Monday, June 21, 2010

Sovereign










The Lord has established His throne
in the heavens, and His sovereignty
rules over all." Psalm 103:19


If we're to truly walk in the peace that passes
all understanding, we must understand His character
and nature--how God works in our lives. He's going
to use every circumstance to make us more like Jesus.

Prayer:

Father, in faith I bow to You in total submission.
Your Word declares that You alone control the universe
and everything in it. Every circumstance of my life
has been sifted through Your loving hands, and today I
will rest in that comforting truth.

~Kay Arthur~
from: Search My Heart, O God

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

No Fear














Whenever His hand is laid upon you,
it gives inexpressible peace and
comfort, and the sense that "under-
neath are the everlasting arms,"
(Deuteronomy 33:27) full of support,
provision, comfort and strength.
And once His touch comes, nothing
at all can throw you into fear again.

~Oswald Chambers~
from: My Utmost for His Highest

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Without Wavering










Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the
Almighty? Job 11:7

If we're going to trust in the Lord
without wavering, we must remember
that His ways are often beyond our
understanding. When God doesn't
deliver you out of a trial, He
promises it will never be more
than you can bear. He'll help
you to live as more than a con-
queror, for your good and His
glory.

~Kay Arthur~
from: Lord, I Give You This Day

Without wavering, let us hold tightly
to the hope we say we have, for God can
be trusted to keep His promise.

Hebrews 10:23

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Way


Jesus said to him,
"I am the way,the
truth, and the life.
No one comes to the
Father except through
Me." John 1:4-6


Too often, we would prefer a good map of our
future rather than a relationship with the Way.
It often seems easier to follow a plan than to
cultivate a relationship. We can become more
concerned with our future than we are with
walking intimately with God today. Learn to
identify His voice. He is more than willing
to show you the way.

~Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby~
from: Experiencing God Day by Day

Friday, April 9, 2010

Faithfulness










He who is faithful in what is
least is faithful also in much,
and he who is unjust in what is
least is unjust also in much.

Luke 16:10


God rewards those who are faithful.
Throughout your life God will seek
to grow you in your faith. He will
continually bring you to times when
you must trust Him. Each time you
are able to trust God at a higher
level, God will reveal more of Himself
to you. Your faith and experience of
God are directly linked. God will not
lead you beyond your present level of
trust and obedience to Him. He will
return you to your area of unfaithful-
ness until you are prepared to trust Him.
Every step of faith leads you to a deeper
relationship of faith with Him.

~Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby~
from: Experiencing God Day by Day

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Our Defender


We have the Lord
our God to help us
and to fight our
battles for us.

II Chronicles 32:8



Oh, how often we thwart God's intervention
on our behalf by taking up our own cause
or by striking a blow in our own defense.

There is a place of stillness that allows
God the opportunity to work for us and gives
us peace. It is a stillness that ceases our
scheming, self-vindication, and the search
for a temporary means to an end through our
own wisdom and judgement. Instead, it lets
God provide an answer, through His unfailing
and faithful love, to the cruel blow we have
suffered.

May God grant each of us this silent power
and submissive spirit.

~L. B. Cowman~
from: Streams in the Desert

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Ask


Behold, I am the Lord,
the God of all flesh;
is there anything too
hard for Me?

Jeremiah 32:27



God encourages us to ask freely
for the impossible as well as
the possible...since to Him
all difficulties are the same
size...less than Himself.

~J. Oswald Sanders~

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

In Control

















May I ask if you truly believe that God is
in control of your every circumstance? Are
you willing to let Him take care of you?

If God is not in charge--totally and completely--
then whose hands are we in? If He were unaware
of what was going to happen to us, then how
could He work all things together for our good
and our Christlikeness?

God is sovereign. One of His primary attributes
is love. God loves us, not matter what we are
like, no matter what we do. God is love and it
is His love that draws us to Him.

~Kay Arthur~
from: Lord, I Give You This Day

Friday, February 19, 2010

Adequacy



My help comes
from the LORD,
the Maker of
heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:2





Our feelings of inadequacy are always true if
we're trusting in ourselves or in any other
human means. Our adequacy comes from God alone.
When we remember this truth, we'll recognize God
as our source, our sufficiency, and our adequacy
for any and every situation.

~Kay Arthur~
from: Lord, I Give You This Day

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Rock


He is the Rock; His work is perfect.
Everything He does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
how just and upright He is!

Deuteronomy 32:4

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Peace = Trust


You will keep him
in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed
on You, because he
trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Truth


Watch over
your heart with
all diligence, for
from it flow the
springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23






You must know the truth so you can examine everything
in it's light. Remember Satan's kingdom is one of
darkness. Lies bring bondage. Truth liberates.
You must resolve to take "every thought captive to
the obedience of Christ." If what you think, hear,
believe or feel doesn't line up with the knowledge
of God, then it has to go. The battle for your mind
and emotions will continue to rage until you finally
arrive in heaven. That's why you must saturate your-
self in the Word of God.

~Kay Arthur~
from: Lord, I Give You This Day

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Pride/Humility


When pride comes,
then comes disgrace,
but with humility
comes wisdom.

Proverbs 11:12





Satan's number one weapon is pride.
God's number one defense is humility.

~Larry Burkett~

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

No Fear


He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast,trusting
in the LORD. Psalm 112:7

Friday, January 22, 2010

Look


Look to Me,
and be saved.

Isaiah 45:22





Troubles almost always make us look to God,
but His blessings tend to divert our atten-
tion elsewhere. We will find what we are
looking for if we will concentrate on Him.
Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries
about tomorrow all vanish when we look at God.
Build your hope on Him. No matter how many
things seem to be pressing in on you, be
determined to push them aside and look to Him.

~Oswald Chambers~
from: My Utmost for His Highest

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Worth









This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one
and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us
and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:9-10


God's message to His children is consistent: we've been accepted by Him and belong to Him forever. In this acceptance, we discover a sense of security, adequacy, and love that frees us to live for Him.

Our worth does not derive from anything in our character or performance but rather depends solely on our relationship with Jesus.

The world thinks love and worth are tied to performance, while security rests in material possesions. But God showed His love by sending Christ to die for us. In Him, we find value, competence, and peace. Consider whose message you are believing--God's or the world's.

~Charles Stanley~
from: In Touch Devotional Booklet

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Surrender



"...Give yourselves to God...
surrender your whole being to
Him to be used for righteous
purposes." Romans 6:13




The heart of worship is surrender.

Surrender is an unpopular word, disliked almost as
much as the word submission. It implies losing, and
no one wants to be a loser.

Surrender evokes the unpleasant images of admitting
defeat in battle, forfeiting a game, or yielding to
a stronger opponent. The word is almost always used
in a negative context.

In our competitive world we're taught to never quit
trying, never give up, and never give in - so we don't
hear much about surrendering. If winning is everything,
surrendering is unthinkable.

Yet, the Bible teaches us that rather than trying to win,
succeed, overcome, and conquer, we should instead yield,
submit, obey, and surrender.

And by surrendering to God, we enter into the heart of worship.
This is true worship: bringing pleasure to God as we give ourselves
completely to Him.

Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience, cooperating with your
Creator. You say, "Yes Lord" to whatever He asks of you.

You can't claim Jesus as your Lord when you refuse to obey Him.
Surrendered people obey God's word, even when it doesn't make sense.

God is not a cruel slave driver, or a bully who uses brute force to
coerce us into submission. He doesn't try to break our will, but woos
us to Himself, so that we might offer it freely to Him. God is a Lover
and a Liberator, and surrendering brings freedom, not bondage.

When we completely surrender ourselves to Jesus, we discover that
He is not a tyrant but a Savior; not a boss, but a brother; not a
dictator, but a friend.

~Rick Warren~

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Confidence


But blessed is the man
who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in Him.

Jeremiah 17:7





Our world is full of distrust, fear
and uncertainty. Don't allow yourself
to listen to negative messages, which
can make you lose the confidence God
gives His children. Instead, focus on
the truth in Scripture.

Facing each day with the knowledge that
our strength comes from Jesus will drive
away doubt and anxiety. We can purpose-
fully develop confidence in almighty God
by maturing in our faith. The more our
friendship with the heavenly Father deepens,
the more unshakable trust in Him will become.

~Charles Stanley~
from: In Touch Devotional Booklet

Monday, January 11, 2010

Intimacy


"Jesus said to him,
'Have I been with you
so long, and yet you
have not known Me,
Philip?'" (John 14:9)






True friendship is rare on earth. It means identifying with
someone in thought, heart and spirit. The whole experience
of life is designed to enable us to enter into this closest
relationship with Jesus Christ. We receive His blessings
and know His Word, but do we really know Him?

The bearing of fruit is always shown in scripture to be the
visible result of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
The christian who is truly intimate with Jesus will never
draw attention to himself but will only show the evidence of
a life where Jesus is completely in control. This is the
outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to
its depth. The picture resulting from such a life is that of
the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are
intimate with Him.

~Oswald Chambers~
from: My Utmost for His Highest

Friday, January 8, 2010

Fulfilled












Remain in Me, and I will remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it
must remain in the Vine. Neither can you
bear fruit unless you remain in Me.

John 15:4


Our heavenly Father will not force us to
remain with Him. If we ignore His guiding
Holy Spirit and insist on following an un-
godly path, He'll let us go our own way.

If we wander and maker ourselves top
priority over the Lord, we will also ex-
perience a disconnect with our heavenly
Father. As Christians, we cannot move off
God's chosen path without first closing our
mind and heart to His truth and His call on
our lives.

God has bestowed spiritual gifts and material
resources to build His kingdom, and He's also
provided His Spirit to offer guidance. Pur-
suing our own plan wastes what He has given us.

Chasing after dreams that are outside of God's
purpose will lead to discontent. A great weari-
ness will overtake us if we live apart from God.
Only in Christ can we find true fulfillment.

~Charles Stanley~
from: In Touch Devotional Booklet

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Revelation


Where there is no revelation,
the people cast off restraint;
but happy is he who keeps the law.

Proverbs 29:18






The world operates on vision. God's people live
by revelation. The world seeks grand and noble
purposes and goals to achieve. People dream up
the greatest and most satisfying things in which
they can invest their lives. God's people function
in a radically different way.

God does not ask for our opinion about what is best
for our future, our family, our church, or our country.
He already knows! What God wants is to get the attention
of His people and reveal to us what is on His heart and
what is His will, for God's ways are not our ways.

Whenever people do not base their lives on God's revelation,
they "cast off restraint." That is, they do what is right
in their own eyes. They set goals, arrange their agenda,
and then pray for God's blessings. The only way for you
to know God's will is for Him to reveal it to you. You
will never discover it on your own. When you hear from the
Father, you have an immediate agenda for your life: obedience.

Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby
from: Experiencing God Day by Day