Teach Your Children

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 KJV Bible Gateway 

You teach children to hunt, fish, bowl, cook, ride a bike and many other things. Teach them to follow the Lord by your personal example. Hopefully you have established a pattern daily for them to follow. 

This doesn’t just mean going to church but is way beyond that. Personal quiet time, prayer, Bible reading and study. You as a parent establish a faith protocol so to speak. 

Even if later on in life they have listened to wrong voices and got caught up in a worldly lifestyle without anything about Jesus in it do not fear and claim today’s verse. Be at peace and trust God. 

PRAYER: Lord God I thank you for freeing me from fear concerning the children you have blessed me with. Thank you for the blessing of children and grandchildren. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Worldly?

 

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.Romans 12:2 NLT

 

What does it mean to be worldly? Adopting too many of the customs of this present world thinking they really matter when in actuality they don’t. My recent wake up call was my obsession with thinking everyone has a Super Bowl party when that is only media hype. You can be perfectly happy watching it alone without a house full of people.  

 

Anyway there are many ways you can get too caught up in this culture forgetting as a follower you are not to adopt the customs of the world which can get you into a very dark place if not careful.

 

This does not mean you can’t do anything but you need to remember you represent Christ not in a Holier than thou way but in a way that reflects His character.

 

PRAYER:Lord help me to slow down and rest in you. Help me purge things from my life which take me away from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Messed Up-But God

Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Philippians 3:16 NIV Bible Gateway

My devotions get personal sometimes so you the reader can see we all have flaws. Recently I was confronted by a friend pointing out a flaw in me that opened the flood gates of memories of other similar flaws.  I needed to hear it even though it hurt terribly. 

If this has happened to you it is painful. I won’t go into the gritty details but it made me wonder how anyone could like me but then I knew it was the enemy poking at my weak points. Maybe another hidden attempt to get me to stop writing. Have you been there where you feel beat up and defeated? 

Every little hurt makes you take inventory and ask God what next Lord? How could I have been so stupid Lord or so selfish or so impulsive not thinking of how my action would have repercussions. God’s grace is with you and I in our mess ups. It is necessary to let go and keep rising above that. Know God cares and loves you in your weaknesses. You are making progress friend so keep going and know God loves you so much. 

PRAYER: Your love Lord is so deep. When others lash out at me or betray a confidence or say hurtful things even if true you are there with your arms open for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

#BG2

Closing Doors

Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.Proverbs 4:23 NIV Bible Gateway

When you hear about closing doors in the spiritual sense you may think of God closing one door yet opening another but for the purpose of this short devotion the doors will be your eyes, ears, mouth and mind. Got this idea from a message from Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

It is essential to guard your heart for from it flows everything else meaning you have to discipline your ‘portals’ that are entry ways for things that can affect you. Refuse to listen to gossip, ugly negative talk for instance. Let your mouth only say happy uplifting things and not doomsday chatter. And the eyes should not look upon things that will cause you to stumble in your spiritual walk. 

Basically  ‘shut the doors’ on these entry ways when it comes to bad stuff and don’t entertain or meddle with things in the world. Your life will have more growth in the Lord if you can daily work on doing this. 

PRAYER:I choose to focus on being joyful and not allow bad stuff to slip through the ‘doors’. Help me break any strongholds keeping me from doing this. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Relax-Stop Judging

 

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love Ephesians 4:2 

Do you have issues with passing judgment on people without even knowing what they are going through in life? It is a bad habit to develop and not a good way to stay close to family or friends. 

What right do you or I have to be condemning to another? Let the Holy Spirit be the one to do the convicting to others and not high and mighty ‘Holy spirit Junior’ and you will have a more peaceful and joyful day and life. 

When you find yourself starting to judge another person stop and instead pray for them. Try to replace negative thinking with something positive as well. For instance the bad thought you had turn around and think of a compliment instead. Let God do the convicting and correcting. It is above my pay grade and hope it is yours too. 

PRAYER:Forgive me Lord when I have become judgmental and tried to be someone’s conscience. Help me replace judging with love and prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Be Kind

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” Romans 12:16 ESV

Inclusivity is a word that some bristle when they hear it because it reminds them maybe of the things that are different. Guess what friends. Inclusivity doesn’t mean agreement with a lifestyle but means being kind in order to win someone out of a life of sin to a life of serving and worshipping God. It could be someone’s belief system politically goes against what you interpret the Bible to say.

Jesus was inclusive and that made people mad. He didn’t give a ‘pass’ to sinful behavior but His arms were opened wide to even those who hated him or couldn’t understand him.

Can you do that my friend? Are you able to stop judging long enough to love someone into the kingdom? The key is a person needs to repent and trust Christ as their savior. Jesus loves, redeems, and sets people free. Be like Him.

PRAYER: Today I need your help Lord to live for you and to love people hard to love. A simple smile can make the difference. It is not my job to transform hearts so help me to do my part so you can do yours. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Take Yourself Off Center Stage

 

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.Philippians 2:3

Today it is easy to be self centered if you want to with all the social media links to put you on center stage. Have you ever pondered the idea of putting others needs in center stage? 

Being others centered is a challenge. Is there someone you can meet a need for? Perhaps a project that could use volunteers or even a cash flow to assist them. Maybe send a card to a friend for no reason. Call a friend you have not talked to in a while. 

The enemy likes to drag you into making life all about you so if you struggle in this area ask God to help you reach beyond yourself. Pray for open doors. 

PRAYER: Lord I am grateful for social media but forgive me if I have ever gone too overboard. There are lots of good causes in our world help me find one to bring attention to. In Jesus’ name. Amen.