Your Daily Crossroad
Praise Him and Find Victory
Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. (Psalm 150:2,6)
As we meet and talk with women, we often hear of their struggles, especially in their own thoughts. They feel unworthy to be serving the Lord. Thoughts like, “Who are you to be doing this?” or “Why are you working on this–someone else could do it better?” are common components of mental attacks. These thoughts then trigger certain emotions and the next thing for women is a pit of depression and hopelessness, just what the enemy had planned. The enemy wants you to feel so condemned and depressed that you quit or are too demoralized to minister effectively and powerfully.
Some Christians recognize that these types of thoughts are not of the Lord but they do not know how to stop them. Some of us quote verses, rebuke the devil, and attempt to reason our way out of it with logical comebacks, but still have no real victory. Instead of fighting back, we begin to justify the bad thoughts, thinking that maybe these self-condemning behaviors are from the Lord to keep us humble. Wrong!
Jesus came to give us life to the fullest. He wants us to share in His joy, not wallow in our flesh. We are sinners. We are unworthy to do anything to please God. We are to love Him and to worship Him. Our faith is the only way to please God. It is not for us to dwell on our unworthiness but to praise Him for His willingness to save us.
How can we change this process? Start praising the Lord! Put on praise music, read the psalms aloud (as if you wrote them to the Lord) and worship the Lord. The key is to get our eyes off ourselves and focus on Him. He is worthy and by His blood that cleanses us, we can do all things through Christ, even change those negative thoughts.
When I read this I couldn’t help but think of how mighty God is, I’ve had a few people call or txt me this week with these exact struggles, asking for prayer or just a listening ear. It amazes me what happens when we pray, God provides the answer, an uplift for our spirit man. Wow!! What a mighty mighty God we serve. We are so beyond blessed being loved by Him. Praise Him and Find Victory!! Amen!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalms 148, 1 Cor. 15:29-58
Hold Fast
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
One day, I spent time with a patient who had just been diagnosed the day before with breast cancer that had spread to her brain, liver and lungs. She was a young woman in her forties. I met her on the Oncology Unit in the hospital where doctors were just beginning a treatment plan. This patient seemed to have a peace. She spoke to me about her signs and symptoms that led up to this diagnosis; she was honest with her emotions and heart’s desires to get better. When I had asked her what her source of strength was during this time, she told me that over 300 people were praying for her and that she had wonderful family members and friends to see her through this difficult time. As the conversation continued, I asked her if she had the assurance of her salvation. I asked her if she had ever accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. Her answer was quick and confident as she said, “I don’t need to do that because my father is a minister. I have the church’s support.” My heart was grieved for there aren’t any grandchildren in heaven. God wants to adopt sons and daughters into His Kingdom. God desires to personally raise each one of us, to call us each by name and for His kids to call back to Him, “Daddy,” knowing that His arm isn’t too short too save or ear too dull to hear the cry of His own children.
Becoming a child of God and receiving the assurance that you are His child is so easy. However, we resist so hard. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul lays down the basics of salvation again. A child of God accepts that Jesus came to earth, fully God and fully man, and that He died on a cross for our sins, He was buried and rose from the dead three days later. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by Him. His death on the cross allowed sinful man to have a relationship with a Holy God. His resurrection gives us the power to live this earthly life for His purposes, instead of our own. Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you want to be sure that you have come to know the Lord Jesus in a personal way, pray this prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins and forgiving me. I want you to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want to live for You as I believe You died for me. Thank You for hearing my prayer. I want Your Spirit to fill me. Amen.
When I read this it touched me. I knew it had to be shared. Time is short, we need to be bold, we need to be honest about the importance of salvation. There are so many living this life deceived and confused and headed straight for hell, where they were not created to be. As I have said in the devotions past, we must be His hands and feet extended to save those who are lost. Have you missed an opportunity or just been too busy to change someone’s life for eternity? It’s not to late, start today, share your salvation story with someone today, let them know where God has brought you from and be a light in this dark world. Salvation, it’s so beautiful, hold fast.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 146, 1 Cor. 15
Which Way Do I Go?
Today’s devotional verses speak directly to this question:
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:6-9)
We can be reassured from Isaiah 55 that as we seek God, he wants to be found and he wants us to know his path.
We are also challenged that our desires may be radically different from God’s. This Scripture has several implications.
Our perspective is limited. We cannot see anything beyond our five senses. We cannot see into people’s hearts around us. We don’t know what the future holds—not even 10 minutes from now. At any given time, we only see a small part of the big picture.
Our perspective is broken. Due to selfishness, pride, and sin’s impact on us, we have a skewed perspective concerning ourselves and the surrounding world. Our inner compass points toward what we want. The problem is that what we want may not be what is right and best.
God’s perspective is perfect. God can see everything going on in the world right now. He sees everything going on in every person’s mind and heart. He views everything from eternity past and in eternity future with one glimpse. Additionally, his path is set on everything that is right and best.
As you pray about God’s direction for your life, do you let go of what you think you know? Have you offered to God your mind and heart as a blank slate?
As I read this I couldn’t help but be reminded of the very thing God has been speaking to my heart over the past few days. In fact Isaiah 55 has been resounding back to me every day, For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. We must never underestimate God, we must let go of what we think we know and trust Him to lead and guide our every footstep. Allow His word to be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Isaiah 55:6-9
Free From Fear
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)
Fear sneaks into my heart without permission. It paints a picture of helplessness and hopelessness. It steals my peace and my concentration. What am I fearful about? I’m concerned about the safety of my family or the health of loved ones. I panic at the loss of a job or a broken relationship. Fear turns my focus inward and reveals a heart that sometimes finds it hard to trust.
When these fears and worries strike, how good it is to read David’s prayer in Psalm 34: “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (v. 4). And how does God deliver us from our fears? When we “look to him” (v. 5), when we focus on Him, our fears fade; we trust Him to be in control. Then David mentions a different type of fear—not a fear that paralyzes, but a deep respect and awe of the One who surrounds us and delivers us (v. 7). We can take refuge in Him because He is good (v. 8).
This awe of His goodness helps put our fears into perspective. When we remember who God is and how much He loves us, we can relax into His peace. “For there is no want to them that fear him” (v. 9), concludes David. How wonderful to discover that in the fear of the Lord we can be delivered from our fears.
Lord, I’m aware of my worries and fears, and I place them in Your hands. Give me peace as I face the day. Amen.
After reading this I couldn’t help but think of this scripture, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Isaiah 41:10). Face each fear, each problem and say, My God Is Bigger!!!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 34:1-10