Daily Prayer - Focus Letter C
Pray for:
Five things you are grateful for with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name starts with focus letter
A country, city, or place that starts with the focus letter
An attitude you want to see grow and develop in you or your family with the focus letter
Dear Lord - Please let me hear your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalm 3
"Oh Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, 'God will not deliver him.'" (vs. 1)
Most people do not really understand God and waiting on Him. We are impatient and if we do not see it, we think nothing is happening. This is the world we live in. It only looks at the surface of life and believes what is seen. We have all heard the expression - I will believe it when I see it. But for God it is - Believe it, and then you will see it. We also live in a world currently mired in instant gratification. If something isn't happening immediately or in the time frame we map out, then in our minds, it isn't happening and will not happen in the future. But this is not God's way. God is the God of the unseen, of what is not. We must learn to see with new eyes and wait on Him.
"But You are a shield around me, Oh Lord; You bestow glory on me, and lift up my head." (vs. 2)
The key is to look beyond the surface, to know God is working even when we don't see evidence. He is our shield. He is bestowing glory on us. He is lifting up our heads. Although I do not see it now, I know it is happening. This is like the story in the Old Testament of the angel that was delayed in coming. He was coming, and God is helping us but we do not know what is going on behind the scenes in our own lives. We do not know how the trials are changing us and helping us to grow. Only after it is over, sometimes, we can look back and see God's unseen hand that was at work. Often even our friends and families will not understand how God is working if they do not know Him. But we know.
"I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side...From the Lord comes deliverance. May Your blessing be on Your people." (vs. 5, 6 & 8)
The fact that we can go to sleep and wake up again the next day is because of God. Our mere existence is constant evidence to the working of God. We put no conscious thought into the most basic and important bodily functions and yet they keep going. Have you ever thought of what we would have to go through if we had to think about breathing or having our hearts beat in order to stay alive. There would be no time for anything else. How complex and amazing our bodies are, our hearts that beat away, and our lungs that draw in the air to give us the energy to function. This is God. This is God sustaining me every minute of every day. So even if His timing is not mine, if His answers do not come when I want, there is evidence of Him all around me if I am willing to look.
So I will not fear - disease, death, debt, clutter, or the faults that plague me - even tens of thousands drawn up on every side. Nothing is too much for God, or me, because I have God with me and His enormous power that can even raise the dead is at work in my life. What a thought!
We just need to call out for His deliverance. It is okay to do this. The psalmist is bold and says "Arise, O Lord! Deliver me" (vs. 7a). He was not afraid to ask. Most of the time, we do not have because we do not ask. We want but we forget to go to the one who can provide (James 4:2-3). We must remember that those who ask will receive (Matt 7:7-8). I will receive something and it will be good and good for me.
Finally, deliverance comes from the Lord. Everything else will fail us or let us down. People die, accidents happen. There are no guarantees except one - that the Lord will deliver - and that in itself should be enough.
Bless us Lord because no one else truly can.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful that You are working even when we can not see anything. We are grateful that You are in control and that we do not have to fear anything. Help us to keep our focus on You and the unseen miracles that keep us alive. Help us to remember that there is a spiritual world around us. Come to us Lord and deliver us. Be our shield and bless us. Yes, bless us Lord, for we need You.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
QTF
1. What are the foes that are rising against me? Do I have anyone who tends to discourage me spiritually and cast doubt on my ablility to change and grow as a Christian?
2. Am I willing to wait for God to work out circumstances in my life or do I tend to force my will? How can I start to wait on the Lord more? What situations do I need to wait on right now?
3. How have I seen God deliver me in the past? How is He working to sustain me right now? How can this encourage me? What can I do to keep these victories in my mind during difficult times?
4. What do I fear? What are the ten thousands rising against me now? In what ways might God deal with these situations?
5. Am I willing to be bold and call on God when I need Him? How is my prayer life? Do I spend more time worrying or praying? How can I change this?
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Daily Devotional - 8/2/10 (9/2/09)
Prayer Focus - Letter B
(See yesterday's note for more background on this)
Pray for:
Five things that I am grateful for that starts with the letter
Five people whose first or last name starts with the letter
One place - city, state, or country- that begins with the letter
One character trait I would like to see my family and I grow in
Dear Lord, please let me hear your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalm 2
"The One enthroned in Heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them." (vs 2)
God is not afraid of people or nations or events. He is in control even if we can't see how or why. He has a plan even behind letting bad things happen. That sure is good to know because I can get so worried about current events, politics, and life in general. Often it just seems it is one crisis and tragedy after another almost to the breaking point but it is not. God is not afraid of all of this. He knows. He sees.
"Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling." (vs. 11)
I just need to serve God. I just need to fear Him rather than what is going on in the world. If He is the ultimate authority, then He is the one to worry about and strive to please. We tend to not like to think about fearing God and would rather focus on the loving nature of God. Even translating 'fear' as respect is not totally accurate. We do fear in our lives and often this is good. There is a place for fear because it can keep us out of danger and lead to wise planning.
I am not afraid to say "Fear God" anymore. I do not care what society says. We should fear God because He does have the ultimate authority. He has the power to create and destroy our souls. No one else on this earth can do what God can. People can only destroy our bodies. They can not destroy our souls. Only God has control over the destiny of our souls. Someone with this authority deserves my respect, awe, and yes, even fear.
Thank God, however, that He is a good God. We should fear, but not in the way we fear evil or evil people. We are to fear Him as we would a loving father who is willing to instruct and discipline us as we need, yet always loves us. Very few of us were blessed with fathers like this, but I can imagine what it would be like and come close to the feeling I believe I should have towards God. This is the same feeling I had towards a teacher that I really liked and respected. There was fear there, as well as respect, and this kept me from getting in trouble. I knew that if I did do something wrong, I would be disciplined, but it would not be unwarranted and it would not be unreasonable.
As the psalm ends, it brings to the blessings of God again. Although it speaks about the anger of God and the destruction of evil, it ends with...
"Blessed are all who take refuge in Him." (vs. 12b).
It is as if God knows that the talk of fear and destruction can be hard for many of us to understand so He comforts us by saying - 'Hey just take refuge in me. That will please me and I will bless you. Come here and let me protect you. Work with me, do what I ask of you because it is for your own good.' God is the perfect father, the one who will protect us, discipline us, and in the end lead us to victory, success, and true life. He knows the way to get us there so that is why He is so serious about us doing it His way and about righteousness and obedience.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are so grateful that You are in control of the world. It is too much for us. We are overwhelmed when we are honest with ourselves, because we know that we can do nothing really on our own power. Help us to put the affairs of the world in Your hands. Help us to fear You alone. You are great and You are loving. We praise You for all that You are. Help us to take refuge in You and live a life pleasing to You.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How is my attitude about world affairs? Do I let them overwhelm me and discourage me? Do I offer them up in prayer? How can I change my perspective and trust in God's ability to deal with world matters?
2. How do I feel about the concept of fearing God? Does this bother me? Why? What do I think of when I think of fearing something. Is it always negative? When has fear been helpful to me? How can I transfer this to God?
3. Who am I more afraid of - God or people? How do I know? How do I see myself fearing people? How would my life be different if I was more afraid of God?
4. Is there a person I have 'feared' in a good way? What was that person like? How is God better than this person? How did I act around this person? How can I transfer this to God? If I have never feared anyone in a good way, why?
5. Am I taking refuge in God? To what degree? How can I start doing this or do it more? How will I be blessed?
(See yesterday's note for more background on this)
Pray for:
Five things that I am grateful for that starts with the letter
Five people whose first or last name starts with the letter
One place - city, state, or country- that begins with the letter
One character trait I would like to see my family and I grow in
Dear Lord, please let me hear your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalm 2
"The One enthroned in Heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them." (vs 2)
God is not afraid of people or nations or events. He is in control even if we can't see how or why. He has a plan even behind letting bad things happen. That sure is good to know because I can get so worried about current events, politics, and life in general. Often it just seems it is one crisis and tragedy after another almost to the breaking point but it is not. God is not afraid of all of this. He knows. He sees.
"Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling." (vs. 11)
I just need to serve God. I just need to fear Him rather than what is going on in the world. If He is the ultimate authority, then He is the one to worry about and strive to please. We tend to not like to think about fearing God and would rather focus on the loving nature of God. Even translating 'fear' as respect is not totally accurate. We do fear in our lives and often this is good. There is a place for fear because it can keep us out of danger and lead to wise planning.
I am not afraid to say "Fear God" anymore. I do not care what society says. We should fear God because He does have the ultimate authority. He has the power to create and destroy our souls. No one else on this earth can do what God can. People can only destroy our bodies. They can not destroy our souls. Only God has control over the destiny of our souls. Someone with this authority deserves my respect, awe, and yes, even fear.
Thank God, however, that He is a good God. We should fear, but not in the way we fear evil or evil people. We are to fear Him as we would a loving father who is willing to instruct and discipline us as we need, yet always loves us. Very few of us were blessed with fathers like this, but I can imagine what it would be like and come close to the feeling I believe I should have towards God. This is the same feeling I had towards a teacher that I really liked and respected. There was fear there, as well as respect, and this kept me from getting in trouble. I knew that if I did do something wrong, I would be disciplined, but it would not be unwarranted and it would not be unreasonable.
As the psalm ends, it brings to the blessings of God again. Although it speaks about the anger of God and the destruction of evil, it ends with...
"Blessed are all who take refuge in Him." (vs. 12b).
It is as if God knows that the talk of fear and destruction can be hard for many of us to understand so He comforts us by saying - 'Hey just take refuge in me. That will please me and I will bless you. Come here and let me protect you. Work with me, do what I ask of you because it is for your own good.' God is the perfect father, the one who will protect us, discipline us, and in the end lead us to victory, success, and true life. He knows the way to get us there so that is why He is so serious about us doing it His way and about righteousness and obedience.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are so grateful that You are in control of the world. It is too much for us. We are overwhelmed when we are honest with ourselves, because we know that we can do nothing really on our own power. Help us to put the affairs of the world in Your hands. Help us to fear You alone. You are great and You are loving. We praise You for all that You are. Help us to take refuge in You and live a life pleasing to You.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How is my attitude about world affairs? Do I let them overwhelm me and discourage me? Do I offer them up in prayer? How can I change my perspective and trust in God's ability to deal with world matters?
2. How do I feel about the concept of fearing God? Does this bother me? Why? What do I think of when I think of fearing something. Is it always negative? When has fear been helpful to me? How can I transfer this to God?
3. Who am I more afraid of - God or people? How do I know? How do I see myself fearing people? How would my life be different if I was more afraid of God?
4. Is there a person I have 'feared' in a good way? What was that person like? How is God better than this person? How did I act around this person? How can I transfer this to God? If I have never feared anyone in a good way, why?
5. Am I taking refuge in God? To what degree? How can I start doing this or do it more? How will I be blessed?
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Daily Devotional - 8/1/10 (9/1/09)
I am reposting my daily devotionals that I started in September of last year. Since I never was able to finish the entire book of Psalms in a timely manner, I thought this would be a good way to restart them.
Prayer Focus - Letter A
I always start my quiet time with a written prayer. I usually make most of it a letter of gratitude so that I can get my heart right so early in the morning or at any time really. This month I am doing something a little different. I am focusing on a different letter of the alphabet each morning to get a little diversity in my prayer life. Today was the letter A, of course, and I tried to think of five things I was grateful for that began with the letter A. Then I prayed for five people whose first or last name began with A. I prayed for a country or city beginning with the letter and then I prayed for a characteristic that I wanted to see grow in my family and I that began with A. It was a challenge and fun. Tomorrow I will do the same with the letter B. At the end of my prayer, I always ask God to let me hear His voice and message and then grant me the strength to obey it.
Dear Lord - Help me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 1
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." (Psalms 1:1)
We will be blessed if we stay away from evil - even hate it. It is okay to hate some things.
"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night." (1:2)
I need to focus on loving God's law, not just reading it, knowing it, or obeying it. Sometimes I do what I am supposed to do, because, well, I am supposed to. This motivation will not last long. I need to love what God loves and hate what He hates because I want to know Him and because I enjoy and delight in Him.
How can I do this?
First, I can meditate on God and His word. We are what we think about. If I am thinking more about God's word as I go, such as in the car, I will be able to hear Him speaking to me. I know I have had this experience where I was thinking about some verse on the way to or from work and all of a sudden I had this new insight that was very helpful. It is just like God speaking to me because I know that wasn't something I had ever thought of before.
Also, I need to delight in His word, really get enjoyment out of it. I think this is often different for each one of us. I love to read so that is one way I enjoy and delight in His word. I study it out. Others might find it in other ways but the bottom line is that we have to find out how we delight in something and transfer that to God and His word.
There are so many promises that are linked to these few directions. The ones highlighted in this verse are as follows:
"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (1:3)
"For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous." (1:6a)
The man who is able to delight in God's law will be blessed and I know that is what we all want. We will always bear fruit, we will make a difference, and all we do will prosper. What great promises.
God is faithful and He watches over the way of the righteous. He knows how to take care of me but I need to do my part. I need to be righteous. Enough of this worrying about circumstances, I need to worry about righteousness. God will take care of the rest! All the little troubles and inconveniences of the day are not lost to God. He knows and all things do work to the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We long to be pleasing to You but it is so easy to stray away. Help us to delight in Your word. Help us to make it our priority each day. Help us to truly seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. Help us to meditate on Your law. We have had enough of the dry seasons and long to be trees planted by streams of water. We know You are able and You desire to do this. Grant us the strength and desire to do our part.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How am I walking in the counsel of the wicked, standing in the way of sinners, or sitting in the seat of mockers? How can I change this? Why am I doing this?
2. How can I delight in God's word? What ways do I find most effective? How can I begin to incorporate the meditation of scripture into my time with God or enhance it if I already do meditate?
3. What will my life be like when I am like this tree planted by streams of water? What do I envision for myself?
4. What am I attempting to accomplish in my life? Is it prospering? If not why? Am I not delighting in God in some way?
5. Do I believe God is watching over me? What holds me back from trusting Him? When do I find myself having the greatest confidence that God is watching over me? Why? How can I have this confidence more often?
Prayer Focus - Letter A
I always start my quiet time with a written prayer. I usually make most of it a letter of gratitude so that I can get my heart right so early in the morning or at any time really. This month I am doing something a little different. I am focusing on a different letter of the alphabet each morning to get a little diversity in my prayer life. Today was the letter A, of course, and I tried to think of five things I was grateful for that began with the letter A. Then I prayed for five people whose first or last name began with A. I prayed for a country or city beginning with the letter and then I prayed for a characteristic that I wanted to see grow in my family and I that began with A. It was a challenge and fun. Tomorrow I will do the same with the letter B. At the end of my prayer, I always ask God to let me hear His voice and message and then grant me the strength to obey it.
Dear Lord - Help me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 1
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." (Psalms 1:1)
We will be blessed if we stay away from evil - even hate it. It is okay to hate some things.
"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night." (1:2)
I need to focus on loving God's law, not just reading it, knowing it, or obeying it. Sometimes I do what I am supposed to do, because, well, I am supposed to. This motivation will not last long. I need to love what God loves and hate what He hates because I want to know Him and because I enjoy and delight in Him.
How can I do this?
First, I can meditate on God and His word. We are what we think about. If I am thinking more about God's word as I go, such as in the car, I will be able to hear Him speaking to me. I know I have had this experience where I was thinking about some verse on the way to or from work and all of a sudden I had this new insight that was very helpful. It is just like God speaking to me because I know that wasn't something I had ever thought of before.
Also, I need to delight in His word, really get enjoyment out of it. I think this is often different for each one of us. I love to read so that is one way I enjoy and delight in His word. I study it out. Others might find it in other ways but the bottom line is that we have to find out how we delight in something and transfer that to God and His word.
There are so many promises that are linked to these few directions. The ones highlighted in this verse are as follows:
"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (1:3)
"For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous." (1:6a)
The man who is able to delight in God's law will be blessed and I know that is what we all want. We will always bear fruit, we will make a difference, and all we do will prosper. What great promises.
God is faithful and He watches over the way of the righteous. He knows how to take care of me but I need to do my part. I need to be righteous. Enough of this worrying about circumstances, I need to worry about righteousness. God will take care of the rest! All the little troubles and inconveniences of the day are not lost to God. He knows and all things do work to the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We long to be pleasing to You but it is so easy to stray away. Help us to delight in Your word. Help us to make it our priority each day. Help us to truly seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. Help us to meditate on Your law. We have had enough of the dry seasons and long to be trees planted by streams of water. We know You are able and You desire to do this. Grant us the strength and desire to do our part.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How am I walking in the counsel of the wicked, standing in the way of sinners, or sitting in the seat of mockers? How can I change this? Why am I doing this?
2. How can I delight in God's word? What ways do I find most effective? How can I begin to incorporate the meditation of scripture into my time with God or enhance it if I already do meditate?
3. What will my life be like when I am like this tree planted by streams of water? What do I envision for myself?
4. What am I attempting to accomplish in my life? Is it prospering? If not why? Am I not delighting in God in some way?
5. Do I believe God is watching over me? What holds me back from trusting Him? When do I find myself having the greatest confidence that God is watching over me? Why? How can I have this confidence more often?
Friday, April 16, 2010
Ponderings - 4/16
I hope to be back to my daily devotionals on the 28th but until then, I wanted to get back to posting something.
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)
There is joy and peace in believing. Oftentimes we look for these qualities in everything that surrounds us - our job, our relationships, our hobbies, our children - but they cannot provide what we are looking for completely. When we believe, then we experience joy and peace.
But what is it that we are believing in? We all believe in something whether we admit it or not, but not everyone has joy and peace. We need to evaluate exactly what we are believing in. Are we believing in a loving, almighty God or are we believing in ourselves. We have no control over anything that is really important, such as whether we live or die, or what the weather will be, or if a natural disaster will strike. So when we are trusting in ourselves, it is a very anxious place to be in. There is no peace and joy there.
Only in believing in God can we experience true joy and peace. Look around you. Look at the faces you see. There is little joy and peace right now. I think that speaks a lot to where we are at as a society and as individuals, even those of us who say we believe in God. Do our actions, our words, and the expressions on our faces show we believe in a God who cares? I want all joy and peace. I want to start truly believing. Today I will choose to believe.
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)
There is joy and peace in believing. Oftentimes we look for these qualities in everything that surrounds us - our job, our relationships, our hobbies, our children - but they cannot provide what we are looking for completely. When we believe, then we experience joy and peace.
But what is it that we are believing in? We all believe in something whether we admit it or not, but not everyone has joy and peace. We need to evaluate exactly what we are believing in. Are we believing in a loving, almighty God or are we believing in ourselves. We have no control over anything that is really important, such as whether we live or die, or what the weather will be, or if a natural disaster will strike. So when we are trusting in ourselves, it is a very anxious place to be in. There is no peace and joy there.
Only in believing in God can we experience true joy and peace. Look around you. Look at the faces you see. There is little joy and peace right now. I think that speaks a lot to where we are at as a society and as individuals, even those of us who say we believe in God. Do our actions, our words, and the expressions on our faces show we believe in a God who cares? I want all joy and peace. I want to start truly believing. Today I will choose to believe.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Daily Devotional - 1/27
Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 87
"The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: This one was born in Zion." ( vs. 6)
This is the desired end result - to have God write in the register of all the peoples - this one was born in Zion. Our national heritage often inspires us; how much more so should our spiritual heritage. I have been born in Zion. All of us who have truly become Christians have been born in Zion. Do we realize this? Do we live accordingly? We are citizens of God's kingdom and His ambassadors. We are representing Him.
What an exciting thought and what a responsibility as well! Let us rise to the occasion so we can retain our citizenship and enjoy all of its blessings.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
What a wonderful thought that we have been born in Zion. Help us to remember that we belong to such an awesome kingdom. We are a people now. We have a great heritage. Let us live so that others may see and worship You. Let us be worthy ambassadors for our spiritual homeland. Let us make You proud.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Have I been born in Zion? Is my name written in the register? How do I know? Are there any questions I need to resolve about my conversion or any doubts in my mind? How can I clear these up so that I have full confidence in my citizenship?
2. Am I inspired by my spiritual heritage and belonging? Do I think about what an honor this is? How will dwelling on my citizenship in Zion help me live better in the here and now?
3. Am I being a good ambassador for my spiritual country? What impression will others have of God and the kingdom because of me? Are there things I need to change to serve God better in my role as ambassador?
4. What blessings have I received due to my spiritual birth? What privileges do I enjoy because of this? Am I grateful or do I take advantage of my position in Christ?
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 87
"The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: This one was born in Zion." ( vs. 6)
This is the desired end result - to have God write in the register of all the peoples - this one was born in Zion. Our national heritage often inspires us; how much more so should our spiritual heritage. I have been born in Zion. All of us who have truly become Christians have been born in Zion. Do we realize this? Do we live accordingly? We are citizens of God's kingdom and His ambassadors. We are representing Him.
What an exciting thought and what a responsibility as well! Let us rise to the occasion so we can retain our citizenship and enjoy all of its blessings.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
What a wonderful thought that we have been born in Zion. Help us to remember that we belong to such an awesome kingdom. We are a people now. We have a great heritage. Let us live so that others may see and worship You. Let us be worthy ambassadors for our spiritual homeland. Let us make You proud.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Have I been born in Zion? Is my name written in the register? How do I know? Are there any questions I need to resolve about my conversion or any doubts in my mind? How can I clear these up so that I have full confidence in my citizenship?
2. Am I inspired by my spiritual heritage and belonging? Do I think about what an honor this is? How will dwelling on my citizenship in Zion help me live better in the here and now?
3. Am I being a good ambassador for my spiritual country? What impression will others have of God and the kingdom because of me? Are there things I need to change to serve God better in my role as ambassador?
4. What blessings have I received due to my spiritual birth? What privileges do I enjoy because of this? Am I grateful or do I take advantage of my position in Christ?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Daily Devotional - 1/26
Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 86
"The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life - men without regard for You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant. Give me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me." ( vs. 14-17)
Sometimes we feel like we are being attacked on all fronts. I find myself at times saying that my life is too much for me, and I know there are so many out there with more difficulties than I. It can be overwhelming dealing with life, but we know that God has given set the race that is marked out for us to run. It is all in His hands and He knows what He is doing. God is compassionate. He is not being mean to us. He is training us. I give my students a lot of work and push them because I want them to be excellent. I make them follow my directions so that they may become thorough and learn to complete projects. If I made things too easy for them, it would be as if I thought they were not intelligent enough or capable enough. Difficulty is often a sign of the belief that one is able. God feels that we are able to handle whatever is given us. He knows what we can take and He is faithful. He is training and disciplining us to our eternal benefit and for His glory here as we are being transformed. He often pushes us to our limits as well because He wants us to rely on Him. As I go about my incredibly busy schedule, sometimes I look back and wonder how I got everything I did done that day. I know it was only God because it seems too much for one person. I laugh and think I am walking on water. I do not know how long I can keep it up but I will focus one day at a time on the one who is able. He will grant me strength and He will save me. Each sunrise I see as I drive to work in the morning is His sign of goodness to me that I have another day. I am so grateful to be alive.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Continue to grant us Your strength. We are nothing without You. We appreciate all the signs of goodness that You bring us. The sunrises and sunsets remind us that we have another day. The ocean and mountains loom large and unfathomable. They are solid representations of the unchanging nature of You. We get so caught up in the now and forget to see You. When we look at You, everything else seems to fall away. Thank You for believing in us and for pushing us to be our best. We want to please You. We put our days in Your hands and we wait for Your salvation.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my view of God? What influences how I feel about Him? Why? How can I develop a more accurate vision of who He is?
2. Do I seek Gods' mercy and strength or am I trying to do it all on my own? What holds me back from relying on God? Why? When do I find I can easily trust God and when do I struggle with letting go?
3. What signs of God's goodness have I received? Do I miss some of God's signs? Why? How can I change my view of life so that I see the good more than the bad?
4. How do I feel about my struggles? Do I see them as an opportunity for growth and as training or do I blame God? Do I ever feel that God is not taking care of me or does not have control over the events of my life. How will trusting that nothing is outside of God's will affect how I react to difficulties?
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 86
"The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life - men without regard for You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant. Give me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me." ( vs. 14-17)
Sometimes we feel like we are being attacked on all fronts. I find myself at times saying that my life is too much for me, and I know there are so many out there with more difficulties than I. It can be overwhelming dealing with life, but we know that God has given set the race that is marked out for us to run. It is all in His hands and He knows what He is doing. God is compassionate. He is not being mean to us. He is training us. I give my students a lot of work and push them because I want them to be excellent. I make them follow my directions so that they may become thorough and learn to complete projects. If I made things too easy for them, it would be as if I thought they were not intelligent enough or capable enough. Difficulty is often a sign of the belief that one is able. God feels that we are able to handle whatever is given us. He knows what we can take and He is faithful. He is training and disciplining us to our eternal benefit and for His glory here as we are being transformed. He often pushes us to our limits as well because He wants us to rely on Him. As I go about my incredibly busy schedule, sometimes I look back and wonder how I got everything I did done that day. I know it was only God because it seems too much for one person. I laugh and think I am walking on water. I do not know how long I can keep it up but I will focus one day at a time on the one who is able. He will grant me strength and He will save me. Each sunrise I see as I drive to work in the morning is His sign of goodness to me that I have another day. I am so grateful to be alive.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Continue to grant us Your strength. We are nothing without You. We appreciate all the signs of goodness that You bring us. The sunrises and sunsets remind us that we have another day. The ocean and mountains loom large and unfathomable. They are solid representations of the unchanging nature of You. We get so caught up in the now and forget to see You. When we look at You, everything else seems to fall away. Thank You for believing in us and for pushing us to be our best. We want to please You. We put our days in Your hands and we wait for Your salvation.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my view of God? What influences how I feel about Him? Why? How can I develop a more accurate vision of who He is?
2. Do I seek Gods' mercy and strength or am I trying to do it all on my own? What holds me back from relying on God? Why? When do I find I can easily trust God and when do I struggle with letting go?
3. What signs of God's goodness have I received? Do I miss some of God's signs? Why? How can I change my view of life so that I see the good more than the bad?
4. How do I feel about my struggles? Do I see them as an opportunity for growth and as training or do I blame God? Do I ever feel that God is not taking care of me or does not have control over the events of my life. How will trusting that nothing is outside of God's will affect how I react to difficulties?
Monday, January 25, 2010
Daily Devotional - 1/25
Prayer Focus - Personal Transformation
Day 7
Pray for:
One thing that you want to see improved in your relationship with God - (Love God)
One thing that you want to see improved in the way you relate to others - (with all your heart)
One past hurt that you want to see healed and overcome - (with all your soul)
One skill or topic you want to learn - (with all your mind)
One thing that you want to see improved about your health - (with all your strength)
One thing you want to do to help others around you - (Love your neighbor)
One thing you need to accept and be grateful for about yourself or your life - (as yourself)
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 85
"I will listen to what God the Lord will say; He promises peace to His people, His saints - but let them not return to folly. Surely His salvation is near those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land." ( vs. 8-9)
I will listen to God. I will stop listening to the world. God is the Lord. He promises us peace but it has a condition on it. We must not go back to our old ways. We must not be foolish. We must not put our hand to the plow and look back. He has salvation and everything else less than that waiting for us. It is up to us to respond and do so correctly and consistently. When we do this, we will have peace. A Christian who is not in submission to God and His will and who has one foot in and one foot out of the kingdom of God will never experience peace. It is perhaps more frustrating than leaving God altogether.
"The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before Him and prepares the way for His steps." (vs. 12-13)
God will give what is good. There is not doubt about it, but will we be able to receive it? Righteousness is necessary to prepare the way. If I want to see my life yield a harvest, I must get my field ready by being righteous. This is what God needs to see in order to bestow the blessings He wants to. It is our preparation to show Him we are ready to use His gifts appropriately and to use His blessings to give back to Him. He is always thinking long term and so must we. Let us prepare our lives for service and then see what happens. I believe it will astound us.
"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible" St. Francis of Assisi
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We need to listen to You. We will listen to You. Help us not to return to our folly. We have lived in it long enough. It does not produce the life we so desire. We long for peace. We do not want to look back. There is so much ahead to look to. Although the world often looks so dark, there is Your bright and shining light guiding us on. Help us to sow righteousness so that we may reap a harvest. We want our land, our lives, to yield a harvest. We know that is up to You but we need to do our part. Help us to work hard. We wait to see the good that You will give. You are great and we praise You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I have primarily peace or frustration in my life? Am I looking back in any way to my old life? What areas seemed better then? Why? Is this the truth? What can I do to get my eyes focused forward and on God in a greater way?
2. Am I completely devoted to God or is there any parts of my that I hold back from Him? What can I do about these areas if there are any? Am I devoted to His kingdom? How can I be more devoted?
3. Is my life yielding a harvest? Why or why not? What can I do to change or do better to be more fruitful?
4. Am I living a life that God can bless? In what ways am I being righteous? In what ways am I not? How can I improve? What is the necessary that I need to start doing? What is the possible in my life? What is holding me back from doing my all?
Day 7
Pray for:
One thing that you want to see improved in your relationship with God - (Love God)
One thing that you want to see improved in the way you relate to others - (with all your heart)
One past hurt that you want to see healed and overcome - (with all your soul)
One skill or topic you want to learn - (with all your mind)
One thing that you want to see improved about your health - (with all your strength)
One thing you want to do to help others around you - (Love your neighbor)
One thing you need to accept and be grateful for about yourself or your life - (as yourself)
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 85
"I will listen to what God the Lord will say; He promises peace to His people, His saints - but let them not return to folly. Surely His salvation is near those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land." ( vs. 8-9)
I will listen to God. I will stop listening to the world. God is the Lord. He promises us peace but it has a condition on it. We must not go back to our old ways. We must not be foolish. We must not put our hand to the plow and look back. He has salvation and everything else less than that waiting for us. It is up to us to respond and do so correctly and consistently. When we do this, we will have peace. A Christian who is not in submission to God and His will and who has one foot in and one foot out of the kingdom of God will never experience peace. It is perhaps more frustrating than leaving God altogether.
"The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before Him and prepares the way for His steps." (vs. 12-13)
God will give what is good. There is not doubt about it, but will we be able to receive it? Righteousness is necessary to prepare the way. If I want to see my life yield a harvest, I must get my field ready by being righteous. This is what God needs to see in order to bestow the blessings He wants to. It is our preparation to show Him we are ready to use His gifts appropriately and to use His blessings to give back to Him. He is always thinking long term and so must we. Let us prepare our lives for service and then see what happens. I believe it will astound us.
"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible" St. Francis of Assisi
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We need to listen to You. We will listen to You. Help us not to return to our folly. We have lived in it long enough. It does not produce the life we so desire. We long for peace. We do not want to look back. There is so much ahead to look to. Although the world often looks so dark, there is Your bright and shining light guiding us on. Help us to sow righteousness so that we may reap a harvest. We want our land, our lives, to yield a harvest. We know that is up to You but we need to do our part. Help us to work hard. We wait to see the good that You will give. You are great and we praise You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I have primarily peace or frustration in my life? Am I looking back in any way to my old life? What areas seemed better then? Why? Is this the truth? What can I do to get my eyes focused forward and on God in a greater way?
2. Am I completely devoted to God or is there any parts of my that I hold back from Him? What can I do about these areas if there are any? Am I devoted to His kingdom? How can I be more devoted?
3. Is my life yielding a harvest? Why or why not? What can I do to change or do better to be more fruitful?
4. Am I living a life that God can bless? In what ways am I being righteous? In what ways am I not? How can I improve? What is the necessary that I need to start doing? What is the possible in my life? What is holding me back from doing my all?
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