The Valley
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. (Psalm 23)
Psalm 23 is an awesome promise from the Lord, so personal to each of us. God is our Good Shepherd and He knows all about us. He knows that by restoring us back to Him, we will be willing to be led down His path of righteousness. At times, those paths will lead us through valleys of the shadow of death. Most of us hate those paths. Even though the Lord is holding us by the hand, oh, how we resist! It is hard to acknowledge that the God of love is truly leading us through the dark, scary valley. We may even want to blame such terrible circumstances on everything and everyone else instead of submitting to God ourselves. In time, however, we will see that it was only by going through the valley of the shadow of death that the Lord could help us break hurtful habits and behaviors, so that we can receive His peace and rejoice in His love.
Ask the Lord today to reveal any areas of your heart that need restoration. Do you feel dull or numb in certain areas of your life?
Tell the Lord about those places in your heart where you sense frustration and barrenness.
Ask Him to restore them back to Him. Restoration is not always just about life’s obvious issues; it can be very much about life’s less recognized ones.
Take your time to really read through Psalm 23 (again) and listen to the Lord’s impressions on your heart. The Word of God is the most powerful Word you will read or hear today.
When I read this I couldn’t help but think about how good God is! He is perfectly perfect. My prayer is that we will take time today to see the good He has placed in our lives, despite the dark, scary valleys. I loved when it said, In time, however, we will see that it was only by going through the valley of the shadow of death that the Lord could help us break hurtful habits and behaviors, so that we can receive His peace and rejoice in His love. Let’s take this to heart, take ahold of His hand and trust Him to lead us.
God, I trust you with all of my heart. Wherever you want me to go, I will go. Even if it’s not where I planned. Lead me and I will follow. Amen.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 23, Acts 21:18-40
My Mouth and Meditation
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
It is interesting to note that the words of our mouths and meditation of our hearts are watched by the Lord. The Psalmist asks the Lord to let them be acceptable in His sight, not in His ears. So what is God looking for in our mouth and meditation?
Recently this verse kept coming to my mind to pray. But just because I prayed it didn’t mean that I noticed anything different or changed in any way. Then, all of a sudden, to my complete surprise I was confronted about something I said. Immediately, the conviction became so severe that my heart started burning within me. I knew that God heard my prayer and what He was seeing in my mouth and meditation were not acceptable. He took my prayer seriously and now was addressing deep-seated issues.
When God convicts us, it is amazing how naked we feel. We naturally want to conceal our motives, justify our words and cover up our actions. Those are all “sight” feelings, like God is seeing our sin. But our only hope at that time is to repent. The more we fight to maintain our sinful state, the more time we lose in receiving His good counsel and wisdom to change. God sees the fruit of our ways. Those ways are manifested through the words of our mouth and meditations of our heart. The fruit is what God sees more than what He hears. But the Psalmist completes His prayer by addressing two very important characteristics of God: my Strength and my Redeemer. God is able to strengthen you to change and redeem your old ways into a new person with ripe healthy abundant fruit. Today, will you ask the Lord with me to allow your words and meditations to be acceptable in His sight?
…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.. – Matthew 12:34
When I read this I thought, what a wonderful challenge. Let’s take time today to pause and ask The Lord to allow our words and meditations to be acceptable in His sight. Are you bearing the fruit you speak of and ask God for or are you trying to conceal your motives, justify your words and cover up your actions? God sees the true fruit of our ways. Let’s be honest with ourselves today and with God. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Proverbs 19:21)
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalms 18, Acts 20:17-38
Our Teacher
But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:27)
Jesus tells His disciples in John 16 that when He goes away He will send a Helper, His Holy Spirit. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13). When we accept Jesus into our hearts, we are immediately indwelled by His Holy Spirit. We believe, then, we receive. One of the biggest attacks Christians face today comes from an enemy telling us that we have no real power, no victory, and no hope. In John 8:44, Jesus describes our enemy: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is perfect in every way. He cannot lie. He cannot deceive. He is holy and righteous beyond our understanding. His promises are true. His faithfulness reaches to the heavens. When He says that we have His Holy Spirit, then we must believe in faith that we have an abiding relationship filled with His love and power. He promises that no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor has entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Do you believe Him today? Do you want to know more about the things of the Lord? As a child of God, saved and sealed for the day of redemption, you have the anointing of the Holy Spirit who will teach you all things. Let today be the day that you start learning about these things. How to start? Read His Word and study it. Pray and ask for the things you want to learn about. Ask questions that you want answered. Get up every day with an attitude of faith and do not allow the enemy to tempt you with his lies. Maybe it is time for you to go back to school…and what a great Teacher you have! And the best part…He will only give you open book (the Bible) tests.
When I read this The Lord brought Hebrews 4:12 resounding back to my memory. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. God has equipped us with The Word for guidance and instruction, long before we walked this earth He had a plan to teach us and instruct us, now it’s up to us to allow Him to teach us. Rebuke the enemy, for he is a liar, and the father of it. Choose to be blessed today and allow God to give you His strength, boldness and courage to walk with His Anointing.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalms 10, Acts 19:1-20
Speak Without Fear
Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. (Acts 18:9-10)
I am encouraged when reading statements like these. Paul was known as a man with such boldness and never-ending endurance. He spoke before kings and started churches. He was persecuted and beaten but continued to sing praises. We read that his body had the brand marks of Jesus Christ and yet, this verse allows us to look into his heart. Paul was scared.
I would guess that not many people would know that Paul needed this kind of encouragement. Paul obviously knew that his fears stemmed from his speaking, which led to him being attacked and hurt. God knew what Paul needed to keep going. The Lord assured Paul to continue, to not quit, but to speak, and then calmed his fears by saying that no one would attack him to hurt him. God knows just what we need to hear. God knows just how much each of us can take. And God knows how to assure us, comfort us, encourage us and motivate us to continue.
Are there fears you are dealing with today? Are you struggling with thoughts of quitting or stopping? God knows your heart and He can minister to you at the deepest level. Allow His Holy Spirit to minister to you today. Open His Word and listen as He speaks to your heart. Then, go and speak as He leads you.
I too was encouraged when I read this today. We all need to be reminded of this, we all deal with fear, my fear may be different from your fear but one thing is the same, God knows your heart, He knows my heart and He can minister to the deepest level. He knows you better than you know yourself. Allow His Holy Spirit to minister to you today. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-11). Let’s start today, Speak Without Fear!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 7
Intimate Details
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. (Psalm 139:2)
The universe is astonishingly grand. Right now the moon is spinning around us at nearly 2,300 miles an hour. Our Earth is spinning around the sun at 66,000 miles an hour. Our sun is one of 200 billion other stars and trillions more planets in our galaxy, and that galaxy is just one of 100 billion others hurtling through space. Astounding!
In comparison to this vast cosmos, our little Earth is no bigger than a pebble, and our individual lives no greater than a grain of sand. Yet according to Scripture, the God of the galaxies attends to each microscopic one of us in intimate detail. He saw us before we existed (Ps. 139:13–16); He watches us as we go about our days and listens for our every thought (vv. 1–6).
It can be hard to believe this sometimes. This tiny “pebble” has big problems like war and famine, and we can question God’s care in times of personal suffering. But when King David wrote Psalm 139 he was in the midst of crisis himself (vv. 19–20). And when Jesus said God counts each hair on our heads (Matt. 10:30), He was living in an age of crucifixion. Biblical talk of God’s caring attention isn’t a naïve wish. It is real-world truth.
The One who keeps the galaxies spinning knows us intimately. That can help us get through the worst of times.
Father God, Your eye is on me as much as it is on the stars in the sky. Thank You for Your love, Your care, Your attention. Amen.
When I read this three words came to mind, He is faithful. What a mighty God we serve. God cares for us so intimately. Today, may you grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. God is much stronger than your circumstances!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 139:1-18 & Psalm 2
Delighting in Him
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3)
I love the promises of this Psalm. There are promises of blessing to the one who delights in the law of the Lord, a promise of fruit, strength and prosperity in whatever we do. And what does He want us to do? He wants us to love His Word; the law of the Lord is His word. John 1:14 says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, which means that Jesus is the living Word. If we delight in the Word, then we are delighting in Him. So, our delight should be to desire the Lord more than anything else, so much that we meditate and think about Him day and night.
There are so many other things to think about in our lives today. From televisions to radios to computers, everything around us makes some kind of noise or sight that demands our attention. Regardless of what we are doing, we are always thinking about something. The activities and the stimuli seldom stop in our busy lives. And then we wonder why we are so tired (our leaves wither) and why we are not efficient or effective (prosperous) in our works. The answer lies in God’s Word. We will find our strength when we make the Lord the priority of our thoughts, by tuning out the other sights and sounds.
God promises us His blessings if we focus on Him, keep His word close to our hearts, and make Him the center of our thoughts. Start today by reading through the Psalms starting with chapter one and reading a Psalm a day until ending with chapter one hundred fifty (150). You will see the blessings of God as you delight in His Word every day.
When I read this I thought, what a great idea. I’m going to read at least a chapter a day of Psalms, starting with chapter one and take the time to meditate on it throughout the day. I pray I can challenge you to do the same. We will find our strength when we make the Lord the priority of our thoughts, by tuning out the other sights and sounds, what truth!! Amen!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 1
Approaching God
But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works. (Psalm 73:28)
A woman desiring to pray grabbed an empty chair and knelt before it. In tears, she said, “My dear heavenly Father, please sit down here; you and I need to talk!” Then, looking directly at the vacant chair, she prayed. She demonstrated confidence in approaching the Lord; she imagined He was sitting on the chair and believed He was listening to her petition.
A time with God is an important moment when we engage the Almighty. God comes near to us as we draw near to Him in a mutual involvement (James 4:8). He has assured us, “I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20). Our heavenly Father is always waiting for us to come to Him, always ready to listen to us.
There are times when we struggle to pray because we feel tired, sleepy, sick, and weak. But Jesus sympathizes with us when we are weak or face temptations (Heb. 4:15). Therefore we can “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (v. 16).
Lord, thank You that I can pray to You in all places at all times. Put the desire to come near to You in my heart. I want to learn to come to You in faith and in confidence. Amen.
When I read this I instantly thought to myself, He is truly as real as the breath I breathe and He longs for us to do just as the dear sweet woman did, grab a chair and ask Him to sit down with you and tell Him, we need to talk. A lot of people think you have to have eloquent words in order to talk to God but you don’t, just be real with Him, all He is wanting is you.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Hebrews 4:14-16
$1,000,000 Debt
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22)
Jesus followed this interaction with Peter by sharing what we now know as, the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35). The situation was this; a king forgave his servant for what would equate to, in our day, a million dollar debt. This was more than any average person, let alone a servant, could produce for repayment. The king, out of compassion, kindness, and beautiful mercy forgave the entire debt, and not on the grounds of repayment either. The king knew this servant would never be able to repay the money owed, yet he forgave him anyway. At this point, the narrative is gracious and wonderful. What a good king!
But here’s the servant’s response: straight away, this forgiven man found a coworker of his who owed him just a fraction of what he had been pardoned from repaying the king. He grabbed him by the throat, and demanded he be repaid the money owed him. When that man begged patience, just as the forgiven servant had, “he refused and…put him in prison”!
The point here was this; we as God’s forgiven, redeemed, and reconciled cannot take the forgiveness of a bottomless debt from God’s hand, and then with our own hands demand repayment from those who owe us, or have wronged us. While this does not mean that we become a doormat for those who would walk all over us, it does mean that we do not live like the unregenerate servant who did not understand and appreciate the debt that had been forgiven of him.
Is there someone who you have not forgiven for the wrong they have done to you? Ask God to remind you of the debt He has forgiven of you.
While I have read this setting of scripture many times before, after reading today’s perspective I seen it in a much different light. What truth! We are at times so quickly to hold unforgiveness in our hearts and lives and in return we are forgetting what we ourselves have been forgiven of. Today let’s take a moments and remind ourselves of the debt He has forgiven of us and then turn around and grant forgiveness to someone you have not forgiven. Forgive others as quickly as you expect God to forgive you and when someone does something wrong, don’t forget all the things they did right. We are to show love and allow God to be there judge.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Ephesians 4:31-32
Follow Me
And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. (Luke 5:27-29)
A tax collector was not an honorable position during Jesus’ time. Tax collectors were known for their shrewd and fraudulent ways. This passage says that Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi. Jesus obviously got his attention as He commissioned Levi to follow Him. It is amazing that the passage says that Levi left all, rose up and followed Him. There is a sense that Levi had immediate action with little thought. He seemed to abandon all for the call of Christ. Think of what it took to go from a tax collector with a negative reputation, to a disciple of Jesus Christ. Questions come to mind such as, “How did Levi do that? Did he just quit his job, sell his house or what? Where did He follow Jesus to?” Levi’s next steps are right there in the next verse. Verse 29 says that Levi followed Jesus to “his own house.” Levi brought Jesus to his own home, so, Levi followed Jesus back home.
The first step to being Jesus’ disciple is by becoming His follower at home. Not only does Jesus meet us right where we are, but also Jesus becomes part of where we are. When we come to know Him and follow Him, Jesus leads us back to our own homes. Home is our training ground. It is in our homes that we first speak out about Jesus, so the change in our lives needs to become evident at home first.
Jesus saw Levi and Jesus sees you. Jesus called Levi and Jesus is calling you. Are you willing to answer His call? Are you following Jesus in your home? Levi gave Jesus a great feast. There was preparation and planning for this party as he made a public profession that he was following Jesus’ ways, starting immediately. For you today, it may be that you stop watching certain shows or stop saying certain words. It also will mean that you start sharing your faith with your family. Levi is an example of someone with the kind of commitment it takes to follow Jesus. Levi became one of the twelve apostles whose name was changed to Matthew. He was the man who wrote the Book of Matthew, leading many others to follow Christ just like he did.
Help us Lord to follow after you not only out in The World but in our homes. Help us to heed to the convictions you place in our lives when no one else is watching. Help us to set the example starting at home. Amen.
When I read this I felt it was vital and needed to be shouted from the roof tops! Take time today to observe what’s happening at home and ask yourself, am I willing to answer His call in my home, am I truly following Jesus in my home and what does my training ground look like?! God may not be asking you to leave behind everything you own and follow Him into a remote country but is He asking you to give up certain things, certain attitudes, certain behaviors. Is He asking you to prioritize church, prayer, tithing, reading your word more? Only you can answer those questions honestly and for everyone the questions and answers will be different but we can all be honest with ourselves and with God, He already knows and He’s right there waiting for you to come to Him and ask for His help. God deserves our very best and it starts at home!!!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Matthew 16:24-26
Are You Being Prepared?
The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:37)
I worked at a fast-food restaurant for over two years in high school. Some aspects of the job were difficult. Customers verbalized their anger while I apologized for the unwanted slice of cheese on the sandwich I didn’t make. Soon after I left, I applied for a computer job at my university. The employers were more interested in my fast-food experience than my computer skills. They wanted to know that I knew how to deal with people. My experience in unpleasant circumstances prepared me for a better job!
Young David persevered through an experience we might well call unpleasant. When Israel was challenged to send someone to fight Goliath, no one was brave enough to step up to the task. No one but David. King Saul was reluctant to send him to fight, but David explained that as a shepherd he had fought and killed a lion and a bear for the sake of the sheep (1 Sam. 17:34–36). Confidently he stated, “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine” (v. 37).
Being a shepherd didn’t earn David much respect, but it prepared him to fight Goliath and eventually become Israel’s greatest king. We may be in difficult circumstances, but through them God might be preparing us for something greater!
Lord, help me to hold on during the unpleasant times in my life knowing that You may be preparing me for something greater. Amen.
Over the past few days and weeks I’ve read news stories of difficult circumstances that have unexpectedly come upon good Godly people and I as I’m certain they ask, why. Sometimes we don’t have the answers to the why in our circumstances but we do know The Way Maker and after reading this today it put a peace in my heart that despite difficult circumstances that we all have and will face we must remind ourselves of this very truth, God is preparing you for something greater, you may not see an ounce of it at this very moment but don’t loose hope. For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed (Isaiah 50:7). Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Samuel 17:8, 32-37, 48-50