Your Daily Crossroad
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May '18
Too Hard for The Lord?
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May '18
And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. (Genesis 18:13-14)
Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old when Isaac was born. Both Abraham and Sarah were well past child bearing age. Most likely, they could not imagine having a baby at such an old age, but God had a different plan. The Lord knew the exact time in which Sarah would have Isaac and it would clearly be a miraculous blessing to her life. Throughout the years, as the Lord kept telling Abraham of this promise, Abraham kept believing and waiting on the promise to be fulfilled. Twenty-four years after God first promised an heir to Abraham, three men showed up at Abraham’s door. The Lord was one of the three and He again restated His promise that they will bring forth a son, a baby boy. Sarah reacted by laughing. The Lord responded with a question: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
Abraham was a man of faith. God said it and Abraham believed what God said. Simple, pure, powerful faith. Sarah believed Abraham and trusted his words but when the Lord showed up, she lacked in her faith to believe. She even laughed at what God said. For us, sometimes it is easier for us to believe a person or to believe in a person than to trust in God. If God gives us a promise we can have a hard time trying to work it out ourselves. The hardest part is waiting on the Lord to fulfill it. We wait, we wonder and sometimes we worry but God is always faithful to keep His promises. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Nothing. If He says it, then He will do it.
I pray after reading this devotion you walk away feeling uplifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We must strive to be men and women of faith. My prayer today is that we trust Him for his promises no matter the wait and that we truly realize no thing is too hard for The Lord, if He says it, He will do it. Simple, pure, powerful faith.
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Galatians 6:7-8
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May '18
Even If
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May '18
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:17-18)
These three men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were hurled into the fiery furnace; and God miraculously delivered them so that not a hair of their head was singed and their clothing was smoke-free (vv. 19–27). They had been prepared to die but their trust in God was unwavering—“even if” He had not saved them.
God desires that we cling to Him—even if our loved one isn’t healed, even if we lose our job, even if we are persecuted. Sometimes God rescues us from danger in this life, and sometimes He doesn’t. But the truth we can hold firmly is this: “The God we serve is able,” loves us, and is with us in every fiery trial, every even if.
Dear Lord, we love You! Please give us unwavering faith—and strength and hope for each day—no matter the circumstance. Amen.
I believe it is so important that we continually share and remind ourselves of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. What Faith!! The faith they had in that moment and time is the same faith we have available to us today. It’s up to us to stand on it, cling to Him and believe God for whatever answer comes. Always remember, God is able!
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Peter 1:24
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May '18
The Spiritual Fight Against Fear
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May '18
And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land. (Joshua 8:1)
The Lord told Joshua to go up to Ai. Actually, He was telling Joshua to go back to Ai. Since their earlier defeat at Ai, the men of Israel have been through a tragic experience because of the disobedience of one of their men, Achan. The punishment for Achan’s sin no doubt left a fearful impression upon all these men, who must now be prepared for war. So the Lord tells Joshua to “fear not, neither be thou dismayed.” In other words, He is saying, “Get back up and let’s take care of the business at hand. Let’s complete the job we have started.” The Lord promises to be with Joshua and his men, even going so far as to tell Joshua that He has already given the king, the people and the land into their hands.
In the second part of this verse, the Lord tells Joshua to “see.” This is not a physical seeing because the battle has not yet even begun. This form of seeing requires spiritual eyes of faith to believe that what the Lord is saying is true, even though it cannot be physically seen at this time. For Joshua, this is an important step of faith. He has just been dealt a severe blow through what happened with Achan and now he must get back up. He must continue to fight. He must take each step with the Lord.
God is faithful and just. He will complete the work He has started. Do not let fear, anger or discouragement keep you from following the Lord. Get back up, trust Him and take that next step. The enemy will do whatever he can to keep you from taking that next step, but the Lord will help you to “see” that He has delivered you and will lead you forward.
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is John 13:34-35
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May '18
He Never Forgets Us
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May '18
Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. Ihave blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. (Isaiah 44:21-22)
Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) was chosen by God, but not because he was sinless or above reproach from man’s perspective. His descendants were just like us- real people with real problems making real mistakes. But God used this group of people to bring Jesus into the world and to give us a relationship back to God. Even though we have been dealing with the same sin issues since creation, God does not separate Himself from us because of our sin. Jesus made a way for us to be united with God forever. We do not have the ability to become perfect while on earth but we can be perfected (or conformed) into God’s image because of Christ.
It is because of the cross that all things are made new. We need to cling to the cross because it is there that we have been set free. We are forgiven, reconciled back to God and called out to be used of Him. I need to do nothing else but to accept that my sins have been cleansed and be willing to accept how the debt has been paid. It is of the Lord that we have been called. We are His witnesses established for His glory and sanctified for His purposes.
Nothing we do can separate us from Him but the same is not true of us. We tend to hang on to our sins, which lead us away from the Lord. Jesus has cleansed us from all sin–past, present and future. We need to be thanking Him for how good God is that He made a way for us to be with Him forever.
Relax. Take in a deep breath. Think about how much grace has abounded to you. Talk to the Lord about the sin issues in your life that keep pulling you away from Him. Thank Him for never pulling away from you.
When I read this I couldn’t help but think how faithful and real God is. When we commit our lives to Him, He goes before us, makes the crooked paths straight and truly forgives us of all our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. It’s up to us to go to Him and allow Him to be present in our lives. He never leaves us nor forsakes us and He never forgets us. Go to Him in prayer today.
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 21:21