Diligence

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 1 Timothy 4:15

Do you work whole heartedly at what you do? If you represent Christ you should want to do your work in an honorable manner being trustworthy and diligent. In other words, you keep at it and go beyond the call of duty. Don't just do enough to get by but go beyond what is expected on your 'job description'. Our job should be to work hard for the Lord whatever our task is. (See Colossians 3:23). 

Do you suppose people see you as a go getter, mediocre, or a slacker? A good rule of thumb would be to work hard as if Jesus was right there or better yet that you were doing it for Him. Set an example for believers and non believers alike.

Today whatever you find yourself doing whether anyone sees you or not, know this, that Jesus' always see you so be diligent and charge on with a good attitude.

PRAYER: Lord I want to please you in all that I do. I choose to not be lazy but to work hard and set an example. I want to shine for you. In Jesus' name.Amen. 

Through

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

What do you think of when you hear the word 'through'? I think of it meaning you are done with something, complete, finished. The word 'through' is used many times in God's word. For instance in the key verse for today, it says you pass "through" the valley of the shadow of death  or in other words you do not stay there or camp out there but soon will be done with that valley, finished, complete. 

No matter what situation you find yourself having to endure you will pass 'through' and there will be a brighter tomorrow. No one is stuck where they are. "We will get through this" you might hear someone say. Indeed we will get 'through' and to the other side.

Keep praying, keep believing and do not give into doubt and fear. Pass through your situation with faith and hope for a brighter tomorrow.

PRAYER: Thanks Lord for seeing me through so many things in my life. I have overreacted in the past and for that I ask forgiveness. I choose to trust you as I hang on to hope. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God 'Likes' You And Won't Unfriend You

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Psalm 27:10

I am trying to get beyond the unfriending thing on Facebook. Just the other day I noticed I no longer could contact someone and noted they have removed me from their friends list. Perhaps they deactivated their account all together. It is kind of funny in someways to think this type of 'friend' thing really holds that much weight. But being unfriended is rejection no matter what the reason was.

Just remember this. God never rejects you. God loves you unconditionally. You can never drive God nutty. God does not say "You're stalking me". God does not say "Respect my boundaries".  God does not say "Get out of my face". Above all God cares and understands.. Sure His heart breaks when we do not obey Him and when we reject Him but He is waiting for you with arms wide open.

Are you hurting today because of any form of rejection? Just know God loves you more than anything. Go to Him in prayer and let Him take your scars and turn them into stars.

PRAYER: Father I thank you so much for loving me. Humans can hurt us and that makes you sad. Help me to grow despite any pain of rejection I have experienced in my lifetime. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Wear Your Hat

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 Recently it got frigidly cold here in the mid south. I'm a northern girl and I can deal with it but many Southern natives don't even wear a hat or gloves when the temperature plummets to below freezing. While I was writing this it was spitting snow flurries here in Huntsville, Alabama yet I saw few people with a cap or gloves on to keep warm.

In our walk with the Lord we too need to stay protected. This 'protection' comes from knowing and studying God's word and being able to use it against our enemy, Satan, when he throws his fiery darts at us. Darts of doubt, fear, illness, worry, pride, confusion, bitterness, jealously, and a host more. Get into the Bible and memorize verses you can speak out loud to the enemy when he tries to lie to you and take you down the wrong path. God's path leads to life and Satan's path leads to destruction. Which do you prefer? 

Just like a person is ill equipped to fight off the winter chill without proper clothing, we too as believers will have a hard time fighting our enemy if we do not know the word of God.
Satan tricks us into thinking Sunday for one hour is enough. It is indeed a good thing to do but you have to do way more to grow in Christ and be prepared for daily spiritual battles. Make this year the year you choose to know more about Jesus and protect yourself from enemy attacks.

PRAYER: Lord you are good,all the time. I have been guilty of not spending time with you and I want that to stop. When the enemy tries to get me to make excuses I choose to say to him, "man can not live by bread alone"! In Jesus' name. Amen.

Let Go Of Hurts

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Take it from one who has been there, done that, got the tee shirt so to speak, when someone has hurt you don't waste time dwelling on it. That my friend would be Satan's wish for you to keep dragging an issue into the ground. It is necessary to forget the  past and forge ahead. Stop nursing pain and hurt and get beyond it to victory!

Some types of hurts may require professional Christian counseling to deal with, so by all means, depending on your issue, do not neglect to go talk it out and get help if necessary. But if we are talking about a friend who has hurt you, your choice is to talk to God in prayer. Begging someone only drives a wedge and keeps them away from you. Get involved in someone else's life or find a place you can volunteer to help others such as a shelter,  hospital, nursing home and go beyond yourself.

The time may come in your life when you realize the hard thing you had to endure worked together for the good like it says in Romans 8:28. Get on your knees and pray for God to release you from being tormented by those who hold your emotions captive. You can not move forward if you constantly look over your shoulder and wonder what you could do to make something better.

PRAYER: I choose this day to let go of emotions or hurts that have a grip on me. I know they are from the enemy so this day I choose to look beyond the past. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Ah, That New Car Smell

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Recently I was blessed to get a brand new car. For anyone who has ever owned a new car there is a distinct smell that kind of gets you excited every time step in to drive. Friends like to pop their head in the door just to get a whiff of this new car smell.

When things are new they are always nice and we tend to treat them with kid gloves. With a car you may park it far away so no one 'dings' the car doors. Perhaps you hand wash it weekly so as not to take it through those brush car washes that could scratch it. Maybe you do not want anyone eating or drinking in the vehicle so as to not risk getting seats soiled. 

When you are a new Christian you can get super excited too. I remember for me the day in 1975 when I rededicated my life to Christ. I was hungry for God's word. I got a brand new Bible with many neat features in the back to help me grow in Christ. I was ministered to by the Navigators ministry and later Campus Crusade for Christ and Officer's Christian Fellowship. I was hungry to be with God's people and grow in Christ. I got thrilled about going on retreats and to Bible study. It was new and fresh. 

Just like a new car,if you want to continue to grow and stay strong, you have to keep getting overjoyed every day to take care to study the word of God. Do not allow things of this world to drag you away so maybe all you are doing is one hour on Sunday. Keep that new Christian fervor alive and do not fall for tricks of the enemy to get you derailed. 

PRAYER: Lord I love your word. It is my meditation day and night. There have been times when I got off course but I am thankful you were there with open arms to rescue me and draw me back to you. In Jesus' name . Amen.

Click on link to worship the Lord in song:

http://youtu.be/zQ46AjXVWvk

A Life Seeking God

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6

Often times when people are in danger of losing their life they may utter a prayer such as "If you get me out of this Lord I will serve you the rest of my life!" Many refer to this as the 'fox hole prayer' since soldiers in combat who face terrifying danger all around them and the threat of capture and torture or death,often utter this prayer.

The recent movie 'Unbroken', which is the true story of the life of Louis Zamperini who was an Olympic Runner in Hitler's day and later an airman whose plane went down and after many days floating in a life-raft on the Java Sea, was taken to a Japanese Prisoner of War camp. Life was brutal and the prisoners treatment was enough to make anyone give up. Do yourself a favor and go see this excellent film that is still playing currently in theaters. He did pray this prayer while a captive. He did not follow Jesus right away after being released but through a series of 'God thing' events came to know Jesus' as His savior and later took up mantle of forgiveness of his captors and all but one forgave him. Only God could bring this about. 

When you are seeking God with your whole heart you do have love and forgiveness for those who have hurt you. You realize there is more to life than just you and what you want. Your mission is to serve the Lord with gladness and be a witness for Him. Indeed up until his death this past summer Louis did just that and even became friends with evangelist Billy Graham.  Are you seeking God full steam ahead? If not, do not wait until tragedy strikes to do so. 

PRAYER: Lord I love you and I am thankful for all you have done for me. I thank you for offering the free gift of salvation to all those who call upon you. Help me to show love for all people and be aware that tomorrow is never promised to me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click link for a song of worship to get your day started:

http://youtu.be/9LMQfOp9w8k