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

Prayer Focus - Needs

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



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



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




Psalms 74



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


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




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

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





Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


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


In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



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

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

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

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

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

Daily Devotional - 9/1/15 (11/1/09)

Prayer Focus - Strangers


Day 4
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
One person you met/meet today
One person that is in the entertainment industry
One person in politics


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


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



Psalms 61

This devotional was originally written in November of 2009.  I have left it as I wrote it then.  The whole year of 2009 was extremely difficult for my family and I.  In January of 2009, my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer which we eventually learned, had spread to his liver.  I struggled to hold our family together through the two surgeries and two rounds of chemotherapy that would consume the entire year.  Writing these devotionals became a therapeutic outlet for me as I re-evaluated my relationship with God and clung to Him moment by moment.  We made it through that year and many more after it.  We have dealt with a reoccurrence of cancer last year and keep struggling on.  God has always come through.  Sometimes I do not see how the victory will come but it does come anyway.  God has always been faithful and no matter what happens, I believe that He has used everything I have gone through to strengthen my faith, my family, and myself.  He truly is the rock that is higher than I.


"Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. For You have heard my vows, O God; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. Increase the days of the king's life, his years for many generations. May he be enthroned in God's presence forever; appoint Your love and faithfulness to protect him. Then will I ever sing praise to Your name and fulfill my vows day after day." ( Psalms 61)


"Listen to my prayer Lord, because I am growing weaker."   Haven't we all been there?   We fight and fight and keep going and keep going and then it just feels like there is nothing left. There is a limit to us and what we can do. Praise God, however, there is no limit to Him. When life is overwhelming, we need to let Him lead us to that rock that we can climb up on and be safe from the waves that are battering us. He is our refuge.

I have to confess, I have been battered lately. I have been struggling with life. My Joelle has been sick since off and on since October 2 with her asthma and a cold/flu. Just when I think she is getting better, she gets worse again. I have been sick as well for about two weeks and then last night, my middle daughter develops a 102 fever. This would usually be not that big of a deal, but since she was exposed to H1N1 by at least two classmates, I was a bit stressed. I took both girls to the urgent care today and was told not to worry too much about Lorelei, and Joelle got a breathing treatment and some stronger medicine to try and get her asthma under control. Now tomorrow, my husband is supposed to start his second round of chemo and I am trying desperately to get my grades done in the midst of all this. I have missed so much work already and am debating if taking tomorrow off would be a good thing or not. My house is an utter disaster area and I am so tired. So these are my waves. This is what is battering me. Now I need to face them and then I need to get up and climb up on the rock that is higher than I.

I do long to dwell in God's tent. I want some shelter. I am tired of doing it all and being responsible for everything. God knows my vows. He has given me the heritage of those who fear His name. I am in good company. This is all just temporary and God has it all under control. I just need to climb out of the water I am sinking in and rest in Christ. Our health will get better and we will move on. I will get my grades done. I always do somehow or other. And God's love and faithfulness surround me and protects me. I will praise God. I will be positive in spite all of this. I will. I will fulfill my vows.



Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


Lift us to the rock that is higher than we are. We need You as our refuge. This world is too hard for us alone. We are fading away. Help us to run to You. Help us to get out of the rough water that surrounds us and lift up our arms to You, our Father and our Protector. We have made vows to You and we need You to help us fulfill them. You are able. We search for Your love and faithfulness. We know they are there. We look for You. We long for You. Hear our cry O Lord for without You, we are lost.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1. How is my prayer life?  Am I crying out to God?  Do I really pour out my heart to Him or do I just recite the same things over and over?  How can I revitalize my prayer life?

2. Am I growing faint of working on something or dealing with some issue in my life? What are the waves that are battering me? Am I bringing them to God daily in prayer?

3. Is God my refuge?  If He isn't, what do I take refuge in when I am struggling?  How can I run to God and take refuge in Him? How can I do this more?

4. Do I recognize God's love and faithfulness? How can these qualities of God protect me? How can I be more aware of them in my life?

5. Am I praising God? Am I fulfilling my vows? Which am I better at doing, praising God, or fulfilling my vows?  Why?  How can I grow in these two areas?

Daily Devotional - 9/11/10 (10/11/09)

Prayer Focus - Family



Day 4


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



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


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



Psalms 41




"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; He will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness." (vs. 1-3)



We need to have regard for the weak. When I tend to think of "the weak", I tend to think of the elderly or those who are down and out, perhaps those who I might consider to be "struggling" in some manner. As I consider this passage though and go a bit deeper, I am forced to look at what my stereotypes and prejudices are. Who is weak really? Lately, I would have to admit that it is me. I am the one who is "struggling".  I am the one who is having trouble with so many things. I do not like to admit that I am weak. I think many of us do not like this. All of our lives we have been building up our walls to protect and guard ourselves so that we will be strong. Often, if we have been terrorized as children, we have built up very high walls so that no one will ever think we are weak again. We feel that our weakness will be used against us because it was in the past. We even begin to look down on anyone we consider open or vulnerable and we feel that displays of emotion are a sign of weakness as well and we dislike them immensely. Because we have been robbed of this ourselves, we resent it in others and it angers us. We become rocks and islands because as Simon and Garfunkel so eloquently put it, "a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries."


But once again, this is not God's way. First of all, we are to rejoice in our sufferings and weaknesses because they allow God to work fully through us (Romans 5:1-5, II Cor 12:8-10). Then we are to see that it is our pride that makes us want to appear strong. God just wants us to be ourselves and He views us as His children. Our children are obviously not as strong as we are. They are weak. God knows we are weak and He wants to take care of us. He even carries us when we can go on no further. I love the story of the footprints that so vividly expresses that sediment of Him carrying us through our most difficult times in life. Finally, God wants us to depend on Him in everything. Then, when we have been strengthened, we are to turn back and help others to be strengthened and comforted as well (Luke 22:31-32).


So I will admit that I am weak and that I also need to have regard for where I am at. I need to get myself strengthened, so that I can in turn strengthen those who need me. That would be my children, my husband, and my students. In many ways, these people are weak and I must view them differently than I have been doing. My children are weak because they are young. I expect so much out of them and often get frustrated by their misbehavior. Much of this is my fault, as I need to be more consistent in my discipline and training of them, but I must also remember that they are children. I must remember the proverb (Proverbs 22:15) that states that "folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drives it far from them."


It is not strange that my children are foolish and morally weak right now. That is a natural part of being a child. I must not take it so personally, and I must also see, therefore, how important it is for me to train and instruct them so that I can help them to out grow it. If I do nothing to help them get rid of the inherent folly in their souls, then I am truly leading them down a path of destruction. As a teacher, I have seen many children that have never been lead away from their natural folly. They fail and fail miserably, even if they are brilliant. Folly must be removed through love and consistent training. I must have regard for these, my children, and help them. I must not get mad but I must train. Both are imperative.


Then there is my husband. He is weak right now because of his illness. I must have regard for him and be there for him more than I ever have. Sometimes it is exhausting to be a caregiver and I am glad for the times when my husband is not that sick. Some people get no respite and it is easy to get overwhelmed and angry at the one who is ill. We must remember if we find ourselves in this position to have regard for the weak. We must find the refreshing and strength we need so that we may be able to go back and give the proper care to our loved ones in the way that will be most beneficial to them.


Finally, I have my students. Many are educationally disadvantaged and many of them have difficult home lives as well that might make them emotionally weak. God has placed me in these students' lives for a reason. I have much to give to them. I have educational skills and learning and most importantly, I have a relationship with God I can share in some way. I need to have regard for each of these children placed in my classes and give them whatever I can to help them grow academically and as individuals as well. They look to me to set them an example and to give them hope in an often hopeless world. Many times I might be the only one believing in them. I must have regard for them and give them my best. I am responsible.


It seems overwhelming when I contemplate all of this, but I love the promises that come with that small statement to have regard for the weak. God will delivers us. The Lord will protect and preserve our lives. God will fill us up so that we can pour out blessings to others (II Cor 9:6-11). The Lord will bless us in the land and will not give us up to our enemies. God will even help our health to be better. So many wonderful promises await us if we can just have regard for the weak. We will in turn be made strong. We can do it. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13). We need to be confident in this and we can be, if we have integrity.  Our integrity and obedience to the will of God will enable us.  We can be sure of that because God is faithful.

In my integrity, You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever." (vs. 12)



Prayer for the Day




Dear Lord,


Help us to have regard for the weak. We know that at times we are weak and at times we do not want to admit it. Help us to see ourselves correctly and to turn to You for strengthening. We need Your strength so that we can go out and in turn strengthen others. We fail and we are so weak but You are strong. You say that Your power is made perfect in our weakness. Allow Your power to be fully developed in us and help us to have regard for the other people in our lives who are weak in some way. Help us to remember our children and their weaknesses. Help us to be kind and loving despite their failures and help us to train our children so that it will go well for them. They are so precious and such a great responsibility. Help us to keep them a priority in our lives so that we can give them the best we have to offer.


Help us to have regard for our spouses in their weakness and our family members. If any of them are sick, help us to be there for them completely. Often those we should love the most are the most difficult for us. Grant us the strength to do all we ask. Only You can provide us what we need to do what You ask. We run to You, for You can do it. In our integrity, You uphold us. Increase our integrity and our obedience. Help us Lord to have regard for the weak.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen




QFT



1. Am I weak or strong right now? How do I know?

2. Who are the weak in my life? Am I having regard for them? What would that look like?

3. How am I doing with my children? Am I training them for the future? Am I teaching them about God and His ways beyond taking them to church?

4. How is my relationship with my spouse? Am I having regard for him or her? What are they weak in right now? How can I support them?

5.  Am I a person of integrity?  Why or why not?  What does this mean to me?  How can I change so that I will have more integrity?

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

Prayer Focus - Family



Day 3


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


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


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





Psalms 40




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

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



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

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


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

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




Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


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


In Jesus' name,
Amen



QFT



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

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

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

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

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

Daily Devotional - 8/30/10 (9/30/09)

Prayer Focus - 10's



Pray for:
Ten things you are grateful for
Ten people you are thinking about
Ten places that are important to you
Ten characteristics to grow in
Ten characteristics/habits to work on


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




Psalms 30



"Sing to the Lord, you saints of His; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (vs. 4-5)


" You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." (vs. 11-12)


The Lord is the perfect Father. He disciplines and trains us so that we may become excellent, like refined gold. I know it is important to train my children. I know it is important to train my students. Sometimes, however, I am not willing to be trained myself. In my head, I know that I need to receive instruction in areas I am weak in, be it at a job or in some life area, and yet I falter. I do not like correction naturally, but I know that in all the areas that I have done well in, I have had a coach. Why do we become so unteachable as we get older? Is it our pride; our confidence in our ability to manage our lives? Sometimes it takes losing everything to show us that we have not yet arrived; that we still need to humble ourselves before the Lord and learn. Then, sometimes, even when I acknowledge my need for training, in day to day living I fail to seek it out or respond to it. Consistency is so hard to come by. I am so glad that God does not give up on training us when we are difficult. He is truly the perfect Father.


I am reminded of Hebrews 12:5-11.

"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined ( and everyone undergoes discipline ), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."


I can't say this any better. Whatever I go through, it is for my training. I want to share in God's holiness so I am glad for it in the long run. Although our children fight our discipline, deep down I believe they are grateful. I know that I experienced the opposite growing up and it profoundly affected me. I was rarely disciplined by my parents and it bothered me. I remember being angry in one situation when I deserved to be disciplined and wasn't. I thought, "Why don't they care about me enough to tell me that I am doing something wrong?" I knew in my heart I had done wrong and I wanted the correction and the love and healing that I thought it would bring to me. I needed their direction and so often it didn't come. This left me feeling all alone in the world and bitter. I felt that I had to do everything by myself and for myself.


Why my parents were so lenient with me is hard to say, but I do know that it has helped me to understand and appreciate the reasoning behind God's discipline.  I understand better why He lets me go through hard times in order to help me and strengthen my character. I am God's child. He is telling me that He loves me by not letting everything come easy. I love the story that many I am sure have heard about a man watching a butterfly come out of its cocoon. It goes something like the following. A man saw a butterfly struggling to come out of its cocoon. He felt sorry for the butterfly and so helped it by cutting the cocoon open. The butterfly came out but his wings never fully expanded and the butterfly was unable to fly. The man was confused as to what had happened. Later he learned that the struggle of emerging from the cocoon enables the butterfly's wings to be strengthen as they need to be for flight. In helping the butterfly and making things easier, he had in essence crippled it.


We are those caterpillars that need the struggle we go through in order to emerge from our cocoons a beautiful butterfly. If God did not allow us our struggles and did not discipline us, we would be spiritual and emotional cripples. We would never fly as God intended. I am so grateful God does not give up on us or make things too easy. I will exalt God because of this. I will also exalt God because He doesn't let our struggle go on forever either. In the morning, rejoicing comes. Our wailing and sadness becomes dancing and joy. His discipline and His anger is short lived, but His favor is forever! Amen.



Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,

We praise You that You care enough to discipline us and we are grateful also that there is an end to the struggle as well.  There truly is a time for everything.  Help us to accept Your training and discipline and so be strengthened by it.  Help us to not rebel against it as a child might.  We long to fly.  Grant us the wings we need.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT



1. How do I feel about discipline? Am I coachable? Why or why not?  How can I become more teachable?

2. Am I being trained in any area right now? What am I learning and who is teaching me? How do I feel about this training?
3. What struggles am I going through presently, and how am I handling them? Am I looking for the easy way out or am I looking for God's way to deal with them?  What struggles have I had in the past?  How have they helped me?  Do I have anything to rejoice about now from them?

4. Am I being trained spiritually in any way? Is anyone coaching me spiritually? Who could I get to mentor me in this area?

5.  What type of disciplinarians were my parents?  How has this affected the way I teach/train others such as my children?  How has this affected the way I respond to teaching/training? 

Daily Devotional - 8/29/10 (9/29/09)

Prayer Focus - 9's




Pray for:
Nine things you are grateful for
Nine people that are on your heart or that need prayers
Nine places that are important to you
Nine characteristics to grow in
Nine characteristics/habits to get rid of



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




Psalms 29




"Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness." (vs. 1-2)



God is glorious. God deserves my worship and praise. I am amazed at all of the grand things He has done. A few years ago, I read a book entitled, The Gold of Exodus, by Howard Blum. It tells the story of two Americans who went in search of the true Mount Sinai by following the trail of Moses. The archaeological finds that the two adventurers discover are astounding. If you like Biblical archeology, this is a good book to pick up, but if not, I am mentioning it because it made me stand in awe of God. There are pictures of chariot wheels found at the bottom of the Red Sea. Perhaps from Pharaoh’s army? These are found near a submerged land bridge at the point where Moses and the Israelites probably passed over. There are so many other strange finds in their story as well. This, to me, is so exciting. Again and again, stories and facts found in the Bible have been proved to be true over the years. Archeology has backed up many passages. It inspires me to see the power of God. He is able to do all that He has written in His word, and this is what the Bible is. It is the word of God and it is powerful.



"The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic." (vs. 4)



The Bible is the voice or "Word of God" as it is often called and is the only truly living and active document (Hebrews 4:12-13). Everything is laid bare before God and He knows us. He has set out how we work best in this guidance manual. The Bible is the only true “self-help” book, if I can even call it that, because it is really a “God-help-us” book. Anything that works outside of the Bible does so because it is based on a Biblical principle. I am totally convinced of this. I have seen it in my studies of psychology (the subject I majored in in college). I have seen it in the teaching and discipline principles taught in the teaching courses I took for my teaching credential. I have seen it everywhere.


I am not surprised though, because God spoke the world into existence (Genesis 1, Hebrews 11:3, Psalms 33:6 & 9). He knows where wisdom resides. Nothing is hidden from Him (Job 28: 12-28). There are no secrets from God. If something works, it is His, whether it is used appropriately or not. Often the world or Satan takes one of God's principles and twists it around or else takes God out of the picture. The principle still works because it is like a law that God has instituted, similar to the law of gravity. Apples still fall to the earth whether we believe in God or not. His principles work and are faithful, whether we are or not. So, we need to take a look at everything and take it back to God and His word. The Bible says to tests everything and then hold onto the good ( I Thess 5:19-21).



" The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace." (vs. 11)



And in the end, if we cling to God’s word and obey it, there will be strength and peace. I know. I know this is true, because there were moments today when I was completely at peace. How good it felt. In the midst of the craziness of this past week, a moment of calm was welcoming. I knew that the calm and peace came only from God, as nothing circumstantially had changed. I was still exhausted to some degree. I was still loaded down with work that I had to do at the school where I teach. When I came home from work, the house was still messy and my husband was still ill. My children were still struggling to obey, but today, I was able to handle most of it better.


I think a turning point came this morning when I became very upset with my daughter over her not helping me get everything ready for us to go. As usual, I went on and on about it, to her disgust. Finally, I forced myself to stop talking and I just drove to work in silence. As I drove and tried to pray, my heart changed. I meditated on some of my favorite verses and I became resolved to work out this problem. We ended up having a good talk and both of us recommitted to doing better in our relationship. It was good for us to part ways at school reunited again. I know this came about because of God and His word. He says it never comes back empty.


His word can work wonders in our lives if we will learn it and put it into our hearts so that we can meditate on it. From my obedience to the verses I thought about, and my repentance or change in action, I was able to gain the strength and peace that God offers us. There is a catch, though. God offers these promises to His people, not just to anyone. While God loves everyone, not everyone is in a covenant relationship with Him. We must enter into a relationship with Him to reap the rewards.


A covenant, just like my relationship with my daughter, goes two ways. There are things that are expected of us and there are things that we can expect from God. He offers promises that are reserved for "His People." Let us strive to be His people and let us strive to respect and honor, by obedience, the voice of the Lord. It is all-powerful and God is even so much more. If His voice can shake the earth, then what can all of Him do? Whatever it is we need, praise God for He can do it!




Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,

Help us to remember how glorious and powerful You are.  We get so lost day to day.  Your principles are so consistent.  You are so faithful.  We want to remember and honor You.  We want to obey Your word for in it are the words of life.  Help us to be Your people.  We long for Your peace and strength in our lives.  We know that You alone can truly fill us up.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT


1. Do I stand amazed at what God has done and created? Do I believe what is written in the Bible? Why or why not?

2. How is my study of God's word? Am I making time for it? Compared to the other reading I do, for work or pleasure, is my Bible study equal to this?

3. Am I putting into practice what I read in the Bible or is my study more of an academic pursuit? How can I put more into practice? What have I been thinking about changing lately due to my Bible study?

4. Am I experiencing God's strength and peace? Why or why not?

5. Would I consider myself one of "His people"?  Why or why not?  How can I be sure of this?  How does it make me feel to know that can belong to God?  Why?

Daily Devotional - 8/27/10 (9/27/09)

Prayer Focus - 7's



Pray for:
Seven things you are grateful for
Seven people who need your prayers
Seven places you care about
Seven characteristics that you want to grow in
Seven characteristics/ habits that you want to get rid of


Dear Lord - Thank You for always speaking to me. Help me to hear You today and as always, grant me the strength to obey.




Psalms 27



"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (vs. 14)


I am waiting. I am trying to be strong. I am trying to take heart. I feel so on edge. My emotions raw. It is so hard to wait in patience. When I think of all that I have to do, it is overwhelming. I lose any calm I have mustered. I cannot think of tomorrow. I must just live. One step ahead; one step. I am waiting and walking. I am not thinking about tomorrow. It will think about itself. I will write my writing. I will lie down to sleep and I will wake again. I will get in my car and drive to work. I will work. I will deal with 200+ children and drive home to deal with three more and a sick husband and a messy house. I am not thinking, although I am. I will just wait. I will be strong. I will take heart.


I will wait for each moment to come and I will deal with it. I fail when I think ahead. I failed today as I thought about tomorrow. I became irritable and disheartened. "I cannot do this," I thought and of course I cannot, but God can. All I have to do is wait and in the meantime do what has to be done as God would have me. I must be strong. My children depend on that. I am demonstrating Jesus to them. If I am not strong, what will they think? I must be strong. My husband depends on that. If I fall apart, what hope does he have?


And I am taking heart because I have the promises in this psalm. God will not forsake me. Even if my parents could, He would not. And I have tomorrow with all the newness it holds. I have a fresh start. I have 200+ eager faces with lives of promise that I have been blessed to contribute to. I have a way to make money to pay my bills. I have good health insurance. Amen to that. I have beautiful children waiting to be taught about God; waiting to see His truths lived out in my life. I have a husband who is recovering quickly and who has determination to fight for his life. I have forgiveness for the failures of today. It is all a matter of my perspective. I am taking heart.


"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." (vs. 13)


I will see God's goodness. I will see it here. In the meantime, I have work to do. I will do it. I will go and walk and take one moment at a time and I will wait on the Lord.


 "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (vs. 14)


 
Verses of Encouragement from Psalm 27:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?" (vs. 1)

"Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident." (vs. 3)

"For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." (vs. 5)

"Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me." (vs. 10)

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."  (vs. 14)



Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,

We are grateful that You are strong when we are not.  We feel as if an army is against us sometimes and yet even then we do not need to be afraid.  It is so difficult to live by faith in this world.  Help us to keep our eyes on the unseen.  We know and rely on You.  We are waiting on You and living today for You. Grant us renewed strength each morning.  You are good.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT


1. Am I waiting for God or am I trying to take things into my own hands? How do I know?  How can I do a better job of waiting?

2. In what ways do I need to be strong right now? Who is depending on me? If I am not strong, how will it affect them?

3. How can I look at the difficulties in my life in a positive way? How does my perspective on life affect my feelings and my actions during the day?

4. Am I letting fear and worry keep me from doing the work and the activities I know I should be doing? How can I be more consistent in my follow through and obedience?

5.  Have people in my life forsaken me or let me down?  How has this affected me and how does it affect my relationship with God?  Do I feel that God has ever forsaken or let me down?  Why?  Did He really or could there be another explanation for what happened?

Daily Devotional - 8/23/10 (9/23/09)

Focus letter - W



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 - Open my ears to hear Your voice and grant me the strength to obey.




Psalms 23



"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comforth me." (vs. 4)


This is the valley of the shadow of death. I always wondered where it was and then I realized it was right here, the earth. We live in the shadow of our death, in the fear of the death of all those we love, every single day of our lives. But I do not need to be afraid because I will remember that the Lord is my shepherd. He will take care of me now and when I die. I shall not be in want if I don't want to because God is in control.


He will take care of me, all of me. God wants to take care of the physical, the spiritual, the emotional, and the mental aspects of my being. These make up the totality of who we are and the Lord is equally concerned about each one. If we look at this psalm and also at the greatest commandment we see each one represented.



"Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)



The first aspect of our lives He is concerned about is our physical being. "He makes me lie down in green pastures (vs. 2a)." He provides for us physically and takes care of us. He gives us rest when we need it. "God grants sleep to those He loves (Psalms 127:1-2)." He wakes us up in the morning and keeps us going throughout our days. He knows what we need to physically stay alive. He does this so that in the end, we can love Him with all of our strength. This is the building block for the rest of the aspects of our lives because if we are not having our physical needs met, it is very difficult to focus on more spiritual issues.


Secondly, He is concerned with our emotions. "He leads me beside quiet waters (vs. 2b)." When all our emotions are on edge, we need to go to the quiet places and be still. It is very difficult to be spiritual and pleasing to God when we are overly emotional or having a temper tantrum. We need our emotions calmed down and God can provide that. How often does He offer peace to us in His word. We need to be emotionally restored and calmed so that we in turn can love God with all of our emotions. Once our physical needs are met and our emotions are calm, we can deal with the next level in our beings.


The third aspect God is concerned with is our souls or our spiritual development. "He restores my soul (vs. 3a)." He revives us and renews our spirits. When we are downcast, He lifts us up. We have all had those bad days and then something will happen and it all changes. We have been restored and it feels so good. Our souls are the deepest levels of our beings and God desires that they be completely His as well; that we love Him with all our souls. That is when we will be truly content.


Finally, God is concerned with our minds. "He guides me in the paths of righteousness (vs. 3b)." He knows we need guidance and instructions. Our minds are so easily filled with all the wrong things and society is continually bombarding us with messages, most of which are contrary to God's laws. Our minds need to be filled with His ways and renewed with His truth. Then and only then, can we love Him with all of our minds and we can use them to help others.


It is evident that God is concerned with all of us; all aspects of our lives and beings. One portion is not enough and we will continue to live in the valley of the shadow of death, fearing evil, until we can surrender it all over to our Good Shepherd.


Why does He do this? Why does He even care? He does it for "His name's sake (vs. 3b)." It is not about me. It is all about God. He takes care of me and loves me so that others will know how great He is and perhaps come to find Him. He restores my soul and guides me so that others might see the wonder of His ways and come to know Him. He gives me strength so that I might serve Him and others. It all comes back to Him. But that is okay with me because I, like a sheep, do not know how to do this thing called life. I would run off a cliff if the rest did, just like sheep without a shepherd might. I am not ashamed to admit I need a shepherd. I am tired of doing it on my own. I have seen where it has gotten me.


And so, even though I am here in this scary place, full of sadness, this "valley of the shadow of death", I will fear no evil. I will fear no evil for God is with me. The ways He leads me in are a comfort to me. God takes care of me in the midst of bad. God can do that. My cup overflows and everything is going to be alright.


"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (vs. 6)

Things will be okay, now, and also into eternity. God will take care of His own.



Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,

Thank You for being our Shepherd.  We are like sheep and we so easily go astray.  We are so grateful that You are concerned with every area of our lives.  You are not uninvolved.  You know and care for us intimately.  Help us to be humble and follow Your leading.  Help us to accept Your care and nurturing.  You are good and we are grateful.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT


1. Am I loving God with all of my heart (my emotions)? Am I letting Him calm them? How can I change?

2. Am I loving God with all of my soul? Am I letting Him restore me? What ways does He restore me?

3. Am I loving God with all of my mind? Am I letting Him guide me in the ways of righteousness? How can I start doing this?

4. Am I loving God with all of my strength? Am I letting Him care for my body and physical needs? Am I following His directions in caring for my temple (body)? How can I take better care of my physical body?

5.  Am I following God's leading or am I trying to do it all on my own?  What am I rebelling against?  What am I accepting?  What do I need to change?

Daily Devotional - 8/22/10 (9/22/09)

This is the post from the day after my husband's surgery last year.  I have left it as it was.  He is now doing better and appears to be cancer free.


Focus Letter - V



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 - Help me to hear your voice today, all day, and grant me the strength to obey.



My husband made it through surgery and is recovering. They removed the lower right lobe of his liver which had confirmed cancer and, unfortunately, also found another tumor on the left side. This was destroyed by laser. There are still two small unknown masses in the upper right lobe as well. As a result of this, more chemotherapy is recommended. We were sad about the news but are faithful yet. Thank you for all your prayers and support.



Psalms 22



As I sat at my computer, after a long day at the hospital and after receiving the bad news about the spread of the cancer, I felt a bit numb. On opening the Bible to review the psalm for this post, I had to smile. How fitting for this to be the psalm today. The opening words spoke to me.



"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent." (vs. 1-2)


How I have felt this the past year. At every turn, we have received bad news. My husband was diagnosed with cancer in February but we were confident that it would be contained in the colon. After all, he was only 49. My mother had had colon cancer at 61 and hers had been contained; it had not spread although it was about the same size of a tumor. We went into surgery confident. The surgeon told us after the surgery that it did appear to be contained within the colon, but of course, he could not know for sure until the lab work. How shocked we were to receive the call about a week later to find out that it was not contained and that it was in the lymph nodes.


"My God, my God..." I thought.


"Well, at least it was only in two of the 30 lymph nodes they looked at," I said to my mother-in-law who was devastated by the news. Surely it hadn't spread very far. There was that spot on his liver that the doctors had noted before his original surgery. But they had not been worried about it. The doctor had felt that it was probably not cancer. I was confident my husband would do his chemotherapy and be fine.


He went in for a liver test to confirm that the spot was just a benign occurrence, a hemangioma, and we waited, not worried. The results came back. A biopsy was needed. The tumor was not a hemangioma. I remember receiving the call. It was a beautiful day and I was playing Candyland with my daughters. The sun streamed in from the window, creating a peaceful, happy glow in the room. We were laughing.


My husband was out running an errand when the phone call came in. "Mrs. Jacobs, the tumor is cancerous," the doctor said over the phone.


Everything stopped and again in my mind, "my God, my God..."


Six rounds of chemo; so difficult. The embolism to block off the cancerous part of his liver. The surgery prep, all in the hopes that this would soon will be over; that life would soon return to normal. Then yesterday, the surgery, to remove the right lobe of his liver; so that he would be cancer free. At pre-op, the doctor mentioned that if they find something in the left lobe, they would burn it with a laser. I paused.


"But there isn't supposed to be anything in the left lobe," I said.


"Well sometimes it is hidden from the MRI. We are going to check everything out. We will take good care of him."


"Okay," I said, thinking with less confidence now that there would be nothing in the left liver. This warning of his was all precautionary. The surgery was going to be the end of this. Six weeks recovery and then life would go on. It would be this way. I had decided.


At 12 noon, the doctor came out and I approached, eager to hear the good news. "We removed the right lobe, but there was a half an inch tumor deep in the left lobe as well."


"What?"


"The left lobe, a tumor. We destroyed it with the laser but there are still small unknown spots visible on the ultrasound as well. They are too small to know what they are. We recommend more chemotherapy."


"More?" I said sadly.


"Yes, more. Cancer is like a dandelion which spreads its seeds when blown. We don't know, can't know now. Everything else in the abdomen looks clear but the chemo - it is necessary." The doctor smiled at me in a serious, sad way. My heart sank. The chemo... the walking death. It is difficult to explain life during chemo. Lets just say, it is hard.


"My God, my God..." again I begin to think. Why? Why, at every turn, has the road to quick recovery been blocked? What is it we must learn, my husband and I?



And then I read on in Psalms 22, the psalm that goes on to prophecy Jesus' suffering on the cross.



"Yet You are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the praise of Israel. In You our fathers put their trust; they trusted and You delivered them. They cried to You and were saved; in You they trusted and were not disappointed" (vs. 4-5)



It is painful. This is painful. It is not what I wanted. But it is what God has given me. He has given me this, and He has given me Himself to fall back on. I am not alone. I am a part of His plan. This morning, in the calm of the cool, early morning air blowing in through the window, I remember God. I remember to give thanks. I am thankful my husband is still alive. I am thankful that they removed or killed all known cancer in his body. I am thankful he is as alert and well as he is after surgery. I am thankful for the 12 years and the three daughters that I have had with him. I am thankful for all the ways we have grown to be better people through all of this. I am thankful for all the ways that we will grow before this is over.


God has given me the assurance that He will be with me through these difficult times. He will never leave me or forsake me (Joshua 31:6). He has given me a Bible full of good promises, all of which have been given to me so that I will have peace. As He says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)"


He will deliver me. He will not disappoint me in the end. In the short term, I may have sorrow. I do have sorrow. But God is not in this for the short term. He is the God of eternity. In the light of eternity, I am not let down. Things may not happen as I have planned. It hasn't happened as I had planned, but I have been delivered so far. My husband has also been delivered so far. He is still here. We are still living in faith, and we are better people for all of this.


God is still with me, just as He was with Jesus as He went to the cross; surely not what Jesus had wanted but it was what needed to happen. Jesus suffered immensely, more than any of us ever will, and yet He returned to God and His sovereignty. I must remember His words at Gethsemane, " Not my will, but Yours be done." At times, we may be momentarily disappointed, but in the long run we are never. In the long term, the victory is always ours. In Christ we have the victory. God did not forget Jesus. He did not disappoint Him. There were three dark days and then Jesus arose and brought salvation to all of us. In the same way, God will not forget me either.



"You who fear the Lord, praise Him!...For He has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; He has not hidden His face from him but has listened to his cry for help." (vs. 23-24)


There is a reason for all of this. I am not forgotten and I will praise Him yet.




Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,

We praise You for the life You give us.  It is Yours to give and take away.  We pray for acceptance and courage in the face of whatever is on the path You have set out for us.  Help us to live lives that are acceptable to You no matter what happens.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1. When have I felt forsaken? Why? How did I deal with it?

2. What has God given me to deal with presently in my life? How am I dealing with it? Am I turning to God, or away from Him because of it?

3. When life does not go as I have planned, how do I react? How can I react in a more trusting manner?
4. What reasons can I see behind some of the greatest crises that have occurred in my life?

5.  What support systems do I have to help me in difficult times? What helps me to feel peace in my struggles?  What verses do I turn to?

Daily Devotional - 8/11/10 (9/11/09)

Focus Letter - K



Pray for:
Five things you are thankful for that begin 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 work on that begins with the focus letter


Dear Lord - Please help me to hear Your ever present voice. I know You are always trying to communicate with me but often I fail to listen. Please grant me the strength to obey.



Psalms 11



"In the Lord I take refuge.  How then can you say to me: 'Flee like a bird to your mountain.  For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.  When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?'  The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord is on His heavenly throne.  He observes the sons of men; His eyes examine them.  The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence His soul hates... For the Lord is righteous, He loves justice; upright men will see His face." (vs 1-5, & 7)

The Lord is in His holy temple.  Upright men will see His face. God examines the righteous. He looks us over and makes sure we are doing right. The wicked have punishment coming someday.

We often feel like running away when we see negative things happening. It is easy for me to avoid confrontation and want to escape. I am very nonconfrontational. There is a time to flee, however, and I appreciate those times but more often than not, we really need to stand strong and even fight. The psalmist says, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? (vs. 3)" He seems overwhelmed by what he sees happening around him. The evil is getting him down and people are even telling him to flee. He seems to be saying, however, that he can't do that. He can't just let evil take over without a fight.

He states, "In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: 'Flee like a bird to your mountain.' (vs. 1)" Once again, the idea of taking refuge in God in order to be able to do battle arises. We are to find the courage and the strength we need to fight in God alone. It is not in us. We have no power to save.

The psalmist then turns his eyes to God. He acknowledges there are dangers and problems. There are even wicked men waiting to destroy the righteous. Evil is there and it is destroying the foundations of their society, but still, he is not distraught. He looks to God and I can almost hear him declaring triumphantly, "The Lord is in His holy temple". He is saying, this is no problem for God. God is here, why are we afraid. The psalmist is clearly convinced of God's power and His presence. He believes in God's sovereignty over all the earth. He declares it by mentioning that God is looking down from His throne.

We need to remember this when the world is getting us down. God is not dead. God is here. God is in control. He is watching. He is examining each one of us and He knows. He knows who is righteous and who is evil. Nothing in all creation is hidden from the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account (Heb 4:12-13). The wicked won't make it, the righteous will.

We all love justice deep down. People protest when someone is treated unfairly. It is good to know that there is ultimate justice. There is a final righteous judge. Truth is not relative, regardless what society says. God has set a standard, and He won't make mistakes. In the end, the upright man will see God's face. I want to see His face. I want to make it and with God, I know I can


Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,

Thank You for being here with us and for us.  It is easy to let the world get us down, but we need to take refuge in You and fight the good fight of the faith.  Give us the strength we need to do this.  Grant us wisdom to know when to flee and when to stay and fight.  Help us to never take the easy way out.  We want to be Your man or Your woman.  We pray that we may be found righteous in the end, and some wonderful day be able to see Your face.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen


QFT

1. How do I feel about how my society is morally?  Do I feel like the foundations are being destroyed?  Why or why not?  What can I do to make my neighborhood/ city/ state/ country better?

2.  Do I usually run from problems or confront them?  Why?  When should I run and when should I confront? What steps can I take to decide when I am faced with a problem?

3. How can I take refuge in God?  How can I remember daily that He is here?  How does remembering that God is in heaven and on His throne help me to be encouraged?  Do I think about this often?  Why or why not?

4.  How do I feel about God examining me?  Is there anything I am ashamed of?  Is there anything that I wish He didn't see?  How can I change these things?  How can I get help?

5.  Do I feel truth is relative or is there an absolute truth? Why?  What is my personal standard for truth?  Why did I chose that standard?  If I believe truth is relative, how do I determine right from wrong?  How do I feel about God being the final judge?  Why?

Daily Devotional - 1/26

Prayer Focus - Wants

Day 1
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God


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




Psalms 86


"The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life - men without regard for You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant. Give me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me." ( vs. 14-17)


Sometimes we feel like we are being attacked on all fronts. I find myself at times saying that my life is too much for me, and I know there are so many out there with more difficulties than I. It can be overwhelming dealing with life, but we know that God has given set the race that is marked out for us to run. It is all in His hands and He knows what He is doing. God is compassionate. He is not being mean to us. He is training us. I give my students a lot of work and push them because I want them to be excellent. I make them follow my directions so that they may become thorough and learn to complete projects. If I made things too easy for them, it would be as if I thought they were not intelligent enough or capable enough. Difficulty is often a sign of the belief that one is able. God feels that we are able to handle whatever is given us. He knows what we can take and He is faithful. He is training and disciplining us to our eternal benefit and for His glory here as we are being transformed. He often pushes us to our limits as well because He wants us to rely on Him. As I go about my incredibly busy schedule, sometimes I look back and wonder how I got everything I did done that day. I know it was only God because it seems too much for one person. I laugh and think I am walking on water. I do not know how long I can keep it up but I will focus one day at a time on the one who is able. He will grant me strength and He will save me. Each sunrise I see as I drive to work in the morning is His sign of goodness to me that I have another day. I am so grateful to be alive.




Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


Continue to grant us Your strength. We are nothing without You. We appreciate all the signs of goodness that You bring us. The sunrises and sunsets remind us that we have another day. The ocean and mountains loom large and unfathomable. They are solid representations of the unchanging nature of You. We get so caught up in the now and forget to see You. When we look at You, everything else seems to fall away. Thank You for believing in us and for pushing us to be our best. We want to please You. We put our days in Your hands and we wait for Your salvation.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. What is my view of God? What influences how I feel about Him? Why? How can I develop a more accurate vision of who He is?


2. Do I seek Gods' mercy and strength or am I trying to do it all on my own? What holds me back from relying on God? Why? When do I find I can easily trust God and when do I struggle with letting go?


3. What signs of God's goodness have I received? Do I miss some of God's signs? Why? How can I change my view of life so that I see the good more than the bad?


4. How do I feel about my struggles? Do I see them as an opportunity for growth and as training or do I blame God? Do I ever feel that God is not taking care of me or does not have control over the events of my life. How will trusting that nothing is outside of God's will affect how I react to difficulties?

Daily Devotional - 1/24

Prayer Focus - Personal Transformation



Day 6
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)



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



Psalms 84


"My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." ( vs. 2)

It is so hard to live in this world sometimes. The never ending bad news and the ever present failure that we live with. My heart often longs for something better; that perfect world with no pain or sorrow. Where there is no yelling and people do what is right because that is their hearts desire. Where people long to be kind and loving and respect others. Where I am different, better. This is not to be found on this fallen earth though; this dream would be reserved for that someday place, the courts of God.


"Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You. Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion." (vs. 4-7)

But we can have some peace here. God has commanded us to rejoice in Him always. So in spite of all that is wrong, we can be full of joy. We can have a place here, a refuge. Of course, we have our relationship with God, but sometimes we need God with flesh on Him. For this, God has given us His house, His kingdom. The church is not just a beautiful building with stained glass windows. It is the living and breathing body of Christ. It is the kingdom of God on earth and will continue up to heaven where all the saints will rejoice someday. We are praising God if we have a home in the church. It is our piece of heaven here and our family. It helps us set our hearts on this pilgrimage called life. We cannot be solo Christians. I know, I have tried many times. We all get a little crazy when we isolate ourselves. We were meant for relationships, whether we want to admit it or not. This is where we will grow and become more like Christ as we deal with fulfilling our purpose together. I want to be like the person in the psalm. I want to go from strength to strength and turn the valley of sufferings in my life and the lives of others into beautiful places for peaceful respite. I know I am not there. I have to start small, say maybe making some phone calls to others once in awhile, but I can do it. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.



"Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You." (vs 10-12)


Someday we will be in paradise, whatever that is like. But for now, it is good to be a nothing and be with God. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God. It will be worth it someday. It is worth it now. We must not grow weary in doing good because we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Gal 6:7-10). No good thing does God withhold from him whose walk is blameless. Let us walk right so we will make it there.




Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


Better is one day with You than all the world can offer. We long for You. This old world gets us down. We can not make it on our own. We get so weary. But You are able. You do not slumber or sleep. You are in control. Everything will be alright. Everything will be alright. Help us to keep our priorities right and help us to cling to Your kingdom so that we will be strengthened for the path we must travel. We want to bring blessings to the world and let them know You. We want to turn the valleys of sorrows we encounter into valleys of joy. Make us into this type of person who can spread joy and the knowledge of You throughout the world. We long to make a difference.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. Do I long to be with God? Why or why not? What keeps me from seeing my need for God? When do I long for Him the most? How can I increase my desire for spending time with Him?


2. Am I a part of the kingdom of God? What does that mean in my life? Do I have a church home? How can I find one? Am I tied with those in my church home, if I have one? How can I get more involved?


3. Am I set on pilgrimage? Am I focused on my purpose as a Christian and member of the house of God or am I caught up running after what the world offers? What would those closest to me say? How can I get my self back on track if I am off? If I am set on pilgrimage, how can I help get others involved as well?


4. Am I making things better for those around me or do I cause more problems than I solve? Am I making valleys of suffering into valleys of joy? Am I going from strength to strength? Am I growing and getting better day by day? How can I change if I answered no to any of these questions? What areas do I need to work on? Am I finding my strength in God?

Daily Devotional - 11/14

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



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 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 to 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 is so much easier. 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 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. 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? What can I go back and finish that I quit? What other ways can I start working on becoming more of a finisher?

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

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

Daily Devotional - 11/13

Prayer Focus - Needs

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


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 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 important. When we look around at others and compare ourselves with others, especially those not following God, we can end up dissatisfied with our lot. Those who are chasing after what the world offers can achieve quite a bit and I believe that Satan rewards them to help lead others astray. We can look at their schedules, which often have more free time and leisure activities, and begin to envy them. We can also envy their financial success as they often use unethical methods to get ahead. We can look at their fancy houses, clothes, and the like and then wonder why we are struggling and trying to do things God's way. But God does not promise wealth and success. God promises spiritual rewards.

If we lose sight of this we can easily slip. It is not hard to get to this point and we become like brute beasts when we start envying. We lose all of our dignity and integrity.  This is not what we want nor is it what God wants for us.  We need to get back 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 always with Him, serving Him for eternity.  The amazing thing is, that 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? Am I being still so that I can remember that God is God and allow myself to hear His voice?

Daily Devotional - 11/11

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 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 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? Am I becoming better or bitter? How can I make sure that I become better as a person through the difficult times?


2. 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?


3. What fears and discouragements am I facing as I get older? How am I turning to God with them?


4. 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?

Daily Devotional - 11/8

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 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 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 froth 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 of thousands of chariots and warriors and God is looking out for us in all of our situations. If we are lonely. If we are fatherless. If we are widows. 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, we will reap the consequences of that. 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 am led to believe that they must have been rebellious in some way. Perhaps it was rebellion in the heart that was only visible to God but that is all that matters. He has asked us to be in submission to Him in order to receive the blessing and that is what we need to be. God will save. God will give us strength. Praise be to God!




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 to not 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, 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? How become more submissive to God?


3. 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? Why do I struggle with letting God take charge in my life?


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

Daily Devotional - 11/2

Prayer Focus - Strangers


Day 5
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
One person you met/meet today
One person that is in the entertainment industry
One person in politics
One person you always see but have never spoken to


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



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




Psalms 62



"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken." ( vs. 1-2)

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty Rock, my Refuge. Trust in Hm at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." (vs. 7-8)

"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that You, O God, are strong, and that You, O Lord, are loving. Surely You will reward each person according to what he has done." (vs. 11-12)



Nothing else can provide relief and rest for me except God. I can try many other avenues to peace and comfort but they will always be lacking. God is the only one that can save me. He is my strength. How incredible that I can cling to the promise that I will never be shaken. No matter what happens, I will not be shaken if I turn to God for my strength. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)" I will trust in Him at all times, because He is good and He is able. Why would I trust in myself when I am so lacking? Why would I trust in others as well to do what only God can do? I need to get help from others when that is warranted and I need to depend on them emotionally as well. All the one another scriptures in the new testament point this out, but in the end, my ultimate trust has to be in God. Only God can master our bodies and our souls. Only God has the whole of eternity within his eyesight and grasp.

I will trust in Him and I will pour out my heart to Him as well. Although God knows all my thoughts before I think them, He still wants to hear them. That is such a strange thought to me, but it is what God has asked from us. There is something in speaking. It is a commitment. Until a thought is spoken, it can still be taken back and changed. Once it leaves our mouths, it is out there for all of eternity. There is no way to take it back. Perhaps this is why God wants us to pour out our hearts to Him. He wants us to commit to something; to commit to getting help from Him and commit to dealing with everything that is in our hearts. We cannot hide it anymore. We cannot run from it either. We can be healed now. God is our refuge.

Finally, I will remember that God is strong. That is a given which I need to remember. He is not like me. He is more than capable. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). God is huge. "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do." Although these are the words of a children's song, they are apropos. I will also remember that God is loving. He loves me. He loves You. All of what He does day to day in maintaining and running the universe is in an effort to try and bring people back to Him. That is His ultimate goal and desire. He desires that all men are saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (I Tim 2:3-4). God will reward us if we are faithful. He will reward us for what we have done!

"Surely You will reward each person according to what he has done."

Let us do something worthy of being rewarded. Let us get going today.




Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


We are coming to You. Our souls find rest in You alone. Thank You for providing us with the refuge that we so long for. We are lonely, weary travelers here. We are so different that sometimes it is tiresome. But You know. You are strong and You are loving. You will be here for us and provide for us. You are our fortress and refuge. We will trust in You. We will pour out our hearts to You. We will commit with our hearts and souls to serving You. We know You will reward us.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen




QFT




1. Am I finding rest in God alone? What other things do I try to find rest in? How can I turn more to God for the rest and refreshing that I need?

2. Am I easily shaken? What does my stability say about my relationship with God? How can I become more stable?

3. Which of the names for God mentioned here do I most identify with? What does it mean to me to know that God has these qualities? How can this help me to trust in Him at all times?

4. Am I remembering that God is strong and loving? Which of these is harder for me to remember? Why? Am I living as if I believed He was going to reward me according to what I have done? What would I change if I truly believed He was going to do this?