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

Prayer Focus - Needs

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


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



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



Psalms 73



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

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

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

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

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

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

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



Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,


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

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



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

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

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

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

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

Daily Devotional - 9/12/15 (11/12/09)

Prayer Focus - Needs


Day 1
Pray for:
One thing that is needed in the world


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 72



"He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more...For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death." ( vs. 6-7, 12-13)


This psalm states at the beginning that it was written about Solomon. What a wonderful portrait of what a person could become. I would like this to be able to be said about me someday. I would like to be like rain on a mown field. That dewy freshness and revitalization that comes from a needed watering. I would like to be a protector of the weak and helpless. I would like to make a difference.

We often have great desires to do something. The problem is in our actions. God is able, but are we truly willing? Are we taking steps to do something? Perhaps we do not know what to do. I feel this way quite a bit and my problem is that when I don't know what to do, I don't do anything. I need to start doing something, anything, as long as it gets me moving in some direction. God can take care of the rest but if I do nothing, I receive nothing. I impact nothing. We must start and let God take care of the rest. Let tomorrow be the first day of the rest of our lives and let us dream of that beautiful field in the rain.



Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,


We have dreams to make a difference, and You have dreams to save the world. Help us to see that our dreams are possible, if they are in line with Yours. Help us to start moving in some direction because it is easier to move or redirect an object once it is moving than when it is at a complete stop. Help us not to be frozen with insecurity and indecision. You know what You have planned for our lives and the good works that You have prepared in advance for us to do. You are able to complete them if we are willing to act. You have put things on our heart for a reason. There are people that only we can reach and help. Help us to stop focusing on ourselves and help us to start making a difference for You. With You we will be able. Grant us strength.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. Am I refreshing to others or a burden to them? Why? How can I become someone who refreshing, or become more like this if I already am?

2. Are the righteous flourishing because of me? Who am I helping or inspiring to be more godly? How am I helping them? What more could I do or how could I start doing this if I am not now?

3. Am I helping the needy and afflicted? How am I doing this? What more could I do or what could I start doing?

4. What good works do I feel I am equipped to do? What are my talents and gifts?  What has been on my heart lately? What can I start doing along this line?

5. What is my dream or vision for my life?   How can I begin or continue to make this dream/vision happen? Am I praying about how my dream can be a part of God's dream is for my life?

Daily Devotiional - 9/11/15 (11/11/15)

Prayer Focus - Gratitude



Day 7
Pray for:
One thing you are grateful for about the country that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the state/region that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the city that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the home that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about your family
One thing you are grateful for about your job/daily tasks
One thing you are grateful for about yourself


Thank God for the effect that what you are grateful for has on:
your spiritual life
your physical life
your emotional life
your mental life


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



Psalms 71



"In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in Your righteousness; turn Your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress." ( vs. 1-3 )

"For You have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth... Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone...Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me." ( vs. 5, 9, & 12 )

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more. My mouth will tell of Your righteousness, of Your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure." ( vs. 14-15 )

"Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again." ( vs. 20-21 )



I will always have hope. That is my choice. I will praise God more and more. Today I found it hard to praise God, but I will choose to do better tomorrow. My emotions will not control me, God will.

Today I felt old and worn out. I felt like nothing is ever accomplished in my life. I felt forgotten and alone. But in reality, none of these things are true save for in my mind. In my mind I rise or fall. In my mind I praise or curse. In my mind the battle is fought.

God is still God and though I am seeing troubles, many and bitter, He will restore me again. I believe this. So as for me, I will always have hope.



Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,

You are our refuge. As we grow older it can be discouraging to see all the things left undone. We had great dreams but You are still in control and Your dreams are greater than ours. We cannot even see tomorrow yet You hold all of time in Your hands. You are amazing and in You we can always have hope. Forgive us for our failures to believe and for our negativity. You will never let Your people fall or be put to shame. All we need to do is concentrate on being Your people and being pleasing to You. Help us in our unbelief. We choose to have hope. We choose to keep going. We choose You over an over again.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1. Why does God allow me to see troubles? What have I benefitted from them? Do I see how God has taken care of me through these times?

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


3. How am I doing in my relationship with God as I get older spiritually and physically? Am I as zealous as I once was? Am I more serious about my relationship with God than I was? How can I ensure that I am growing more mature as I grow older?


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


5. Am I tellling of God's salvation? Is my purpose the same as God's or have I taken on some other purpose for my life? How can I get back on track?

Daily Devotional - 9/10/15 (11/10/15)

Prayer Focus - Gratitude



Day 6
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


Thank God for the effect that what you are grateful for has on:
your spiritual life
your physical life
your emotional life
your mental life


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



Psalms 70


"But may all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, 'Let God be exalted!' Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer;." ( vs. 4-5)


There is so much to rejoice and be glad about concerning God. His salvation is awesome and comforting, but sometimes, we are still poor and needy. In spite of all the good things, we find ourselves down and struggling. Our temptation is to hide away and lick our wounds at this time, but we need to not run away from God. We need to pray to Him and run to Him. We need to beg Him to come to us quickly. He will be our help and deliverer. He is not out to kick us when we are down. That is the world and sometimes what we have also experienced in our families and growing up, but it is not what we will find with God.   He is not embarrassed by our weakness. We are not less because of our lack of perfection, in contrast, this is when God can work the most. Let us throw away our pride and run for help. It is okay. It is expected.



Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,


We are weak. Even in our best of times, we are still weak and small and insignificant. Help us to remember this in the good times and help us to cling to this in the bad times. Help us to remember that You are the God of miracles.  You are the God that calls things that are not as though they were.  You are the God that turns our weaknesses into strengths.  Help us to run to You and not away from You when we are struggling. We all struggle at times. It is lonely if we do not turn to You and the comforts that You provide through Your people and Your word. You are here for us. Help us to turn to You. Come quickly to us before we fade away.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen




QFT



1. Are there times when I feel down even when things are going well? What causes this in my life?


2. When I am feeling down, do I run to God or away? How does my past experiences affect my present relationship with God in these circumstances? What verses can I meditate on to help me change my thinking?


3. What situations make me feel down and needy? What am I struggling with right now that could draw me away from God?


4. Am I dealing with my troubles in a spiritual way? Do I need to rely more on God in prayer, scripture reading, or fellowship to deal with my needs and weaknesses? What is keeping me from doing what I need to do? What will I change to get the help I need?

5.  Am I rejoicing?  What do I have to rejoice about?  How can I keep a positive focus?

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

Prayer Focus - Gratitude



Day 5
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



Thank God for the effect that what you are grateful for has on:
your spiritual life
your physical life
your emotional life
your mental life



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



Psalms 69



"My eyes fail, looking for my God...May those who hope in You not be disgraced because of me, ...But I pray to You, O Lord, in the time of Your favor; in Your great love, O God, answer me with Your sure salvation...Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide Your face from Your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes...

The Lord hears the needy and does not despise His captive people. Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His name will dwell there." ( vs. 3b, 6a, 13, 16, 33-36)


Sometime we are searching, and sometimes we are finding.  There are many seasons in our lives.  I love the scripture in Ecclesiastes that highlights this.

"There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven:

 

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace."

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Psalm 69 contrasts two seasons - a season of struggle and a season of rebuilding.  Both are written by the same person.  I know I have been through both seasons and though I love the rebuilding, I do not regret the seasons of struggle.  I would not want to go through some of the valleys I have been through again, but I would never want to take them back.  They are why I am where I am at now and God has used them.  He has used them to humble me and to show me what life is truly about. 

I was very arrogant as a young person and I did not really understand struggle.  Many things came easy to me and so I became very prideful and sure of myself.  But we can not find God if there is no room for Him in our hearts; if we are too full of ourselves.  That was me.  I had been trained to be a student, not a person.  I was taught to achieve, not love.  I was taught that it was all about me.  There was no room for God in my life, even though I professed to be a Christian.  God had to allow me to face complete and utter moral failure so that I could truly see who I was.

All the things that I used to hide behind were stripped away in college.  It was there that I truly began to understand that I was not a "good person".  Whatever I had was not of my own doing.  I did not make myself intelligent.  That was a gift of God.  I did not make myself athletically talented.  That too was a gift of God.  What I had made of myself, however, was a mess.  I could finally see how I used people.  I could see how I thought so many mean and impure thoughts.  I could see how I thought I was better than others because of the gifts that God had given me.  I could finally see clearly. 

I did not want to bring shame and disgrace on those that hoped in God anymore.  I claimed to be a Christian, but in my actions I was denying Him.  I was as big of a hypocrite as the people I hated for being hypocritical.  In God's great mercy, He had allowed me to see this.  He did not show me this to destroy me, however.  He showed me this so that I could change.  He allowed me to start over.  He came to my rescue.  I had searched and searched for Him and He was found.  At the right time, when I was most open to see the truth, God was there.  God is here.  I was crushed so that I could rise to a better life.

God saved me from myself and He continues to save me from myself.  I can not believe how far I have come and I am so grateful that I can now understand life better and I know what it is to struggle.  I know what it is to have to climb that long ladder back up to normal; to be a successfully functioning human being.  God does restore and rebuild, even if everything right now lies in chaos around us and we struggle to get through each day. God will not despise us. The poor and needy will see and be glad. Our hearts will live. Our searching for God is not in vain. We will find Him and He will reward us if we are faithful.  I praise God every day for this.



Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,


We grow weary searching for You. We are looking. We are struggling but You are strong. You are waiting for us to come to You. You are not far from each one of us. Help us to clear all the fog from our vision and throw off the sin that so easily entangles us. Help us to run our race with perseverance and not lose sight of our goal to make it to be with You. Keep our sights eternal. We love You.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. What season am I in right now?  How do I know this?  What seasons have I gone through?  What have I learned from them?

2. Am I disgracing God and/or my brothers and sisters by the way I am living? What do I need to change to be living a life that pleases God?

3. Am I praying and pleading with God about my needs? How often am I praying? Can I make a schedule that would enable me to have more time to pray? When is the best time for me to pray? Where is most effective?

4. What do I need God to rebuild in my life? In what way am I like the cities of Judah that were torn down? How can God restore me? Do I believe God can and desires to do this?

5. How will I be able to help others better once I am rebuilt by God? What is my vision for what my life could be like and what is my vision for how God could use me?

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

Prayer Focus - Gratitude


Day 4
Pray for:
One thing you are grateful for about the country that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the state/region that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the city that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the home that you live in

Thank God for the effect that what you are grateful for has on:
your spiritual life
your physical life
your emotional life
your mental life




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




Psalms 68



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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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




Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,


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


In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


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

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

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

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

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

Daily Devotional - 9/7/15 (11/7/09)

Prayer Focus - Gratitude


Day 2
Pray for:
One thing you are grateful for about the country that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the state/region that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the city that you live in



Thank God for the effect that what you are grateful for has on:
your spiritual life
your physical life
your emotional life
your mental life



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



Psalms 67



"May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him." ( vs. 5-7)



These three verses hold a key to the enrichment of our lives. I was so excited the first time I realized what they were saying. We all would like to see blessings in our lives and would like to see our activities and undertakings be successful. Often we go about trying to get the blessing by praying and begging God for it. We ask for help and we ask for guidance, and sometimes we whine and complain about it not happening soon enough and the like. We work harder and we pour ourselves into whatever it is that has captured our attention at the moment. Often we become very self focused and unhappy. We do not receive the blessing, however, or reap the harvest because we are going about it all wrong. These verses begin by saying that we are to praise God and then the land will yield the harvest. We are to praise God first, before anything has happened. What a revolutionary thought.  We do just the opposite.  We try to harvest and then praise God.  God says praise me first and then I will give the harvest and blessings. Once again, God's ways are completely opposite to ours.

This is because God wants us to have faith. To praise God first is truly faith. Hebrews states that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). When we praise before we see something occurring, we are expressing our faith in God; communicating that He is able and willing to take care of us and meet our needs. This is what He loves to see; people who are willing to place it all in His care. People willing to be bold in their belief that God exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him. I have begun praying this way.  Instead of asking for God's help with something or asking God's help for someone, I praise God for what I have already seen happen in my life and the lives of others, and I praise God for what I desire to see happen as well.  For example, I will pray - "I praise You, God, for what I will accomplish today or I praise You for taking care of my children."  It is so different to pray in this way and sometimes I have to admit I feel silly doing this but then I remember the passage above.  Since I have started praying in this manner, I have seen encouraging results as well, and I feel better praising God instead of just asking Him for things.  I feel more confident and faithful too.   The bottom line is this, God wants us to believe in Him.  He wants to bless us.  Praising Him paves the road somehow for Him to be able to do this.  So, let us praise God today and wait and see what happens tomorrow!



Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


We are praising You first. We are grateful for the ways that You will meet our needs and for the ways that You will guide us. You know what we need and You know what is best for us. We are so grateful for Your care and praise You for allowing us the opportunity to exist. We praise You for all the exciting things that will happen tomorrow and we praise You for the ways that You will bring us victories over our enemies. We look forward to Your blessings and to the harvest that we will receive from You when we are faithful. We know that it is impossible to please You without faith. We want to have faith. Increase our faith today.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen




QFT



1. How important do I feel praising God is? Do I realize that my praise of God can ultimately lead to others learning to fear God?

2. Do I praise God before I receive something or only after? Why?  How can I practice praising God before anything I desire happens?  Why is God worthy of praise regardless of what I have or receive in my life?  Do I deeply understand this?

3. What areas of my life do I have strong faith in God to take care of? What areas do I have a weak faith about? Why?  How can I grow in faith for these weak areas?

4. What harvests am I waiting for? What blessings do I want to receive? In what ways has God already blessed me and brought me a harvest?  How can I become more grateful for what I already have?

5. Do I have faith in God's ability and desire to take care of me? What makes it difficult to believe that God will bless me if I praise Him first? How can I have more faith so that I can do this?