Walk In The Light

TODAY’S VERSE
“Jesus replied, ‘My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.’” – “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.”
John 12:35-36, (NLT)
 
TODAY’S THOUGHT
Hiking in the darkness is vastly different than hiking in the daytime. Once on a primitive hiking trip I had to walk an injured person out of the woods to a hospital to get stitched up. It took most of the day. In order to catch up with the rest of the group we hiked back on an unfamiliar used trail during the night. Unfortunately, with so much use, my flashlight became very dim. What a hike! Roots, holes in the trail, cliffs, animals, ravines, what would be difficult to navigate in daylight became unbearable in the dark. Slowly, using what light we had, we eventually made it back to base camp. How? By focusing on the light! You see, in that six square feet ahead of me I could see where I was going. It didn’t matter that thousands of acres was in darkness, I only needed to see the six feet in front of me. Even though our flashlight was dim, no matter how hard it tried, the darkness could not penetrate the light I had. In today’s passage Jesus told us to, “Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you.” The darkness of sin, doubt, despair and confusion are always trying to trip us up so we have a choice to make. We can focus on the darkness or we can turn the light on! The majority of difficulty and darkness we will encounter in life will be a truth encounter. We will have a choice to make. Focus on all the lies and doubts that will attack us or to focus on the truth of God’s word. Jesus said, “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.” Paul says it this way in his letter to the Ephesians, “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” Might we decide to “turn the light” of faith, His word and prayer today” living in the joy of knowing Jesus.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, You know how dark my world can become. Help me to remember to turn on the light of faith, prayer and Your word so I can navigate the trail You have in front of me today. I will move forward today, step by step, with faith, focusing on the light You give me. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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His Will

TODAY’S VERSE
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
Colossians 1:9 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
What an exciting prospect. Paul was asking God to fill the Colossians with the “knowledge of His will”. But it wasn’t some instantaneous filling. It wasn’t an “insight” pulled out of thin air. Paul said that the knowledge of God’s will was the result of spiritual wisdom and understanding. What do you wonder about? What about your future has you stymied? What direction are you in need of? You could ask God to simply give you His will, but according to this passage you really need to ask God to impart to you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Why? Because God’s will is not that simple. Most times it is not a single answer that we need. Rather it is a series of answers. “Go this way” will not suffice. It is more like a long distant trip. You have to navigate across many highways making many decisions about direction along the way. God’s wisdom and understanding give us the ability to discern each step. Today ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will by giving you all the spiritual wisdom and understanding you need. You can begin to pursue that wisdom and understanding through, prayer, meditation and studying the word of God.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father thank You that You can make Your will abundantly clear to me through spiritual wisdom and understanding. Help me today as I meditate, pray and read Your word to get all the wisdom and understanding that I need.
AMEN

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Heal My Inner Self

TODAY’S VERSE
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Matthew 7:7-11 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
We worship the God of the Universe. The cosmos and everything in it is under His control. But there is another universe that needs His rule as well. A universe that needs His power, His presence so desperately but can only be entered upon by invitation. It is our inner world. The world of who we really are. The world where we store our core beliefs, our inner thoughts and our emotions. It is this world that so desperately needs the touch of God. It is in our inner world that we need to ask, seek and knock for peace, joy and the filling of the Holy Spirit. It is in our inner world that we need the hope that, if we as evil parents know how to give good gifts to our children, surely God will give many more good gifts to those of us who ask. In her book, “The Healing Presence” Leanne Payne writes, “Personhood, identity, being itself come from Him as our hands and hearts are open to receive. Focused on Him, we climb up and out of the hell of self and self-consciousness. Listening to the words He speaks, we are freed from the words that emanate from our unhealed hearts, from the unhealed hearts of our fellow creatures, or from the powers of darkness: those that accuse and tempt us toward separation and death. In listening to the words that come from God, we become all we were created to be.—God the Father, who has the Power of Being, heals and affirms us. By fiat He spoke the worlds into existence, by fiat He can and does create in us a new and solid sense of being.” Today, ask God to do a work in your inner self. Seek with all your heart, to be filled with His presence and peace. Knock upon the Father’s door, seeking His fellowship, His love. May His very presence flood you with a deep sense of purpose and eternal mission.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, You said that I can ask anything of You. You are the giver of good gifts and I come today asking that You would do a mighty work on my inner person. Guide me, save me, heal me, teach me, lead me. Help me today to become all that You created me to be. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Grow In The Lord

TODAY’S VERSE
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
I Peter 2:2-3 (NIV)

“Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.”
I Corinthians 3:1-2 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Both Peter and Paul compare our spiritual growth to our physical growth. Peter says that when we are new in Christ we should desire the basic foods in order to grow. A baby needs milk, likewise a new believer needs to get grounded in the faith learning the basic truths and practicing the basic spiritual disciplines. However, as time goes by, like a newborn child grows and needs a more comprehensive meal, so Christians should desire a deeper walk with God. Paul observed that the Corinth church was immature in their Christian walk. Their spiritual growth was stunted. Instead of feasting on solid spiritual food, Paul has to give them spiritual milk. It wasn’t that they weren’t maturing. They were growing intellectually and emotionally. They no doubt had acquired many skills and knowledge. But this is what Paul referred to as “worldly” wisdom. When it came to the things of Christ, they were still a newbie. How about you? How is your spiritual maturity? Can you look over the last year and say, “I know I have grown in Christ this year?” Have you read the Bible, spent time in prayer, participated in small group Bible studies? There is so much to know and so many areas in which to grow. Pray today that God will help you begin on a healthy spiritual diet so you will grow as a Christian.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I need to grow in You. Help me today fulfill this desire to become more spiritual. Help me study Your word and talk to You in prayer. I desire more of You and Your word. Feed me I pray. In Jesus’name.
AMEN

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Run The Race

TODAY’S VERSE
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Paul uses the analogy of running a race to describe the Christian life. He paints a picture of a poor runner who has come to the starting blocks with a large heavy weight tied to him and chains wrapped around his legs. There is no way this runner is going to finish the race, let alone win. Instead Paul suggests that we first throw off everything that hinders us. Now that could be a lot of things. In addictions they call these “trigger points.” Things that “trigger” in us the desire to self medicate. In our Christian experience it would be things, events, habits, environments, attitudes that “trigger” in us the desire to do things that Christ would not want us do, or prevent us from doing what we should. We need to throw off these “triggers” that lead us toward Spiritual apathy or complacency. Second, Paul says that we need to throw off the “sin” that entangles us. In their book, “True Faced” the authors point out that in reality there are two kinds of sins. These are sins that we commit resulting in guilt and sins that are committed against us resulting in hurt. Both of these “sins” can trip us up. If we allow guilt to grow it will spread like a cancer in our Spirit. If we allow hurt to go unchecked it can fester into sadness, anger, fear, malice, bitterness and many other negative attitudes. We need to deal with the sin in our life. Both those that we commit and those committed against us, then we can run the race. Today let us check ourself. Are we running the race that God has called us to? If not what is weighing us down? What is entangling us? Pray today that God would help you throw it off.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, You know that I need to run in this race of life. I confess that I have let burdens weigh me down. I have let sins, both that I have committed and those committed against me, to trip me us. Help me Lord throw off these things. Help me run today, free from all these things that hinder me. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Be Still Before Him

TODAY’S VERSE
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.”
Psalms 37:7 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
No matter how we read this verse it is still hard to do. We can interpret it to mean, “Wait during difficult times, be patient, wait on God to act on your behalf.” Each of us know how hard that can be. We are so use to instant gratification. We want everything right now. We don’t want to “wait on the Lord”. We don’t know how to be still during a time of difficulty. We must be busy trying to “fix” things. Even our prayers become a “tool” to use, rather than a relationship. Instead, God desires that we come to Him like a loving and wise Father. Our relationship with Him matters more than our circumstances. That is why, even in prison, Paul could write, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. “ Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) But even more difficult than waiting on God during difficult times in life is the second way we can consider, “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” We could interpret this verse as an instruction to meditate in His presence. To stop everything and spend quiet time before Him. This is more difficult than it seems. It does not matter if you have read the Bible for four weeks or four decades, you may know all about God and still not experience Him. Your knowledge may be in your head and never made it into your heart. You will never truly know what it means to love God without spending meditative time in His presence. That is like saying you love your spouse and have never spent any time together. God is interested in us knowing Him through Scriptures, but He also desires a relationship that only comes through quiet “waiting” in His presence. Today, determine to know Him better. Choose some time where you can spend twenty minutes of solitude with Him. Don’t let another day, week, month or year go by and not treasure God in your heart through time spent still before Him.
 
TODAY’S PRAYER

Father, I know that one of the purposes You have for me in this life is to know You. Help me carve out the time it takes to be “still” before You. Help me learn to embrace Your presence and enjoy union with You in quiet times together. I ask this in Jesus’ Name.
AMEN

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Help Me When I Am Slipping

TODAY’S VERSE
“I cried out, ‘I am slipping!’ but your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalms 94:18-19 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Have you ever slipped? I have. It is a helpless feeling. Your legs fly up and your body comes down without warning. Once I slipped off a tree limb and landed many feet below on the ground. There were scratches down the side of my body from the many branches that I hit on my descent. My son fell off a cliff but fortunately I was below on a ledge and caught him. Slipping out of control can be a terrifying experience. But there can be more fearful slips. Ever fear that you will be found out? You know something you do or think or have done in the past that if known, could really ruin your present situation? One “slip” and you could be in a horrendous predicament. Ever fear abandonment and the one you love keeps playing with you, threatening to leave. You live in terror, afraid to “slip up”, causing them to desert you. You never seem to have a sense of security. The good news is God can help you down from those mental and emotional cliffs that you are hanging on to by a thread. As difficult as it may seem, as terrifying you may think the outcome could be, God is with you to help and comfort. He will help you find a way out. The Psalmist was in a dilemma. It was sheer horror that made him cry out to God, “My foot is slipping!” But when he did, God’s unfailing, better said, His never failing love, supported him. When his anxiety was so high, when doubts filled his mind so much that he could not stand it, God consoled him, bringing real joy deep to his soul. God will do the same for you. Bring him your fear, your anxiety, your terror. Bring Him to the spot where you are slipping. Reach up your hand and He will grab you. He will hold you with His strong arm. He will put your feet in a safe place.

TODAY’S PRAYER
 Father, I am slipping. Please come to my aid. Catch me, hold me, help me find better footing. I need Your consolation. I need Your never failing love. I need Your help. Guide me, comfort me, rescue me, in the name of Jesus I pray. AMEN

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New Habits of Praise

TODAY’S VERSE
“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening.”
Psalms 92:1-2 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
There is a saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” It speaks to the nature of man in that we tend to cry out to God when we are in dire need or when we need something. This isn’t just the unbeliever though. Many who claim the name of Christ, never spend time talking to God or meditating on Him, unless they are in trouble. The atheist says he doesn’t believe in God, but what is our excuse? For some it is a shallow knowledge of God without an inward reality. However, for others it is good intentions gone astray. Busyness, lack of priority or poor habits have left our soul barren and dry. Today’s passage has the answer. We need to create new habits and attitudes. The Psalmist says, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High.” When we begin to give thanks to God, when we begin to fill our life with worship music we will begin to foster an “attitude of gratitude” for all God has done for us. This inward joy will bring a new energy to our Spirit and create a hunger for more. But how do we develop this into a habit? The author of today’s Psalm writes, “It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening.” As we create a habit of proclaiming God’s love for us in the beginning of the day, and remembering all He has done when the day is done, it will keep our heart ever drawn to Him. It is in this daily journey that we will find the peace, joy and love that we have always wanted.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, forgive me for not working harder on our relationship. I have not pursued You like I should have. I have not made You the priority that You should be in my life. Today, help me create new daily habits of praise and worship. Help me proclaim Your love every morning and Your faithfulness in the evening.
AMEN

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Growing In The Knowledge Of God

TODAY’S VERSE
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”
Colossians 1:9-10

TODAY’S THOUGHT
There is one thing about life you can count on. Life is not static. You are either living or you are dying. I had a beautiful Japanese Acuba plant, right in the front of my house. It was around seven foot tall with beautiful green waxy leafs with yellow spots. One day I noticed the limbs were droopy. Some vitality had left the plant. I watered and fertilized it, trying to nurse it back to health. Soon one of the leaves turned black, then another. I went to a specialist and he told me it was root rot. The plant was set in clay and the hole it was in, acted like a large barrel contained water. With no escape for the water, the roots could not get oxygen and they rotted. There was nothing I could do. What was life, turned into death. We must nurture and care for our own soul by letting God fill us with the knowledge of His will. He does that through Spiritual wisdom and understanding. As you seek God and learn more about Him, the more alive you will become. This will result in a life worth living, pleasing to God. The secret to Spiritual growth is your knowledge of God. Today, stop being static in your spiritual life and set your heart on gaining Spiritual wisdom and understanding. Grow in your knowledge of God.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me grow in You. Help me gain Spiritual wisdom and understanding as I read Your word and listen to Your Holy Spirit. Help me grow in my knowledge of You.
AMEN

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Obey or Weigh?

TODAY’S VERSE
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt.”
James 1:5-6 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Have you ever had people you are close to make a decision about something you know a lot about, yet they never asked your opinion? Have you ever been asked your opinion and then totally ignored? Have you ever been asked to “weigh-in” on a decision only to have to “buy-in” to a decision you disagree with? It is hard when you are ignored or when decisions are made that you think should have been different. What about God? How does He feel about people who go through life never asking for His opinion on anything? How about people that pray a desperate request never really intending to listen? Or worst, what about those that ask God for wisdom and treat His answer as simply a “weigh-in” deciding later to ask God to “buy-in” to the decision they made contrary to what God suggested? Ask yourself, “Do you ask God for wisdom or do you go about your life without His opinion?” Or , “If you do ask God for wisdom, do you listen to it or are you off to something else not really listening for an answer at all?” Finally, if you do ask for wisdom and hear God’s voice, do you “obey” it or do you “weigh” it. James tells us to ask God for wisdom and then believe God will give it to us and not doubt His answer. Today, when you need wisdom, ask God, really ask Him. Then, listen to what He says. When you hear, follow His path. It is like the old Hymn says, “Trust and obey, for there is no other way. To be happy in Jesus, just trust and obey.”

TODAY’S PRAYER

Father, I know that I don’t ask You for wisdom like I should. And when I have asked, I have often ignored You. Forgive me Lord. I know I need Your wisdom for this life and I ask that You would give it to me. Then, Holy Spirit, guide me, direct me, empower me to do what Your wisdom dictates. In Jesus’ Name.
AMEN

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