Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today's scriptures are about staying preserved in the Lord. While reading today's verses, the word preserved stuck out the most. God said He will "preserve us from all evil" (Ps. 121:7). I guess that word sticks out to me so much, because I'm "foodie", and we're always looking for ways to preserve food. Canning, jarring, pickling, freezing, or adding chemical preservatives to food, helps it withstand the test of time. When food is exposed to air (oxygen, and carbon dioxide), for a long period of time, it's detrimental, because of the fermenting, ripening, or decomposing process. This causes food to "go bad", so it must be protected from the affects of "air" at all times. Our spirit is as fragile as food, because if it isn't properly protected from the evils of the world, it will "go bad". God gives us the best preservative of all, Jesus Christ. Jesus makes us righteous, and because of Him we can never lose our salvation. That's a reason to rejoice! Jesus has wrapped us up in His blood, which is our protection against the enemy. He's revealed that to us, in hopes that it would give us strength. However, we're given this great resource to preserve us, but if it isn't used properly, we still run the risk of backsliding. We must keep Jesus at the forefront of our life. He's our liaison to God, so we must pray in His name, learn His teachings, and follow His ways. Each day we awake, we must acknowledge God, and thank Him for another day. We must ask Him to guide our footsteps, and also make an effort to surround ourselves with love. We must avoid prolonged exposure to evil, because it does have a negative affect on our spirit. Just as we learned about King Solomon yesterday, our flesh, and other people, could persuade even the strongest person (or Christian) to backslide. In order to fight this Spiritual battle, and win, we must properly arm ourselves, as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:10-20. God doesn't like us to be confused about our beliefs. There isn't a "gray" area in your faith; it's plain and simple, black and white. You're either with Him, or you're with the enemy. If you're in a gray area in your Faith walk, then pray and ask for clarity, and then pick up your bible and seek Him. Seek Godly counsel, through your church, Pastor, and/or surround yourself with the Word of God, through different ministries and music. There have been plenty of times where I knew I was losing it, and I felt like the temptation of life was just too strong, but God pulled me back in, because I sought Him out. I don't like it when my Spirit is grieved, but that’s exactly what happens when I step out of the God's will. He has blessed us with so much, yet expects so little; He just wants our love. Moses told the people of Israel: And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. (Deut 8:2-3) At some point in every believer's life, we're a slave to sin, or stuck in some type of “wilderness”, but God still preserves us. I believe that remembering that the Lord leads us everyday, and conserves our soul, is reward enough. God never stops loving us, and He continues to prove that. He takes care to wrap us up in His arms daily. You may not notice all of the things He does, especially if you're going through hard times, but believe me He's always there. That's His promise to all who believes in Him, through Christ. The bottom line is, if the blood of Jesus doesn’t preserve you, then you will surely perish. Salvation is as simple as believing that Jesus is the Christ, and repenting for your sins. That's it, and you're saved. If you need a prayer partner please let me know. My favorite verse today is: The Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever. (Psalm 37:28)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455308&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/site/pp.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943197
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943295&ct=8065593oc=1

I love you!