemies, can be turned into our strengths. I can become solid and responsible with my finances. I can become an organized person. I can completely declutter my house and life. I can look my best as a woman. I can be a consistent person in my parenting and in my teaching. My weaknesses can be my strengths! How exciting that will be.
I can not wait for this to happen. God can do it. God is so faithful and I know He would like these issues to change in me as well. I will remember that He has never forsaken His chosen ones. I can run to Him and take refuge in Him. I can take hold of Him in the battle, day in and day out. He truly is my stronghold. He truly is our stronghold and He will do it.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Help us to view our sins and weaknesses as our enemies. Help us to turn away and hate all that is not of You. You know what is best for us and You have great things in store for us if we will only obey. We want to obey. We want to believe. Help us in our unbelief and in our failings. We truly are weak but we want to be obedient. You are our stronghold and You will uphold us in the day of battle. Help us to fight. We praise You.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What are the enemies I am facing right now? What sins and character issues continue to occur in my day to day life? What triggers them?
2. How do I view these character sins and issues? Do I hate them or tolerate them? Am I changing to be more like Christ? Do I think about working on my life or am I just living?
3. Am I aligning my plans with God's? Am I doing battle when He says too? Am I listening to God and obeying or am I trying to obey after the fact? How can I do a better job at listening for God's voice and obeying immediately?
4. What weaknesses of mine am I looking forward to becoming my strengths? How can I begin to deal with these things? Is there anything I can study out in the Bible? Are there practicals I can start implementing?
5. How has God been there for me in the past? How has He not forsaken me? What can I do to focus more on His victories? How can I be more faithful? What action step will I take to increase my faith?
Pray for:
Five things you are grateful for beginning with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic to grow in that begins with the focus letter
Dear Lord - Please let me hear You today and understand. Grant me the strength to obey
Psalms 9
"My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before You." (vs. 3)
I have begun to view things that are not right in my life, such as sins, character flaws, and weaknesses, as my enemies. In fact, anything that is hindering me from knowing God and serving Him to the best of my ability has now become my enemy. This has helped me to fight my issues better. If I view my character and all its faults, as "just the way I am", then nothing will ever change in my life. Proverbs 26:11 states it well, "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."
I am forever repeating that which I do not hate. If, however, I make these things my enemy, I will be ready to do battle. This is what God desires for me to do as well. He wants me to flee from evil, not coddle it (II Tim 2:22 & Proverbs 3: 7-8). He wants me to resist the devil, not accept him (James 4:7). God has called me to fight. I am to be a soldier in His army. When I am fighting His way, in His battles, my enemies will turn back. They will stumble and perish. They will do so because God will be fighting for me. I just need to show up.
I will be able to win because nothing can stand before God. He says nations are as nothing to Him and His plans never fail. I just need to align my plans with His and be willing to do battle against my enemies when He says to. I cannot fail to go up to fight like the Israelites did when God told them to outside of the Promised Land (Deut. 1: 19-46 ). He said, "Go" and they said, "No! It is too hard." Later when they found out that they would not be able to go to the promised land because of their disobedience, they said they would go. Moses told them not to go because God would not be with them but they went anyway and were defeated. How many times have I been like this - refusing to obey something that I know God has told me to do? Then later, when I am reaping the consequences, I try to go up and do it, only to fail. I must listen to God when He speaks. I must be willing to fight, and fight in God's way.
If I do things God's way, the results will be astounding. God will aid me in my battle with myself. He can even wipe out the memory of my character issues. This reminds me of Hebrews 11:32 - 34, the inspiring chapter on faith. Many great men of God are mentioned in this chapter along with their successes. At the end of the section, the Bible states that these men's weaknesses were turned into strengths. Our weaknesses, our enemies, can be turned into our strengths. I can become solid and responsible with my finances. I can become an organized person. I can completely declutter my house and life. I can look my best as a woman. I can be a consistent person in my parenting and in my teaching. My weaknesses can be my strengths! How exciting that will be.
I can not wait for this to happen. God can do it. God is so faithful and I know He would like these issues to change in me as well. I will remember that He has never forsaken His chosen ones. I can run to Him and take refuge in Him. I can take hold of Him in the battle, day in and day out. He truly is my stronghold. He truly is our stronghold and He will do it.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Help us to view our sins and weaknesses as our enemies. Help us to turn away and hate all that is not of You. You know what is best for us and You have great things in store for us if we will only obey. We want to obey. We want to believe. Help us in our unbelief and in our failings. We truly are weak but we want to be obedient. You are our stronghold and You will uphold us in the day of battle. Help us to fight. We praise You.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What are the enemies I am facing right now? What sins and character issues continue to occur in my day to day life? What triggers them?
2. How do I view these character sins and issues? Do I hate them or tolerate them? Am I changing to be more like Christ? Do I think about working on my life or am I just living?
3. Am I aligning my plans with God's? Am I doing battle when He says too? Am I listening to God and obeying or am I trying to obey after the fact? How can I do a better job at listening for God's voice and obeying immediately?
4. What weaknesses of mine am I looking forward to becoming my strengths? How can I begin to deal with these things? Is there anything I can study out in the Bible? Are there practicals I can start implementing?
5. How has God been there for me in the past? How has He not forsaken me? What can I do to focus more on His victories? How can I be more faithful? What action step will I take to increase my faith?
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?
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Daily Devotional - 11/7
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
One thing you are grateful for about the city that you live in
Thank God for how what you are grateful for affects:
your spiritual life
your physical life
your emotional life
your mental life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 67
"May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him." ( vs. 5-7)
These three verses hold a key to the enrichment of our lives. I was so excited the first time I realized what they were saying. We all would like to see blessings in our lives and would like to see our activities and undertakings be successful. Often we go about trying to get the blessing by praying and begging God for it. We ask for help and we ask for guidance, and sometimes we whine and complain about it not happening soon enough and the like. We work harder and we pour ourselves into whatever it is that has captured our attention at the moment. Often we become very self focused and unhappy. We do not receive the blessing, however, or reap the harvest because we are going about it all wrong. These verses begin by saying that we are to praise God and then the land will yield the harvest. We are to praise God first, before anything has happened. We try to harvest and then praise God. God says praise me first and then I will give the harvest and blessings. Once again, God's ways are completely opposite to ours.
God wants us to have faith. This is truly faith, to praise God first. Hebrews states that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). When we praise before we see something occurring, we are expressing our faith in God; communicating that He is able and willing to take care of us and meet our needs. This is what He loves to see; people who are willing to place it all in His care. People willing to be bold in their belief that God exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Let us praise God today and wait and see what happens.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are praising You first. We are grateful for the ways that You will meet our needs and for the ways that You guide us. You know what we need and You know what is best for us. We are so grateful for Your care and praise You for allowing us the opportunity to exist. We praise You for all the exciting things that will happen tomorrow and we praise You for the ways that You will bring us victories over our enemies. We look forward to Your blessings and to the harvest that we will receive from You when we are faithful. We know that it is impossible to please You without faith. We want to have faith. Increase our faith today.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How important do I feel praising God is? Do I realize that my praise of God can ultimately lead to others learning to fear God?
2. Do I praise God before I receive something or only after? What areas of my life do I have strong faith in God to take care of? What areas do I have a weak faith about? Why?
3. What harvests am I waiting for? What blessings do I want to receive? In what ways has God already blessed me and brought me a harvest?
4. Do I have faith in God's ability and desire to take care of me? What makes it difficult to believe that God will bless me if I praise Him first? How can I have more faith so that I can do this?
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
One thing you are grateful for about the city that you live in
Thank God for how what you are grateful for affects:
your spiritual life
your physical life
your emotional life
your mental life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 67
"May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him." ( vs. 5-7)
These three verses hold a key to the enrichment of our lives. I was so excited the first time I realized what they were saying. We all would like to see blessings in our lives and would like to see our activities and undertakings be successful. Often we go about trying to get the blessing by praying and begging God for it. We ask for help and we ask for guidance, and sometimes we whine and complain about it not happening soon enough and the like. We work harder and we pour ourselves into whatever it is that has captured our attention at the moment. Often we become very self focused and unhappy. We do not receive the blessing, however, or reap the harvest because we are going about it all wrong. These verses begin by saying that we are to praise God and then the land will yield the harvest. We are to praise God first, before anything has happened. We try to harvest and then praise God. God says praise me first and then I will give the harvest and blessings. Once again, God's ways are completely opposite to ours.
God wants us to have faith. This is truly faith, to praise God first. Hebrews states that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). When we praise before we see something occurring, we are expressing our faith in God; communicating that He is able and willing to take care of us and meet our needs. This is what He loves to see; people who are willing to place it all in His care. People willing to be bold in their belief that God exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Let us praise God today and wait and see what happens.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are praising You first. We are grateful for the ways that You will meet our needs and for the ways that You guide us. You know what we need and You know what is best for us. We are so grateful for Your care and praise You for allowing us the opportunity to exist. We praise You for all the exciting things that will happen tomorrow and we praise You for the ways that You will bring us victories over our enemies. We look forward to Your blessings and to the harvest that we will receive from You when we are faithful. We know that it is impossible to please You without faith. We want to have faith. Increase our faith today.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How important do I feel praising God is? Do I realize that my praise of God can ultimately lead to others learning to fear God?
2. Do I praise God before I receive something or only after? What areas of my life do I have strong faith in God to take care of? What areas do I have a weak faith about? Why?
3. What harvests am I waiting for? What blessings do I want to receive? In what ways has God already blessed me and brought me a harvest?
4. Do I have faith in God's ability and desire to take care of me? What makes it difficult to believe that God will bless me if I praise Him first? How can I have more faith so that I can do this?
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