Monday
Walking in Brokenness
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth (1 John 1:8 NLT).
We are all walking around in our sin. If you think that you are not, you might take a better look at your heart. We all sin. The difference in a Christian and someone that has not found the saving grace of Jesus, is that those who are "in Christ" feel the guilt of their sin and ask for forgiveness. Plus, we do our best to forsake living in that sin. Those who are living outside of Christ's light just try to convince themselves and others that what they are doing is really not sin at all.
Father, we are all in need of a Savior to cover our sinful lives. Father God, thank You for meeting our needs through Jesus Christ, our Savior, and Redeemer. We praise Your holy name. Amen.
Tuesday
His Light Reigns
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path (Psalm 119:105 NIV).
In tough times, we must look very hard for a glimmer of hope. I know that is really difficult to do when we are struggling for a break in the pounding of trouble. But, in that time of trouble, we have a God who is standing beside us with His mighty arms held out for us to run into.
God is shining His light. We must search for that glimmer, that single ray, that faint pin-hole of light, meandering through the darkness. It's there because He is there. That light is the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. Jesus has never left us and never will.
No matter our trouble, no matter how far we have run from Him and His truth, He is ready to pull us out of our darkness and onto His path of righteousness.
My question to each of you today is, what are you waiting for? When you are in this valley, isn't it time to come to terms that you can't do this thing called life, without Him. Isn't it time that you give up your heavy sack of burdens and take on His cross? Isn't it time to get on God's path and off the path of the world?
Thank You Father God for not giving up on us. Amen.
Wednesday
My Thoughts and Ramblings
Nor do we boast and claim credit for the work someone else has done. Instead, we hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended (2 Corinthians 10:15 NLT).
I am wondering what God has in store for me. I would love to know where He is going to lead me, next. Then again, I might not want to know. I might not be able to fully understand the complexity of His plan. I might not understand the “whys” of His plan. God has a way of moving me out of my comfort zones.
I've been at sort of a crossroads in my life. I've made some poor choices in direction and I've made some good choices. I can attribute the poor choices to following my human desires. The good choices always point back to God. I'm not unlike any of you who are reading this, as we are all broken and tend to veer off the roadway that God has laid down for us to follow.
Don't misinterpret this post, I've not hit the high weeds of the roadway median. I've not left the road of Christ's calling but I have definitely been distracted. In other words, I have not been 100 percent available to God for what He called me to do. My question is: just what has He called me to do?
I am not unlike any of you, I have my indecision and doubts. I have my concerns and fears. I have made mistakes. I will probably misread God's map and take a wrong turn. But I have a God who will always adjust my GPS to bring me back to His roadway. I must remember to trust in God and be available to His call and His direction for what He wants me to do.
I hope this inspires each of you to search your life, your heart, and the direction that you are headed in to see if you are following God's GPS for life.
I fall back on a prayer that Major League Baseball MVP Bobby Richardson prayed and I will end on this:
“Dear Lord, Your will; nothing more; nothing less; nothing else. Amen.”
Thursday
Lord Save Our Nation
Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved (Psalms 80:3 NLT).
With the election coming this year, we must make a choice on who we want as our nation’s leader. It will be a tough choice for many, but if we use God's Word as a filter, we can clearly see who is or is not the caliber of a person that we should elect as our president. I ask each of you to pray that God will direct your choice.
Tonight and every night, please pray that God will look down on us in a favorable light. Pray that our country will ask God to return to us as the Supreme Ruler. Pray that we will stop kicking Him out of places like schools and courthouses. Please pray and pray often.
Thank You Lord for hearing our petitions. Save us from ourselves. Redeem us by Your mighty hand. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Friday
No Room for Satan
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7 NLT).
Now, more than ever, walk humbly before our God. No matter what happens, the Devil can't stand where Jesus reigns.
Thank You, Lord. Father God, remind us that we can't, but You certainly can. We pray this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.
Saturday
Our Guide
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8 NLT).
We cannot produce anything that is truly good with our lives without having a Guide who shows us the Way.
Folks, if you want to be able to tackle life's challenges, look to Jesus.
Lord God, thank You for giving us Your holy Word and sending the Holy Spirit to guide us through this broken world. Lord, we are broken people, living in a broken world and we need You in our lives. We need you 24/7/365, not just when we cry out for help. We need you before, during, and after we have fallen into the quagmire of sin. We need You to open our eyes to our failings and call us back into Your mighty arms. Help us today, Lord, as we cannot do this thing called life without You. We ask in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sunday
You Are Forgiven
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight (Romans 4:7 NLT).
There isn't a sin that we have committed that cannot be covered by the blood of Christ. Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus.
So what do we have to do to be covered by His grace? Nothing more than to believe in Him, have faith that He is our Savior, repent of our sins, and come humbly to the foot of the cross.
Jesus accepts us as we are but loves us too much to leave us as we are.
Lord God, thank You. We praise Your mighty name. Amen.
This blog first appeared on The Stand.
