Thursday, September 17, 2015

TODAY'S DAILY...our steps are ordered.

I am a planner. My husband is not. In my perfect world everything would have a rhyme or reason and order!


I would say we all want good things in our life. But we never want to wait for it. We want it now! And when it doesn't happen according to our time line or our comfort, we question..."Why God?", "When God?"

The need to know everything that's going on, the why's and the when's can be detrimental to our Christian walk.


"Man's steps are ordered by the Lord. How then can a Man understand his way?" -Proverbs 20:24


Now there is a loaded question for you! None of us can see our circumstance like God can. It is not for us to question; we don't need to know all the details; all we need to know is that we can trust God and He will make a way.




I'm trusting God today, how about you?





Monday, September 14, 2015

TODAY'S DAILY...choose wisely

The Bible has much to say about making choices. From choosing Whom we serve (Joshua 24:15), to choosing how to spend our time (Luke 10:42), to choosing to pursue God's values vs. the worlds values (Proverbs 16:16).


When God created man in His own image, He created us with a free will. He allows us to make choices.


As a parent, I have not always approved of the choices my kids have made but it never stopped me from loving them. This is the picture that I would like for you to get, God doesn't approve of all of the choices His children make but even the bad choices in life never keeps Him from loving us.


"Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life." -Deuteronomy 30:19,20


In addition to being given a free will to choose, God also gave to each of us the power of His Holy Spirit. It is up to each of us to seek Him and to make good, godly choices.


It is my prayer today that the choices you make today will have an eternal impact. Choose wisely.


Friday, September 11, 2015

TODAY'S DAILY...Remember the good

Saul was not the most wonderful person. In fact, there isn't a lot of good to say about him. Poor David had been the brunt of Saul's attacks over and over, even when David had been nothing but kind to him.


David had much heartache and hardship at the hands of Saul. So naturally, when Saul died, David had every right to rejoice.


But David chose to do something different. Instead of rejoicing that his adversary was gone, David remembered the good. He recalled Saul to be loving and gracious; he remembered how Saul had strength stronger than a lion and that Saul was mighty...


"Saul and Jonathan-in life they were loved and admired, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than Eagles, they were stronger than lions." -2 Samuel 1:23


It's so easy to focus on wrong doing and getting even. We see it from Presidential campaigns to name calling in a divorce to wishing evil upon the boss who just fired you.


David was able to see the good in Saul because he placed everything in God's hands. I'm urging you today, in the midst of your conflict, in the midst of your heartache and loss, follow David's lead and remember the good!


God will take care of the rest.


Thursday, September 10, 2015

TODAY'S DAILY...did the devil make you do it or not?

"The devil made me do it!"

Did he or didn't he? Recently, I had someone tell me that we give too much credit to the enemy. While I agree to that statement that often times the troubles we find ourselves in are simply our choosing, I also cannot discount that the enemy is lurking around, looking for ways to trip us up and destroy us.

Honestly, he doesn't need any help from us. The battle isn't even with us, the enemy is fighting God. You see, by hurting us, satan hurts God. His main goal is to keep us from living victorious Christian lives.

If you don't think satan is working against us, just read the book of Job. Satan stripped everything away from Job, God allowed it, but said, "you can't take his life". 

God had a purpose with Job's life, and He has a purpose for yours. As a believer, we are subject to persecution and attack simply because of Whose we are...

"They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings-and with Him will be His  called, chosen and faithful followers." -Revelation 17:14

The enemy is real, my friend, he wants to take everything from you but stand firm in your faith because your life belongs to God!

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

DAILY DEVO...how much joy do you have today?

Let's examine our lives for a minute...how much joy do you see?


I'm not talking about being happy from time to time, I'm talking about a real, deep within, joy! The kind of joy that even in the midst of a storm, you still smile and you still praise God.


Having joy in our life is a choice that we each have to make.


The absence of joy is not pretty. It can make living day to day difficult; everything will seem burdensome and no one will be able to do anything right in our eyes. Stress will mount and everything will spin out of control; leaving anger, bitterness, anxiety and even depression to set in.
Jesus does not want us to live like this, but, the enemy does. Don't overestimate the power of the enemy, he comes to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10a) If he can steal your joy, he kills your livelihood.


"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18



Jesus is our source of joy. Today, I am choosing to take my eyes off of my circumstances and let go of the things I can't change and walk in joy.


I pray you will be more than happy today. Be joyful, in ALL things, for the joy of the Lord IS our strength!


Monday, September 7, 2015

LACED WITH GRACE....Who has your back?

Today, I have shared the following devotional with the readers of Laced With Grace! For daily devotionals, check out this site! www.lacedwithgrace.com


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You are my refuge and my shield, Your Word is my source of hope.” -Psalm 119:114


Have you ever gone thru something difficult and just needed someone to have your back? I remember when I was in high school, I had a circle of friends that did everything together. We walked to classes together, we ate lunch together, we walked home after school together, we went to Friday night football games together, we hung out at each others houses on the weekends together; you could say that we were “inseparable.”


The cool thing that came out of that kind of bond was that thru thick or thin, we had each others backs. We knew each other so well that if someone tried to mess with us or try spreading gossip, we knew exactly if it was right or wrong. We knew each others personalities, flaws and character and we had no problem defending one another.


Since then, I have learned a few life lessons. First of all, strong bonds between friends like that are rare these days and secondly, it is difficult to find people who will have our backs thru thick and thin. Nowadays, at the first sign of trouble, people scatter. No one wants to get involved or mixed up in other peoples lives.


When the going gets tough, we need someone to have our backs. And THIS is why I love the scripture in Psalm 119. It speaks to me that no matter what comes my way, no matter how difficult it is, God has my back!!


God IS our refuge and shield. When we need protection – He is our protector! When we need encouragement – He is our encourager! When we need to escape – He provides the way! He is the Friend that will never leave us or forsake us. He won’t lie on us, cheat us, or abandon us. His love for us doesn’t change just because we change. He is the real deal and because He knows us by name; He also knows our inner thoughts, our flaws, our strengths and our motives and when push comes to shove, He will defend us like no one else could.


God loves you and He would have you know today that when it seems like everyone has abandoned you or turned on you, He hasn’t. Keep striving to be more like Him, keep looking forward and don’t worry about what is behind you because your back is covered by the Blood!


PRAYER: Dear Lord, THANK YOU for being my everything. Help me to remember that I am never alone, You are with me at all times, for all times. I can never repay You for my life, but I can give you my life wholeheartedly to do whatever you see well to do with it. AMEN


Friday, September 4, 2015

DAILY DEVO...Tunnel Vision

Have you ever wondered what "the right thing" was?


 So many times, we are faced with those decisions that we wish we could magically speed ahead and see the outcome. I don't know about you, but knowing how things would pan out for me somehow feels like trusting God is taken out of the equation.


Sure it would be great to know who to marry, where to live, what college to go to or how to pay off our mortgage. These things and more life issues come so much easier when we look to God.


"Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path." -Psalm 119:105



Trusting God and looking to His plan for our life (not our plan) is like receiving tunnel vision. If you've ever traveled thru a lighted tunnel, you now what I'm talking about.


While everything around seems dark, there's that bright light in the tunnel that illuminates the way to get out. That's EXACTLY what God's Leading does- It illuminates the right way to go to find our destination.


When you are unsure of something, find the Light and let It lead you out.