Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are assure us that the Lord hears our prayers. How many times have you prayed and felt like God just wasn’t listening? How many nights have you cried, waiting to hear a word from Him, or seeking a change in your situation? We have all gone through this a few times in our life, but I want to assure you that God always answers our prayers. I remember those days, when it seemed like all hope was gone, and I was not going to make it through, but I always made it. In hindsight I realize that God was there all along. He answered every prayer that I have ever prayed, but most the times it was an answer that I didn’t expect (or even want), but it was always what was best for me. I used to be afraid to pray to God sometimes, especially when my own sin caused my pain. I have since learned that nothing is too big or small for God; He's always waiting to hear from me, in hopes that I will repent, and stay in continuous fellowship with Him.

As I grow in my faith walk, it seems as though He answers my prayers much quicker. It’s not that He’s quicker in response; it’s just that I’m able to see them more clearly, because I know Him. I understand who He is, and what He expects from me, so pretty much I know how He answers my prayers. For example, there may be a time when I’m planning to buy something that I do not need, but I have a bill due. I’ll pray, "Lord please provide me the means to pay this bill", but in my heart I’m thinking, and some extra so I can buy this ____. He knows that whatever this “thing” is, it might cause me to sin, or become an idol in my life, so He’s only going to provide enough for me to pay the bill. In the past, instead of me praising and thanking Him because the bill was paid, I would get mad, and sulk, because I am thinking that I deserved to blessed to be able to buy whatever I want (or think that I need at the time). Boy how mixed up I was! I now understand, that God's way is the best way. I ask Him for what I want, but He answers me with what He wants for me, and I'm so very happy with that!

God will never overlook our cries for help, nor would He fail to provide everything that we need, when we need it. That is not that type of God we serve. We serve a God who loves us unconditional, and always has our best interest at heart. There are reasons for everything that we go through in life, and also stages that we have to past through, in order to grow. There are going to be things that we don’t understand, or nights that we feel alone, or feel that He isn’t listening, but always know that He’s right there. If you turn to the book of Psalms, you’ll see several examples of this—where these great servants of God cried to the Lord with thanksgiving and praise, and some even with hurt and anguish. These things are a part of life, but the one thing that all of these Psalmist have in common, is that fact their prayers were always heard. You know King David was one of my favorite Psalmist, because he was the first to admit his faults, and he understood that God is the only way out. He understood that all he had to do was cry out to the Lord in repentance, and God would hear his cries. David was one of the most imperfect people written about in the Bible, but He was God's favorite.

God was proud of David because he always obeyed His will, and he knew how to humble himself and cry out to God in times of trouble, as well as praise him in times of bliss. David asked God for exactly what he needed, when he needed it, in great detail, because he knew God personally. He had no reason to doubt Him, because God had always come through for him. I loved David's Cry for Help in Trouble, where he starts off: Lord hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy, in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. Do not bring your servant into judgement, for no one living is righteous before you. (Psalm 143:1-2) Don't you love the way David put that out there? He spoke to God as if he was sure that his prayers were going to be answered,with confidence in their relationship. He had this confidence because God had never let him down before, so that is exactly what he expected, every time he prayed. Now I ask you, has God ever let you down? Just think about it for a few minutes, and allow your memories to come back to you. Is your relationship with God similar to David's? If you answered no, then you're wrong. If anything, we're closer to God, because we know His Son, Jesus Christ. David didn't have the advantage that we have, but he was still blessed and highly favored. God hasn't changed from who He was with David; if anything He keeps getting sweeter.

Do you feel lost and alone sometimes, and need someone to talk too? You may have already tried to talk to your friends, your mother, or even a therapist, but you still feel empty. God is waiting on you to talk to Him. He's our father, brother, best friend, co-worker, therapist, and anything else we need Him to be. He said ask, seek, and knock, and your prayers will be answered. You have to be real with Him,, and stand on His promises, just as David was real with Him, because He already knows your heart. He needs you to be genuine in repentance, and with the trust that He will always be there to answer your prayers. Finally, pray in the Name of Jesus, because without Him, we have no relationship with God. He's our mediator; He makes a way for us to be one with God, so you must start with Him. If you don't know Jesus as Savior, please take a few moments and take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verse today is: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. (2 Corinthians 1:10)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about having unwavering faith. As I sit here and think about how to even begin to writing about this, I actually realized that my faith [and other things], have been a bit wavering. I’ve always been known as “Miss Indecisive”, because I try to always weigh the pros and cons of every situation. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt more times than not. I am very compromising, and love being “stress free”, but Jesus was anything but. So can you understand my dilemma? I don’t know why I am like I am, but I was born that way, and it’s so very hard to change. There are many people like me, who are “people pleasers”, or don’t like “rock the boat”, so we shy away quietly in hopes of avoiding conflict. We only fight for what’s right, when back into a corner, in hopes of saving ourselves, and what we believe in. However, Jesus was always in the face of believers and doubters alike. He never hesitated to preach in synagogues, at public markets, on mountain tops, or wherever His Spirit led Him, because He completely trusted the fact that He was a child of God. He understood His calling, and the fact that God’s word is the beginning and the end; there’s nothing more important than teaching and sharing it with the lost. He understood that His message was one that could not be concealed, because the lives of many were at jeopardy. He realized that there was no one else who could be Him, and do what only He was called to do, so He lived with unwavering faith.

If you’re like me, how do you break the habit, or conform your way of thinking from the way you’ve thought your entire life? It’s simple, “obey God and leave the consequences to Him”. His word is filled with the answers to any question we have in life, no matter how big or small. Learn Him, and commit His Word to your heart. Make it a point to understand that this life that you are living is His and His alone—no one can do for you what God can. Understand that His Word is the Law, and there is no refuting it. Trust your Holy Spirit, to help you along the way, because He’ll always give you the right answer, but you must learn how to hear His voice. Also, get to know yourself, and who you are in Christ. The biggest mistakes we make in our faith walk, is to try to live like another Christian. It’s okay to look up to people who are mature in their spirit, but you must be careful to understand that that person may have been called to do something completely different than you. God wants us to fellowship with one another, but He doesn’t want us to worship each other, because that could cause our faith in Him to waiver.

Wavering faith is so dangerous because we’re showing God that we don’t trust Him with all of our heart. It’s written: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Prov. 3:5-6) I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this proverb quoted, and even quoted it myself, so it’s very popular, but difficult to follow, because our flesh gets in the way. We are inquisitive creatures, so we want to understand everything. We want to know why, and God doesn’t always tell us why, most of the time He just tells us to go, so it’s important to trust Him. The only true way to have complete and utter unwavering faith is to trust in the LORD with all of your heart. Trust and faith are interchangeable; one is the catalyst for the other. You cannot have trust without faith, and you cannot have faith without trust.

The first step to living righteously, and building concrete faith, is to first trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you have not done that then your faith at the mustard seed level, and we all know that that’s all God requires to be saved. You are reading this message right now because you are curious about what God has to say to you, and it may not seem like that right now, but it is what it is. I ask you to take a few moments and that the God Quiz right now. If you are a Christian, but don’t live a “Christian” life then your faith is wavering, and it doesn’t have to be. God loves you just the way you are, and each day He’s waiting to hear from you. Make sure you take some time out for Him every single day, and show Him how much you love Him. My favorite verse today is: For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. (James 1:6-7)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about the impact of Love. As most of you know by now, love is my favorite subject. No matter how much the enemy tries beat it out of me, God’s love is much stronger and valiant in my heart. As we grow in our Faith walk, God’s love penetrates our heart. Yet we’re still in the world, so we experience the evil of the world as well, which can often times harden our heart. Throughout our faith walk, each day a part of that hardness melts away, and is replaced with the love of God. It’s likened to a fire that burns the impurities off of a raw God nugget, which makes it a valuable commodity once cleansed of its impurities. As an unsaved man, we couldn’t begin to understand the love of God, because we hadn’t yet experienced it for ourselves. However, when we make the conscious decision to accept Jesus as Lord, His Spirit enters our heart, and sparks the flame.

There’s a huge difference between earthly love, and Godly love. God loves unconditionally; can you understand the concept of that? Can you imagine loving someone so much that you forgive them no matter what they do. Jesus taught us in His Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” (Matt. 5:38-40) Can you imagine doing this? What would happen if someone slaps you, how much strength would it take for you to not only refrain from slapping them back, but to give them the other cheek? You have to be filled with a lot of love [unconditional love even] to sacrifice yourself, lay aside your pride, and let someone slap you and do nothing. However, I get where Jesus was coming from. He’s instructing us to love each other no matter what. There has to be a reason why someone wants to slap you. They’re obviously very angry and hurt over something that transpired in the past, which may not have anything to do with you. When you turn and give them the other cheek, you’re letting them know that no matter what you do, I’m going to love you anyway, because God loves me.

Of course Jesus wants us to relate this to every aspect of our life, because the cure for hate is love. Love is the only thing that could overcome evil. If we solved every problem, or overcame every struggle with love, we win every time. I notice as my spirit matures love comes naturally. I have the ability to quickly forgive, which helps me heal faster. Jesus warned us: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matt 10:16) With this great amount of love overflowing in me, I’ve quickly learned how to be in tune with my Spirit of discernment, which helps me to make wise decisions. It allows me to see through some people, so I can love them, but love them from a distance. We are still human, and we have our vulnerabilities and weaknesses, which will bring us to breaking points. Worldly people will hate and persecute that which they don’t understand, so it’s by love that we’ll be able to build up a tolerance, and pray for those who spitefully use us, and means us harm. Does that mean that we’re going to hang out with them, and be their BFF? Hardly, but it does mean that we’ll love and forgive them regardless.

I love you, which is why I write daily—I want you to feel what I feel in my heart. I can only love you, because I’m filled with the love of Jesus Christ. Once you’re filled with His love, you’ll be able to recognize true earthly love. Love is at the core of everything that God does for us, and should be in everything that we do for Him. When we’re doing a favor for a friend, taking care of a stranger, being there for our spouse and children, we’re doing it from deep down in our heart, because we love God, and He loves us. I don’t know how many times I’ve been “slapped”, and have had to turn the other cheek, and I can now honestly say that there is no love lost, yet it took some time to get there. I’m so grateful that I’ve reached this point in my life, but it’s still a daily journey. I’m still human, and still get upset and extremely angry sometimes, but I never lose that feeling of love for anyone. It takes a lot of practice and prayer, but it works. It makes your heart lighter, and you’re free to fellowship with God, with no hindrance. When you hate or have an unforgiving heart, you only hurt yourself—bitterness is a way of life that you choose.

If you feel like you’re at a place in life where you’ve never really experienced love, then it’s time to give Jesus a try. Learn about His life, and you’ll learn about what it is to live in love. This will allow you to give and receive it freely as well. The first step to experiencing the love of God first hand is to accept Jesus as Lord. Take a few minutes to take the God Quiz right now. Remember, you can’t live life to the fullest, if you don’t know what you’re living for. My favorite verse today is: Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. (Ephesians 5:2)

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