Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about focusing on the unseen things of God. We often base our emotions on the tangible and/or logical things that are currently happening in our life, whereas God works completely different from the world. When we lose sight of the fact that we’re chosen children of God, then we allow our emotions and mindset to be dictated by the things going on around us. In order to combat getting emotional about everything that happens in my life, I have to constantly go back to this verse, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28) God instructs us to focus on the things from above—the things unseen—because He’s working everything else out. We’ve been placed here for a purpose, so there’s no reason for us to doubt that He’s going to give us everything that’s been promised to us in Christ. We must simply keep the faith, and focus on Him.

I remember a time when I would worry so much that my hair would fall out. I would literally worry myself sick, because I didn’t know how I was going to survive day by day. Every moment of my day revolved around planning out how I was going to make it to the next day. I worried about what to eat, what I’d wear to work, how I was going to pay the bills before the deadlines, or if my car would start for me the next day. You name it, I was thinking about it. My mind was running so much that I had no peace. It made me physically and mentally ill for a long time. It wasn’t until I realized that I would never be in control of everything that happens in my life that I decided to let go. I wanted to be in control of my destiny, but I didn’t know how. It wasn’t until I learned how to stop focusing so much on myself and my problems, and more on God and what He had in store for me that I begin learn how to let go. Life is going to happen exactly the way it’s meant to happen.

The book, Be Anxious for Nothing, by Joyce Meyers, was the eye opening moment for me. She had to write, at least 50 to 100 times, “Cast your cares on the Lord…” in this book. Out of all of the wonderful tools given, to live a righteous life, the one I remember the most was to “Cast your cares on the Lord”, because that was something I struggled with, and that’s why I found myself stagnant in my life in general. I allowed fear to run my life, and I felt like a hamster on its exercise wheel—I was running and running, but never got anywhere. If I couldn’t see it, then I didn’t believe it. My faith was very poor, and because of the way I was living my life, I didn’t believe that I was worthy of the types of blessings that everyone else around me was receiving. It took me a lot of years of prayer, meditation, and counseling to figure that one out. However, when I started to focus on God, He started showing me where my life could, and would go. I begin to slowly, yet gradually, cast my cares upon the Lord. When I started trusting Him for everything in my life, in opposed to the things I thought that I couldn’t handle on my own, He started to multiply everything that I put my hands on.

You may be confused as to what the “unseen” things are—don’t worry you aren’t the only one. Faith is the backbone of our relationship with Christ, because no man living or breathing has ever physically seen Him. However, we trust and believe that He’s real. We believe in His word, because He’s proven it true, in our lives and the lives of so many around us. We must stay focused on that, because a lot of times, things aren’t always what they appear to be. We must try to look at everything through the eyes of Christ, and He’ll show us exactly what we need to see. Nothing is ever as bad as it seems when you’re faithful to God, because even in the midst of the storms He’s working a miracle. You have to be sure to tell yourself that every day, especially in times of tribulation. If you have to literally say to yourself, “God is working this out” or “let go and let God”, when you find yourself in a panicked state of mind, then do it, and say it as many times as it takes for you to be convinced.

Jesus makes it possible for us to live above the world, because He’s already conquered everything that we could possibly face. When reading the stories of His life, you’ll see that His every step was strategically planned out, and He lived the most peaceful and productive life of any human being. He understood that life was more than material things, and earthly wealth and prestige, but it was about the things that was unseen—the Kingdom of Heaven. He’s made sure that we can live by faith and not by sight, and I for one am so grateful for that privilege. Before you’ll be able to live above the world, you have to make sure that you’ve accepted Jesus as Lord. Take a few moments to take the God Quiz today. My favorite verses today are: For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: while 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 4:16-18)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455625&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/today-on-radio
http://www.joycemeyer.org/OurMinistries/Broadcast/

I love you!