Daily Devotion for January 31--Looking to God for Decisions

Proverbs 16:20
He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.

If we study the meaning of the words in this scripture and put it into everyday terms, it would read--He that handles the Word and his business in a prudent way shall obtain good;  he who has confidence in Jehovah shall be blessed.

However, the problem for many of us is that we either don't trust God to do what He says He will do or we don't spend enough time attending to The Word to know how we should manage things.  Quite often we react instead of looking at the situation and asking the Lord to help us choose a response.   It is very important for us to give heed to instruction--especially the instruction that God has handed down to us through the Bible.

Choosing to seek the Word when making decisions requires wisdom and faith.  We can't look at things from our own point of view and expect to truly be successful.  We need to seek out Godly wisdom and then have faith that God will see us through.   When you look at the men in the Bible who succeeded you will find that they turned to God for advice and when they did mess up, they turned to Him asking forgiveness and then trusting Him to do what He promised to do.

Do you try to make your decisions based on your instinct or your gut?  Do you focus on your emotions?  We can't make decisions based on peer pressure, the current trend, or what others tell us.  We can only make WISE decisions through prayer, studying the Word and then listening for God's guidance.

As we go through the day, let us be sure we are looking to God for wisdom and having faith in Him knowing He never breaks His promises.

Daily Devotion January 30

Jeremiah 31:34
"...I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

So often Satan likes to remind us of our past lives---of the sins we've committed, of the bad choices we've made, of the people we've hurt.  He does it because it is his best way to get us to begin to doubt God.  We may begin to wonder if God can really forgive us.  Does He really forget our sins?  Are we sure He won't bring them up again?

Here in Jeremiah, God promises He will forget our sins.  He will not turn His back on us.  He will not allow our sins to separate us from Him.  We read in Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.  This is a promise we can count on.  I am so thankful that God not only forgives our sins, but He forgets about them.  Satan may remind us and cause us to have doubt, but even if he brings them up to Jesus, He will tell him we are forgiven and those sins are forgotten.

As we go through the day let us remember that God will remember our sins no more!  What joy that should bring to our hearts!!

Daily Devotion January 29--From everlasting to everlasting

Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

A few days ago while having a deep theological discussion with my 6 year old grandson, he looked at me and asked "How old is God?"  I thought "why couldn't you just ask me something simple?"  So I thought I'd try to find a good way to answer him and I think this verse will do it.

We had recently had a discussion about creation from the book of Genesis.  So he already knew that God created everything.  But then I had to try to explain to him that God just was.  He had always been.  He was here before the earth was formed.  God is and has been and will forever be.  He tells us He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

Verse 1 of this same Psalm says Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.  Not only is God eternal but He is and always has been our place of safety, our place of rest.  How comforting to know that our Father who holds us in His hands has no beginning and no end.

As we go through our day, let us remember that no matter how things may seem at the time, God is there and has what we need to survive.

Daily Devotion January 28--1st must be last

Mark 9:35
And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

"Be Number 1!"  "We're Number 1!"  "Look out for yourself first."  These are things we quite often hear in our society today.  But that is not the plan that Jesus has for us at all.  When we read the part of the last supper when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, it reminds us how He humbled Himself to be a servant.  Foot washing of the guests in one's home went to the the lowest servant on the totem pole.  Yet, Jesus put Himself in that place.

We are reminded that being number 1 is not all that important.  It is more important that we put ourselves in the servant's or lowest position.  If you are a leader in your job, it is important to be a servant leader--never ask your staff to do anything that you aren't doing or willing to do yourself.  As a spouse, let yourself be a servant to your partner.  As a friend, always be willing to do the "dirty work" they need help with.  Put others before yourself, that is what Jesus wants us to do.

As we go through our day let us work to not make ourselves number 1 but to be willing to serve those around us.

Daily Devotion January 27

John 16:13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Jesus had already told the disciples that He was going to be crucified.  But here He is telling them that they will not be alone. The Spirit of truth, the Holy Ghost (Spirit) would be coming to them to give them the guidance that they needed.  This Spirit would not speak of Himself but would speak of things He was told by God.  He would be there to be their comforter, their counselor, their guide.  The job of the Holy Spirit is to magnify God, never Himself.

There are many times when we all feel that we need a counselor.  Many times it is beneficial for us to meet with a Christian counselor as a way to work through different problems we may be having.  But we always have the greatest Counselor with us if we are God's child.  He is there to guide us.  Our job is to listen and to follow.  Often we read something or hear a sermon that fills our brains with new knowledge about God and perhaps we can't comprehend it all.  Jesus said for all who have ears to hear.  When we hear,  the Word goes into our brain and then in His time the Holy Ghost will show us the things that we need to know.

As we go through our day, let us turn to THE Counselor first and give God an opportunity to show us what we need to know.

Daily Devotion January 26

Jeremiah 5:25
Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.


People appear to be confused these days about sin.  We need to remind ourselves that God hasn't changed His stance on right and wrong.  The things that were sins in the Old Testament are sins today.  When we look around our country and people wonder why things are such are mess, the answer is easy.  We are so filled with sin, with confusing right and wrong, that God has no choice but to withhold blessings from us.  I'm not really sure when being a person who stood up for what is right became such a terrible thing.  But it has.

Until we as a nation, a state, a town, a family, a person turn away from sin and follow what we know is right, we can't expect to be fully blessed by God.  It is time for us to stand up, to grow up, to be willing to be firm in our stance.  If we are in a situation and have to question whether something is right or wrong, that is probably the Holy Spirit telling us what we need to know.

I don't want to miss out on God's blessings and I'm sure you feel the same way.  As we go through our day, let us ask God to help us examine our hearts and to get anything out that is not pleasing to Him.

Daily Devotion January 25

Psalm 91:11
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

How many times have you had things that could have happened to you but didn't?  Did you realize that God was protecting you at that time?  Many people that I talk to about this often give examples of things that occurred while driving and I imagine others of us can give the same type of  example.  We sometimes talk about our personal guardian angel when actually there are many angels watching over us.

He not only commands His angels to watch over us sometimes but in all of our ways.  They will be protecting us wherever we go.  That is such a comfort to know.

As we go through our day, let us not take for granted that God has commanded His angels to watch over the steps of the believer.

Daily Devotion January 24

Psalm 91:4
 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Do you ever have one of those days that you feel that everything that could have possibly gone wrong, did?  In reality we know that everything possible really didn't go wrong but it seems like we've had more than we can bear.  Those are the kinds of days when it is important for us to remember that we can run to Jesus and He will protect us.

When I was growing up we always had chickens.  I remember seeing the mother hen tuck her babies under her wings to protect them.  That is what Jesus does for us, too.  He wants to protect us, especially in times of trouble.  Our problem is that we often don't think about running to Him FIRST. But that is what we need to do.  The psalmist tells us that we can trust Him to provide all the protection we need.  We haven't done anything to deserve this promise, but it is ours to hold onto in times of need.

As we go through our day, let us remember that we can have the same protection as those baby chicks.  Our Heavenly Father will hide us and protect us.

Daily Devotion January 23

Psalm 25:4
Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.

Sometimes we feel a little lost.  Just not sure which way we should go next.  But if we look to the Lord for His guidance, He will show us the right way.

Breaking down this verse it can be stated like this:  Make me to know the direction for my journey, Jehovah God, instruct me in the correct way of living.  When we turn to Jesus to show us the ways we should go, much of the stress we experience on a day to day basis goes away.  He knows exactly what He desires for us to do and where He wants us to go.

As we go through our day, we need to be sure we ask God for direction, that we allow the Holy Spirit to be our guide on our journey of life/

Daily Devotion January 22

Proverbs 15:16
 Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.

Have you ever read those stories about people who won the lottery and then ended up with even less than they had in the beginning?  Do you often wonder what was wrong with them?  I always wonder if they gave it to their church or a charity or did they just waste it as the prodigal son did on "riotous living".

On the other  side of that coin, you hear of people who have very little, yet give sacrificially to the service of the Lord with both their time and money.  Which of these people to you think is happier?

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 15:16 that it is better for us to just have enough or few things or little yet have reverence for the Lord than to have the best of everything and great riches and the confusion or turmoil that comes with it.  This verse is a great reminder when we are having one of those poor, pitiful me days.  You know, those days when you see other people with beautiful new homes and taking expensive trips and dripping in diamonds (or whatever it is that you wish you had).  We need to remember every day that it is better for us to have just enough and belong to the Lord than to have much on this earth.  Our reward is in Heaven and that should be enough to keep us content.

Daily Devotion January 21

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

I enjoy music--really many different types of music.  But there is just something special about hearing music that lifts up the name of the Lord.  For me, music is one of the greatest forms of worship.  (Fortunately we don't have to be professional singers to sing to the glory of God!)  The music often sets the tone for a worship service.  More than that, thought, music sets the tone for our hearts.

Here we are told to use the psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to lift one another, to teach each other and to admonish one another.  To teach is to impart knowledge.  To admonish is to warn or to exhort.  Think of all the songs you have listened to over the years.  Which ones of those served to teach you more about God?  Which ones told you about things to avoid?  Using the words of the Psalms as songs is a very powerful way to get the word of God into our hearts and minds.  Most of us remember songs we learned in church in childhood.  Songs such as "He's Still Working on Me", "This Little Light of Mine" and of course, "Jesus Loves Me" are a huge part of my memory bank.   I remember songs from VBS and church camp that still resonate with me and bring sweet memories.

As you go through your day, listen to the type of music that can lift you up, teach and admonish you in your walk with God.

Daily Devotion January 20

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonian Christians but it can still be an encouragement to us today.  We are to build each other up and encourage one another.  When we look at the society we live in today, it is very easy as Christians to become discouraged.  The world seems to have turned what is wrong to right and what is right is seen as wrong.  When we stand up for the Truth, we are often seen as the one who is intolerant.

But here is the good new--no matter what we have to face on this earth, there is a better day coming.  A day when all of our troubles will be gone and we will no longer remember the troubles we have faced.  But until that day arrives, it is important for us to provide comfort and encouragement to each other.  As we go through the day, let us each try to find ways that we can be an encourager to those around us.

Daily Devotion January 19

Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

From childhood on, we want to be independent.  How often do we hear children say "I do it myself!" And often that is what we think too.  We think we will just handle everything ourselves.  We don't want to ask for any help.  But this was not what God intended.  He wants us to help one another.

We can't always literally pick up someone else's burden but we can still help them carry that burden.  We can always pray for them and with them.  This is what Christ expects us to do.  Nobody goes through this world without a burden or trouble of some kind.  And for many people, asking for help is the toughest thing to do.  So we need to be on the lookout for times when we can be a burden bearer for others.

As we go through the day, let us each remember to be available to help others as Christ has commanded us to do.

Daily Devotion January 18

Isaiah 55:8-9

8 For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.


We spend so much time thinking we are in control and know exactly how things should go.  But when we look at this verse it tells us that God is not only in control but He knows better than we do how things should go.  God is so much bigger than we are and we will never fully understand Him.  He will show us what we need to know in His time and when He thinks we are ready.  It is our job to spread His word as He has given it to us and to be strive to be more like Jesus.

What we do know is that God loves us and has a plan and purpose for each of our lives.  We can trust Him to guide us in the way we should go--but we have to be willing to let Him have the lead.  As we go through the day, we each need to remember that we will never know everything that God knows but His ways are so much better than we could ever imagine!

Daily Devotion January 17

Romans 12:10
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Here we are reminded to love our Christian brothers and sisters.  We are to love them to the point that we put their needs above our own.  That seems to be contradictory to the way the world looks at things.  Brotherly love (Philadelphia) is the type of love we have for our family members.  We may fuss and fight sometimes but if an outsider does the same thing or if there is a sickness or emergency, we rally around one another.   We are also to honor others.  When we honor someone we treat them better than they may even deserve.  We give them respect or reverence.  We are to even take the lead in honoring this person.

This is what God expects of us.  We are to love the family of God and put others ahead of ourselves by giving them honor.  The world today says to look out for yourself regardless of how that might impact others.  God does not teach us to love that way.  As we go from day to day, we must remember to put others ahead of ourselves and love like Jesus.

Daily Devotion January 16

Micah 6:8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

I know that many people don't spend much time reading in the Old Testament; however, this is one of my favorite verses.  This is a good verse to break down and look at carefully.

God has declared unto each of us what is good and pleasant; and what does Jehovah ask of us, but to do, to act rightly in judgement, and to love goodness and kindness and to move modestly and humbly with the true God.

Isn't that amazing that God only asks us to do such simple tasks?  But walking in this way is not always easy so we still need to lean on God as we make these daily steps.   It seems that in our world today goodness and kindness are not nearly as common as we would like for them to be.  To make a change in our society, each of us must follow these simple tasks.  As we go through today we should all true to do what this verse asks us to do.

Daily Devotion January 15

Psalm 116:1-2

I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.  Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

What a comfort it gives us to know that God hears our prayers and listens when we call upon Him.  The Psalmist starts with the words "I love the Lord".   It is important for us to remember how much we love Him.  We need to be sure we take time to say "thank You" and "I appreciate You" to our Father God just as we do to the people with whom we interact on a daily basis.

Do you think there is really anybody else who listens to us every time we say something to them?  I doubt most people hear the things we say.  God not only hears what we say, He hears what we don't say as well.  Those things we can't quite put into words but are on our heart are just as plain to him as the words we speak.  The next several verses tell us why we love the Lord--He is gracious, He is merciful, He doesn't view us by socioeconomic status, race or gender.   He wipes away our tears, He comforts us and He protects us from wickedness and many times from ourselves.

We should never stop being thankful to the Lord for all He has done.  We need to remind ourselves daily that He hears us even if we feel no one else does.

Daily Devotion January 14

January 14

Psalm 18:32
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

God created us to be His warriors.  Do you remember as a child singing "I'm in the Lord's Army"?  That is just as true today as it was when we were younger, maybe even more so.  In this verse we see how God prepares us for the battles we face every day.

The men of the Old Testament wore long flowing robes and had to tie them up or gird them up to be able to move quickly.  God himself girds us or prepares us for battle.  And what He girds us with is His strength, the ability to face the battles ahead.  As we saw earlier, perfect means complete.  So His strength makes us complete.   It is so good to know that when we are faced with the day to day battles of Christian life that God will provide all we need.

Today as you go through your day, remind yourself that God will help you by girding you up with His strength.

Daily Devotion January 13

Matthew 5:48
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Does this verse frighten you a little?  The thought of being perfect as God is perfect is pretty heavy.  But I think we tend to think of our definition of perfect, which according to Merriam Webster dictionary means: being entirely without fault or defect.  We KNOW we are not without fault, mainly because we know we are all born as sinners.  However, the Biblical view of perfect is to be brought to its end, completeness.

So when we read this verse it does not mean that we are supposed to be flawless; it means we are to be complete in God.  In context, this is where Jesus is telling us to love not only our neighbors but to also love our enemies and those who mean harm to us.  Just as the Father's love is complete, our love for others should be complete.  This includes being merciful to others, as God as merciful to us.  Even though this may not always be easy to do, we are to strive for this.

We know we will never be flawless as long as we are in this human body.  However, we can strive to be more like Jesus.  You probably remember a while back when the big thing was the bracelets with WWJD on them--What Would Jesus Do?  And while it was kind of gimmicky, it is a good way to respond to people and situations.  Today, let us look to Jesus for guidance to be as much like Him as humanly possible.  

Daily Devotion January 12

January 12

Psalm 62:2
He only is my rock and my salvation;  he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

Sometimes life seems overwhelming.  We face storms along the way--some are emotional and some are literal.  And during those storms of life we have to find a way to stay grounded.  This verse gives us much information concerning how God is there for us during those times.

He is our rock, our refuge, a place where we are held safe.  He is our salvation, our deliverance.  Nothing else is needed when God is the one who is saving us. He is our defense--our strong tower, our place of refuge.  And when all of these things are true then we will not be slipping much.  Because He holds us, we will not be shaken.

What a comfort it is to know that no matter what comes along in our lives that God will provide us a hiding place and the storms of life won't toss us around.  Let us never forget to run to that Rock when we are in the midst of the storms.  

Daily Devotion January 11

January 11


Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: 
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

What a great blessing for us to pray over each other every day.  When we think of our friends and loved ones, this is really what we want for them each day.  We know that they won't have that peace unless they are in a personal relationship with the Lord.  

When we are blessed by God then we have His favor upon us.  When He keeps us, that is a sign of the closeness that we have with Him.  He wants to draw us near to Him and protect us.  If we are close to God, then we know we will feel His face shining upon us simply because He is the light of the world.  God loves us and wants what is best for us.  He will give us the greatest sense of peace we will ever have.  Ever.

Perhaps we should go back to the old testament and use this blessing as part of of our prayer life every day.  

Daily Devotion January 10

Psalms 9:10

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

It is often the little things that make us realize what a big God we serve.  Just knowing that He is watching over us 24/7 should give us a real sense of peace.  Trust is something that I have always wrestled with when it came to dealing with other people.  But with God, there is no fear in trusting Him.  We've talked before about how He promises to never forsake us or leave us.  However, I just want to bring to mind some little things that may have occurred that proved that He is with us, even when we aren't thinking about it.

Have you ever got ready to go somewhere and then couldn't find your keys?  After 15 minutes or so you located them and got on your way.  Down the road a bit you come upon a wreck and realized that had you left when you planned that you'd have been in the middle of it?  Or have you ever lost something really important to you and just as you were about to give up hope, there is was?  Those times were not coincidence.  It was all God.  I can't tell you how many times in my life that God saved me from something or showed me something or helped me along the way.  I imagine you can say the same thing, too.

As you go through your day(s) be aware of those small things that God does because we put our trust in Him.  The good news is:  If God says he will do or not do something, you can rest assured it is truth!!

Daily Devotion January 9

Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

I spend a lot of time with little ones and what I hear often come out of their mouths is "I want."  I am afraid that quite often we are like them--always looking for something better, something more, I want this or that.  Sometimes we get really serious and say but "I NEED it!"  The truth is we have so much in our lives already that we should feel guilty to often ask for more.  I don't think this is something that only I have to deal with; I think many of us face this same issue.

God promised to provide us with food and clothing.  He didn't say we would eat the finest food or wear the newest clothing.  I have often repeated one of my seminary teachers who said "God promised to meet our needs.  But not our greeds."  I think this is something for us all to remember.

Whatever God provides for us at any time is what we need right then.  But even better than knowing that is the knowledge that He promises to NEVER leave us.  He says He will be with us no matter what.  All we have to do is bask in the light of this promise.  

Today, as we look online or see ads on the TV or in magazines, before we say, "Oh, I want that!" think about what you already have and therein be content.  I work on this daily.  If you pray for me, I will pray for you!!

Daily Devotion January 8

Isaiah 26:3

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Keeping our mind focused on God is one of the most important things we can do.  Sometimes in the midst of our very busy everyday lives, we find our mind more concerned with worldly things.  And while it is important that we do our jobs and meet our daily demands, we need to be careful not to become so consumed that we push God aside.  It is interesting to note that the more we stay focused on God the more peace we have in our minds and hearts.

Trust is not always easy for some of us.  However, the more we keep our trust in Him, the more peace we can feel.  I don’t know about you, but peace is something that I love to have.  So today let us each keep our mind on Him and rejoice in His peace!!

Daily Devotion for January 7

January 7

Proverbs 16:24

“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

We live in such a negative world.  Turn on the news—all negative.  Listen to people talk—more negative than positive.  Even among Christians we often hear more grumbling than we do praising.  We shouldn’t be that way.  We read in Proverbs that pleasant words (positive, encouraging, etc.) are sweet to the soul and health to the bones.

Have you ever noticed that when you are around a negative person that you leave feeling bad or depressed even if you were in a good mood when the conversation started?   We need to be careful that we are not the one who brings everybody else down.  When we speak words of affirmation; words that are uplifting, words of encouragement or just silly things, we contribute not only to the health of ourselves but the health of others also.

As you go through the day today, think on your words and let them be sweet as honey.

Daily Devotional for January 6

 January 6

Matthew 26:41

“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

I recently heard that research shows most people break their New Year’s resolution by January 12, so today is about halfway to that breaking point.  Some never make it through the second day.  The truth is, for most of us, we think we can do whatever we set out to do but sheer willpower but that is not the case.  

Jesus had taken 3 of His disciples to watch and pray with Him at Gethsemane.  When He returned to them, he found them sleeping not just once but twice.  It was after the first time that He said verse 41 to them.  We sometimes think that these 3 men were slackers.  I mean, really, how could they not stay awake for Jesus?  However, Jesus knew why—their flesh was weak.

What about us?  How often have we felt in our spirit what we needed to do, yet our flesh just couldn’t see it through?  The flesh IS weak.  Rest assured that Satan will use every temptation, every opportunity, every little crack he can see to try to get us to do his will instead of the will of Our Father.  So, let us each take care today that we do not allow the flesh to take over and that we focus on doing what God would have us to do.

Daily Devotion January 5

January 5

Matthew 17:20 

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

What is your mountain that you need moved today?  Jesus said all we have to do is have faith that it will be removed and it will happen.  Most of us don’t need a physical mountain moved from one place to another, but we all have emotional or spiritual mountains in our lives.  According to Jesus, it only takes a small amount of faith, yet we often fail in even that small amount.  Believing that God not only can, but also will, move our mountains should offer a sense of comfort to each of us.  When you think back over your life I am sure there were times when you thought you would never survive a situation, but now you see that God was there all the time and took you through it.  The same is true for whatever mountain we are facing today.

God not only has the ability to help us in those trying situations, but He want to help us.  Today, have the faith that God can move whatever mountain is in your way and trust Him to provide whatever strength you need. 

Daily Devotion January 4

Isaiah 41:10

^“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

We spend much of our time being afraid.  Afraid of what might come along in the future, afraid of things we don’t know about.  But God tells us not to be afraid because He is with us all the time.  He will give us the strength we need to face whatever comes along.

Many times as we begin a new year, along with the excitement of what lies ahead, we also often feel at least a little tinge of fear.  However, if we are focused on God, He will alleviate that fear.  He will give us all the hope we need and will hold our hand as we make our way through the upcoming days.  He will give us all the strength we need to make it day to day.

Learning to let go and just follow’s God lead is sometimes frightening to us, but once we fully accept that He is in control, life gets easier to face.

Daily Devotion January 3

Daily Devotion for January 3

James 1:3

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

Have you ever thought about how faith and patience work together?  I will be the first one to use that old saying of “Never pray for patience!” because I did and God sent me an unwanted opportunity to learn it!  But we are told in Galatians 5:22 that longsuffering (patience) is one of the fruits of the spirit, so surely we want to have patience.  But here James tells us that it is the trying of our faith that brings about patience.  A dear preacher friend of mine would often tell me that a faith that can’t be tested is a faith that can’t be trusted.  I agree with him (although at the time I was tired of being tested!).  

When we go to God in faith then we must have patience in waiting for Him to work in His time.  So as we go through this day, let us have more faith and be more patient in knowing that God will provide exactly what we need at the perfect time.

Daily Devotion January 2

Psalm 130:5
“I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.”

I hope everything turns out ok.  I hope you are feeling better.  I hope, I hope I hope.  How often do we say that word-hope-in a given day?  What is hope, anyway?  Webster defines it as:  “to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true; to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment; to expect with confidence.”

In Psalm 130 we read that it is in God’s word that we should hope.  Of all the people we come to know in our lifetime, there is only One who will never steer us in the wrong direction and that is the Lord.  When our hope is in Him and Him alone, we can wait knowing that everything will work accordi.ng to God’s plan.  Do bad things sometimes happen that we have no way of understanding?  Yes, every single day.  Is it easy to always patiently wait on the Lord?  Not for me and probably not always for you either.

Today, let us each focus more on putting our hope in the Lord and waiting for His direction through the day.

Daily Devotional January 1

Isaiah 43:18-19 

¹⁸ Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Happy New Year!  As we begin a new year, it is normal to look back at the old one.  But God reminds us in this verse that perhaps we should not get too caught up in the old things.  He further promises that He is going to do a new thing.  A new year and a new thing from God.  

What new thing are you asking God to provide in the new year?  More importantly, are you trusting Him to provide what you need more than just what you want?   A new year is a time to start anew in whatever area of our life we feel we might have failed.  We make goals in all other areas of our lives, it makes sense that we should make goals in our spiritual life.  

As we begin this new year, let us focus on what new things we need for God to do in our lives to make us be a better servant for him.