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Philippians 2:13 “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.”
Have you ever wondered what it is that God desires of you and whether or not you have the strength to do what He asks? What is it that will truly please Him? Is He really working in you? If so, are you submitting to His direction or fighting it? Is His will something that would involve self-sacrifice, an inconvenience at a time you are actively engaged in something else, perhaps doing something that makes you uncomfortable, or even taking action to reverse a lifestyle? These are questions we should ask ourselves. I think most of us at some time have asked, “What is it, Father, that You desire of me?” A key here is not just asking the question, but listening for God’s answer. Sometimes we may hear a still, small voice speaking into our hearts, clearly directing our paths, or perhaps His answer shouts at us as loudly as thunderclaps! Most times, however, I believe God’s answer is revealed through Scripture—God’s Word that is active and alive. “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12 To hear God’s answer to any question, it is important to ask Him before digging into Scripture to give us teachable hearts. Reading Scripture purely for information is not God’s desire; changing us through His Word and learning what He desires is, and for this to happen we need to be open to what He is teaching in His Word. Then, when Scripture “exposes our innermost thoughts and desires,” we need to evaluate whether or not they do or don't line up with God’s. If they don’t, we are taught what God really wants: “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” Psalm 51:17 Now we are ready to learn what God says about pleasing Him. The Pharisees once asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ ” Mark 12:30-31 So what pleases God? In short, loving Him and loving people. We must act in true love in order to honor God and serve others. When we trust in Christ, God places this desire in our hearts, and He will give us the power to act accordingly--to make ourselves uncomfortable and possibly be inconvenienced. In other words, we are to die to self to meet the needs of others in love. God’s Word says that when we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. He teaches, guides, directs, and gives us the power to fulfill the desires of God’s heart. This may be a gradual process, but we must always trust God to fulfill His promises! Doing so and living according to the two most important commandments stated by Jesus--loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength; and acting as Jesus' hands and feet as He would have us do as His representatives on earth--does bring our Father great pleasure. I can imagine Him looking at us and saying, "Well done, faithful servants." What can bless us more or bring us greater joy than allowing God to work within us as we rely on His power to accomplish all that will please Him? VERSES: Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may He equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen.” 1 Peter 4:1-2 “So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude He had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.” 1 John 2:17 “And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” Ephesians 6:6 “Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.” (Paul was writing to slaves, but when we believe in Jesus, we too become His slaves." PRAYER: Father, I am brokenhearted and repentant over my sins, past, present, and future, and I thank You for your promise of not rejecting me, but rather embracing me in Your loving arms. I now ask You to give me the power through Your Holy Spirit to always place Your will above my own and to love others as You would. Daily help me to be Your hands and feet, whether it be inconvenient, uncomfortable, or a need to change direction. I trust You to never give up on me, but to daily grow me in Christ. DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” It is one thing to watch your father pass away at the age of 91, then your mother at the age of 87. The grief is present, yet we know these loved ones had been granted a long life. It is quite another to watch your son’s kind, sweet, and beloved wife being drawn into Jesus’ arms at the age of 43. We think, “Too soon,” and our hearts break. Yet, who knows best? Do we, or does God? “ ‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.’” Isaiah 55:8-9 Our God, who knows all, knows best: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 Everything working for good? YES, for those who are believers in Christ! Now good does not equate to happy or pain free, because God must take the evil Satan attacks us with and turn it 180 degrees to the good. The attacks cause pain, but the good, joyful hope. The end result will be best for us and the people who are touched by our lives…a hard but true fact...and one that many times takes time to realize. God does have a purpose for each of our lives and gives us gifts and talents to accomplish that purpose. What we don’t know, however, is how much time we have to accomplish what He desires. However, if we step into each day loving God above all other things and loving others as ourselves, we do accomplish the best of all purposes—that of honoring and glorifying His name. “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:16 And so it is. We know that each day we live, we can look forward to being one day nearer to our joyous homegoing: “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 We now live in perishable bodies, but while we do, we are challenged to fulfill our destiny by living for Christ. We need to ask ourselves, are we doing so? Are we accomplishing God’s purpose by living righteously as He would have us? Are we being imitators of Jesus? Are we, out of love for Him and not because of rules, being obedient to His commandments? If so, nothing can stop God from using the difficult and seemingly impossibly hard times in our lives for good. Truly, God is a good, good Father, and He who cares for every bird and flower cares for us much, much more. He loves us so much He gave up His only Son’s life to save us from eternal damnation. Believers have nothing but joy before them: “And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him. Romans 6:8 So when we are tempted to believe one’s life has been cut short, we must remember our God knows all things and fully place our trust in His perfect plan. “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:4-5 The light of the world is waiting for us with open arms! What a hope, to be swallowed up by LIFE! Life filled with light… peace…joy…comfort…and eternal love. Sweet Missy—your life purpose has been accomplished. Though you lived in great pain for months on end, you loved well and were greatly loved. You accepted Jesus as your Savior and were growing in Him. Hallelujah! My heart grieves over losing you now, but I choose to trust God and know that one day, when I go home to Jesus, I will see you again. You will run to me saying, “Hi, Mama!” and I will run to you saying, “Hello, Sweetheart!” as I have so many times on the phone. Then I will take you into my arms and give you a huge hug, delighting in the fact that finally we both are at home. VERSES: 1 John 5:11 “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. “ 2 Corinthians 4:14-15 ”We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to Himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.” John 10:28-30 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from Me, for my Father has given them to Me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that You are the perfect planner! I know not how many days You are giving me while on this earth, but I pray that I will continually grow in You, trust in You, and share the Good News of Your SonJesus with others. I believe in Your words that You are giving me a hope and a future, so thank You for renewing my spirit daily so that I can make it through the most difficult of times. Thank You for hope, the patient confidence that Your promises are true and that I will see in heaven my loved ones who believe in You. You are the best Father ever. Thank You for being mine. SONG: “If You Could See Me Now” by Paul S. Morton My prayers have all been answered, I've finally arrived, The healing that has been delayed, Has now been realized. No one's in a hurry, No more schedules to keep, I'm enjoying Jesus, just sitting at His feet. If you could see me now, I'm walking streets of gold. If you could see me now, I'm standing tall and whole. If you could see me now, You'd know I've seen Him face to face; If you could only see me now. Though I've had my sorrows, They never can compare What Jesus has in store for me, No language can ever share. You would not want me To leave this perfect place, If you could only see me now. Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Carl Sigman / Tadd Dameron If You Could See Me Now lyrics © Integrity's Praise! Music, Redwood Music Ltd, Hold On To Music DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! Psalm 119:114 “You are my refuge and my shield; Your Word is my source of hope.”
Today, I struggle with what to write. It is a cloudy, overcast day, matching my spirit. Yet I know that as I feel drained by the events of the last several weeks, with our son’s sweet wife struggling for life, there is One who is never drained, One who can give me hope and fill me with life-giving light when the enemy would have me see only darkness and would have me despair. I don’t try to hide my pain from God. After all, He knows my every thought! So, like the descendants of Korah, I pray, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again—my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember You—even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar. I hear the tumult of the raging seas as Your waves and surging tides sweep over me. But each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing His songs, praying to God who gives me life.” Psalm 42:5-9 Life’s trials many times bring emotional responses. They can make us feel we are standing in the ocean where the seemingly solid sand under our feet dissolves and the ocean's great waves surge over us, drawing us out to sea. But we must never allow emotion to overrule the truth of who God is. Daily the LORD pours His compassionate love out upon us; He who knows when the sparrow falls understands fully and completely our times of sorrow; imagine the Father’s when He had to turn His face away from Jesus who was suffering an excruciating death upon the cross because He had taken the sin of mankind upon Himself. No, God is no stranger to emotion; we know this because we are made in His image. However, God would not have us focus on our emotions in the midst of life’s trials; our focus is to remain centered upon Him and His promise of HOPE. Feeling overwhelmed, I once again turn to God’s Word, my source of light, life, and hope. It is God, and only He, who can lift my spirit and place the happenings of life in perspective: “So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!” Psalm 31:24 I know that as I meditate on God’s lovingkindness, I will be led from a darkness that could be overpowering into His life-giving light and that my strength will be renewed. Focusing on how much He loves me, enough to die in my place for my sins, brings me the joy of knowing that I will share eternity with Him and with the loved ones He’s placed in my life, including those who precede me in death. If you are struggling with a trial in life now, and even if not, join me in meditating on some of the following verses, focusing on our hope, and let your heart's sorrows be lifted as you experience the fulfillment of God's promises. Romans 15:4 “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” (This is faith; this is trust.) Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope.” (Believing in Christ gives us eternal life: “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.”) Hebrews 6:18-20 “ So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.” (Thank You, Father, for Jesus! “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” Jeremiah 17:7) Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (How wonderful it is to know that our Lord God is with us during every step we take through life: “The Lord replied, ‘I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.’ ” Exodus 33:14) Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 (The wise understand how brief our earthly life is and that we are to make every moment of it count in glorifying the Father. However, while this life is as short as a quick whisper, eternity lasts forever, and therein lies our hope: “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23) All of us face trials in life, some deeply heart-wrenching, but we must look beyond them to the hope we have in our majestic, compassionate, kind, and loving God—the One who is always concerned about our welfare and that of those we love. In my mind, I now look through the massive and billowing charcoal-gray storm clouds our enemy would drown us in to that of our loving God’s presence above. Here I find peaceful, comforting, and azure skies illuminated by the brilliance of life-sustaining rays emanating both from earth’s sun, but more importantly, from His Son—our eternal life source. GOD IS GOOD! His plan is perfect. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.” I Chronicles 16:34 I choose to trust and hope in our good, good Father—the One who loves us most and plans for our ultimate victory in life “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and He will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God!” Job 19:25-26 MORE VERSES: Psalm 71:5 “For You, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.” Psalm 130:5 “I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on Him. I have put my hope in His Word.” Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Romans 5:1 “Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Thessalonians 2:16-17 “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.” Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” PRAYER: Dear Father, as I dwell on Your goodness, kindness, and the hope I have in You, let me always remember Jesus’ words: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me.” John 14:1 I do choose to trust, Father, therefore help me not be dismayed when Your plan differs from that of my limited understanding and will! Rather, help me be an imitator of Jesus: “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.” Luke 22:42 Your will, Father—it always is right and best. So, Father, when I tend to be overwhelmed by life’s difficult times, let me always remember that You know ALL--everything that has taken place in the past and all that will take place in the future. I choose to believe in Your proven goodness, and as Corrie Ten Boom wrote, “Never (to) be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” 1 1. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/corrie_ten_boom_381184 SONG: "Joy of the Lord" Though tears may fall My son will rise, my song will rise to You Though my heart may fail My song will rise, my song will rise to You While there's breath in my lungs I will praise You, Lord In the dead of night I'll lift my eyes, I'll lift my eyes to You When the waters rise I'll lift my eyes, I'll lift my eyes to You While there's hope in my heart I will praise You, Lord The joy of the Lord is my strength The joy of the Lord is my strength In the darkness I'll dance In the shadows I'll sing The joy of the Lord is my strength When I cannot see You with my eyes Let faith arise to You When I cannot feel Your hand in mine Let faith arise to You God of mercy and love I will praise You, Lord Oh You shine with glory Lord of light I feel alive with You In Your presence now I come alive I am alive with You There is strength when I say I will praise You, Lord When sorrow comes my way You are the shield around me Always You remain Like courage in the fight I hear You call my name Jesus, I am coming Walking on the waves Reaching for Your light Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Christopher Dean Llewellyn / Edmond Martin Cash / Gareth Andrew Gilkeson Joy Of The Lord lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group, Capitol CMG Publishing DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! Psalm 107:29-30 “He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness as He brought them safely into harbor.”
Many are the trials and struggles we face today, whether related to personal physical or mental health; problems in relationships, perhaps with friends, family, neighbors, business associates, etc.; or possibly we suffer from discouragement and disillusionment with today’s politics and/or the unbiblical, unhealthy stances many leaders in America are taking and targeting on our children. Whatever the case, how do we avoid falling into the pitfall of depression? How do we not become sinking ships during such storms of living life? “The answer, my friend” is NOT blowing in the wind; the answer is found in developing complete trust and faith in the author of life, the Great “I AM,” then calling upon Him in our need! FAITH—Fully Anticipating It To Happen; Forever Always I Trust Him—there are many acronyms for faith, but the Bible tells us directly what faith is: “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 And what is hope? A definition I love from Group publications is patient confidence that what God has promised will come to pass. We can’t see it, but what we hope for—eternity with God—is real! So no matter what we face, if we continue daily to study Scripture and pray, our faith and confidence will grow in the One who has planned our destiny and long-term welfare. Our FAITH confirms that God is good! “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful loves endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!’ ’’ Lamentations 3:22-24 Where does our focus need to be? It needs to be upward toward Him, not downward upon ourselves. We are never the answer to life’s difficult situations; the Lord always is! Once we have developed a firm faith and trust in the Lord, we need to feel free to call upon Him. In fact, I’m certain our Father looks forward to this, for good parents always desire their children seek them when in need—and our Father is a good, good Father! Let’s look at a few ways God answered the call of those who sought Him in time of need by contemplating the words in the following psalm: Psalm 107 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. 3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south. 4 Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. 5 Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. 6 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. 7 He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. 8 Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 9 For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. 11 They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High. 12 That is why He broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help them. 13 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. 14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; He snapped their chains. 15 Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. 16 For He broke down their prison gates of bronze; He cut apart their bars of iron. 17 Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. 18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door. 19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. 20 He sent out His word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. 21 Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. 22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about His glorious acts. 23 Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. 24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action, His impressive works on the deepest seas. 25 He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves. 26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror. 27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end. 28 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. 29 He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. 30 What a blessing was that stillness as He brought them safely into harbor! 31 Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. 32 Let them exalt Him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation. 33 He changes rivers into deserts, and springs of water into dry, thirsty land. 34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands, because of the wickedness of those who live there. 35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into springs of water. 36 He brings the hungry to settle there and to build their cities. 37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards, and harvest their bumper crops. 38 How he blesses them! They raise large families there, and their herds of livestock increase. 39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished through oppression, trouble, and sorrow, 40 the Lord pours contempt on their princes, causing them to wander in trackless wastelands. 41 But He rescues the poor from trouble and increases their families like flocks of sheep. 42 The godly will see these things and be glad, while the wicked are struck silent. 43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord. Indeed, just as God was faithful to answer the cries of the Israelites for help, if we look to our personal history, we surely will see His faithfulness in answering our call in times of need. We call out; He answers! Maintaining faith, hope, trust, and understanding that God answers our every prayer in the way that is best, serves to make us more Christlike. Let us always remember to call to our Father when distressed or in need. He still today calms our storms to a whisper and stills the waves; we find the blessing of that stillness as He brings us safely into thes eternal harbor of His perfect love and peace. VERSES: Romans 10:10-13 “For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, ‘Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.’ Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ” Psalm 62:7-8 “My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 91:1-2 “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him.” PRAYER: Dear Father, thank you for working in my life, stretching me and growing me. Sometimes it feels good; many times it’s uncomfortable—even painful. Yet I know You know best, and no matter the circumstance, I can lean on You and trust You to lead me to a safe harbor in Your perfect timing. You hear my every call and plea, and it is important always to remember Your faithfulness! “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3 Thank you for being my God and for loving me so very much. DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! |
Author Candice Mary Thomas writes about loving God and loving people! Coming to Christ at age 32 and now in her 70's, Candice knows what a difference it makes living with or without Christ as one's personal Savior. Archives
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