Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about being focused on the things not seen. There are so many things going on in this world, if we stay focused on them, we’ll lose our mind. There’s so much evil—when you turn on the News there are constant reports of terror. Evil runs rampant, so I often opt out of watching the News day in and day out. I’d rather focus my time and attention on the “things not seen”, which is helping me store my treasures up in Heaven. Reading the bible, we know that there was evil from the beginning of time, starting with Cain and Able—a story about one brother killing the other because he was jealous. King Solomon wrote: That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (Eccl. 1:9) King Solomon was said to be one the wisest people in history, but what He didn’t know was that Jesus would one day overcome the world. Currently, all who believe in Jesus have something new to look forward to. At the same time, the enemy hasn’t changed a bit, so he’s still up to his same ole tricks.

By the blood of Jesus, we no longer have to worry about the evils of the world, because we have a great reward waiting for us once this life is over. On earth, we will suffer as Jesus suffered, but we’ll also rejoice as He rejoices. We can live amongst this evil and perverse nation and never fear, because we have Salvation through Christ. Having a Savior we can trust in and rely on gives us everlasting peace, joy, and happiness all the days of our life. Without Him we are of the world—the enemy will use us in ways we never thought possible—and we become lost. Even believers, who lose sight of the Kingdom of God, fall victim to the world. That’s why it’s important to stay in the Word daily. It’s important to fashion your life around the kingdom of God, because it’s so easy to get caught up. We must make it a point to make the unseen seen with our Spiritual eye, and watch for the leadership of Jesus Christ. He shows up in ways we could never imagine.

I’m at a point in my faith walk where I recognize when I’m straying off of the path of righteousness; I can feel in the weight of the world. Have you ever felt that way? You know the times when you’re doing things you know you shouldn’t be doing, a little too often, and you can feel a heavy conviction in your heart? Once we get used to living by the spirit, there’s no other way to live. The Holy Spirit continues to remind us that He’s present, and His conviction is noticeable. Especially when we’re with a group of “worldly” people, who lives a life way different than ours, we can still feel their influence. The enemy makes the worldly things look way more appealing, and if you don’t know any better, you’ll fall into his trap. Always know that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. We don’t have to wait until we die to experience the utter bliss of Salvation, but the more we focus on it, the more we experience it. For example, if you’re on a diet, and you vow to give up cake for one month, you cannot hang out in the bakery—eventually you’ll succumb to the temptation. However, if you’re hanging at the gym, and surrounding yourself with other health conscious people, you’ll be able to stay focused.

The world offers glitz and glamour, but you know the saying, “everything that glitters isn’t gold”. Jesus offers freedom, inner peace, and eternal life, but there’s a road of growth you’ll have to walk down to receive your rewards. On that road, you’ll be tempted and tried, you’ll stumble and fall, but Jesus is right beside you to help you along the way. When you fall He’ll pick you up, and when you’re tempted, He’ll give you the strength to endure. We just need to stay focused, and His love permeates our heart, and allows us to see. We begin to see the “unseen things”, things that we couldn’t see when we were lost. We begin to be able to better discern between good and bad, and recognize when people mean us more harm than good. Remember, there’s always a lesson or a test behind everything. God has so many blessings in store for us, but He wants to make sure we’re focusing on the “unseen”, and that we realize this life is more than material possessions.

Jesus is your key to true happiness. I know there are many naysayers who make valid points about your faith, Christianity, attending church, etc. Those are people who are “seen”, and are only looking for things that are “seen”. We are children of God, heirs to the Kingdom, and there’s nothing here that can stop of from getting there. There’s no problem to big for God, and there’s no hurt that He can’t heal. You must first trust Him. The biggest act of faith, to God, is for you to believe in Him, and love Him, without ever seeing Him. When you accept Jesus as Lord, and start to focus on the “unseen”, then He’ll start to reveal Himself to you, and you’ll come to a point where you’ve never seen anything so clearly in your life. If you’re still confused, take a few moments to take the God Quiz today. My favorite verse today is: We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455558&dtype=Scripture

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http://www.intouch.org/magazine/daily-devotional

I love you!