Your Daily Crossroad
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Aug '19
Improving on Purpose
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Aug '19
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13)
This world is set up in such a way that if something isn’t cared for and attended to, at some point it will definitely change…for the worse! You can see this very clearly as you drive around your neighborhood. Some yards are beautifully landscaped, while other yards are overgrown and full of weeds. The difference? One yard has been cared for and had work done in it; the other has been un-cared for and ignored.
This is just as true in our lives as it is in a yard. The areas in our lives that we care for and work on are the areas that we’ll see improvement in over time, but the areas we ignore are pretty much guaranteed to deteriorate. I’ve found that many people procrastinate taking the steps necessary to begin working on those areas they want to improve. But the levels of discomfort and anxiety that come from not changing are usually higher than the levels of discomfort and anxiety that the process of change may bring. In other words, life’s much better when we’re changing and improving than when we’re not.
Is there an area in your life where you want to see improvement, a skill that you want to get better at, or a character trait that you want to grow? If so, begin by taking that first step toward your goal. That step might be reading a book about the subject, enrolling in a class, watching an online video, or talking to someone who is already strong in that area. Then keep in mind that as you do what you can, God will do what you can’t. The Bible makes it clear that as we serve God, He will prosper what we do (see scriptures such as Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-3, and Philippians 4:13). God isn’t able to bring much prosperity to so many lives simply because so many people aren’t doing much. The more we do, the more God can bless our efforts.
Just as walking a mile starts with a single step, so your growth starts in the same way. As you take steps toward growth you won’t see change overnight, but you will see change over time. And through this simple step-by-step process, you’ll be on your road to improvement!
My prayer is that you are encouraged today. When I read this devotion I was reminded of one of our earlier posts on our facebook page and it’s worth repeating today, “The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time”. Step by step, day by day. With Christ, ALL things are POSSIBLE.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 42:8
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Aug '19
God Uses Your Problems for Good
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Aug '19
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold . . . (1 Peter 1:6-7)
Life is not a series of random, freak accidents. Life is not totally unplanned. Life is not without meaning. God knows what’s going on.
God is weaving the tapestry of your life, and it includes light and dark threads—happy and sad times—to produce richness and texture and color. Nothing can come into the life of a child of God without God’s permission. Everything is Father‑filtered.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that everything that happens to you in life is God’s perfect will. That’s just not true. There are a lot of things that are not God’s will. If you go out and sin, that’s not God’s will. If somebody sins against you, that’s not God’s perfect will.
But God does have a permissive will. If I go out and overeat, I pay the consequences. If I go out and wreck my body, I pay the consequences. God does not cause evil, and God does not cause suffering. But he does allow those things because they have a purpose. God permits them, and then he uses them.
God is an expert at bringing good out of bad. He could have kept Paul out of prison in Philippi, but instead he let Paul go to prison, and the jailer became a believer as a result. God could have kept Jesus from the cross, but he let him go. He let his own Son suffer and die. Did God bring any good out of that? I’d say he did!
God loves to turn crucifixions into resurrections. The things you most wish were removed from your life are often the very things that God uses to shape you and make you into the believer he wants you to be. He wants to use that problem for good in your life. There’s something more important than your pain: what you’re learning from that pain. God is in control.
So how can we respond to painful or difficulty situations? The apostle Paul says, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)
When I read this devotion I couldn’t help but think of the many times I’ve been asked, why do bad things happen to good people and today’s devotions sums it all up in such an incredible way. I pray today’s devotion opens the door to understanding the why and you realize God is in control and despite the pain you realize as today’s devotions explains, He wants to use your painful and difficult situations for good in your life. What are you learning from your pain? God is in control, amen!
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 16:8
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Aug '19
God Will Not, Will Not
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Aug '19
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:5-6)
The Bible makes this glorious promise: God “will never leave nor forsake” us. But the promise actually is stronger than we might realize.
The Greek word here is a double negative, which is different from a double negative in English. We gain a clearer understanding of this emphasis through Kenneth Wuest’s translation: “I will not, I will not cease to sustain and uphold you. I will not, will not let you down.” This should give us extra confidence that, in every situation, we can be confident and delivered from fear.
This demonstrates how firmly we can entrust our lives to the Lord, and how completely we can be freed from worry about our future and our needs. And we never need to fear what other people say or think.
He is not merely saying He will not leave us. He is stating emphatically that He will not, will not leave us, and that He will not, will not let us down. God is stressing that He promises to sustain and uphold us.
The Bible gives us this promise that we might be free from worry or fear and to know that we can trust God in every situation. We always can be content and at peace. We always can be confident in Him.
Today, seek to make this promise real in your life. Remember, you have no reason to fear. What can man do to you?
Father, thank You that You never will leave me. I will not fear. I trust in You! In Jesus’ name, amen. Amen.
This devotion blessed me so much when I read it. I have read Hebrews 13:5-6 many times in my walk with The Lord, but I love how they demonstrate just how much He loves us through this setting of scripture in such a way it emphasizes His love for us in a much greater capacity. He will not, He will not cease to sustain and uphold you. He will not, will not let you down! Amen! He will never leave thee nor forsake thee. What a remarkable promise!! Be encouraged today and let go of discouragement. But God!
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 John 5:12
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Aug '19
God Goes Where You Go
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Aug '19
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9)
How comforting it is to know that wherever we go, God is there with us. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations and wonder if God is paying attention. We may feel so alone and even depressed. We can’t feel God’s presence, and we need His guidance and help.
Sometimes friends, spouses, and parents don’t really understand what we are going through. But God does and He cares. God told Joshua to be strong and to have courage. Then He told him a wonderful truth: “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Yes, that’s right… wherever! We don’t have to feel all alone. God is with us. He is working out the problems, and we don’t even realize it.
But now thus saith the Lord that created thee … and he that formed thee … Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? (Isaiah 43:1-3, 13)
God is with us, leading us, guiding us, loving us, providing for us — all with His unlimited resources. What do we need? Do we need strength, peace, love, joy, or hope? He has it all. He is longing to pour out His favor and blessing upon us. We need to be open to Him and to trust Him. We need, by faith, to receive what He has for us. It is essential we realize how much He loves us and that He has a good purpose and plan for us.
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. (Ephesians 3:14-16)
This Scripture is awesome. There is nothing that God doesn’t know and can’t do for us. He walks with us every moment of every day. We need to speak these Scriptures to our hearts. The devil can’t stand it when we, in confidence, speak God’s Word. It builds faith in us and gives us the strength to stand.
O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. (Psalm 139:1-6)
Like David let us declare:
Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. (Psalm 25:4-5)
You can trust God. No matter what is going on in your life, He is there! God goes where you go.
Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. (Hebrews 10:35-36)
When I read today’s devotion I was encouraged by all the scripture. Whenever you are feeling down and overwhelmed by life just remember God’s word and don’t ever forget God goes where you go.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 2 Corinthians 7:1