Day 344: Don’t Lose Hope

2 Chronicles 15:7
But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Before I say anything I want to start by saying, many times in life things are not over for us we just decide that it’s over. I want to encourage you all to never lose hope in Christ because that’s where everything we need everything we have to keep us alive is. If we lose hope in Him  then we have lost everything. I know that life is rough and can be rough and sometimes it looks like we have nothing and no one but there’s always hope in the Lord. There’s always something to hang on to. We just have to decide that it’s worth the fight, it’s worth fighting for. We have to decide that holding on to Christ is worth it all, when we decide that we will come to the conclusion that life isn’t over. It isn’t the end.
The scripture tells us that God is always with us, He is there for us. We should not fear we should not give up because He will uphold us. We just have to decide to hold on to. Many times it’s our decision to hold on to or let go of hope. Hold on to it if it’s the only thing you have left hold to the hold of Jesus Christ. If we’re hanging on to anything by a thread hold on to Jesus. He loves you so much, and even when it feels like you can’t hold on any keep holding because not only are you holding on to Him but He is holding you up.
All this to say, don’t lose hope. Hold on to Christ. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and that light is Jesus. As long as we hold on to that. As long as we trust in the Lord and know that He will sustain us, He will deliver, He will reward, in our due time He will make sure that we reap. Just hold on to hope, don’t let it go. There’s so much going on in the world that will make us lose hope in many things, but don’t let what you see or what you’re going through at the present moment make you lose hope in the Father. He’s got you, just keep focusing on Him, trust me He will hold you us. He loves you so much and He sees you, He hears your prayers, He knows you.

Response/Prayer Time 

Take the time to respond in whatever way you feel led. If this has struck you in anyway talk to God about it. Take the time spend time with God and have a conversation with Him.
I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and encourage them. Make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 345!

Day 270: Why Worry?

Philippians 4:6-7

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Let’s talk about worrying.  This is all too familiar to many of us. Why do we worry so much? There’s so much stuff for us to be anxious about, so much to be worried about. So many things to get us in a frenzy. Especially in our twenties, we’re graduating from college and figuring out what we’re going to do with the rest of our lives. We’re still figuring out who we are, and we’re constantly changing. Or maybe we’re making life changing decisions, coming into life changing responsibilities. Things are constantly changing around us. We’re just trying to stay afloat (life is so much more than just staying afloat, but that’s another topic for another day). We’re trying to live a normal life, working, going to school, paying bills, keeping in contact with family and friends, marriages, kids, and for those of us who are single, trying to have some type of love life. Maybe we’re trying to find the one (they’re always at church or coffee shops lol). On a serious note, there is so much for us to be worried about, so much for us to be anxious about, and losing our minds about. Many of us find ourselves in these places. But the passage of above tells us not to worry about anything but pray about everything. Really? All of my problems can be solved with prayer? Yes they can! It’s that simple, I’m not sure why we as humans like to complicate things (But that’s also another subject for another day). The next line goes on to say, ‘tell God what you need’. Remember when Jesus came and said, come to Him so He can give us rest?

Matthew 11:28

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

He doesn’t want us carrying those worries around. It’s a heavy burden, He says let me give you rest, put that burden down and take mine, it’s light. When Jesus was nailed to the cross He took all of our burden with Him. We don’t have to carry them.  Pray about it and leave it with Him, trust me He can handle it better than we can. We worry so much and that often takes the place of prayer in our lives. But God is like, ‘no, tell me what you need. I got you. Don’t worry about it, talk to me about it and let me handle it.’ Instead of worrying, I’ve learned to thank God in advance, thanking Him for the things that He has done and the things He is going to. Putting all my faith in Him, because He sees far beyond what my eyes could ever see or imagine.

Sometimes we’re focused on what’s right in front of us that we kind of forget who God is.  We have to sometimes look at the grand scheme of things, the bigger picture.  We begin to worry because we cannot see past our situation, that thing staring us right in the face. But the thing about faith is that is gives us the opportunity to see through the situation and see God.  We get so caught up in what’s in front of us that we cannot see beyond that to see that God has it all under control.  I think of it this way, why worry when God already has it figured out. I can worry about what I’m going to do with my life, but I know that God already has a wonderful plan for me, and even though I don’t know what that plan is, I’m going to trust Him to lead me. I may not know exactly where I’m going but I know that where I am isn’t the end. I know He has gotten me thus far, so I’m going to continue to put my faith in Him. We worry when things don’t go as planned. Even in those moments we must realize that God is moving. This is why we must keep a loose grip on our plans, because even in our greatest dreams, God is always doing something greater and bigger. If we truly believe that God’s plan is far greater than ours, why are we worrying about the little things that we think we have control over? Why worry when God does far beyond what we can ever think, ask, or imagine? I have come to the conclusion that with this understanding I have nothing to worry about, God has already gotten it figured out and it took me a while to finally get it.

There’s something about being worry free that makes life so much easier. We enjoy life more when we’re not in a constant state of anxiety and worry. It’s a beautiful feeling. We see the beauty of life when we begin to understand that God is completely in control. He has it all figured out and He’s guided us through it all. There’s comfort and peace in that.  We may not know or understand what God is doing in that moment, but there is beauty in it all, even in the unknown. The mystery of it all keeps us following Him. Just as the scripture says, “...Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”

Well how do i just pray and not worry? Faith. Take a chance on God, leap and the net will appear. All it takes is a little faith to step out. Just take a chance and I promise He won’t let you down. Our faith cannot grow if it’s not tested, Our faith is tested most when we are going through hell on earth. It’s the moments when we feel like there’s no reason to pray or trust God. In those moment just trust Him, give Him a chance, jump, He will catch you. Trust me, He won’t let you fall.  

All this to say, have faith in God. Don’t worry about anything, instead, pray about everything.

Reflection

1. Are you a worrier?
2. Do you sometimes focus on the situation at hand as opposed to God’s plan?
3. Are you willing to take a chance on Him?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about what we discussed today. Have a honest conversation with Him. Lay down all your worries at His feet and leave them there. Take a chance on God today.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for day 271!

Day 244: Not Everything is Everlasting

Ecclesiastes 3:1

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

Revelation 3:7

Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open:

I know many of us have heard these two scriptures a multitude of times, and I want to talk about them today. I want to talk about the fact that not everything in our lives are meant to last. Not everything is forever or everlasting, no matter how much we want it to be. Sometimes God closes doors in our lives to open others. Sometimes people walk out of our lives or relationships fade because they were only meant to be there for a season. We must learn to realize and honor these moments. I feel as humans we hold on so tight to things that we won’t even let our hands open to God. Sometimes we hold onto things so tight, not wanting to let go while at the same time not realizing, trusting or understanding that God has something greater in store. Sometimes He needs our hands to be empty in order to fill them completely. Sometimes as humans we are so hesitant to let go of a good thing because we don’t know when it’s going come around again. We are afraid because we are not trusting that God has something greater. We are not trusting in Him, His timing or His word. God always has something greater for us, we just have to trust Him. We have to trust His process.

With that being said, sometimes God closes doors, and no matter how hard we try we cannot open them. This does not mean God is punishing us, all it means is, either it’s not the right time or there’s a better door. Everything God does, He does for a reason, He’s not going to leave us empty handed or stranded. He always has a plan. I feel like many times we decide something isn’t for us before we give it a chance because we are so focused on our own plans. I know we all think that we know what’s best for ourselves but trust me when I say God knows much more, we’re not even scratching the surface. So we must trust Him with every area of our lives. Even our relationships.

Now this is a big one, relationships. I don’t just mean romantic relationships, I mean every type of relationship. There’s couple of quotes I’d like to reference here,

“Some people aren’t meant to be in our lives forever. Some are just passing through to teach us a lesson.”

-Unknown

“Some people come into your life as blessing, others come in your life as lessons”

-Unknown

The main point I’m trying to make here, is that even people have seasons in our lives. Some people are only meant to be in our lives for a season. We go wrong when we try to make seasonal people permanent. Meaning we could very well be holding on the very thing that God Himself is trying to break apart. Sometimes we are so caught up in our feeling that we try to force everlasting on temporary. This will only end in heartbreak. Trust me I know from experience, however God even uses the heartbreak to shape and mould us into the person He has always destined for us to be. So somehow someway God will keep us in His will.   Having people in our lives for just a season is not always a bad thing, what it means is that where we are going some people cannot go and where others are going we cannot go. It’s not just about us either, we have to be willing to let people go not just for our sake but for theirs. We know when someone’s season is up, we just feel it, so let’s not force it to continue knowing it’s over. We have to realize that sometimes we are only meant to be in a person’s life for a season, and be okay with that. This is not to say that nothing is everlasting, it is, just not everything.

All this to say, not everything is meant to last forever and that is okay. It’s life. We must learn how to let go when it’s time to let go. As well as trust God with where our lives are going and where He is taking us. We must keep a loose grip on our plans and understand that God’s plans are always greater than ours. Trust Him with everything you are and all you aspire to be.

Reflection

1. How hard is it to let go for you?
2. Have you had (or currently have) people in your life that you know was only meant to be there for a season?
3. Do you trust God’s timing?
4. Do you trust God with your life?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about the seasons and seasonal people in your life. Have an honest conversation about what it looks like to completely trust Him.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 245!

Day 236: God is Building Us

1 Peter 2:2-5

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Today I want to talk about growing in God, and how as we draw closer to Him we grow more in every area of our lives. Our faith grows more, our knowledge of who He is and His word grow. Our passion for Him grows. Every area of our life is enhanced. The more we grow in the Lord the more we become like Christ. We become better people overall. I love the analogy of a baby longing for milk. A baby craves it’s mother’s milk, because it has all the nutrients needed to help the baby grow into a child. The milk of the mother is bringing life to the child. In the same way, when we give our lives to Christ we are like newborn babies, and we crave that spiritual milk from Him so that we may grow in our faith. The scriptures tells us to long for the pure spiritual milk. The milk that causes us to grow up in our salvation. What if that milk is the blood of Jesus, the word of God, the Holy Spirit, everything that points us to a life of salvation and eternity. That’s the secret right there, if we want to grow in our faith, if we want to continue to grow and not stay stagnate, we must long for the word of God, and allow that word to take root in us so that ours lives begin to change to look like Christ’s. We must long to follow the only living God. We must seek His face, and through His word God will build us into the men and women of God He has always planned for us to be. Through our prayer, and longing for Him, He will build us up.

Like a baby it takes time, many times, things don’t happen overnight. We have to go through some things. We have to be cleansed. We have to let go of a few things and people in our lives before we can grow. We have to be rejected like Jesus. But when alls said and done we will  realize what god was doing all along. Sometimes we don’t understand why He’s doing certain things in our lives, we don’t understand why things are going the way they are. We don’t understand what’s going on at that moment in time. But just hold on, keep longing for that pure spiritual milk, keep going and keep growing and when it’s all said and done, we will realize that He was building us. He was shaping us and moulding us. In Isaiah 55:8-9 it says, “For my thoughts are not your thought, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” God always knows the plan, even when we don’t understand it. He is constantly building us up, and making us into the vessels that He will use to bring glory to Him and His kingdom. We must learn to accept that sometimes, we aren’t going to get what God is doing until He is done. We won’t have answers until He reveals them to us, But in the meantime, we must continue to trust Him and seek His face. We must continue to seek that pure spiritual milk that He speaks of in order for us to grow. We can grow in the moments of uncertainty as well. It’s in those moments when we learn to trust God and have faith.

All this to say, if we want to grow in Christ, if we want to grow in our faith we must push towards Him and draw near to Him. We must lean on His word and lean towards Him.

Reflection

1. What is something that stood out to you today?
2. Are there times in your life when you don’t understand what God is doing?
3. If those times have passed can you look back and see how He was using your situation then to make you who you are now?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Talk to God about spiritual growth and whatever it is on your heart today. Have a conversation with Him.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 237!

Day 210: Don't Cover your Light

Matthew 5:13-16

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

John 8:12

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

Galatians 2:20

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

I think the first thing to take away from the above scriptures is that Christ is the light of the world. In Him there is no darkness. Jesus is the light this world needs, and the light this world craves. He brought something that we could not attain on our own. He brought light into a world of darkness. Darkness is the absence of light, and if Christ is the light, and we are in darkness it means that we are living without Christ. However, when we submit our lives to Christ, and Christ is in us then we have that same light. So when Jesus tells us in Matthew that we are the light of the world, it’s kind of like a responsibility. If He lives in us we are lit by Him. The light we illuminate is the light of Jesus Christ. What I’m saying here is, while we are here on earth we are representatives of Christ, ambassadors. We represent the life death, and resurrection of Christ in the way we choose to live and love. There are so many people out there searching for Christ and don’t know where to look, so many people stuck in darkness that could use a little light. According to Jesus, we are that light. As disciples of Christ it is our duty to shine our light in a dark world. If we have accepted Christ into our lives and received the Holy Spirit, we have this light, Let’s not cover it up or try to dim it. Let it shine, let it shine bright. Be a beacon of light, the light that we have through Jesus Christ is a beacon of hope for someone.

All this to say, don’t cover up or try to hide your light. Let it shine so that people may see the glory of God through you. That people may find hope in Jesus Christ. Be a representative of the gospel, an ambassador of Jesus Christ. Allow your light to lead people to the cross and further more to salvation that will allow them to live a life that is eternal.

Response/Prayer Time

Respond today however you feel led. Allow the Holy Spirit to dwell within you. Talk to God about being a beacon of light. Have a conversation with God about whatever is on your heart today.

If you have not accepted Christ into your life, if you have yet to make that decision, I believe that now is the time. If you want to step out of darkness and into the light, choose today to dedicate your life to Christ and live with Him all the days of your life, for all eternal. This decision is eternal, and so worth it. If that’s you, if you want to make that decision today, pray this prayer with me.

Jesus I declare that you are my Lord and Saviour who died for my sin and was raised three days later. I repent of my sins and I give my life to you. I believe in my heart that you are the true living God. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, Amen.

If you made the choice to follow Christ, rededicate, or to submit your life to Him fully, Go to Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

I love you, congratulations to those of you who have decided to follow or rededicate your life to Christ today. THe next step would be getting plugged into a church and a small group if possible. If you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact me.

I love you, and I hope have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 211!

Day 180: Gotta Have Faith

Hebrews 11:1

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Mark 11:24

I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours.

Matthew 21:22

You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it."

Sometimes the only thing we can do is have faith, sometimes our faith is all we have to lean on. As christians our entire “belief system’ is set up by faith, we choose to believe in what we cannot see. We choose to believe in a God that never fails and a God that remains faithful. It is through faith that we are able to connect with and have a relationship with God. It is through faith when we pray that we receive what it is we are asking for. Our faith is what moves God, we cannot pray empty prayers, when we pray we must believe in who we are praying to, and believe that everything we pray for God will answer. We can pray but if we don’t have faith then what’s the use. The bible says that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains (matthew 17:20). I don’t know if you’ve seen a mustard seed before, but it’s tiny, it’s like the size of a chia seed. Jesus isn’t asking for a lot, I believe that Jesus is telling us, you don’t have to have all the faith in the world but just have some faith. Have a little bit of faith, that’s all you need and I’ll take it from there.

I truly believe that in order for our faith to grow we must exercise it. We have to take a chance on God and trust that He is who He says He is and watch how everything unfolds. We just have to believe, we have to step out say ‘God I don’t know what you’re doing but I have faith in you, I trust you.’ Because He is the one true God. I’ve experienced God’s faithfulness and I know it to be true, but I couldn’t experience God’s faithfulness if I didn’t choose to have faith in Him and His word. Each time I put my faith in God He has come through, every single time. He has never failed me. The more I put my faith in Him, the more my faith grew. I’ve also learned not to use my faith as a last resort. I’ve learned to have faith from the very beginning, to go in with faith. Not waiting until I’m all out of strength and at my wits end, and then go to God. No God has taught me to have faith in Him in every season of my life, not just when I need Him to really come through for me. Now don’t get me wrong, there will be times in our life where we have to exercise our faith more, but don’t ever lose it. Have faith in God even when things are going good. Faith isn’t just for the moments when we’ve lost all hope. Faith in God is what gives us hope.

All this to say, sometimes you just gotta have faith. Many times it’s the only answer. There have been many times in my life when the only way I can explain things that have happened is by saying that I have faith in God. You just, gotta have faith.

Reflection

1. Do you have faith in God?
2. At what times in your life do you find yourself exercises your faith the most?
3. Has God ever failed you? Explain.
4. If your answer to the above question is yes, I want you to know that God never fails, Even when it feels like it, even when it feels like He has turned His back. He will never leave nor forsake you, and God does not fail. Everything He does, He does for a reason. Give Him another chance.

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Talk to God about faith and ask Him to help you strengthen your faith.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 181!

Day 154: I Have this Hope

I apologize for the devo being so late today, I have been at the hospital with my sister since this morning.

Psalms 3:2-6

Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.

Have you ever had this feeling that everything is going to be okay? Even when everything doesn’t look okay, you have this hope that somehow, someway God will make everything alright. It’s like an everlasting hope in Jesus that no matter what you’re going through or who is talking about you, you can’t stop focusing on the Lord. You can’t stop thinking about the hope you have found in the Lord. This is what I want to talk about today, there is a hope that we have in the Lord that is unfailing. We have this hope that even in our darkest hour God is our light, even at our lowest moment God’s surrounds us with His love and peace.

I want to encourage you today, to be reminded of the hope we have in Christ Jesus, to be reminded of the love we experience through Him, the peace. As David bears witness to in the above scripture, that no matter what people say to you, no matter how much they doubt what you can do, I trust in you Lord. I want you to take on that attitude that David has. He isn’t swayed by the naysayers or the doubters, he knows who his God is. We will get to a point in our walk with Christ when things that used to worry us don’t anymore because we have found a hope in Christ and our faith cannot be swayed or turned by anything or anyone. We will get to a point where we can stand in the face of adversity and not be moved because we know how powerful and sovereign our God is, we know the hope we stand on. There is a hope is God that is more powerful that anything we can ever imagine.

I just can’t stop saying that. Whenever you feel adversity coming for you, whenever the naysayers and doubters are saying what God will or will not do in your life, just be reminded, you have this hope is Jesus.

Reflection

Repeat this statement, “I have this hope in Jesus Christ…”. Write it down and put it in a place where you can see it every day or access it when you need it. Be encouraged today.

Prayer Time

Take the time to pray today as you feel led. Have a conversation with God, just talk to Him.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day and start to your weekend. Share this with someone and be sure to come back tomorrow for day 155!

Day 136: Independent or Full of Pride

Proverbs 29:23

A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.

2 Chronicles 26:16

His pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God.

Today I want to talk about the thin line between being independent and full of pride. As we are going into our adult years, learning to navigate through life and learning to provide and take care of our ourselves, the one thing we seek or want is independence. We want to be able to stand on our own two feet and be an adult. But sometimes, in lieu of that, we tend to get a bit prideful when it comes to being independent. We are too prideful to ask or receive help when it’s needed or offered. We want to do everything on our own so we can get credit for being independent, and we sometimes boast about it.

I remember moving out when I was eighteen. I wanted to be on my own. I wanted to brag about how I was eighteen, working, going to school, paying my own rent and bills. I was, for the most part, but my sole reason for wanting to be independent was so that I could brag about how good I was doing on my own. I had something to prove to the many people who doubted me. I remember talking to my roommate who was four years older than me, and very bad for me. A particular instance I remember was that we were in need of a microwave and someone was willing to buy us a brand new one. And her words to me were, “Don’t accept anything from anyone, we can handle this on our own. We don’t need their charity.” I was a different person back then so I listened to her. As I got older I remembered that situation and simply said to myself, “We might not need their charity but we do need a microwave and they are willing to give it to us.”

-Dyamond

I say this to say, just because we are independent does not mean that we will not need help, or that we have to decline when people are willing to help us. Everyone can use a hand, I don't care who you are or who you think you are, everybody needs somebody. We get in the mindset of saying, “God will provide.” God is sending people left and right but we choose not to take the help because we think God is going to knock on our door with a brand new microwave. He sends people, He blesses us through other people but if we are too prideful to see that then we will miss everything God has for us.

Another huge part of being independent is being able to be on our own, to take care of ourselves, to remind people that we are successful by ourselves, that no one helped us get to where we are. Alright, let’s stop right there, that’s a lie, everyone has had to stand on the shoulders of at least one person to get to where they are. No one reaches success alone. No one is self-made. God made man be in fellowship and communion with one another. We are here to serve and help our brothers and sisters. But sometimes, we mistake independence for isolation so that we can stand out in a crowd. We stand alone. When we stand alone we get the title of being an independent person, and the mindset that it’s lonely at the top. It’s not lonely we just decided to isolate ourselves from everyone else. Everyone is so focused on standing out and being different, that ironically, that is what makes you just like everyone else. We all want to tell the story of how we never needed anyone to depend on. How we are responsible for own our success, and how it’s so lonely at the top. That my friend is called pride and it brings you down quicker than anything can. Our pride will cause us to fall and fall hard. We entertain or glorify this idea of being alone at the top so we can take all the credit for getting there. There are so many people we had to stand on and step on to get to where we are.

If we really want to be independent we will put our pride aside and know that independence is not all about self. It is not about being able to brag and boast about how well we do on our own. Yes, we must learn how to stand on our own two feet and take care of ourselves. But we must notice when pride is taking the place of independence in our lives.

Response/Prayer Time

Take the time to examine yourself today and your motives. Are you seeking independence to feed your pride? Whatever the answer may be talk to God about, pray that He shows you the difference between pride and independence.

Day 91: Oh My Soul.

Psalms 42:5

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation

Psalms 42:11

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him my salvation and my God.

Psalms 43:5

WHy are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me. Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.

I hope you're starting to see a pattern here. David repeats the same phrase three times within two short chapters. (The first two chapters of the second book of psalms, 42 and 43). He must really be trying to emphasize something by repeating the same phrase three times. I mean I was always told that people don’t intentionally repeat something just for their health. Whatever they said was so important that it had to be said a second time. Well whatever David was saying, it had to be said a second and third time. He’s really asking himself this question, and then responding to his own question. Almost as if He is asking Himself a rhetorical question, he already knows the answer to it. But I love that he reminds himself that God is bigger than His worries. Even when his soul is downcast he will put his hope in God and praise his name. There is always something to thank God for, no matter what your life looks like, there is always a reason to praise God, always. There is never a moment in our lives where God doesn't deserve praise. We can find a million things to thank Him for everyday.  

I believe that David had to remind himself of the God he serves. David was going through some hard times, and he had to make sure that his soul did not remain downcast. He had to give himself a little encouragement. I love that he asks himself this question and follows it up by saying put your  hope in God. Sometimes when our souls are down, we have to remind ourselves of the mighty God we serve. We have to remind ourselves of His faithfulness. David reminded himself three times, and he probably did many more times throughout his life. Sometimes we have to question ourselves and call ourselves out on the things we let get us down. Sometimes it is inevitable, some things will get to us and that's fine, but in the midst of it, don’t forget about the magnificent God we serve. Remember our wonderful and faithful father in heaven. A literal miracle worker.

When we look at David and everything he went through as we read about him in 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st Kings, and 1st Chronicles, we get a front row seat to his life. Then in 

Psalms we get a front row seat to his outlook or perspective on his life.  David is known to be a man, after God’s own heart. And even his soul was downcast at times, he had moments of doubt, and fear, and anger, heartache, and pain. But he put His hope in the Lord. Even the strongest people are weak sometimes, We learn to put our hope in the Lord, we learn to take control over our own spiritual wellness. We make a conscious decision to put our hope in the Lord. Even in our weakest moments we can find hope in the Lord, and there is also when we find strength. We are without a doubt aware that God is so much greater than us and our problems. We must not forget that the God we serve is; all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful. He is God over the hills and valleys. He’s got us.

Reflection/ Prayer Time

Respond to God today with whatever is on your heart, even if it’s pain, anger, anxiety, depression, joy, peace, happiness, whatever it may be. Good or bad, just offer your heart to the Lord today and talk to him. Remember that prayer is just a conversation with God.

I love you. I hope you have an amazing day or evening, and a great weekend. MAke sure you share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 92!

Day 86: Recap

It's recap Sunday everyone.

Day 79: Push Yourself

Today we talked about pushing ourselves. Being able to pray for, and encourage ourselves when there is no one else around or no one to call. We focused on the scriptures 1 Samuel 30:6, and Philippians 3:12.

"We also have to push ourselves when we are tired, when we are ready to give up, when it’s too painful, when everything is telling us to quit. We have to push ourselves. If we want that blessing, if we want that life of eternity with Christ, we must push ourselves to keep going even when we think we can’t take it anymore."

Day 80: But...

Today we talked about the hope in 'but..', when we see this word in a sentence we know that it's not over, there's more to come. We focused on the scripture Psalms 31:14.

"There’s always a but, there’s always an answer. But we have to look up from our sorrow and our heartache and the bad situation we are in and look to where we will find hope."

Day 81: Burdened with Sin

Today we talked about carrying the weight of sin and not being held down by our iniquities, and knowing that just because we are born into sin does not mean we have to stay in sin. We focused on the scriptures, Psalms 32:5 and 31:10.

"We cannot allow our souls to rot in a sinful hole because we are too shameful or too embarrassed to go to God, or we’re too full of pride. We all sin, believe it or not."

Day 82: Comfort Zones

We talked about comfort zones today and how detrimental they are to our spiritual growth. We focused on Joshua 1:9 and 2 Timothy 1:7.

"What keeps us from stepping outside of those comfort zones many times is fear.... Most of the time it’s fear... All of the time it’s fear. We are afraid of what will happen, where we will go next. But we must know that God is on the other side of fear. As long as we have faith in Him, as long as we have a relationship with God there is nothing to fear."

Day 83: A Step in the Right Direction

Today we had a guest writer, a friend of mine Alex Molloy. Talking about going in the direction God has laid before us. We focused on Proverbs 3:5-6.

" In order to commit to the God direction for your life, you must first submit. Submit to commit! Living a life where submission precedes direction results in God making all your paths straight."

Day 84: An Anchor for My Soul

Today we talked about being unshakable and unmovable as Christ is the anchor for our souls. Focusing on Psalms 46:5.

"Essentially we are the boat and God is the anchor. The water, wind,  and waves are the things getting in the way. The things that would move us if we did not have a strong foundation in the Lord. We are living in a world where the wind blows every which way, and very strong winds I might add. We live in a world where the current of the water is constantly changing. If we do not have something to hold on to or something to ground us we will get thrown from place to place, position to position, and find ourselves picking up and starting over for the rest of our lives. If we do not find something to keep us still, we will move every time the wind moves, we will float away with the current. But when our souls are anchored in Christ we are unmovable, and unshakable."

Day 84: A Step In the Right Direction by Alex Molloy

Today we have another guess writer, Alex Molloy a friend of mine. Alex is the Service Pastor of Story Philly in Center City Philadelphia. He is an amazing person and has a heart for Jesus and I am beyond excited to share that with you today. Enjoy!

Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.
These are the words of 35th president JFK

As I look back on my life, my path has led me to a series of wonderful places; starting in London, with stops in Paris, Beijing and Sydney along the way, my path has wound itself to the east coast of America, namely Philadelphia. I’ve experienced hot weather and cold weather, great hospitality and great hostility along the way, but one thing is for certain. If you asked me where I’d be in 10 years as a 16 year old in school, Philadelphia probably wouldn’t have been on my radar. Being the service pastor of Story Philly, a center city church certainly wouldn’t have.

The truth is the destination I often found myself at when I was living a life away from my family and more importantly ignoring the call of God upon my life was always riddled with turmoil and discontent. The reason for this? My direction was way off. Any great pioneer arms him or herself with a compass, and mine wasn’t working, and when it did, I chose to ignore it. Because of that,  I found myself on the wrong path.

You see, whatever road you’re on determines where you end up, the path taken determines the destination. If I planned on driving to L.A., route 40 may be a good start, I-95N wouldn’t as I’d end up in Canada before long. Canada is a lot colder than California. Living life on the wrong path can result in destination a lot colder and more barren than intended and expected (no shade to Canada, it’s a beautiful place). You see, it’s not about intentions and expectations but rather direction.

Intentionality often seems great and noble. God however, isn’t interested in those with good intentions but those who display good actions and embody just characteristics. Too often it can be said about this generation that we’re slow to move, capable of recognizing the need, but end up doing nothing. Don’t be a we-really-ought-to-do-it-but-do-nothing kind of person. Because as Pastor Andy Stanley puts it, direction, not intention, determines destination. It’s the steps of the righteous that God orders and delights in, not the intentions.

Aha, so we need to be taking steps. And in front of me seems like a million and one different paths I could take. What should my next step be? There’s a little saying I’m beginning to live by; DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING.

Doing the next right thing can seem very difficult with a lack of information which we all have. It’s important to know that decisions made today have ramification later on. The path you take now in your 20s impacts your 30s. We can never know all the possible outcomes each path we choose to live will have. In order to do the next right thing, it’s not about trying to predict the future.

Proverbs 3:5
In every arena of life, trust in God, lean hard into Him, lean not into your own understanding

When it comes to the choice of our life paths I make the common mistake to think I’m wise enough to be able to lean on my own understanding. What God tells us to do is the complete opposite of this. There is no need to try to predict and decipher every possible outcome to any possible decision. All we need to do is trust in God and allow him to lead us. How do we do this? The next line of the proverb shows us:

Proverbs 3:6
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

When we live our lives submitting every single compartment of our hearts, our minds and our decisions to God and Heaven’s story, He will make your paths straight. It’s as simple as that (note I said simple not easy!). In order to commit to the God direction for your life, you must first submit. Submit to commit! Living a life where submission precedes direction results in God making all your paths straight.

There are so many things we entrust God with essentially because we have no choice or control in the matter such as eternity or our health. However, what God wants is that same trust and faith with what we do have control over; our relationships, our jobs, our finances and what we do with our time. Evaluate a relationship, a job or any decision on where it’s heading, not where it is.

One of the most important characteristics of a leader is one who knows what direction they’re heading and are relentless in their pursuit forward. Submit to commit, live with a God component in every single compartment of my life and be faithful with what is in your hand.

Reflection/ Prayer Time

As you pray ask yourself if you on the “God path”? Talk to God about what it means to be in His will and going in the direction that He is pointing. As you pray, ask God for direction and seek that direction knowing that He is pointing you the right way. Even when it looks a little gloomy, He’s pointing you in the right direction, have faith and move according to His will.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Make sure you share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 85!