Well, it’s time again to decide how you will handle your midweek situation. Will it be a speed bump? Will it be a ramp to get you ahead? Will it be a blocker holding you back? The decision is up to you. Today is the beginning of ECNL Girls National Championship play with the opportunity for the local girls to win in their own state. So today be it at work, at home, in the office, or on the field, let’s choose to ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us! Let’s choose to ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and encourage us! Let’s choose to ask the Holy Spirit to be our advocate, our counselor, and our guide to help us live our lives to the full in order that we may thrive, living for the glory of God!
Today’s Verse of the Day:
‘ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. ‘
Where are you at today? What is your perspective? How will you choose to see things? How will you adjust your perspective? Invite Jesus into your heart! Invite Jesus into your life! Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you!
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email.
So with tomorrow being Friday how are you going to live out your today? Are you over the hump of Wednesday and coasting? Are you flying because Wednesday was a ramp and you are pressing in and pressing forward towards the goal for the glory of God? Are you focused? Are you prioritizing things so that what is most important is getting done? Let’s pause and consider the prioritization quadrant for a moment.
or another way to look at it would be
So, tomorrow is Friday so consider the things pulling for your time and let’s press in and press forward to accomplish what needs to be done now and plan for the things that will need to get done. Let’s choose to not be distracted by the things that aren’t important, especially those that aren’t important but are coming at you like they are in crisis.
As I reflect on things on my plate I see family things, like celebrating my daughter’s graduation including a party planned for tomorrow. I also see calling things like prepping the final details for camp to bless a bunch of teenage girls that are coming up soon. I also see a huge project for work with many tasks that need to get done. There are some things that are needing me to action today. There are some things that I need to plan out today. There are some things that I need to say no to and others that I will need to delegate.
How about you? What are you pressing in on? What are you pressing forward on? How are you prioritizing all the things pulling at your time?
Let’s choose to thrive for the glory of God!
Today’s Verse of the Day:
‘Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ‘
So where are you at today? What is it that you are facing? What is it that you need to prioritize? What is it that you need to evaluate? What detour has entered the picture? What will you do? Where will you turn? How will you respond? Invite Jesus into your heart! Invite Jesus into the situation! Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and discernment to help you decide and move forward for the glory of God!
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email.
Yep, it’s Wednesday or as some call it hump-day but I prefer to think of it as ramp day as it helps launch me forward as long as I choose to press in and press on, accelerating towards it. This week the high school graduation celebrations will be wrapping up too as my daughter has her grad party to close out the week. The wrapping-up also captures extended family heading back to their homes as my mother-in-law heads home today. So as I look to hit the ramp as we prepare to wrap up graduation celebrations, we know this isn’t the end but the beginning of a new chapter. So let’s choose to live today to the full, the way God prepared and planned for us to live it! Let’s choose to thrive for the glory of God by serving, preparing, being doers of the Word, and by being sensitive to and obedient to the Holy Spirit! Let’s choose to thrive for the glory of God in Jesus’s name!
Today’s Verse of the Day:
‘Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ‘
How are you today? Are you ramping up? Are you wrapping up? Are you needing help and direction? Invite Jesus into your heart! Invite Jesus into your life! Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you, instruct and correct you so that you can be all that you were created and purposed to be!
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email.
Be it a child visiting for the weekend. Be it a child graduating from high school. Be it a child heading off to college in a couple months. Be it your parents leaving in a couple days. Whatever the case, we need to be good stewards of our time and make the most out of it.
Ever heard from people with terminal illnesses and how they start to live each day like it could be their last? Ever considered living every day like it will be your last in order to make the most of it? Do you think it would change your priorities? your schedule? your focus? your life? Realistically we all have a limited time left here on this planet, no matter if we are a baby or a senior, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow, and are called to make the most of our today!
So here we go, it’s Saturday morning! How will you choose to live out your today? What is a priority to you that you want and need to accomplish? What things are within your control and what things aren’t? What things would make it the best today ever? What would it take to make it a reality? What if you could do that every day?
Let’s make good choices today, being a good steward of the time we have, and choosing to thrive for the glory of God in and through it all!
Today’s Verse of the Day:
‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. ‘
Where are you at today? How will you use the time you have left today? How will you choose to use the time you have? Are you ready to ask God for wisdom and direction? Are you ready to ask God for discernment and instruction? Invite Jesus into your heart! Invite Jesus into your life! Pursue Him and His will and His purpose for your life and decide to live life to the full!
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email.
Ever looked at your calendar and wonder how your day got so filled up? Do you give your calendar up to God to manage or do you just pretend your calendar is like Tetris and look to fill it up and knock out the lines? Do you allow time to be led and directed by the Holy Spirit or are you too busy for that? Do you allow God to own your calendar and to add and remove things so that the right things are on it?
What brings this to mind is that my wife wrote out the calendar for today so my daughter and friends and grandparents would know about everything that is scheduled for today. After she put it out the girls then went and started to add to it. When I looked at it this morning I noticed a bunch of new things that weren’t part of the original plans. Some were gap fillers and others included extra details and yet others were things they chose to make up.
So how about you? What’s on your calendar today? Who gets to choose? How will it help or hinder your ability to thrive for the glory of God?
‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ‘
So will you use your calendar to thrive and glorify God? Will you control your calendar or let it control you? Will you be rigid about your calendar or will you allow God to inject and adjust your calendar? Will you just go with the flow or will you live out your life with purpose, on purpose, and for a purpose? Will you invite Jesus into your life to help you navigate it? Will you invite Jesus into your heart to help you understand and be transformed?
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email.
We each get 24 hours to live out our today! We each get to choose how we will steward and use the time! We shouldn’t use it worrying about tomorrow! We should allow ourselves to get stuck or paralyzed in or by yesterday! Let’s learn from the past! Let’s hope for the future! Let’s live for today!
Let’s consider what God says about today!
‘ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
‘ “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. ‘
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. ‘
‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ‘
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
‘Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. ‘
‘But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.’
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
‘Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”’
‘ “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” ‘
God’s Word gives us many instructions, tips, and commandments on how to make the most of today! God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path! God’s Words is an instruction manual on how to do life! So let’s reflect on what God has to say! Let’s even consider more scripture on how to live for today! Let’s consider what we can do today to put them into practice! Let’s choose to live today so that it will bring praise, honor, and glory to God! Let’s thrive today for the glory of God!
Today’s Verse of the Day:
‘For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ‘
Are you ready for today? Are you ready to make the most of your today? Are you ready to invite Jesus in to help? Are you ready to invite Jesus into your heart to transform your perspective? Are you ready to invite Jesus into your life so that you can live today to the full?
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email.
Today I woke up with an interesting perspective on how important it is to make the most of the time we have if we want to thrive for the glory of God! Be it sending my wife with my daughter on a trip so that neither of them will need to go it alone and so that they both know how much they are loved. Be it spending my day with my son and helping him to realize the connection between building a computer and its components and how it is similar to the human body being put together. Getting to spend time with the girls last night watching some baseball. Getting to spend time with my son and pour love and wisdom into his life. The key for me this weekend is to make the most of the time I have with my family. Be it facetime with my parents and my daughter or in person with the rest of my family, the key is perspective and purpose behind making the most of the time we have! We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow and so let’s make the most of today!
Ever heard how you don’t know what you have till it’s gone? That’s not really true. You know what you have and get to choose what you will do with it! So today, let’s make the most out of what we have! Let’s make the most of every moment we have with our loved ones! Let’s make the most of every conversation we have with our loved ones! Let’s make the most out of everything we do with and for our loved ones!
Let’s make today count for the glory of God so that we can thrive in and through it!
Today’s Verse of the Day:
‘“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” ‘
So how will you make the most of your today? Will you consider it a gift from God and be able to rejoice in it? Will you consider it a gift from God and use it to serve those around you? Will you consider it a gift from God and ask Him how you can use it to its full potential? Not sure where to start? Invite Jesus into your heart and your life! Ask Him to give you wisdom and discernment to know what you should do! Allow Him to transform you from the inside out!
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email.
It’s a new day and we get to choose how we will live it. It’s a new day and we will get to choose if we will believe God’s plan before we see it or not. It’s a new day and we will get to choose if we need to see something before we will respond. Are you needing a sign so you know what you have to do? Does it have to be visible or could it be experiential? Does it have to be visible or could it be audio? Do you have to experience it yourself or could you hear it from others? Does it matter who the source is?
Consider the experience of Thomas when the others told him about Jesus and how they had seen Him after His death. Consider the response of Thomas to the disciples. Consider the response of Thomas to Jesus.
‘Now Thomas (also known as Didymus ), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ‘
So as we go into today, let’s lean in and trust God and invite Him into every situation, conversation, and decision we will need to make and choose to believe the instruction we receive from the Holy Spirit! Let’s seek God and His perfect will and plan so that we can thrive for His glory!
Today’s Verse of the Day:
‘In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ‘
Let’s choose to believe and go beyond surviving and start to thrive for the glory of God! Let’s decide to follow Jesus and be in constant contact with Him! Let’s pray without ceasing, talking with Him at every turn to help us stay on track! Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to speak for us when we aren’t sure what to say! Let’s invite Jesus into our hearts, our lives, and our situations so that He can and will be our Lord of all! Are you ready to invite Jesus into your heart and life? Are you ready to go from surviving to thriving? Are you ready to become new?
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email.
What do you see when you look in front of you? Do you see visions and dreams? Do you see plans and purposes? Do you see hope and a future? How does it look when you see what is before you? How does it make you feel? How do you explain it to others? How do you express it to others? Are you able to grasp the way it will help you to thrive for the glory of God?
THRIVE FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!
Verse of the Day:
‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ‘
Are you facing any concerns or worries that you need to cast on or give to God? Are you facing any fears or anxious thoughts that you need to cast on or give to God? Let’s grab a hold of God’s Word and God’s promises! Let’s allow God to pour His love into our hearts and our lives to the point of overwhelming fear and overflowing into the way we live our lives! Let’s invite Jesus into every situation and choose to walk out our today with Him!
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email or text.
So you do realize that God has invested in you right? Every good and perfect gift you have came from God! God gave you the gifts and talents to thrive! God gave you the ability and opportunity to thrive! God created you on purpose, with purpose, and for a purpose! You have a choice of what you will do with it. Will you choose to be a good steward by using the gifts and talents He has given you? Will you choose to be a good steward by taking the gifts and talents and looking to have a multiplying effect on them so that when you get to be in front of God you will be like the people who got a return on the talents they were given and hear “well done, good and faithful servant“? Will you waste or bury those gifts and talents and lose what you have been given? The choice is ours and we get to decide how we will use our gifts, talents, time, and energy. Let’s choose to invest in what God has given us so that He will receive the glory in the midst of seeing us thrive!
Verse of the Day:
‘Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. ‘
Is your life too busy? Is your life too distracted? Are you looking for ways to slow down? Are you ready for some help? Are you ready to invite Jesus into your life? Are you ready to allow Jesus to come into your heart? Could today be the day your life is transformed?
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email or text.
It’s Sunday and so we need to get ready for what is yet to come. Let’s get prayed up as we start our day, walk through our day, and close our day! Let’s get filled up with the Holy Spirit to the point of overflowing so that we are ready and able to pour into those around us in a way that will point them to Jesus and allow them to receive Him into their lives and be transformed for the rest of eternity!
Heading into week 3 with two incredible weeks behind me with something new every week, what is God preparing in advance for us this coming week? Let’s choose to be obedient and accomplish the good works God has prepared in advance for us to accomplish! Let’s choose to be obedient and receive the call He has for us this week! Let’s choose to be obedient and go where He calls us to go this week! Let’s do all this in a way that reflects who He is and points people back to Him so that in and through it all, God will get the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’ name. Let’s thrive for the glory of God and be amazed at how He will move in and through our lives!
Verse of the Day:
‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ‘
Let’s be ready! Let’s get ready! Let’s be listening! Let’s be waiting! Let’s be asking! Let’s be seeking! Let’s be knocking! Let’s invite Jesus into our very situation to help us walk it out in alignment with God’s will for our lives! Let’s allow Jesus into our hearts so that we can be transformed from the inside out for His Glory!
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email or text.
Are you ready to go from surviving to thriving? Are you willing to go from surviving to thriving? Are you able to go from surviving to thriving? If not now then when? If not here then where? If not you then who? Let’s get it started now! Let’s be the catalyst that we need to be so that we can thrive for the glory of God!
Are you ready to adjust your calendar so that you can be healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually and grow vigorously? Are you ready to do what it takes to be healthy in order to be able to flourish? Are you ready to take a stand for what is good, what is right, and what is just so that you can take new ground regardless of your circumstances? Are you ready to lean in and trust God more than your own understanding? Are you ready to not give up and persevere through the struggles in order to make it to the breakthrough? Are you ready to choose unity at the speed of health? Are you ready to have a do-over if you messed up? Are you ready to reconcile and work towards forgiveness? Are you ready to be able to walk in the freedom Jesus paid for on Good Friday on the cross? Are you ready to come out the other side with the power and the promise of the resurrection? Let’s choose to be the difference! Let’s choose to make a difference! Let’s choose the be part of the solution rather than allowing ourselves to do nothing or worse be a part of the problem!
Let’s choose to thrive for the glory of God!
Verse of the Day:
‘We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ‘
It’s Saturday after Good Friday, are you ready to receive and believe and live? It’s Saturday before Easter Sunday, are you ready to receive and believe and live? It’s today, thousands of years after Jesus paid the price to allow us the choice to be forgiven and reconciled to God, are you ready to receive and believe and live? We all have free will and we all get to make the choice for ourselves. We get to choose to live a life in a relationship with God or apart from God. We get to choose to live a life that will end with us getting to spend eternity with God or apart from God. Will you choose today to invite Jesus in so that you can be forgiven, reconciled, and start living a life in a relationship with Him for now and into eternity?
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email or text.
Today feels different. Today is different. Today is a last. Today is an ending after nearly 9 years. Today I need to remember the conditions or requirements to help me get through today.
You are alive! No matter what happens! ∀ Today() = Happy!
Verse of the Day:
‘In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.’
Let’s not go it alone! Let’s invite Jesus into our situation and seek His wisdom and discernment to make it through! Let’s invite Jesus in and celebrate His sacrifice and resurrection power with Him and other believers! Let’s choose to make today count! Let’s not lose hope but choose to live out today for good! Let’s get it done and accomplish the good works God has prepared in advance for us to accomplish today! Are you ready to start your journey with Jesus?
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email or text.
That’s right: To vigorously grow; to flourish; to take new ground in your life regardless of the circumstances. So what can you do in spite of your circumstances to thrive? Are you in the right place to be able to vigorously grow? Are you in the right place to be able to flourish? Are you eying your current situation and looking for new ground to take? Are there opportunities for you to be able to take? Are there opportunities for you to be able to make? Are there opportunities for you to be able to start? Could you do something today that would help you to take new ground in spite of your circumstances? Could you do something today that would help you to take new ground because of your circumstances? Are you ready and willing to do it?
Seek God’s wisdom if you can’t see it. Seek God’s direction if you can’t determine which way to go. Seek God’s discernment in order to make a place where God can then direct your steps. This is the day that the Lord has made, right? So let’s rejoice and be glad in it! Let’s consider God’s plans and purposes for today and step into it so that no matter what happens it will be a Happy Today!
What about if you make the decision to follow Jesus? Have you already done that?
Verse of the Day:
‘If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” ‘
So are you ready to thrive? Are you ready to avoid the land mines and trip wires the devil is trying to catch you with? Are you ready to prepare and plan so that you are ready? Are you ready to invite Jesus into your very situation in order to have Him lead and guide you with wisdom and discernment for today? Let’s choose to keep our focus on the main thing in order to be able to thrive, no matter the circumstances!
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email or text.
Let us take hold of the reality of what we have learned through the book of Exodus when it comes to THRIVING and allow God’s Word to help us as we look ahead and into the future of this life. We learned about risk-taking, getting out of the boat, and allowing God to do new things in our lives, God answers prayer, and God is near to His people. We learned that God’s deepest work can come out through our trials, troubles, and pain. We learned how we are closer to a breakthrough than we think even during what we are going through. Just like the turbulence right before breaking through the sound barrier, life can get bumpy right before the breakthrough. During the struggle, we need to trust God and His choice of us for this calling and purpose rather than thinking we are the wrong choice. We need to trust God even when we do not understand. We need to keep turning to God when we do not know what to do or where to go. We need to fight our way through the pain, fear, and unbelief. God is in control! Do not give up! Lean in, kneel, and call out to God. We have learned the importance of picking our battles. We need to choose to fight the fight of trust – that God is good even when our circumstances are not. We need to choose to fight the fight of perseverance – to keep going and not quit (do not give in to the doubts and fears the devil is trying to use to get you to quit). We need to choose to fight the fight for unity – to move forward at the speed of health. We learned the why! It is important to know why! Why did God put Egypt through the plagues? Because He wanted to answer Pharoah’s question “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” Egypt had a god for everything, and the plagues demonstrated that God was over and of them because they were not real gods. We need to understand WHY. Could simplification be the answer? What does that say and what does that mean for and to you? We learned the importance of leaving the things behind us to move forward to the things God has for us. We learned the importance of leaving the mistakes and trials of the past behind us. We learned the need to let go of the struggles and pains of the past. We learned the importance to instruct our kids. We learned God is so for you – taking you right where you are and leading you into a new beginning. We cannot get stuck in the past and not step up and step out into what God has planned for us. We need to do what we have to do to get where God needs us to be. We learned that we need to wake up to the reality of what is taking place instead of getting stuck we need to act. We need to pray and call on God rather than absorbing or accepting failure around us. We need to be able to accept success and breakthroughs when it is right in front of us. We cannot allow the fear of the unknown or the future to become our master again. We learned how we must let God make the change and take hold of the reality that God is able to exceedingly, abundantly more than you can ask or imagine. We learned how God wants to forgive you so much He came after you. He did all the work himself. Just needed to accept the gift. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. We learned how God gave the cloud and the fire to comfort them. Do not let your heart be troubled. God has a change and a new way for you. God will stand between you and the enemy. We learned how today by faith in Christ you can be forgiven and start the journey with Him. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will lead you and guide you. He will come behind you to watch your back. We learned that we need to do what God is telling us to do. We need to stop going backward. We need to stop surrendering when we are on the verge of a breakthrough. Start moving towards what God is calling you to. Dare to sow, to pray, to give your best. The things you can do so do it. We learned how God had the wind stack up the water into walls and dried the ground. Let us keep our eyes on the Lord and keep moving towards what He is showing us and telling us. Pharaoh woke up to a supply chain issue – he questioned why he let them go and just because one day their eyes may be opened to the reality of the situation, it does not mean that we should not be moving forward into the promised land and glory had prepared in advance for us to step into. God does not send you to hell, He opened the door to forgiveness and heaven, and we need to choose the final destination. You are the only one who can keep you from eternal life with God and forgiveness.
Where are you today? What decisions are you facing? What challenges are you facing? What struggles are you facing? What opportunities are you facing? What will you do about it? Where will you turn for wisdom and advice? What will you do about the answer you receive? Will you go? Will you do it? Will you trust Him? Let’s give it up to God! Let’s go to Him for wisdom and advice! Let’s be obedient to His instruction and go do it!
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email or text.
As I begin this morning and consider all that has taken place in 2022 already and how fast the year is seeming to go, I wonder what is going to happen and how God is going to use it for His glory and my good. As I prepare for today and the big need to recruit people to be able to put on camps for foster kids and who God will bring across my path. As I prepare for today and what God will speak through His Word in Exodus to me to make it through this week. As I prepare for today and look to join with God to build up a team, to hear from His Word wisdom, discernment, and direction, and then to take all of that and step up to be able to be and do what He has prepared in advance for me to do for His glory and my good. As I prepare for this day and look to thrive, I lean in and trust God in the midst of everything. AS I prepare for this day and want to thrive, I look to build and drive unity at the speed of health, wanting to bring along the team in a healthy way that will produce strength and help us to accomplish God’s plans and purposes for our lives. This is the day that the Lord has made, so let’s rejoice and be glad in it!
Today’s Verse of the Day:
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Where are you today? What is it you are facing? What is it that is troubling you? What is it that is challenging you? What opportunities have been placed before you? How will you choose to respond? Where will you choose to turn? Are you ready to start with the one who knows it all? Are you ready to invite Jesus into your situation? Are you ready to trust Him and lean on Him in the midst of everything? Are you ready to press in and press on, persevering through God’s strength and wisdom?
If you pray today’s prayer with me feel free to let me know so I can pray with you and for you too. (If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment then you can always try email or text.
After a great day with my family, dinner out with my wife, watching my daughter play some basketball, even in the midst of the blow out God is good and provides joy through it all. Joy of helping take down the tree. Joy of helping get the couch back in place. Joy of dinner with my beautiful wife. Joy of watching my daughter and her team play a tough game of basketball. Joy of coming home to my son and our dogs. There is joy in every situation. I consider the words I wrote on my window at work, back in the days when we went to the office and the assumptions that went along with it.
Happy Today! Assumption 1: You are alive! Assumption 2: No matter what happens! ∀ Today() = Happy!!
The bar is very low for every today to be happy! The assumptions tend to be easy to identify and achieve. If you are reading this then you are alive. Check Assumption 1 complete. What’s going to happen? Doesn’t matter, Assumption 2 says “No matter what happens”. Check Assumption 2 complete. So today’s let’s allow the joy of the Lord to be our strength so that we can thrive! Let’s let today be Happy Today! because of the overflow of the joy of the Lord in and through us!
Perspective makes a huge difference and impacts whether we will thrive, survive, or back up. Let’s move forward in the strength of God for His glory! Let’s take that step forward in order to glorify God and be an example to the world around us of how great our God is! It’s a choice we are all going to have to make today! Will we choose to let today be a Happy Today! or will we allow what happens to change our perspective on how great God is and that this is the day that the Lord has made and so we should rejoice and be glad in it. The choice is yours! Will you cling to God and allow today to be filled with the joy of the Lord? Will you turn your back and decide to have a sucky day?
I am excited to get to attend church this morning as the theme for this series is THRIVE. I am excited to get to hear from God’s Word in the book of Exodus and how through the story of Moses, God will encourage me as I step into this new week of uncertainty. Last week closed with an incredible phone call on my son’s birthday. God knew I needed a bit of a pick me up as I was having a pretty rough morning, and it was FRIDAY. It should have been HAPPY FRIDAY! since today()=Friday. But I was struggling and kept turning and praying and casting my cares upon God. I know He cares for me. I know He will never leave me and never abandon me. I know that I am never alone for God is with me. He was helping me get through the day and to make sure I stepped into the weekend uplifted and encouraged, God provided a call from a long-time friend and mentor to pick me up. God is so good! All the time! All the time! God is good!
Today’s verse of the day:
‘ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ‘
So are you struggling with finding joy? Are you struggling to thrive? Are you looking for a source of hope? Are you looking for a source of strength? Are you looking for a source of joy? Let’s invite Jesus into the situation! Let’s invite Him into our hearts to help fill it up with joy that overflows from it. Let’s invite Him into our lives as our Lord and Savior so that we can be new, we can be transformed, we can have joy.
As you begin today, who are you? Where does your identity come from? Who do you say you are? Who does God say you are? Are you ready to live according to who God says you are rather than being defined by what you do, how you do it, or what others think? Are you ready to grab hold of your identity and live out the purpose for which you were created?
Today’s verse of the day comes to us from Matthew 28:19 and says:
‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ‘
Are you ready to go today? Are you ready to share the good news today and make disciples? Are you ready to remove the limits and the barriers of who you can share the good news with? Are you ready to help them enter into the baptism? Are you ready to bring them into and under the covering of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Are you ready to help them find their true identity in Christ Jesus? Are you ready to help them be redeemed? Are you ready to answer the call?
There are so many things in this world that try to tear us down. There are so many things in this world that try to define us or write out our identity. Let’s not allow the world to rob us of our true identity. Let’s grab hold of who God says we are. Let’s decide today to accept and receive the gift of God through Jesus Christ and become children of God. Let’s pray:
It’s the day before a year that will be filled with lots of change. It’s the day before a year when one daughter who has been raised up in the way she should go will be leaving home to pursue God’s purpose, passion, and plan for her life. It’s the day before a year when another daughter will be heading off to college and getting to play collegiate soccer after graduating her senior year. It’s the day before a year when the house will only have one child left and our son will get the experience of being a teen and only child type of experience. So needless to say there will be a lot of changes in how our house is going to be and feel. God help us enjoy every day we have with our kids. God help us to focus on what is important to you as we prepare for and go through these changes throughout the year. God help us to live our lives in ways that will point our kids towards you and will bring you the praise, the honor, and the glory. Lord, help me I pray to Be The Dad you created me to be for Your purpose, Your plan, Your honor, and Your glory. Seasons are changing and we need to be ready. Seasons are changing and we need to get prepared. Seasons are changing as we move from a home of 5 to 4 and after a few months 3 and after a few years down to 2. Seasons change! So let’s enjoy the one we are in and prepare for the one that is coming so that we can make the most of it for the glory of God!
‘For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land.’
Let’s look for additional context and details by expanding the verses and using the Amplified version:
‘“I am the rose [of the plain] of Sharon, The lily of the valleys [that grows in deep places].” “Like the lily among the thorns, So are you, my darling, among the maidens.” “Like an apple tree [rare and welcome] among the trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the young men! In his shade I took great delight and sat down, And his fruit was sweet and delicious to my palate. He has brought me to his banqueting place, And his banner over me is love [waving overhead to protect and comfort me]. Sustain me with raisin cakes, Refresh me with apples, Because I am sick with love. Let his left hand be under my head And his right hand embrace me.” “I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field [which run free], That you do not rouse nor awaken my love Until she pleases.” “Listen! My beloved! Behold, he comes, Climbing on the mountains, Leaping and running on the hills! My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he is standing behind our wall, He is looking through the windows, He is gazing through the lattice. “My beloved speaks and says to me, ‘Arise, my love, my fair one, And come away. For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth once again; The time for singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree has budded and ripens her figs, And the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, And come away [to climb the rocky steps of the hillside].’ ” “O my dove, [here] in the clefts in the rock, In the sheltered and secret place of the steep pathway, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your face is lovely.” “Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that spoil and ruin the vineyards [of love], While our vineyards are in blossom.” “My beloved is mine and I am his; He pastures his flock among the lilies. Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away, Return quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether [which separate us].”’
Ever noticed how our relationships go through seasons?
Ever noticed it in your romantic relationships?
Ever noticed it in your relationship with God?
When you think of seasons have you ever felt like your relationship is going through Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall?
When you went through the season of winter, did you make the conscious decision to press through and keep going even though it seemed like there was very little warmth?
Ever considered how the season of Winter when we compare what happens in nature to the plants speaks to the state of our hearts? A season of barrenness.
We need to not lose hope because seasons don’t last forever!
We need to hold onto the reality that when this cold season passes it will be heading into Spring.
Are you looking for signs of spring? Are you looking for the warmth to return? Are you ready for your heart to be filled with hope?
Ever watched mature marriages and compared them to a relationship with God?
Marriages start with the heat of passion and idealism of pure love.
Ever noticed how when the honeymoon ended how reality hit the husband and wife hard?
Ever witnessed the reassessment that needed to happen and go through?
Ever witnessed how they took on this necessary challenge?
Ever seen how they had to rebuild their relationship based on reality?
Ever seen how they built their relationship on realistic expectations and good communication?
Ever seen it not work out and the marriage turn into an empty shell?
In the midst of the winter season, opportunities to have richer conversations appear.
In the midst of the winter season, opportunities to have deeper affection appear.
In the midst of the winter season, opportunities to have a marriage that flourishes like never before.
So don’t lose hope! Lean in and work to make things better! Be on the lookout for signs of Spring and what needs to happen to be ready.
Ever had a similar experience when you started your relationship with God?
Did you start the relationship with great joy and high hopes?
Did you get incredible experiences with God that built up your faith?
Did you eventually get to the point of needing to grow in your faith and find yourself in the point of a change of experience facing trials, troubles, and more difficult situations?
We you able to grow and mature through these times like James 1:2-4 speaks of and be able to consider them pure joy?
‘Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing. ‘ James 1:2-4
Did you find that the more challenging paths caused you to struggle?
Did you find that the more challenging paths caused you to find disappointments?
Did you find that the more challenging paths caused you to have misunderstandings?
Did it challenge your young faith but by pressing in and pressing on found you built a more mature and strengthen faith?
Did you find it helped you draw closer to God?
Did you find it helped you build a deeper relationship with God?
Are you facing a Winter season today? Don’t lose hope! Remember that Winter’s season of dormancy is required in preparation for Spring.
Be it in nature when we see Winter come before Spring.
Be it in romantic relationships when we see Winter come before Spring.
Be it in our walk with God when we see Winter come before Spring.
If we develop greater trust when it is cold and dark, we’ll get to experience more love in the warmth of Spring.
DISCUSSION TOPICS FROM TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL:
How have you observed seasons in relationships wtih people and God?
In both kinds of relationships, what are some things we can do in winter to prepare for spring?
So are you ready to live your life on purpose? Are you ready to live your life with purpose? Are you ready to live your life for a purpose? God created each of us on purpose, with purpose, and for a purpose. So we need to choose to receive it and then start to live it in order to achieve it. Let’s invite God into our lives and ask Him to help lead and guide our thoughts, words, and actions so that we can live out our lives for His glory in Jesus’s name. Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of my Sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that Jesus is your Son, And that he died on the Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven. and have Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my Sins and will Worship you all the day’s of my Life! Because your word is truth, I confess with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed by the Blood of Jesus! In Jesus Name, Amen
Did you pray with me? Would you be willing to leave me a comment so that I can pray with and for you about such an incredible decision? Or if you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment on my blog, why not email or text me instead?
As I was considering these a song came to mind and so sharing it here to close today’s post: https://youtu.be/QvHE65nImmM
I read a message this morning and triggered thoughts of a year gone by. When you go through a tough year, how do you decide if the challenges, the struggles, the trials, the tests, the pain, and the suffering are signs to move on or a time to build your faith strength? In my case, I kept leaning on God and He helped build my faith, He strengthened my family bond and unit, He kept telling me to stay in the midst of it all and never opened a door to step out or step away. It was also necessary as I look back to help me reset and prepare for the new role God had prepared in advance with an incredible new team to lead. The message I read brought this flashback moment because I was curious if that person’s decision was triggered by similar challenges and struggles. I was curious if that person’s decision to get out was directed by God or fear for what reviews and such might look like. I was curious if that person’s decision to get out was triggered by someone else offering them a new role and change. I may never know or it may be something discussed later in life but either way, it made me go back to decision time and how for me I turned to God to get the wisdom and discernment I needed to be able to both decide and press through it. I had picked up my lessons from years gone by and led with forgiveness! I then was able to seek wisdom and discernment from God to know what to do, where to go, how to proceed. And this past year for me with my new team has been incredible with both incredible managers as well as with incredible team members. God is good and He can use all things, even the bad or painful ones, and turn them around and use them for good! God’s got a perspective we can’t have or see from and so we need to trust Him, we need to lean on God rather than our own understanding, we need to go it His way that is so much higher and better than our ways.
It’s New Year’s Eve-eve today and many people will be thinking about making a decision heading into the New Year. What decision are you considering? What is the motivation for the decision? What is the purpose of the decision? Is it self-driven or God-driven? Is it something that you will commit to or is it like many of the New Year resolutions that rarely make it through January? Important things to consider since you still have a couple of days to get it figured out.
‘“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known. ‘
Let’s look to get more context and details for today’s Bible verses by expanding the verses around it and using the Amplified version for extra details.
‘“Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His precepts, and His commandments [it is your obligation to Him]. Know this day that I am not speaking to your children who have not known [by personal experience] and who have not seen [firsthand] the instruction and discipline of the Lord your God—His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm; and His signs and His works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land; and what He did to the army of Egypt, to its horses and its chariots, when He made the water of the Red Sea engulf them as they pursued you, and how the Lord completely destroyed them; and what He did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place; and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel. For your eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord which He did. “Therefore, you shall keep all the commandments which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and take possession of the land which you are crossing over [the Jordan] to possess; so that you may live long on the land which the Lord swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land [of great abundance,] flowing with milk and honey. For the land which you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your foot like a garden of vegetables. But the land into which you are about to cross to possess, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. “It shall come about, if you listen obediently and pay attention to My commandments which I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul [your choices, your thoughts, your whole being]— that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early [fall] rain and the late [spring] rain, so that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your [olive] oil. And He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away [from the Lord ] and serve other gods and worship them, or [else] the Lord’s anger will be kindled and burn against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the land will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you. “Therefore, you shall impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul, and tie them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as bands (frontals, frontlets) on your forehead. You shall teach them [diligently] to your children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths], speaking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk [that is, to live each and every day] in all His ways and to hold tightly to Him— then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall become yours; your territory shall be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea (the Mediterranean). No man will be able to stand before you; the Lord your God will lay the fear and the dread of you on all the land on which you set foot, just as He has spoken to you. “Behold, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse— the blessing, if you listen to and obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to and obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following (acknowledging, worshiping) other gods which you have not known. “It shall come about, when the Lord your God brings you into the land which you are entering to possess, that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. Are they not across the Jordan, west of the road, toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall possess it and live in it, and you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgments which I am setting before you today.’
Ever noticed how God can make the right choice more appealing that the wrong choice?
As you consider the above scripture about the benefits of following God’s law do you see how He desires us to make the right choice?
Today’s devotional put it the options this way: “You have a choice. You can have a thousand dollars in cash or a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Which one do you want?”
Throughout history we have seen many times where people have chosent the stick in the eye.
Ever wondered when the options are so clear how anyone could make the wrong choice?
The sad part is that they do and so do we.
God has made Himself clear about the right and wrong decisions and yet people have struggled to receive it.
Consider Eve in the garden and how Satan came to tempt her and confuse her understanding of what God had said.
‘Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. ‘ Genesis 3:1-7
Satan is trying to get us off track and bring confusion and try to cause us to doubt or question God’s authority and goodness.
What if Eve had of responded with “Yes, but He gave us all of the rest of these, and that’s plenty!”?
What choices are you facing today?
What does God say about your options?
Will you trust God?
Will you trust His plans?
Will you trust His authority?
Will you trust His goodness?
Or are you allowing Satan to create a wedge between you and God because questioning or doubt?
Will you allow doubt and questioning to cause you to walk away from God like what happened to Eve?
Are you being tempted today?
Are you being tempted to doubt God?
Are you being tempted to doubt God’s goodness?
Are you being tempted to doubt God’s authority?
Are you being tempted to doubt the importance of having God as the centerpiece of your life?
Do you think you can do it and nobody will ever know or find out? God knows.
Do you think you could have sex with that person because it sounds really good and you think you can do it without anyone finding out? God knows.
Do you think you can blow of that responsibility you have since you don’t think anyone will get hurt by it? God knows.
Do you think making up stories or lying about something or someone might help you get ahead quicker and coming up with stories why it won’t hurt them or how they weren’t going to be impacted or try for that opportunity anyway? God knows.
Do you think overeating won’t be a problem and won’t hurt? God knows.
Do you realize how such talk, thoughts, and conversations cause or create doubt over God’s goodness, God’s authority, and hence puts into question the benefits of obedience.
What will be your big choice today?
It may seem small in the moment but the question is will your decision move you closer to God or further away with each and every one?
Will you choose wisely and receive the wonderful blessings?
Will you choose unwisely and receive the painful curse?
The choice is yours! We all have freewill.
So will you choose blessings or curses?
The decision is yours! Why not be prepared in advance so that when you are faced with the situation you know the right answer and are ready to make it.
DISCUSSION TOPICS FROM TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL:
What are the choices you face each day that question or affirm God’s authority in your life?
Which path are you on? How much progress are you making?
So are you facing a big choice today? Are you considering making a decision heading out of the current and into the coming year? Are you considering how it aligns with God’s will for your life? Are you ready to invite God into the situation in order to receive His wisdom and guidance? Are you ready to start making your decisions in a way that will bring God glory? Are you ready to grab hold of 1 Corinthians 10:31 that says: ‘So then, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of [our great] God. ‘? Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of my Sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that Jesus is your Son, And that he died on the Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven. and have Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my Sins and will Worship you all the day’s of my Life! Because your word is truth, I confess with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed by the Blood of Jesus! In Jesus Name, Amen
Did you pray with me? Would you be willing to leave me a comment so that I can pray with and for you about such an incredible decision? Or if you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment on my blog, why not email or text me instead?
God's story through my life from 2005 to eternity... 
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