Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying another beautiful Friday eve. I'm doing well, but eagerly awaiting the end of this workweek. I thought Friday would never get here. I haven't worked a full week in such a long time; I almost forgot what it feels like. Well this is a 6-day workweek for me, so I'll really feel it, but what a way to comeback, and come back strong. It's supposed to be 84°F tomorrow, and I think this will be the last "hot" day of the year. If you get a chance to go out and enjoy it, have enough fun for me. My Grandmother is doing very well, thanks for your continued prayers. I called yesterday and she had gotten dressed and went out. She hasn’t done that in awhile, so that's a tremendous victory. Every time I see her she's getting stronger and stronger. Maybe I can get a card game going tomorrow night. The beef stew and bread pudding definitely has to be made this weekend, I've been putting it off for too long. Have a wonderful evening, and be blessed family!

Today's scriptures are about living a fearless life. The one thing that a lot of Christians don't understand is that as long as the blood of Jesus covers us, we shall fear no evil. Our physical bodies or only temporary, and when we suffer with Christ, we also received the rewards of Christ (Romans 8:17). Fear hinders us from truly giving our all to God, because we're more concerned about what the world thinks, then what God instructs us to do. How many times have God instructed you to do something, and you didn't because you were afraid? I was reading the book of Acts, and it depicts the life of Jesus’ disciples, mostly Peter and Paul. These men traveled the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, without fear of what anyone thought or said. In some places the mentioning of Jesus’ Name could get you killed, but all of these men went out and done it anyway, because that’s what God instructed them to do. They faced the world with the heart of Jesus, because the Holy Spirit was instilled in them. They knew that after this life, they’d face an Eternity of greatness. They wanted that for others as well, so they couldn't stop what they were doing out of fear of being hurt or killed. When Jesus comes into our heart and our Spirit begins to grow, we take on His attitude and love, and drop the selfish desires of our flesh. When that happens, we're more aware of the presence of God, and we naturally care about the salvation status of our fellow man. This process is called refinement. Knowing this, the devil plants False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR) in our hearts. We can only be overcome by fear, when we're not yet at a point in our lives were we truly trust God. How do we begin to build up trust? You know the saying, "Practice makes perfect"? Well it's true in this case as well. We must practice casting our cares on the Lord and trusting Him. He'll begin to reveal Himself to us, and once we truly accept His love, we'll start to understand that following God, pleasing Him, and strengthening His Kingdom is our top priority. While we're going through life, we must be aware that we're helping our neighbors strengthen their lives as well. To do that, we mustn't be afraid of telling anyone about the love of God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, no matter where we are, or who's listening. Some people keep their relationship with Jesus quiet until they get to Church on Sunday morning. The rest of the week, Jesus' name never comes out of their mouth. Are you a “Sunday Christian”? Would you tell someone about Jesus while waiting in line at the grocery store? Jesus said: But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:33) When it comes to following the Will of God, the only thing you should be afraid of is what will happen if you don't. Just keep in mind that no man can take away our Heavenly dwelling place. Death will come to everyone, but eternal life in Heaven will not. We must do our part to make sure that as many people hear the Gospel of Christ as possible. We do have to follow earthly laws and be courteous to one another, so please do not test God. However, when the opportunity arise for you to help save a lost Soul, please don't allow fear to hinder you. Are you honestly doing all that you can for God? I'm sure the answer is no for most of us, and God understands that, however, He wants us to try. Each day we should focus on helping someone get to know Jesus. Drop all the fears and excuses, such as “I can't drive here, or fly there, I'm not good enough, I might mess up, I don't have the resources, I'm not a very good public speaker or writer,” etc. If God called you to do something, He'll make sure you have all of the resources to do it. Don't forget what Dr. Stanley said: "Obey God and leave the consequence to Him". If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, please contact me; I'll be happy to pray with you. It won’t take more than a few minutes of your time to do. My favorite verses today are: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8:35,37)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455113&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/site/pp.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943197
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=5492525&ct=7532567

I love you!