Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying this beautiful Friday eve. Today, as everyday, is a gift from God, and when I look up at the sky, I could truly see His magnificence. I hope we have a mild winter this year. Last year the temperatures dropped so low that my heating bill was astronomical. I love the weather right now, it's December and we're having consistent 60°F days. This week has flown by, I can't believe that the weekend is almost here yet again, and I'm always excited about those. I have no immediate plans, no basketball, no prescheduled meetings just relaxation and writing. Please pray for my focus this weekend, I have to get more work done on my first book, and finish writing a proposal for the after school program. I also ask for your continued prayers for my Grandmother, I will be seeing her this weekend as well. Time waits for no man, and before you know it 24 hours has passed and it's a new day, so make your time count. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to do His work. Enjoy the rest of your day, and be blessed family!

Today's scriptures are about seeking God in prayer. I was reading Dr. Stanley's devotional last night, and something peaked my interest, and a light bulb went off for me. Just when you think you have this whole Christian thing down, God opens another door of wisdom. Dr. Stanley wrote: I am convinced that if Christians truly understood what takes place during prayer, they’d call upon the Lord more often and with greater results. The believer’s prayer isn’t simply spoken into empty space; the Holy Spirit is there to guide us in offering God-centered requests, fill in the words we cannot say, and carry our needs before the Lord. Am I the only one that had an epiphany after reading that? I always knew that the Holy Spirit was my Helper, but I never used Him to my full advantage. When we seek God in prayer, it's important to realize that we have help. The Holy Spirit is another part of God, and He's just as important as Jesus. God teaches us to "cast our cares upon Him", and rely on Him to get us through life. A piece of Him lives in our heart, which is designed to help us know what's beneficial and/or detrimental to our growth. The Holy Spirit helps keep us in line with God, so we can seek Him through prayer intently. We should pray with purpose, having faith in knowing that God is listening, and will answer. We should ask our Holy Spirit search to our heart and help us pray, as we ought to pray. Allow Him to speak for you sometimes, through speaking in "Tongues"; this is a truly amazing gift from the Holy Spirit, which allows Him to completely intercede. We learned a little about that yesterday, when we discussed Pentecost, the initial anointing of the Holy Spirit. God gives us real tangible evidence to prove Himself everyday, so He shows up in our life whenever we need Him. By the blood of Jesus, we have the authority to come to Him and make all of our supplications known. Whatever concerns or joys we may have, we should take them to Him in prayer. He loves our praise as well, but most importantly He understands our struggle, and has made Himself readily available to us anytime day or night. That's a reason to rejoice! There are times that we'll stray, and He understands that, and He'll do whatever it takes to get us back in step with His will. Sometimes He'll wrestle with us as He did with Jacob, until we realize that He'll always win, and surrender (Gen. 32:22-31). God will never give up on us, nor leave us to face the world alone, so it's important to keep a close relationship with Him. In any relationship communication is key, and we won't know what's on the other person's mind unless we ask. I think we don't ask God for the things that we want or need, because we assume that we already know the answer. When we pray, we seldom address the Holy Spirit, and we often doubt that our prayers will be answered. It takes growth and wisdom to build faith, communication, and trust in our relationship with God. The only way to grow is by wisdom, and the only way to gain wisdom is by asking, knocking, and seeking (Matt. 7:7). Always remember that Love is an action, and that's all God asks us to do. We cannot move mountains without Him. Read the book of Psalms when you're in need of encouragement, and it'll help you understand that you're not alone, and God loves you just as much as anyone else. He wants you to be close to Him, so make your way right now. Pray and ask Jesus to be your Savior, and when you accept Him, you gain the world! Don't allow your life to be ruled by fear and sin, take the freedom that Jesus has given you and live to the fullest! My favorite verses today are: I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. (Psalms 116:1-2)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455169&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=5623073&ct=7683813

I love you!