Daily Devotional - 10/7

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




Day 7
Pray for:
One leader who inspires you
One leader who you know is struggling with something
One leader from another country
One local leader
One political leader
One leader you disagree with
One leader you interact with on a daily basis


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




Dear Lord - Help me to hear You and grant me the strength to obey.




Psalms 37


"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away." (vs. 1-2)


"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain form anger and turn from wrath; do not fret- it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land." (vs. 7-9)






It is okay to not worry. In fact, it is more than okay, it is what is expected of us. This seems so counter intuitive. I almost feel guilty if I am not worrying. "Perhaps I am not being responsible if I give up my worry," I think. There is so much that can go wrong in the world. There is so much that can go wrong in my life, in my children's lives. It is overwhelming to think about every danger and yet I often try to. Thankfully, I do not have to. I can give this up and I must remind myself that I need to do this on a daily basis.








This is not just a suggestion either. This is a command. In several places, I am told - Do not worry. It is very clear. I have been commanded to not worry about anything. Not about my life, what I will eat or drink. Not about my body, what I will wear (Matt 6:25-34). Not about evil men. Not even when they are carrying out their wicked schemes (vs 2). Not even then. I am commanded - Do not worry! The evil men will get what's coming to them. It will happen someday. What about the large global and political issues? What about the global economy or the H1N1 virus? Is God bigger than this new flu? Is God bigger than depression? Bigger than world crises? Yes. He is bigger that even these things. What about evil conspiracies and the evil plots of diabolical men. Even then, I am not to fear or worry. I am to be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. I am to refrain from anger and turn from wrath. I am to not fret - it leads only to evil. Worrying will not add an hour to my life, rather it will dissipate the energy I have left that could be used to fight. Worry is a large consuming force of Satan's and it has far reaching consequences. I must start viewing it as God does, as a direct affront to Him. It is not a little sin. It is enormous.






"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (vs. 3-4)


But it is not enough to just stop worrying. I am to start doing something as well. I am to let go of worry and to grab a hold of doing good. I am supposed to start being proactive, not just sitting around worrying. I am to start trusting in God, that He will take care of everything and that He knows the ins and outs of my lives. I need to remember that not even a sparrow falls to the earth without Him knowing (Matt 10:28-31). Surely He knows my life and times. Surely, He knows my fears. With my youngest daughter's asthma and various other health issues, such as severe food allergies, I have had to come to trust God over and over again. Even as I write this, she is sick again and I am tempted to worry about the flu and all of the warnings of it striking hardest those with underlying health issues. I have had to come to grips with the fact that a day may come when God may want her back with Him. I have spent many nights in the emergency room with her already in her short five years. I am continually reminded that it is not up to me, and now I deal with my husband as well.




I cannot focus on these things or I will be crippled. There was a time when much less would send me off to bed to sleep til the storm had past. Those days are over. God has used life to mature me and He is continually perfecting the process. I have learned that I need to just focus on doing good. If I sit and worry, I waste the time I do have with those I love. I cannot be godly while in the midst of a worry induced panic. So I need to focus on doing good. I need to dwell in the land. I need to live; to be here in the moment, to be with my children and laugh and play. This is so hard for me. I am so used to worrying. It is almost a comfort to me, like a drink to an alcoholic. If I have my worry, I think I will be okay, but I will not be.






I am to live and enjoy safe pasture. I am to have life, and life to the fullest. That is why Jesus came (John 10:10). Then when I die, my existence will be even better. This is so hard for me to fathom. The afterlife is so unknown. I hope and pray to have the child-like faith of my Joelle, (my youngest), who tells me that she cannot wait to go to heaven so that she will not have asthma anymore and will be able to eat nuts and not react. She talks with such longing for the day she will be there and have her perfect body. She shares this with her little friends at school and she laughs and plays in the meantime. She is not afraid. She is not worried. She is good at living and good at trusting. I love that about her and strive to imitate it. Finally, I am to delight myself in the Lord. I am to get to the point where it truly is all about God and I can let go of the rest. Then and only then can He give me the desires of my heart because then and only then will I use His gifts correctly and my desires will also be what are pleasing to Him.






In the end, if we hope in the Lord, we will inherit the land (vs. 9). The Lord laughs at the wicked for He knows their day is coming (vs. 13). Better the little that the righteous have than evil with money. It is better to be righteous than rich (vs. 16). The power of the wicked will be broken (vs. 17). It may not seem like it now. Evil does seem to rule this old world, but if so, it is only temporary. God wins out in the end and that is what I need to cling on to. In times of disaster, I will not wither or fade (vs. 19). Even in famine, I will be supported and my children protected (vs. 19). For if the Lord delights in me, He will help me and make my ways firm.




I will wait for the Lord and keep His way. There is a future for the man of peace.






Prayer for the Day


Father, We want You to delight in us. It is often difficult to know if anyone has ever truly delighted in us, but we would really like that. We want to be special to someone. Father, we know that the righteous are never forsaken. Help us to turn from evil and do good. We know that You will not forsake Your faithful ones. If we hide the law of God is in our hearts, we will not slip. If we are righteous, the Lord will not let us remain under the power of the wicked or be condemned. We are so grateful for You.


In Jesus' Name,


Amen






QFT


1. Am I a worrier? How is this not trusting God? What specific things do I worry about the most? How can I surrender them to God?


2. Am I an angry person? If so, what is the anger about? How can I let this negative emotion go?


3. Am I living life to the fullest and being "in the moment" or am I hiding behind worry? What promises of God can help me to stop worrying?


4. How can I do good and be proactive with my life. What have I been avoiding because of worry or fear? What can I start doing?

Daily Devotional - 10/6

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


Day 6
Pray for:
One leader who inspires you
One leader who you know is struggling with something
One leader from another country
One local leader
One political leader
One leader you disagree with


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


Dear Lord - Help me to hear You and grant me the strength to obey.



Psalms 36


"An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin." (vs. 1-2)

Without the fear of God, we get into a lot of trouble. I believe that is partly why the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10, Psalms 111:10). Without it, we get puffed up and think that we are something special. We are special to God, but not for anything we have done. Like a precious child, God loves us because we are His creations. We can never be good enough or earn God's love. It just is. It is so important that we keep in perspective the fleeting nature of our lives and the inability we have to control the workings of the world and time and chance. We are so minuscule and yet so often we presume to be kings and queens. We presume to be able to rule over our lives. We flatter ourselves too much and can not take a good look at ourselves and our need anymore. When we start on this path, it is leading us to our downfall. We must continually work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12-13). That is what God wants. He does not want us groveling on the ground but He wants us, like humble children, to acknowledge our need for Him. He wants us to draw close to Him so that He can take care of us like a father would his child. Consider these passages:

"Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies...How priceless is Your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house; You give them drink from Your river of delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. Continue Your love to those who know You, Your righteousness to the upright in heart." (vs. 5, 7-10)

God's love is priceless. His justice is amazing. We are all the same and equal in the eyes of God; the rich and poor, alike, will fall at the feet of the Lord someday and praise Him. In the present also, we are all to find shelter in the shadow of His wings. We are to run to Him as chicks run to hide under the wings of their mother. His care for us is immense. We can feast on the abundance of His house. We may be struggling now, but God has abundance. We can feast on it, if we find refuge in Him and maintain our fear of the Lord. We can also drink from His river of delight. We all like to be delighted. God has a whole river awaiting us. With Him is also the fountain of life. It springs up for us to drink from. Finally, in His light we see light. We do not have to go blindly about our days anymore. We can see because the Lord will light our path and show us which way to go. God will continue His love for us, but is up to us to remain in it (John 15:10).

Daily Prayer

Dear Lord,

Continue Your love and Your righteous to us. Help us to fear You because we know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We know that You want to take care of us and pull us under Your wing so that You can comfort us. Help us to number our days right so that we realize that we do not have long here and that we need to take advantage of it. We don't want to be swept along with the evildoers. We want to rise up and be a comfort to others. We know how the evildoers will lie fallen, thrown down, not able to rise. Keep us from this fate and help us to stay focused on You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

QFT

1. Do I fear God? What does that mean to me?

2. Am I willing to look at the sin in my life? Am I willing to hate it? Why or why not? How can looking at my sin help me? How can hating my sin help me?

3. How can I draw close to God? Who do I have that can help me to do this?

4. What does it mean to me that God has a house of abundance, a river of delight, and a fountain of life available to me? How can this encourage me?

Daily Devotional - 10/5

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


Day 5
Pray for:
One leader who inspires you
One leader who you know is struggling with something
One leader from another country
One local leader
One political leader


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


Dear Lord - Help me to hear You and grant me the strength to obey.

Psalms 35

"Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me...Say to my soul, I am your salvation." (vs. 1 & 3b)

Sometimes someone we love can act like an enemy in our lives. It may be a spouse, a parent, a child, a sibling, or a co-worker. It can be anyone close to us really. This is a painful situation when it arises, but God knows what we are going through and why. Although it is difficult, we need to view the relationship from a distance and see that this is really a spiritual battle between good and evil. In many ways, it is not really about us, especially if we have done nothing to provoke the antagonism. We always need to search our hearts and make sure there is nothing we can change, but in the end we need to realize "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:10-12)." Since the battle is a spiritual one, we need to pray for God to contend with them and fight against the sinfulness in their lives. It is not up to us to fight them personally.

We definitely need to turn to God and cling to Him in these situations. We can feel like we are at the end of our rope and don't know how much more we can take. Only God can provide the comfort we truly need in this situation. He can speak to our souls when they are down and devastated and say what truly will heal and comfort them. God can make our souls know that He is our salvation. No one else is. God can and will save us when the time is right, and in the meantime, we are to remember that "our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us....And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:18 & 28)"

God can put a bubble around our hearts so that the attacks and anger of the person we are dealing with will just bounce right off of us and we will be able to say, "I am sorry that you feel this way. I am sorry that you are angry with me." God can help us to not retaliate. We are called to rise above as evidenced by the following scriptures.

I Peter 3: 9-17 (9, 14-15a, highlights printed below)
"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing...But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. 'Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.' But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.... It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."

Romans 12:19-21
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”


Proverbs 24: 17-18
"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him."

Matt 5:43-48
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

This seems like too much of a challenge at times, but God rescues us. Our enemies may be too strong for us emotionally. They may beat us down and oppress us. They may rob us of our joy at times, but God will rescue us in due time. God knows. God knows when we are being repaid evil for good. He knows when our souls are left forlorn by various relational conflicts. God will take care of it. Our responsibility is to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ, no matter what happens (Phil 1:27a). We still need to love and pray and fast for our enemies. We need to be like God and rise above. Despite their actions, we need to be loving and full of empathy and compassion. We need to love our enemies, regardless.

Prayer for the day

Father, You have seen our struggles. Do not be far from us, so that we can do right in the midst of our relational struggles. We will rejoice in You always. We will say to our souls, "The Lord is my salvation." We will not look for salvation from those around us because they will fail us, but You will never. Help us to be gentle as we remember that You are near. Forgive us Lord where we need to be forgiven. Strengthen us where we need to be strengthen. Vindicate us, Lord, where we need to be vindicated. We know You delight in our well being. Today we will speak of You because You are awesome, no matter what. You are in control of all that is going on in our lives and You know. Help us to keep doing right and keep rejoicing in You. You will take care of the rest.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

QFT

1. Is there any relationship in my life right now that is difficult? Am I dealing with it in a righteous manner?

2. How do I treat those who do not like me? Am I loving my enemies?

3. How can I overcome evil with good? What situations in my life might be categorized as evil? What is my attitude like towards them? What are my actions in dealing with them?

4. Is there a past relationship that I have not dealt with? How can I resolve this so that my heart is right before God?

Daily Devotional - 10/4

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

Day 4
Pray for:
One leader who inspires you
One leader who you know is struggling with something
One leader from another country
One local leader

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


Dear Lord - Help me to hear You and grant me the strength to obey.


Psalms 34


"I will extol the lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together."

This is an amazing psalm and even more amazing if we consider who wrote it and when. This is one of David's psalms, written when he has to flee before his son who has overthrown him (II Sam 15). In the midst of all of this, David is praising God and calling others to do the same. He does not want anyone's sympathy. He only wants to praise and boast in the Lord. He does not feel forgotten by God. He explains that the Lord is with him and always will be; things will be alright with him and he will lack nothing. It is hard to fathom the depths of his relationship with God that allows him to feel as he does. It is surely something for all of us to strive after. Then we will be able to be men and women after God's own heart and will be able to help transform the lives of others as well.

David was not new to trouble. It seems that his life had more than one man's share. Some of it was brought about by his sin and some of it was used to train him to become the great man he eventually was. Because of this, he was able to impact others in incredible ways. In I Samuel 22:1-2, David flees from Saul who is trying to kill him. As he flees, he gathers quite a crowd of followers. "All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him. (I Sam 22: 2)" In the Message Bible, it calls them "all who were down on their luck - losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts." This crowd is transformed by their time with David because in II Samuel 23:8-39, these men are now referred to as David's Mighty Men and there exploits are phenomenal. How did they become these mighty men? I am sure it is because David taught them how to take hold of their thoughts and turn them around,; focusing them on God and His power.

I am completely convinced that most of our battles are in our minds. That is why the Bible, and especially the Psalms are filled with the advice and admonition for us to praise God, to think on what is good. My mind is the key to most of my days. This weekend was a very negative time for me, but nothing in my life was different. What was different was my thought life. I noticed that everything I thought and the words from my mouth were not positive. I walked around grumpy, looked at all of the problems, felt totally overwhelmed, and eventually lost my cool. I was not taking captive every thought (II Cor 10:5). I was giving in to self pity and I was losing sight of the many victories in my life ant the great ways that God was working. David has the best advice for me and all of us when we begin to get down and negative. He encourages us as I am sure he did his men on a daily basis - "let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together." He calls us even today. If we are afflicted, at all times - extol, praise, rejoice. Tell of His greatness. Boast in the Lord. If you have problems? If I have problems? Rejoice. Glorify God and exalt His name. Get out of ourselves!! Get our eyes back on God. Seek God and He will deliver us. He has delivered us from all of our fears!! If we look to God, we will be radiant; our faces never covered with shame.


"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all." (vs. 17-19)


God hears the righteous. God delivers. We don't have to start out righteous. David's mighty men did not start out mighty, but we need to become what God wants us to be. God is close to the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. Those men were surely crushed and defeated but they were transformed by David's continual effort to get them focused back on God and praise. He helped them become better by changing their thought life. We do not have to stay down and negative. We do not have to stay brokenhearted and crushed, even if the weight is overwhelming. Nothing is too big for God to solve. We just need to allow our minds to be transformed. As the scripture says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

I have felt God's comfort. I have seen the care He is giving us. He does save the crushed. If we want to hang onto our faith, we can. It is my choice because I am in control of my thoughts and what I dwell on. Negative thoughts may come in but I am to take them captive and get rid of them. I am to meditate on God's word, and I am to treasure it in my heart so I will not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11) In this world, I will have trouble. Perhaps even many troubles, but the Lord can deliver me from them all.

What great promises for me to dwell on. I will fear the Lord so that I will lack nothing (vs. 9). I will remember that the angel of "the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them (vs. 6b-7)." I will dwell on the fact the "The lions may grow weak and hungry but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing (vs. 10)" Finally, I will remember that "The Lord redeems His servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him.

Come, let us praise God together, and let us be transformed.

QFT

1. Would I consider myself a positive or negative person? Why? How can I work on my thought life to make it more pleasing to God?

2. What is my thought life like when I find myself struggling with sin? Is there a correlation between my thoughts and my actions? If yes, how can I change my thoughts to keep myself from sinning?

3. What is the pattern of this world? Am I conforming to it? How am I doing this? What can I change?

4. Am I allowing myself to be transformed into a mighty man/woman for God? How can I do this? Who can help me in this process?

Daily Devotional - 10/3

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

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


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


Dear Lord - Help me to hear You and grant me the strength to obey.


Psalms 33



"Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him." (vs. 1)

I was not very happy today. It was just one of those down days we have now and then and I struggled even to sit down and write. As I read the Psalm, I was reminded once again that I am to be joyful, I am to rejoice, not just when my emotions back me up on it, but always. I am reminded that it is fitting for me to praise God and rejoice in Him. I do not have to be happy about circumstances that are negative, but I am to be happy about a God who is consistent. It is fitting. If I have the being who created me at my side, if I have a book full of promises that He has plans for me, if I have the security of forgiveness and the cross before me, what is there that I cannot get through. I will sing joyfully to Him and I will praise Him. I will go beyond that also.


"Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy." (vs. 3)



I will sing a new song to Him as well. I will not get stuck doing things the same way over and over again. In my blueness today, I thought of giving up writing this devotional. I thought it was too difficult and I was so busy. I thought I had no more ideas. Then I sat down and read the psalm again. I was reminded that this is my new song to God. This is something that I have wanted to do for years and have been afraid. This is my way of communicating all that is inside me and that will never get out otherwise. This is for God, not me. This is His blog and for Him, I will keep it going. It is my new song. We all need a new song; something that inspires us and challenges us. Something that we think is impossible. I love the quote by Saint Francis of Assisi, "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." We need to get a new song going today. What will my new song be today? What will your new song be today?

Once I have figured out what my new song is, I will play skillfully at it. I will play skillfully on this new song and my old songs as well for that matter. Often my goal is just to play with no regard to the many I do things. I think, "If I can just get by and get something done, I will be happy." I must broaden my sights. I need to embrace living skillfully. It is possible because all things are possible through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). I need to not live haphazardly any more. I need to remember, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Col 3:23-24).

Right now I am a teacher and so I am teaching for God. He wants me teaching, although it is not something I ever planned to do. I must embrace it and become excellent and skillful at it. It is my job and service to God. He has shut all the other doors at this time. I am writing. I must write and become skillful at it as it is a talent that God has given me. It is my job of service as well. In everything I do, I want to be skillful. I want to remember that I am doing everything, even the mundane tasks, like cleaning my house and doing laundry for the Lord and not just for my family. It is my goal to do it all skillfully. And I will shout for joy that I have been given these tasks to accomplish; that I have been deemed worthy to carry it out. I want to be found faithful. I will shout for joy for this and other reasons such as the following.


"For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does." (vs. 4)


I will shout for joy because God's word is right and true. I am not doing this for naught. I am not obeying God for nothing. He will not forget all of my hard work (Gal 6:7-10)! He is faithful in all He does. This is not some farce I have been on. This is true and right. God is here and He is faithful. I can look to all of His promises and know that the more I obey His word, the more He will be able to bless me. I have seen His principles bring great rewards in my life, marriage, and parenting when I have been willing to step it up and follow more accurately His teachings. This includes the ones that I may not understand, or like, on first glance. It is crucial to turn away from doing our own thing and turn back to His will because that is what will win in the end anyway.


"The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance." (vs. 12)


God loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of His unfailing love. I need to fear and revere God because He is great. His plans will happen, not ours. I need to get on board the winning team. God foils and thwarts our plans and purposes. He foils and thwarts even the plans of nations. If we would turn back to God, we could be blessed. We aren't going to be blessed by politics or laws but by getting our heart and soul back to God. We need to go back to our foundation and principles; those that are based on Him and His principles. Blessed are the people He chose. He chose me. He really picked me. What an amazing thought. I need to get with His game plan because I was chosen. I am important in all of this! It is so amazing that God would use me; that God would use any of us. He is so big and grand.



"From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; From His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth - He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You." (vs. 13-22)


God is watching all of us. He sees everything. God formed my heart. He knows me and He is considering everything that I do. No one here can save themselves; not any king, not any strong warrior or horse. The strongest of men and created things are as nothing to God. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him; on those whose hope is in His unfailing love. His eyes are on those who trust in Him to deliver us from death and keep us alive. Only God can really do these things. We wait in hope for the Lord, not impatiently, - in hope. He is our help and our shield. In Him we can rejoice.

Be happy because of God. Trust in His name. It is who you know that gets you somewhere in life and we know that best.

May Your love be on us all as we trust in You, dear Lord.


QFT

1. What will my new song be today? How can I get started with it?

2. In my life, what is the necessary? What is the possible? What is the impossible that I would like to see happen?

3. Am I joyful? Am I praising God, even when my emotions are not supporting me in it? How can I change this if I am not joyful and how can I incorporate more praise into my life?

4. Am I playing skillfully, or just playing? How can I start playing skillfully? What training or help do I need and in what areas?

Daily Devotional - 10/2

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

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

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

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


Psalms 32

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not not count against him and in whose spirit is not deceit." (vs. 1-2)

We are blessed if we are forgiven. We are blessed if we have no deceit. Then we can walk with out fear. Deceit can be out and out lies or, as it states, found in us when we keep silent. When we are not "living out loud", we are wasting away. We need to be open channels for God's love to flow through us. We can't let sin, clutter, confusion, and disorder of any kind block us and stop us up. We will lose strength. We need to just get it all out and then call out to God to search us.

"Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." (vs. 6-7)

Pray while He can be found. It can be too late. There are deadlines. Whether or not we want them to, they exist. Thank God, we can hide in Him. He is a better place to hide than any real physical place. God will protect me. God says He will teach us and show us how to go. He will counsel and watch over us. But, we have to receive it. We need to not be like an animal who has to be forced. Our attitude should be, "I will do it!" Don't force God; come willingly. The wicked have lots of problems but unfailing love surrounds us if we trust in God.

Rejoice in the Lord! Be Glad! Sing!

If I am righteous and upright in my heart, I can. I can look for the beauty in everything. This morning , I experienced God's mercy and beauty. This is God's world. There is hope.


QFT

1. Do I have any deceit in me? If so, is it out in the open type of deceit, or the deceit of not speaking up about something? How can I become honest in all ways?

2. Is there anything blocking the flow of God's love and communication through me? If so, how can I get rid of it?

3. Am I praying about my needs and the needs of others regularly? Why or why not? How can I get in the practice of praying for others on a regular basis?

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

Daily Devotional - 10/1

Prayer Focus - Leaders

Pray for:
One leader who inspires you
their physical strength and needs
their emotional strength and needs
their mental strength and needs
their spiritual strength and needs

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

Psalms 31

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

QFT

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

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

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

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