Daily Devotional - 10/6/15

Prayer Focus - Needs



Day 4
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God
One challenge that you need to face and deal with



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



Psalms 96


"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.."  ( vs. 1  )


I have been singing a certain song all my life.  God wants me to sing a new song.  I can not keep doing things the way I have always done them and expect to have new results.  It will not work that way.  We get set in our ways and live in frustration but when we are shown something new that is working for someone, we doubt and are skeptical.  We have many excuses and eventually we just say it is too much trouble to figure out how to do something different. At least I know that is how I am too often.  I would rather stick with the familiar even if it is miserable than venture out into the unknown. 

God would have us live another way.  He shows us how to truly live in His word and He calls us out to follow.  He wants us to start over and do things a new way, a way that works.  Let us venture out and trust God.  Let us sing a new song.  It doesn't matter to God how it sounds, He just wants us to sing.  He will make it beautiful.




Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


Help me to sing a new song.  You can and will make it beautiful.  You are deserving.  You are good.  We will sing.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1.  What song have I been singing?  How would I describe my life and my life priorities?

2. Is my song working?  Am I satisfied with what I am accomplishing and who I am as a person? 

3. What do I think God's song and my new song are?  Am I finding out?  How can I find out?  Is there someone who I can talk to that can give me insight?

4. What would keep me from singing a new song?  What fears do I have about doing something differently?  Why?  How can I overcome these fears?

5. Do I believe God can help me change?  Do I want to sing a new song? Why or why not?

Daily Devotional - 10/5/15

Prayer Focus - Needs



Day 3
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive
One dream that you need to surrender to God



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



Psalms 95


"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did."  ( vs. 6 - 9  )


We are the flock under God's care.  Sheep need a shepherd. They are not the smartest animals in the world and they need to be led and cared for in an intensive manner if they are going to live and thrive.  Although it is not that flattering to be compared to sheep, it is fitting.  We do need a lot of help.  We do easily go astray and get lost.  It is good to know that we have a good shepherd that we can follow.  He cares for us in so many ways.  I love to read the 23 psalm which most people know and which once again refers to God as our shepherd.  It is as follows:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." 

I love the beautiful portrayal of God's care for us expressed here.  I love the idea that I do not have to be in want and that as I go through my life here, I do not have to fear evil; not because it does not exist, but because God is with me.

I do have a responsibility in this scenario, however.  I have to listen to God's voice.  If I am a sheep and my shepherd is calling me, I need to go to my shepherd.  I need to let him take care of me.  If I continue to run away, I will only get myself into further trouble.  If I am sick and need medication, I will only become more sick.  I must heed to my master's voice.  So I need to see that God is my shepherd, and then I need to follow and obey.  I can't harden my heart.  I must soften it. I need to remember all that God has already done for me and trust that if anyone can help me, then it will be Him.  I must stop testing God and asking that He prove something to me.  God does not have to prove anything to me.  He already has.  I just need to accept what I am and where I am and be a sheep basking in the love of a good shepherd.





Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


You are the Good Shepherd.  You know how to take care of us.  Help us to run to You, not away from You.  Help us to do as You say and reap the benefits.  Help us to remember how far You have brought us so far.  You will not leave us wandering in the desert.  You will bring us to a good land if we follow.  Help us to follow, now and always.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1.  Am I worshipping God on a regular basis?  Do I feel He deserves my worship?  Do I know how to worship?   How can I learn to do this or to do this better?

2. What do I know about sheep?  What can I learn about sheep?  How am I like a sheep?  How is God like a shepherd?  What can I learn about God's nature by looking at this comparison? 

3. Do I listen to God's voice or do I ignore it?  Do I think the Bible or Scriptures are God's actual word, as though He were right here speaking to me?  Why or why not?  If I did see the Scriptures in this manner, how might that affect my reaction?  How can I learn to listen to God's voice better?

4. Do I heed God's voice?  Do I do what I think God is calling me to do or do I reason the feeling away?  Have I hardened my heart to God's calling and voice?  How?  How can I change?

5. Do I ever test or try God?  How do I do this?  Why do I do this?  Is this a trust issue?  What can I do to stop testing God and to start trusting Him more?

Daily Devotional - 10/4/15

Prayer Focus - Needs



Day 2
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
One person that you need to apologize to, resolve a conflict with, or forgive



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



Psalms 94


"Does He who implanted the ear not hear?  Does He who formed the eye not see?  Does He who disciplines the nations not punish?  Does He who teaches man lack knowledge?  The Lord knows the thoughts of man; He knows that they are futile. 

Blessed is the man You discipline, O Lord, the man You teach from Your law; You grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked.  For the Lord will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance.  Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?  Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.  When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' Your love, O Lord, supported me.  When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul."  ( vs. 9 -19 )


God knows.  God knows everything.  He knows every thought that comes into our mind.  He is completely beyond our comprehension.  We are finite and our thinking is finite.  God is infinite.  We are stuck to time and space.  We can only be in one place at a time, and we can only know what is in our minds and hearts; sometimes not even that.  So how is it that we think somehow that we are smarter than God or that we have something figured out that He hasn't yet?  God knows us.  God is not surprised by anything.

To me, this makes it all the more amazing that God pays attention to us at all.  God knows everything about each and every one of us. He knows who will listen to Him and who will not.  He knows all of the things we do in secret and all of the sinful leanings of our heart.  And yet, He still cares.  He still died.  He still forgives.  He invests His time to train us up; to discipline us.  And He has a plan and a dream for us to make a difference in the world.  He wants to see change.  He desires change in each of our hearts and He is calling us.  He asks, "Who will rise up for me against the wicked?  Who will stand? Who will make a difference?  Who will love as I have loved?"  It is an overwhelming task but we have been called.  If we look at the task, we will slip as the psalmist states.  But God will help us.  God will support us in the task if we go and try.  God will calm the anxiety that comes and God will bring us joy as we obey.  We just need to start and go and try.

Here are some of my favorite quotes on these thoughts:

"The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step"
                                                                     Chinese Proverb


"If the Lord calls you, He will equip you for the task He wants you to fulfill."
                                                                     Warren Wierbe

"Have thy tools ready.  God will find the work."
                                                                     Charles Kingsley

"You will invest your life in something or you will throw it away on nothing."
                                                                      Haddin Rosisson

"Employ whatever God has entrusted you with in doing good, all possible good, in every kind and degree."
                                                                       John Wesley

"Start by doing what is necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible."
                                                                       St. Francis of Assissi

"Discipline yourself so no one else has to."
                                                                       John Wooden





Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


You are not deaf or blind or dumb.  You know exactly what is going on here.  You know exactly what is going on in my heart.  You know and still care.  That is amazing to me.  I am so grateful that You have called me and given me a part in Your amazing work.  Help me to rise to the occasion.  Help me to live a life worthy and to cling to You because You will make it all work out.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1.  How do I feel about the difference between God and me?  Do I ever find myself thinking that I know better than God?  How might my actions show this even if I don't think this outright?  What can I change to have a better view of God and myself?

2. Do I allow God to discipline me?  Do I listen to His word and to the people God has put in my life?  Do I take advice?  Why or why not?  Am I teachable?  Am I learning or have I become set in my ways?  What can I do to become a lifelong learner? 

3. Am I taking a stand for God?  Do I stand up for God's word?  If I am standing up for God and His ways, am I doing so in a loving and respectful way or do I just let people "have it"?   What can I do to be more effective in the way I talk to people about God and His ways?

4. Do I feel that God can use me?  Am I allowing myself to be a part of God's plan to change and transform the world? Why or why not?  Do I want to do this?  Do I see the importance of it?  What can I do to change and allow myself to answer God's call.

5. Do I feel anxious or hopeless?  Am I turning to God for help or am I trying to do everything on my own power?  How can I allow God to support and console me?  What role do my friends and fellow believers have in helping me?  Do I allow others into my life so that they can be there for me?  Why or why not?  What should I change so that I can strengthened and receive joy?

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

Prayer Focus - Personal Transformation

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


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



Psalms 81


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

Sing for joy...

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,


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

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT


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

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

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

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

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

Daily Devotional - 9/13/15 (11/13/09)

Prayer Focus - Needs

Day 2
Pray for:
One thing that is needed in the world
One thing that is needed in your country


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 73



"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." ( vs. 1-2 )

"This is what the wicked are like - always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning...When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely You place them on slippery ground; You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when You arise, O Lord, You will despise them as fantasies." ( vs. 13-14, 16-20 )

"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." ( vs. 21-26 )

It is easy to lose sight of what is truly important in life. We know it should be God, but when we look around at others and compare ourselves with them, especially those that are not following God, we can end up dissatisfied with our lot. Those who are chasing after what the world has to offer can achieve quite a bit and I believe that Satan rewards them to help lead others astray. We can envy many things about them.  We can look at their schedules, which often have more free time and leisure activities, and be frustrated because we always feel so busy. We can look at their financial success and feel like failures.  We forget to look at the unethical methods they often use to get ahead or the wake of destruction that is left behind when they solely focus on money. We can look at their fancy houses, clothes, and the like and then wonder why we are having such a hard time and why we are struggling and trying to do things God's way. Sometimes we feel like God is not being fair.  But God never promised wealth and success. God promised spiritual rewards. He would like to give us these things but it is not a guarantee.  What is most important to God is where we are at spiritually and what will ultimately get us to heaven to be with Him for eternity.

If we lose sight of this we can easily slip. It is not hard to get to this point and when we do, we become like "brute beasts".  We start envying. We lose all of our dignity and integrity.  We often do things that we will later regret.  This is not what we really want nor is it what God wants for us.  At this point, we need to get our focus back.  We need to turn to God and enter His sanctuary. We need to remember what will happen to all those who do not know Him. They will not endure. Whatever they are enjoying is for this life only.  When we die, we take nothing with us. Naked we came and naked we go. Without God, they will leave it all here and enter eternity impoverished.  They will be like a dream that is despised in the morning.

I don't want to be a bad dream to God. I want to be a good memory, and not even a memory, a good and faithful servant who is always with Him, serving Him for eternity.  The amazing thing is, with God, this is possible.  God is still with us, even when we are faltering.  He is holding our hand and guiding us in the way that we should go. Everything may fail but God will not. God is our strength forever.

"But as for me, it is good to be near God." (vs. 28a)



Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,


We know You are good. We have always known this in our souls, yet we slip so easily. We are like Peter who took his eyes off you when he was walking on the water. We sink. We begin to look at those around us and begin to envy their prosperity and ease. Help us to enter into Your sanctuary on a daily basis so that we will remember their final destiny. Help us to remember what life is all about and that the eternal is what truly matters. We ask to not be like brute beasts but like those that have integrity and uprightness. We do not want to be a bad dream to You. We do not want to be despised when You awake. We do not want to be swept away by terrors or cast down to ruin. Help us to live for eternity and to live clearly and simply. You are here guiding us. Help us to not fight Your guidance, but to embrace it. We thank You for being our strength and our portion forever. You are all we have. There is nothing better than You. We desire nothing else than to please You.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. What things cause me to envy the most? What circumstances and people cause me the most trouble? How can I combat this?

2. Do I ever feel that I am trying so hard and yet it is all in vain? Do I feel this way when I am forgetting all the good things that God has done for me? How can I rekindle my gratitude?

3. How can I enter into the sanctuary of God on a daily basis? What places and settings help me to remember my spiritual perspective and get back to being grounded in what is important again? How can I incorporate these things into my daily life?

4. How is God guiding me? Am I receptive to His leading through His word, others, and my inner conscience? How can I become more receptive?

5. Am I being still so that I can remember that God is God and allow myself to hear His voice?  Do I think about eternity and cultivate this long term perspective?  How can I think more long term when it comes to my relationship with God and my goals?

Daily Devotional - 9/8/15 (11/8/09)

Prayer Focus - Gratitude


Day 4
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

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 68



"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful." ( vs. 3)

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, He leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." ( vs. 5-6)

"You gave abundant showers, O God; You refreshed Your weary inheritance. Your people settled in it, and from Your bounty, O God, You provided for the poor." (vs. 9-10)

"The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into His sanctuary" (vs. 7)

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death." (vs. 19-20)

"You are awesome, O God, in Your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to His people. Praise be to God!" (vs. 35)


God is awesome. We can be glad and rejoice because God has thousands upon thousands of chariots and warriors and God is looking out for us in all of our situations.  He wants us to be happy and joyful.  He wants us to have families and feel belonging.  This is for all of us.  If we are lonely, He brings us into a family. If we are fatherless, He becomes our father. If we are widows, He fills the role of husband. If we are imprisoned by something, some sin or habit, He can break the bars and bring us out singing.  God knows our needs and is more than able to meet them. We do not need to worry. That will only bring sin into our lives. God will refresh and provide for us. He will even daily bear our burdens for us. We only need to be obedient.

 If we are rebellious, however, we will reap the consequences. We will live in a scorched land in the midst of what could be plenty. I have known people who have everything and yet are miserable. I have been that way.  I know I was like that because of rebellion in my heart, and I am led to believe that if we are rebellious in any way, we will miss out on what could be ours.  Rebellion doesn't have to be obvious to others either.  We do not have to be carrying picket signs or yelling and screaming.  Rebellion can be silent and internal.  It is simply saying we have a better way and we will not follow what God has set out. 

Even if rebellion is in the heart and is only visible to God, it still matters. It will still cost us.  God has asked us to live in submission to Him.  It is like us as parents with our children.  We have set up rules so that our family will function and we desire the best for our children, but we will not just reward them if they will not listen to us or follow our direction.  We expect them to do their part in order for us to bless them.  God is like this with us.  In order to receive His blessings, we need to be obedient and cooperative children.   This is what He expects and this is what we need to do. God will save us, and God will bless us. God will give us strength.  But we must accept this from Him.  We must come to Him and ask on His terms for the help we need, and then we must be willing to accept His direction.  This is not too hard when we look at all that we have to gain.  Let us surrender any rebellion in our hearts and truly live.  Praise be to God that we can!




Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,


We praise You for setting us in families and for caring for us in every stage of our lives. You will not abandon us when we are old and grey. O Lord help us not to abandon You. Keep us as enamoured with You as we were when we first began to follow. You have not changed. We are the ones who change so often. Keep us in the shelter of Your circle for there is danger outside the circle. Please bear our burdens for they are too much for us. Help us to not be rebellious in any way. We do not want to live in the sun scorched land but rather in the beautiful pastures of the Lord. Bring Your chariots to surround and protect us. Grant us strength to continue. We are weary and weak but You are strong.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1. Which of the four categories mentioned best fits me - the fatherless, the widow, the lonely, or the prisoner? How can or has God helped me in these situations?

2. Am I a rebellious person? How do I feel about authority in general? How do I feel about authority in my life? Are my views in line with God's?

3. How can I become more submissive to God?  Why do I struggle with letting God take charge in my life?

4. Am I living a refreshed life or am I wandering in a sun-scorched desert? Am I weary? How can I change so that God can take care of me?

5. Am I letting God carry my daily burdens? What are these daily burdens? How can I let go of them?

Daily Devotional - 8/27/15 (10/27/09)

Prayer Focus - Enemies


Day 6
Pray for:
One person who was mean to you when you were a child
One person who has given you a lot of trouble recently
One person from your family (immediate or extended) that has given you trouble
One person from work or a social circle that has given you trouble
One person that you feel is a danger to your well being even though you have never met
One person who is unaware that they are hurting you

Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Your ability to offer complete forgiveness from your heart
Your ability to let go of the hurts and move on whether they will ever apologize or not


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


Psalms 57


"Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in You my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed. I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me." ( vs. 1 - 2)


God fulfills His purposes for us. It is not our will that succeeds. We can make all the plans in the world but in the end, it is what God wants that triumphs. This can be a relief if we are hiding in the shadow of His wings, or a frustration if we are fighting His will for us. Hosea echoes this sentiment, "Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." (Hosea 14:9)  If we are not willing to accept and live the life God has planned out for us, we will always have trouble and difficulties.


"For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies." (vs. 10)


If we consider the love God has for us, this walking in His will would not be so hard. When we know someone loves us, we are willing to do just about anything for them. God loves us more than anything that we can imagine.   God's love is all around us.   It fills the heavens and reaches to the sky.  We cannot, with our mortal eyes, detect where the sky starts and stops and so it is with God's love. We cannot tell, as humans, where His love starts and stops. It just is; like the air. Without the air, we would die. Without God's love, we would all die as well. Sometimes we hear statements such as "How could there be so much bad in the world if God exists". If God didn't exist, that is all there would be. There would be no good anymore.

 God is love. God is goodness and kindness expressed. God is beauty. God is light. Without God, there would be none of that. It would be all evil and darkness all of the time. God gave us freewill, and Satan does roam.  We must remember that - there are two sides in this battle.  I am grateful that there is someone good to cling to and that there is morning after night and sunshine after rain. I am glad there is God.



Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,


I am glad that You have a purpose for me. I had so many dreams as I was growing up, but now - I have You. As my life is half over, I see how fleeting our time is. We want to number our days right and focus on walking in Your ways and Your will. We can get so preoccupied in our successes and failures, but we are so minuscule in the scope of eternity. We run to the refuge of Your wings. We long for Your love and faithfulness. We get so exhausted. You have the strength. You are to be exalted. We thank You for giving us life and we praise Your glory and perfection. We know the world would be a dark dark place without You. Help us to reflect Your glory and shed more joy and hope into the world. Help us to make it a better place for our existence as well. We love You.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT


1. What purposes does God have for me? Am I walking in them or stumbling in them?  Why?

2. Do I believe God's ways are right? Which of God's ways are the most difficult for me to believe are right? Why?

3. How do I feel about good and evil?  Why?  Can this view be supported biblically?

4. What does God's love mean to me? Is it easy or difficult for me to comprehend? How can I have a deeper understanding of it?

5. How has God been faithful to me? Have I been faithful to God? How can I be more faithful?

Daily Devotional - 8/23/15 (10/23/09)

Prayer Focus - Enemies


Day 2
Pray for:
One person who was mean to you when you were a child
One person who has given you a lot of trouble recently


Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Your ability to offer complete forgiveness from your heart
Your ability to let go of the hurts and move on whether they will ever apologize or not



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



Psalms 53



"God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.  Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Will evildoers never learn - those who devour my people as bread and who do not call on God? There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread."

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad." ( vs. 2 - 5a, 6)


When we think about our lives and the lives of those around us, we see a lot of failure.  Even the best of us, those of us who are really trying to be good, fail; sometimes miserably.  What is interesting, however, is that, although the Bible speaks of the universality of sin, it also differentiates between those who sin.  The psalms consistently speak of a difference between people.  There are the "evildoers" and there are the "righteous".  Yet we all have turned away and become corrupt this passage says.  This seems contradictory but the psalmist in this psalm outlines two ways that we can become what is referred to as "evildoers".

The first way to become an "evildoers" is to use others ("Will evildoers never learn - those who devour my people as bread").  We eat bread. We use it to stay alive.  So someone who is devouring people in this way must be using them to get what they need. I know in the past I have used people. I am not proud of this but I think it is probably more widespread than we would like to admit. How often do we call someone only when we need something from them. Isn't that a form of using them? We are not thinking of them or of how they are doing. We are only thinking of what we need. How about in our conversations? Are they all about us and what we are going through? Do we use others as a dumping ground and then leave after we feel better? Isn't that using others? I am sure that we could come up with even more ideas of how we do this. Take for example our involvement in church, our work, or even our citizenship. Are we focused more on what we are getting out of our church services or our small groups rather than what we are giving to them? At our work, are we known to be someone who gets involved and gives their best or are we just getting a paycheck. How about as citizens of our country? Are we just taking the benefits and not getting involved to help others and make the world a better place to live in?  We need to stop being takers and users and start being givers if we do not want to become "evildoers". I know I do.  Righteous people give.  There are so many passages in the Bible about giving.  This is one of the key differences that we have to pay attention to.  We are by nature selfish so we need to deal with this daily.  It is not something that will just go away once we make a commitment to God.

The second way to become an "evildoers" mentioned in this passage is to not acknowledge and turn to God (and who do not call on God).   This little phrase is so easy to just read over and not pay that much attention too.  It doesn't seem that serious.  We can tell ourselves we are okay with God because we don't do any of the "BIG" sins like murder or adultery but here is this seemingly insignificant thing listed instead.  Not calling on God or paying attention to Him is actually the root from which all the other sins grow out of.  Because we do not value God, we do not care what we do to others or what we engage in.  When we value God and are turning to Him on a regular basis, we do not want to do wrong.  It is so easy to not call on God though.  It is easy to not pray or listen to God. Often, no one even knows. Rarely do people ask us how we are doing spiritually these days. It is just not the focus of our society.  If we are being selfish, someone usually is affected by it and we tend to feel worse about being mean but not calling on God is all within us.  We can cover it up for quite awhile, perhaps even a whole lifetime.

But using people and not calling on God does have consequences.  In eternity, there will be consequences, but here on earth right now as we live, we will also suffer.  I believe these things cause dread.  They cause an unsettled feeling to stay with us.  Almost as if we are always looking over our shoulder; always worried about what people know or will find out.  So when we are stressed out and feeling a nameless sense of dread about life, it is a good idea for us to look for these two qualities in our lives.  There will not always be one of these issues at the root of our feelings but sometimes there will be a connection.  I know when I make a deeper inspection of myself when I am feeling uneasy, I usually find some sin, selfishness, or abandonment of God occurring.  Once I turn back to Him, and draw near again, the sense of dread disappears. Sin does make us feel guilty. Our consciences and the feelings of guilt we have sometimes were put in us by God and they help us to come back to Him. We need to stop searing our consciences and accept that they are there and that they are there for a good reason.  Thank God we can change and deal with our lives and our characters.  I am grateful  that God can enable us to overcome our sinful natures and that He can transform us. We will feel peace when we walk with God. He is a God of peace. Salvation will come out of Zion.  He can and will do it and we will feel joy.




Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


We do not want to be evildoers. As we look at the attitudes of our hearts and our actions, we pray that they will be those of a giver and not of a taker. We do not want to use people, even if it is advantageous to us. Help us to not think like the world does because to the world this is normal behavior. Help us to rise above and strive each and every day to be like Jesus. Although He was a part of You, He did not claim equality with You but made Himself nothing and became a servant to us all. He went the ultimate distance in dying for us and He calls us to do the same. Help us to rise to the challenge.

We also ask Your forgiveness for all of the times that we have not called on You. We get tired, weak, or lazy at times and neglect You, our ultimate power source. Help us to remember that it is all about You and not about us. We want to pray more. We want to commune with You and walk each day with You. Help us to not be so distracted. Our flesh is so weak. We are tired of walking around in dread. There is nothing to dread. There is no virus, no foreign government, no debt, not problem bigger than You. There is nothing to dread and here we are dreading. Forgive us and help us to turn away from this faithlessness and sin. You are here. You have always been here. Help us to see You in all that we do. You are surely woven into life. We pray for peace.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT


1. Have I used people in the past? What can I do to make amends?  Can I see any situations where I am using people presently? Why do I do this?  How can I stop?

2. Am I a giver or a taker in my relationships?  Am I a giver or taker in my church, work, and social environment? What evidence is there for what I think I am?  What can I do to become more of a giver?

3. Am I calling on God on a regular basis? How is my prayer life? Do I go to God first, or my friends? What can I do to improve my reliance on God?

4. Am I at peace or am I consistently in a state of dread? Do I have reason to dread? What am I fearing? Is God able to handle it?

5. Is there something I need to clear up/ resolve or repent of to eliminate the sense of dread that I am experiencing? What will I do to deal with this?  When will I deal with it?   If there is not an issue, how can I turn to God and trust Him more?

Daily Devotional - 9/16/10 (10/16/09)

Prayer Focus - Friends



Day 2


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


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


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





Psalms 46




"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." (vs. 1-2)



Tomorrow I am going to a reunion in San Diego. As I was preparing to go, I became very sad and frustrated. I was afraid to go. Afraid to face my out of shape body and my inability to play a sport I once loved and still do. Afraid of what I have cut myself off from. Afraid of bad memories and feelings of failure that I left when I left that city. I haven't been back in many years. I haven't had any desire to return except perhaps to play waterpolo. That I have missed and longed for. That is why I am returning. But I know that my body will betray me. My life is so different now. But God is still my refuge. Even in these vague murmurings and sadness. I am still going. I am going to face my fears and my sadness. God is my help and this is my time to deal with my six years in San Diego. I cannot cut out so many years anymore. I must begin to synthesize my life and accept all of it.



"The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." (vs. 7)



And God will be with me. He is my fortress as I deal with my soul. He is the healer of wounds we cannot see. No one else knows the aches in our hearts as He does and no one can be a fortress for us. No one else can save us from ourselves.



"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (vs. 10)



I will be still and know that God is God. I will go to the bluffs and the ocean and all the old places and I will feel once again all the pain and I will let it go. I will let God be God and I will be still. I will listen to what those years have brought me to now. I had to go through the fires. I had to experience it. I would not go back or take it over and yet I would not wish it on anyone else either. But I will be still tomorrow, all day, and I will listen. I will laugh and do my best and reconnect and be someone that I was not in a place that I once was. God will be exalted, somehow, because God is always exalted whether we do the exalting or not. Hopefully, I will join in with the earth and exalt as well. It will be okay. I will be okay and when I return home, I will be better than I was. I will be more complete.



"The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacobs is our fortress." (vs. 11)


Amen




Prayer for the Day




Dear Lord,


You know the sadness and the wounds of our hearts. It is so easy to put band aids on gaping holes and move on but You know and You arrange for us to meet the healing forces or face the pain again so that there may be closure. As we face our fears, help us to remember that You are our refuge and strength and that You are our ever present fortress. Help us to stop running from our painful pasts. Help us to embrace them and learn what You would have us learn.

We respect those that are able to face great tragedies and turn them into triumphs. Most of our pains are of the lesser type but in our souls they are festering and they are keeping us from fully living. Help us to come to grips with all our experiences, good and bad, and help us to use them to glorify you by strengthening others. You have great plans for us. You allow us to suffer so that in the end You may be lifted up through us and used, just as Jesus suffered and was used to save all those who would come to Him. We are grateful for all of our experience and we are grateful for Your saving grace. We will be still and know that You are God. Help us to do this. Help us to quiet our souls and hear Your voice. Help us to know now and always, that You are God.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen




QFT



1. Am I running from any past memories or experiences? Why am I doing this?

2. How can I face these experiences and work through them so that I can have closure and move on in my life? What help is available for me?

3. What am I afraid of? Am I giving these things over to God in prayer? Am I remembering God in these moments of fear?

4. Am I still before God? How can I be still before God?
5. What does it mean to me to know that God is God?  How can I practically do this more and more in my life?

Daily Devotional - 8/25/10 (9/25/09)

Focus Letter - Y



Pray for:
Five things that 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 - Open my ears to hear Your will and grant me the strength to obey it.



Psalms 25



"No one whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame" (vs. 3)


"You are God my Savior and my hope is in You all day long." (vs. 5b)


"According to Your love remember me, for You are good, O Lord." (vs. 7b)


"Good and upright is the Lord" (vs. 8a)


"All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant." (vs. 10)


"The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them." (vs. 14)


"My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare." (vs. 15)


"Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in You." (vs. 20)


"May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in You." (vs. 21)


9/25/09


I am tired and discouraged tonight. It has been such a long week and I am exhausted. I am encouraged by these promises. I can look to them when I am downhearted. All of God's ways are loving. He is refining my faith so that I will remain faithful. I am being forged into something useful through the fires of cancer. God will guard and rescue me. Whatever happens, He will not abandon me. I will be taken care of because God is good. I will go to sleep tonight and awake to a new day; a fresh start and a new hope. All things are possible with God. He will comfort me in the morning.


8/25/10

Tonight as I prepare to go back to work on Monday, I am feeling tired.  It has been a long week and I am exhausted.  Things don't change much, do they?  We go through the same emotions even though the circumstances may change.  It is good to know that God, at least, is consistent.  His promises never do fail and His mercy is new every morning.  "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord,  make me dwell in safety." (Ps. 4:8)


Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your promises.  We are so grateful because You are always consistent and good.  We struggle with many things and get worn out but You do not even need to slumber or sleep.  You are always watching and waiting.  We cling to You as we deal with change and circumstances.  You are our Rock.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT


1. How can all of God's ways be loving? Do I really believe that? How do I know?

2. Am I keeping the demands of His covenant so His ways can truly be good and loving to me?

3. How does God confide in me? Do I sense Him doing this? If not, am I fearing Him and what does that mean?

4. Is my integrity and uprightness guarding me? Am I falling short in either of these areas? What can I change?

5.  What things trip me up, like a snare around my feet?  How do I get out of the situation/problem.  How will fixing my eyes on God help me get out/stay out of trouble

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?

Daily Devotional - 8/6/10 (9/6/09)

Focus Letter - F



Pray for:
Five things that I am 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 for you and your family to grow in that begins with the focus letter


Dear Lord - allow me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.



Psalms 6



"Be merciful to me for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony.  My soul is in anguish.  How long, O Lord, how long?" (vs. 2-3)

Sometimes life is overwhelming. When I sat down and wrote the background information piece (8/31/09), I laughed because, if it wasn't my life, I would have thought that it was made up - and I didn't even include everything that was going on. Somehow, though, I am making it through and I even have a pretty good attitude about it most of the time. I know this can only be God.


But it is overwhelming, nonetheless, and this is what the psalmist appears to be feeling as well. He is faint. I have felt faint. He is in anguish. I have been in anguish. He asks how long, and I too have asked how long. He even felt like he wasn't going to make it through. I have felt that way as well. All of us have probably gone through at least one period of time in our lives that is similar to this; where everything seems to be crashing down around us. I remember at one point recently being very upset and thinking that this was not the way my life was supposed to turn out. Things were supposed to go right for me. However, despite my best efforts, everything was turning out wrong and falling apart. The apostle Paul also wrote about feeling these emotions. He wrote that he was under such great pressure that he even "despaired of life" (II Cor 1: 8-11)

We feel these emotions when we are worn out and exhausted from battling all of our enemies - in my case it was my debt, my clutter, the various health issues, my discipline issues with my children, and the like. It was too much for me and this was because I was using my best efforts, not God's. But just like Paul expressed, all these things were happening to me for a reason. They were happening to turn me back to God in a greater and deeper way. I had been relying on myself to accomplish what I had to accomplish. For example, I was relying on worldly wisdom when it came to my finances. I was just doing whatever came naturally to me with my children. I was collecting "treasures" (junk) because that is what I liked to do. I was not really looking to God to find out what He had to say about these issues or if I did know, I was not taking it seriously.

I had to face the fact that most of my problems were of my own doing. They came about by my own failure to adhere to God's laws. I was in debt because I overspent and lived outside of my means. God says, "let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another" (Romans 13:8). I had clutter because I horded things and was often undisciplined with my housework. God says it is better to give than receive (Acts 20:35) and that we should not be storing up things for ourselves here on earth but in heaven (Matt 6:19 -21). He also says that I did not receive a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline (II Tim 1:7). I had problems with my children because I was not consistent with them and because I was not training them up to know God's laws. I was not making them a priority. God says to show a child the way that he should go (Proverbs 22:6) and that it is up to us as parents to train our children to be godly (Deut 6:5-7).

"Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of Your unfailing love." (vs. 4)

Basically, I was putting a lot of effort into my life but it was not in the manner God desired. This was making me very unproductive and God was not able to bless what I was doing. I had to face these facts, as difficult as they were. I wanted to blame someone or something else, but I had to admit the responsibility was mine. When I came to grips with my responsibility, I could go back to God and ask Him to rescue me, to save me, because I now knew what I needed saving from. I also knew that it was only because of His love that He would rescue me. It was not because of anything I had done or would do. I had gotten myself into this mess, and yet, I could still ask God for help and deliverance.


"Away from me, all who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping.  The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayers.  All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace." (vs. 8-10)


I did have some responsibility though. I had to turn from my way of living, from depending on myself and running on my own power and reasoning. I had to get all my enemies (my sin of overspending, indulgence, laziness, etc.) away from me (vs 8). This is called repentance, the hating and turning away from all of those things that I did to get myself in such a mess. Then, I needed to cry out to God. I needed to have godly sorrow, not worldly sorrow (II Cor 7: 9 - 11). This is the weeping and sorrow that God will hear and acknowledge. God is strong enough to hear us and help us at any time, but our sin separates us from Him (Isaiah 59: 1-2). We have to deal with our sins first by acknowledging and confessing them, and then guess what, God hears (I John 1: 5-10). God hears and will continue to hear.

If He is pleased with us, He will accept our prayers and turn our enemies back in disgrace. The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective (James 5: 16). We will start overcoming whatever is plaguing us, if we deal with it God's way - acknowledge it, accept it, own it, turn from it, and turn to God. This is all that matters really, making sure that the Lord is pleased with me, that I am right with Him. When I focus on this, I will receive His forgiveness, and ultimately His blessing. My problems may not completely and immediately go away, but God is able. He can take away everything, solve every problem, if He desires. All my enemies - debt, clutter, lack of discipline - they can all be scattered back in shame. All I need to do is remember to do it God's way; set my reliance and my hope on God and continue to do so.


Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,

We come to You with our lives and our problems.  We acknowledge that we have failed in many ways.  Help us to turn to Your ways and Your word so that our lives can be pleasing to You.  The ways of the world will only lead us to frustaration but Your ways are ways of life and peace.  We want peace dear Lord.  Strengthen us so that we may obey.

In Jesus Name,
Amen


QFT

1. What in my life tends to make me feel faint?  What causes me anguish? 

2.  What are the underlying causes of these problems/ issues?  Do I have any responsibility in them? 

3.  Am I trying to solve my problems God's way or the world's way?  How do I know?  What are the results of my actions?

4.  Am I putting my enemies (sin) far from me?  What are my feelings toward the concepts of repentance and godly sorrow?  Do I feel bad about my sin because it hurts God or because it hurts my life?  Do I feel bad about my sin at all?  What do I need to change?

5.  Am I asking God for help and deliverence?   How is my prayer life?  Do I lift up my problems to God?  Do I pray for forgiveness and for spiritual transformation?  Am I righteous so my prayers are effective?  What can I change?

Daily Devotional - 1/25

Prayer Focus - Personal Transformation



Day 7
Pray for:
One thing that you want to see improved in your relationship with God - (Love God)
One thing that you want to see improved in the way you relate to others - (with all your heart)
One past hurt that you want to see healed and overcome - (with all your soul)
One skill or topic you want to learn - (with all your mind)
One thing that you want to see improved about your health - (with all your strength)
One thing you want to do to help others around you - (Love your neighbor)
One thing you need to accept and be grateful for about yourself or your life - (as yourself)


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



Psalms 85


"I will listen to what God the Lord will say; He promises peace to His people, His saints - but let them not return to folly. Surely His salvation is near those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land." ( vs. 8-9)


I will listen to God. I will stop listening to the world. God is the Lord. He promises us peace but it has a condition on it. We must not go back to our old ways. We must not be foolish. We must not put our hand to the plow and look back. He has salvation and everything else less than that waiting for us. It is up to us to respond and do so correctly and consistently. When we do this, we will have peace. A Christian who is not in submission to God and His will and who has one foot in and one foot out of the kingdom of God will never experience peace. It is perhaps more frustrating than leaving God altogether.


"The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before Him and prepares the way for His steps." (vs. 12-13)


God will give what is good. There is not doubt about it, but will we be able to receive it? Righteousness is necessary to prepare the way. If I want to see my life yield a harvest, I must get my field ready by being righteous. This is what God needs to see in order to bestow the blessings He wants to. It is our preparation to show Him we are ready to use His gifts appropriately and to use His blessings to give back to Him. He is always thinking long term and so must we. Let us prepare our lives for service and then see what happens. I believe it will astound us.


"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible" St. Francis of Assisi




Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


We need to listen to You. We will listen to You. Help us not to return to our folly. We have lived in it long enough. It does not produce the life we so desire. We long for peace. We do not want to look back. There is so much ahead to look to. Although the world often looks so dark, there is Your bright and shining light guiding us on. Help us to sow righteousness so that we may reap a harvest. We want our land, our lives, to yield a harvest. We know that is up to You but we need to do our part. Help us to work hard. We wait to see the good that You will give. You are great and we praise You.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen




QFT



1. Do I have primarily peace or frustration in my life? Am I looking back in any way to my old life? What areas seemed better then? Why? Is this the truth? What can I do to get my eyes focused forward and on God in a greater way?


2. Am I completely devoted to God or is there any parts of my that I hold back from Him? What can I do about these areas if there are any? Am I devoted to His kingdom? How can I be more devoted?


3. Is my life yielding a harvest? Why or why not? What can I do to change or do better to be more fruitful?


4. Am I living a life that God can bless? In what ways am I being righteous? In what ways am I not? How can I improve? What is the necessary that I need to start doing? What is the possible in my life? What is holding me back from doing my all?

Daily Devotional - 1/21

Prayer Focus - Personal Transformation

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


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



Psalms 81


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

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


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

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


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

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

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

He will allow us to go but I think it breaks His heart, just as it would break our hearts to have our own children walk away from us. His love for us is so clear here as He speaks of how quickly He would subdue our enemies if we took His messages to heart. He is speaking to us relentlessly and waiting to bless us and take care of us. If we listened and obeyed, God could and would turn anything around in our lives - illness, debt, clutter, lack of organization, ineffectiveness, bad schedules, bad parenting, bad marriages. God could transform any of these things in a minute. God is waiting. It's up to us now.

Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,


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

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT


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

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

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

4. Am I obeying the voice of God in my life?  Am I allowing Him to subdue my enemies? What enemies do I have that need subduing? Am I remembering God's love for me in all of this?