Your Daily Crossroad
Submitting to God
But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. (Acts 10:14-15)
Do you feel comfortable saying “no” to God? We might not have the ability to admit it but we each say “no” to God in some way. Sometimes we say “no” by choosing to not witness. Sometimes we say “no” by refusing to volunteer. Sometimes we say “no” by ignoring the prompting of our heart. But most of the time we say “no” because we refuse to accept His will for our lives.
In Matthew 16:13, Jesusasked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” The disciples answered His question by stating what others think about Him. “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter is the only one who answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus acknowledges to Peter that God, Himself, has revealed this to him. A few passages later, Jesus begins explaining that He will have to suffer. Peter again is the only one who speaks up as he disagrees with God’s plan, taking the liberty to rebuke the Lord. Matthew 16:22-23 says, “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Peter has gone from a place of esteem to a place of rebuke. In Acts 10, we find Peter disagreeing with God again as he says, “Not so, Lord.”
We are flesh and our natural born nature rebels against the Lord at times. God can handle whatever position we take and He wants to reason with us on our position. Talk to Him and be honest. The problem comes when we place our thoughts and desires over God’s, to a point of rebuking the Lord. We may not have the boldness to tell Him we think He is wrong, but our actions show the thoughts and intents of our hearts as we choose not to submit or yield or even listen to what He is trying to say. God’s ways do not make sense to us and His thoughts are not our thoughts.. Peter was a man who had an honest relationship with God. His rebukes may not seem respectful but he kept himself in a position to keep listening until his will lined up with God’s will.
What is the Lord trying to tell you today? Are you going through a set of circumstances that you refuse to acknowledge is God’s will for your life? Are you fighting or submitting? Are you willing to listen or are you running? Let us all pray that we are on God’s side. When it comes down to it, He is going to win. Don’t you want to be on His team?
When I first started reading this I initially thought, I would never say no to God but as I continued reading it challenged me to reflect on the times past when I have rejected the prompting in my heart or when God said give and I chose not to, when God said go and I stayed put. In those moments I realized I was telling God “no” and yet He was patiently waiting for me to heed to his correction and direction and once I did He didn’t scold me, He didn’t make me earn His love, He just loved me and continues to do so because that’s what a loving father does. When we come back to God with a repentive spirit, when we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Stop fighting and start submitting. He is waiting. Just say YES LORD!
Make today beautiful!
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 3:5-6
Resist the devil
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
As believers, we face so many obstacles that can take us away from serving the Lord. We have thoughts that control us, wants that consume us and feelings that move us. Because none of us were born understanding God’s ways, our natural inclinations work against living out a Spirit-filled life. Coming to Christ means that we lay aside our natural inclinations and ask the Lord to fill us with His wisdom instead. That process is known as submitting. To submit means to be under obedience. So we take what we want to do, what we feel is right to do and what we think is best and tell the Lord that we want His Will instead. Waiting on God and trusting Him begins.
To resist the devil means that, after we have submitted to God, we go to the Word of God to counteract our thoughts, feelings and wants. The devil is fully aware of who we are and how we think. As a result, he uses our desires to entice us to keep from submitting. We start questioning the love of God and His motivation. We begin to fear and hold on to our thoughts, feelings and wants, instead of trusting and letting go. We have to realize that the devil is alive and well. His desire is to use your fleshly desires against you so that you sin against God.
Jesus resisted the devil by the Word of God. Now, if the Living Word, Jesus, needed to speak forth the written Word, the Bible, to resist the devil and have him flee, how much more do we need to submit to God in this pattern also? Trust Him; in faith speak forth and pray the Word of God. Believe Him, submit to Him and the devil will flee from you. It is a promise–God’s promise!
When I read this it blessed me, we must always remember, The One and only Truth, The Bible, is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We must never add to nor take away from it. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;). Look to God for all things, trust Him completely and remind the enemy of his failures, he was already defeated long ago, he is now grasping for whatever and whoever he can take down with him, don’t give him the power that has already been taken from him. You are strong in Christ, you are an overcomer. Equip yourself by prayer, fasting and reading The Word and remember, he who kneels most, stands best.
Make today beautiful!
Today’s Reading is 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
Take a Number
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)
We have an ancient cherry tree in our backyard that had seen better days and looked like it was dying, so I called in an arborist. He checked it out and declared that it was “unduly stressed” and needed immediate attention. “Take a number,” my wife, Carolyn, muttered to the tree as she walked away. It had been one of those weeks.
Indeed, we all have anxious weeks—filled with worries over the direction our culture is drifting or concerns for our children, our marriages, our businesses, our finances, our personal health and well-being. Nevertheless, Jesus has assured us that despite disturbing circumstances we can be at peace. He said, “My peace I give unto you” (John 14:27).
Jesus’s days were filled with distress and disorder: He was beleaguered by His enemies and misunderstood by His family and friends. He often had no place to lay His head. Yet there was no trace of anxiety or fretfulness in His manner. He possessed an inner calm, a quiet tranquility. This is the peace He has given us—freedom from anxiety concerning the past, present, and future. The peace He exhibited; His peace.
In any circumstances, no matter how dire or trivial, we can turn to Jesus in prayer. There in His presence we can make our worries and fears known to Him. Then, Paul assures us, the peace of God will come to “keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). Even if we’ve had “one of those weeks,” we can have His peace.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Dear Lord, thank You that I can come to You with every care and Your peace will guard my mind. Amen.
I think we can all relate to today’s devotion but what’s important is even when we’ve had “one of those weeks” or for some you may be having “one of those days”, is in those moments we remember that in the midst of troubles, peace can be found in Jesus. What simplicity and yet such truth and power. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).
Make today beautiful!
Today’s Reading is John 14:15-27
Who Say Ye That I Am?
And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. (Luke 9:18-20)
“Whom say ye that I am? ” As many people began to discuss and debate who Jesus really was, Jesus asked His disciples this question. Did the people closest to Jesus even know or believe in Him? Peter’s answer was correct. Jesus was, and is, the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus is the Messiah, the One who came to earth to redeem us from sin and save us from eternal darkness. But even though Peter confesses rather boldly in this statement who he believes Jesus to be, not too long after this, Peter would also deny Jesus three times (Luke 22:54-62). In Jesus’ greatest time of need, His closest friends deserted Him. So it is not just in words that we need to know and confess who Jesus is, but also our actions testify of our belief in Him. Do your actions line up with your words?
Today, take time and pray for situations that you may encounter with others who have questions about your faith. Pray for strength and courage to speak up and stand up for Jesus. Pray that you can be His witness. Only the Holy Spirit reveals the truth of Jesus Christ to our hearts. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to those you love and to use you as a testimony as to His saving grace and mercy. Pray that your words and actions will line up with His Spirit.
We must strive to be an example of His love and grace in our words and actions. What a reminder. Look to Him for an example, open your Bible and read it, watch how God will speak to you and guide you through the scripture. He is faithful.
Make today beautiful
Today’s Reading is John 13:15-17