“One Minute to the Next” Devotional #31

 

            In one minute to the next anything can happen.  For example, one minute I can be having a nice time with all three of our children and the next it’s ruined because they’re arguing.  In one minute I’d be walking and hitting a great stride and the next minute I twist my ankle!  One minute I’m reading postings from my friends on “Facebook” and the next minute I learn that a good friend passed away.  My point is this, situations, our circumstances can change in an instant, from one minute to the next anything can happen.

            There have been tragedies that have happened in just moments.  Take “9-11,” for example, that happened on September 11, 2001 in Manhattan, NY, NY.  One minute all of the people that were at the Twin Towers were either working, talking, getting a cup of coffee, getting settled into their day and then the next minute a plane crashes into one of the towers.  Then in just a few more minutes later another plane crashes into the other tower.  More recently on April 15, 2013, in Boston, Massachusetts, there was another tragedy that happened during the Boston Marathon.  One minute the runners are approaching the finish line and the spectators are cheering them on.  The next minute a bomb explodes followed up by another bomb just moments later.  The mood quickly changed from happy to sad; elation to shock. 

            Good things happen from one minute to the next too.  For instance, the birth of a long awaited child, vows taking place at a beautiful wedding, a college acceptance letter being read for the first time.  Life is full of memories, good ones and bad.  Some of these memories fade into the past never to be remembered again but there are others that will never be forgotten. Like the time Jesus died on a cross for our sins, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

            The definition of a moment is, “a brief period of time; an instant.”  2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (NIV)  The definition of temporary is, “having limited duration.”  These moments that we live through are brief, temporary, they will not last forever but eternity does.  Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”  Glory means “splendor and majestic beauty.” 

            How do we wait for the splendor and majestic beauty to be revealed in us?  Psalm 29:11, “The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.”  Peace means “a state of calm; freedom from strife or discord.”  Fear on the other hand is “an emotion of dread or alarm caused by danger.”  To be afraid means to be fearful or apprehensive about an unwanted or uncertain situation. Psalm 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?”  Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  Psalm 56:4, “In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.  What can mortal man do to me?”  Mathew 10:31a, Jesus said, ‘“So don’t be afraid…” (All references are from the NIV) 

Remember the words in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” (NASB)  All we need to do is what?  Believe and trust just like a child, Mathew 18:3, “…Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children (trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving), you can never enter the kingdom of heaven (at all).” (AMP)  So, my dear friend let’s not worry about what will happen from one minute to the next and instead look forward to what’s to come.  Let us live out this life that the Lord has given to us to the fullest.  Enjoy every minute.  

 

Thank you my dear friend for reading this devotional.  I appreciate you and am praying for you.  Thanks for passing on this blog on to others!  Please continue to pass it on.  Also, I have a facebook page for the ministry!  It’s a great way to get updates on the ministry and when the latest devotionals have been posted on this blog.  Come and join by pressing “like!” www.facebook.com/ReflectingTruthMinistries  God bless you!

 

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

 

 

   

“What Defines You?” Devotional #30

            Joshua 24:15b, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (NIV)  For Joshua it was extremely important that he and his family be defined as servants of God.  His definition of his life centered on God.  What is used to define a life today?  For some it is God just like it was for Joshua but, for others its money or the lack there of. There is an unbelievable amount of weight placed on social class (rich, middle class, working class or poor), the amount of things you own or where you live.  What you have accomplished in your life is yet another measurement used to define you.

            As for me, the material (what is owned) doesn’t really matter!  What matters to me is where the heart is with God.  That, my friend, is what helps me define who we are.  Maybe it is too simplistic but, that’s really my one and only measurement used to define people.  I value people for their heart not their wallet.  “Love others,” is what Jesus said.  Mathew 22:37-39, “…‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (NIV) 

Material wealth or the lack thereof means absolutely nothing in God’s economy.  In God’s economy what is valued?  Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” (NIV)  You can be the richest, most influential person, or even the poorest person on the face of this earth, but if you are not humble it means nothing.  Proverbs 22:4, “Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life.”  All people, whether rich or poor, have the same thing in common.

            What is it that we all have in common?  Proverbs 22:2, “Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.” (NIV)  We are all sinners in need of a Savior, Romans 5:12, “This is what happened: Sin came into the world by one man, Adam. Sin brought death with it. Death spread to all men because all have sinned.” (NIV)  We have sin in common and we have hope that was given as a gift.  Romans 5:18-19, “Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.” (MSG) 

This one man that said yes to God was Jesus!  John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” 1 John 1:8-10, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (NIV)

Joshua 24:29, “After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten.” (NIV)  Joshua’s title was, “the servant of the Lord.”   How great is that?  Not only did Joshua define himself as a servant of the Lord, the Lord defined him as such.  We can define ourselves or allow others to define us but in the end the only definition that will stick for eternity is God’s definition of us. 

 

My dear friend thank you for reading this devotional.  My dear friend, I appreciate you and am praying for you.  Thanks for passing on this blog to others!  Please continue to pass it on.  Also, I have a facebook page for the ministry!  It’s a great way to get updates on the ministry and when the latest devotionals have been posted on this blog.  Come and join by pressing “like!” www.facebook.com/ReflectingTruthMinistries  God bless you!

 

“In the Beginning…” Devotional #29

 

            The Lord created the world in six days and took a day off!  In the beginning included a day of rest and not only did He rest He made the day Holy.  He didn’t stop with just making it Holy; He also commanded that the seventh day, the Sabbath, be taken.  Genesis 2:2-3, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.  Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (NIV)  The command to take the seventh day off is in the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:8-11, “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.” (MSG)

            I love, love, love to take naps!  Unfortunately I can rarely take a nap!  Every now and then I squeeze a nap in and it’s usually on a Sunday.  For too long I felt guilty about wanting, no needing and deeply desiring a nap on a Sunday!  But why was I feeling so guilty?  Let’s see…hmmm…maybe because we LIVE IN A SOCIETY THAT DOESN’T BELIEVE IN SLOWING DOWN!  Everybody wants to just go, go, go and don’t you dare stop because you’re tired!  You’re a wimp if you get tired! 

            Here’s another reason for feeling guilty about napping.  There’s only so much time during the week to get things done.  The weekend is supposed to be family time, housework-catch-up time, date-night time, movie night time, food shopping time, ball-game time, watching your kids play on their teams…the lists goes on and on!  Sunday tends to be the day to try to squeeze as much as possible in before another work and school week begin!

            The thing is that’s not what we’re to do as Believers in Christ.  We are to respect His command and take the Sabbath.  We are supposed to take it easy-at least for one day a week.  If He, who is perfect, took a day off, who are we to not to?  We were created in His Image, Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” (NLT)  If we do not take the Sabbath as we are commanded to do what are we saying to the Lord? 

            My friend, know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free!  It’s never too late to change.  If you believe that going to church is enough to fulfill obedience for the Sabbath, know that just going to church is not enough.  If you believe that because you have to work on Sundays you don’t need to practice the Sabbath because if it’s not on a Sunday then it cannot be done, you are wrong too.  You can practice the Sabbath on your day off and if you don’t have a day off…that’s another topic.  My friend if you’re like me, you like to take it easy on the Sabbath, but everyone else around you seems to be going 100mph then slow down anyway.  In the end, when we’re one-on-one with God, the excuses mean nothing and only the truth will stand.  So, in the words of Paul (Ephesians 6:14) “stand firm then,” embrace His Truth, apply it to your life, no matter how long it takes to change, change and take a nap, I know I will! 

 

Thank you for reading this devotional.  My dear friend, I appreciate you and am praying for you.  Thanks for passing on this blog to others!  Please continue to pass it on.  Also, I have a facebook page for the ministry!  It’s a great way to get updates on the ministry and when the latest devotionals have been posted on this blog.  Come and join by pressing “like!” www.facebook.com/ReflectingTruthMinistries  God bless you!

 

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

 

“Lost in the Weeds” Devotional #28

 

            For almost three weeks it was as though I was “lost in the weeds.”  In other words I was so busy that I couldn’t see how I’d get it all done.  My daughter volunteered to be a part of a kid’s mission team from our church.  This team worked hard for 4 months preparing for this week long trip.  Led by the Lord, my husband and I volunteered to be the cooks for this team.  As with any trip there’s the preparation time then the away time and then the recovery time.  On top of that I got sick two days after getting back home!

I had planned all of the meals and planned on how much of everything needed to be bought.  We were 48 in total.  We also cooked two special lunches for both a ladies group and a men’s group that meets at the Center where the team worked.  I know that I will never forget the lunch that we cooked for 105 people! 

I did take my laptop, my notes, my Bible and toted it back and forth from the hotel to the kitchen and then back to the hotel every day in hopes that I could take a break somehow and write.  The days were long and all I craved was a warm shower and a bed to sleep in.  I so wanted to write too but sometimes the best thing to do when lost in the weeds is to lighten the load.  With the Lord’s leading I decided to put all writing on hold. 

            How about you my dear friend?  Have you found yourself “lost in the weeds?”  Are you in a season of life that is so overwhelming that you can’t see the light on the other side?  Don’t worry my friend; there is an end to all seasons.  Just when one season ends the next one begins just like autumn runs into winter then from winter to spring and then summer.  That is how the “seasons” of our lives are.  Some seasons are pretty quick, like the past three weeks for me.  Other seasons last for years.  But no matter what every season ends and a new one begins.

            One of my favorite books of the Bible is Ruth.  There was an Israelite family from Bethlehem, Judah who moved to Moab because of a famine in their land.  Ten years later Naomi, the matriarch of the family was a widow and both of her sons had died too. She had two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth.  Naomi heard that the Lord had come to the aid of his people and the famine in Judah was now over with.  She decided to return home.  She told her two daughters-in-law that since she was going back home they should do the same.  Orpah agreed but not Ruth.  Ruth didn’t want to go back to her parents and to the life she had known before.  She convinced Naomi to let her stay with her.  Ruth 1:16-17, “But Ruth said, “Do not beg me to leave you or turn away from following you. I will go where you go.  I will live where you live. Your people will be my people. And your God will be my God.  I will die where you die, and there I will be buried. So may the Lord do the same to me, and worse, if anything but death takes me from you.”  (NLV) 

            Now Ruth had gone from a season of singleness to a season of married-ness followed by a season of widow-ness in a new land with her mother-in-law.  It was during this season of her life that she met Boaz.  He took one look at her and that was it!  She ended up marrying Boaz who became her kinsman-redeemer (which means that in Israelite law the nearest relative to the spouse could marry the widow so that she could be cared for and the family name be continued).  The season of widow-ness ended and a second chance with love started along with a season of married-ness and then mother-ness too.

            I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to serve these children and the adults from this team and the people from the center.  It was nice to see God’s love in action with all of the wonderful volunteers and staff that work tirelessly at the Savannah Baptist Center in Georgia.  All of the work was well worth it.  Ruth worked hard for her love for Naomi and it was through her hard work and loyalty to Naomi that she won Boaz’s heart.  One of the things we can learn from Ruth is consistency.  Her loyalty to God and to Naomi never wavered.  Not only was this apparent to Boaz and to Naomi, her testimony was crystal clear to everyone that lived around them.  Ruth 4:14-15, “The town women said to Naomi, “Blessed be God! He didn’t leave you without family to carry on your life. May this baby grow up to be famous in Israel! He’ll make you young again! He’ll take care of you in old age. And this daughter-in-law who has brought him into the world and loves you so much, why, she’s worth more to you than seven sons!” (MSG)  Ruth was King David’s great-grandmother and part of Jesus’ lineage!  Yes indeed, her son’s descendant, Jesus, was and still is famous!  

 

Thank you for reading this devotional.  My dear friend, I appreciate you and am praying for you.  Please continue to pass this blog on to others.  Thanks and God bless you! 

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

 

“The Detours of Life” Devotional #27

 

            Everyone has a journey.  One that has many different twists and turns.  Sometimes parts of the journey are with the Lord, side by side with Him or better yet, being carried by Him during the toughest parts.  Yet other times we are on our own, by our own choosing.  The times that we are with Him, life is smooth even during the tough times.  Blessings are received and enjoyed.  The times that we are on our own life is bumpy, messy and difficult.  Blessings are not received or enjoyed.  Instead what is accompanied with these times that we are on our own, again by our own choice, is desperation, loneliness, remorse.

            I have experienced both on my journey with the Lord.  I have been with the Lord and have received His blessing.  I have also been on my own, by my own choosing, and have experienced bumps and bruises because I was lost and confused.  Have you ever felt this way?  Lost and confused? 

            Here’s a little tidbit about myself.  I’m not always the greatest when it comes to finding addresses.  Thank God for the invention of the GPS!  Before this great invention I would often get lost and no, I usually didn’t have a map with me.  I would get confused and anxious.  Now that I have access to a GPS getting lost is no longer an issue.  My dear friend, go with me on this one please.  Let’s say the Holy Spirit is our GPS.  John 16:13, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”  It’s like GPS can stand for God Provides the Steps.

            Even when the Lord is the One providing the steps for us sometimes it can feel like we are on the wrong path.  It feels like it’s the wrong path because it is not what we would have chosen for ourselves.  To be more specific, a sudden death of a loved one or losing your job when you need it the most or having to move when you just started to feel settled and make friends.  These are the detours of life.  In the Bible we have several examples of people that had some major detours in their own lives.  These examples are there so that we can learn from them.

            The examples of people that had their detours and made it through with the Lord are Joseph, who was sold as a slave but became a Prime Minister.  Esther, the beautiful woman, taken by force from the life she knew and became King Xerxes’ Queen.  Daniel, who was also taken by force and became a wise servant of the King of Babylon.  King David, Jessie’s youngest son, who was a shepherd and musician.  He was hunted by Saul and then later in life hunted by his son Absalom.

The examples of people that had their detours and didn’t make it through with the Lord, not by His choosing but by their own are, Cain, the first human son, a farmer who felt upstaged by his brother and killed him.  King Saul, the first king of Israel, disobeyed the Lord, which meant his job was given to David.  Jealousy drove him to hunt and try to kill David and instead he ended up taking his own life.  Queen Jezebel, hands down the most evil Queen in history!  Her end was nasty.  1 Kings 21:23, “As for Jezebel, God said, “Dogs will fight over the flesh of Jezebel all over Jezreel.”  Judas Iscariot, one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus.  He wanted Jesus to lead a rebellion and tried to force his hand by handing Him over to the religious leaders.  Even though his intent was not Jesus’ arrest and later death that is what happened.  Instead of seeking forgiveness he took his own life.

There are many more examples of people that lived long ago in the Bible that had their lives detoured.  The Lord chose their responses, the good and the bad ones, to be immortalized forever in His Word.  The reason why?  So that we may learn from these people and apply God’s Truth to our lives.  My dear friend, life does have detours for you, and for me.  When we face these detours lets face them with the Lord and not on our own.  

 

Thank you my dear friend for taking the time to visit my blog.  I appreciate your time in reading this devotional.  I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below about this devotional or any of the others that I have written so far.  I appreciate you and am constantly praying for you.   Also, would you be so kind as to pass this blog on to your friends and family?   

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

           

“A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” Devotional #26

 

            Have you heard, “be careful for the wolf in sheep’s clothing.”  Meaning that the way a person presents themselves may not necessarily be who they really are and in so doing may be harming you or someone you love in some way, either physically, emotionally or financially.  I have been taken advantage of as I’m sure many of you, my dear friends have too. 

            There’s this one time about four years ago that I was deceived by a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”  My husband and I were presented with a business opportunity that was supposedly only new to our area but up and coming in the United States.  The person sharing this business opportunity with us presented himself to be a Christian.  He spoke and acted like a Christian.  We asked questions and felt comfortable working with this Christian and agreed to invest and share in this new endeavor.  It was not until my husband and I invested time and money that the truth came out.  He was not a Christian and the opportunity that was presented was not much of an opportunity. 

Success that would be long lasting with this “opportunity” was next to impossible.  Here’s the thing my dear friends.  We prayed about this decision before getting involved but, it was a one sided prayer, meaning that we had already made the decision before consulting with the Lord.  Three months into this very busy but unproductive endeavor the truth came to light.  There’s a story in the Bible that is found in the book of Joshua that has to do with deception. 

With the Lords blessing Joshua and the rest of the people of Israel were in the middle of a long war against the nations in Canaan that comprised “the Promised Land.”  They had already defeated several nations and the biggest battle they had won was against the nation of Jericho.  The Lord had made it clear to the Israelites that they could not make any treaties with anyone from the land of Canaan.  In Exodus 23:32 the Lord’s instructions were, ‘“Don’t make any deals with them or their gods. They are not to stay in the same country with you lest they get you to sin by worshiping their gods. Beware. That’s a huge danger.” (MSG)  The reason why?  Numbers 33:55, “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those that are left will be as troublesome as splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will fight against you.” (GNT) 

Joshua 9:3, “The people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai and cooked up a ruse. They posed as travelers: their donkeys loaded with patched sacks and mended wineskins, threadbare sandals on their feet, tattered clothes on their bodies, nothing but dry crusts and crumbs for food. They came to Joshua at Gilgal and spoke to the men of Israel, “We’ve come from a far-off country; make a covenant with us.”’ (MSG)  Joshua and his advisors asked key questions to verify if their story was true.  They asked where they were from.  They checked their bags and saw the molded bread and dried out wineskins.  They also saw the worn out clothes and sandals.  Due to the information given to them they believed these men were telling the truth. 

Joshua 9:14-15, “The men of Israel looked them over and accepted the evidence. But they didn’t ask God about it.  So Joshua made peace with them and formalized it with a covenant to guarantee their lives. The leaders of the congregation swore to it.”  (MSG)  When did they find out the truth?  Joshua 9:16, “And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among them.” (ASV)

When the people of Israel found out about what happened they “grumbled” against the leaders but by then there was nothing that could be done about it.  Joshua 9:19-20, “The leaders were united in their response to the congregation: “We promised them in the presence of the God of Israel. We can’t lay a hand on them now. But we can do this: We will let them live so we don’t get blamed for breaking our promise.” Then the leaders continued, “We’ll let them live, but they will be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire congregation.”  And that’s what happened; the leaders’ promise was kept. (MSG)

There were consequences for this mistake.  They not only had to let them live they also had to defend them from five Amorite kings and their respective nations that joined forces to fight against Gibeon, an important city in that region (Joshua 10).  A very important lesson can be learned from Joshua’s experience.  It is important to go to the Lord with all kinds of requests so that His leading will guide us.  With the Lord as our guide who can take advantage of us?  Even a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” can’t deceive us with the Lord as our guide.     

 

My dear friend, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and read this devotional.  I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below about this devotional or any of the others that I have written so far.  Also, would you be so kind as to pass this blog on to your friends and family?  I appreciate you and am constantly praying for you.  

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com

 

 

“The Possibility of the Impossibilities” Devotional #25

 

            This is now my 25^th devotional!  I cannot believe that I have written this many in such a short period of time.  If I were the same person I used to be years ago I would not have written as many.  In fact, I may never have written at all.  At the very least I would have talked myself out of it.  The very most I would have done was started these devotionals but I would not have gotten very far.  My enthusiasm would have fizzled out by now and I probably would have stopped posting devotionals over a month ago.  Thankfully the Lord has changed me from someone who believed that God can do all things for everyone else except for and through me to someone who does believe that He makes all things possible through and for me too. 

            When I was a kid I used to believe that all things were possible as long as you had a positive attitude.  I believed that anything you put your mind to you can do but this was not based on the All Mighty God.  No, this was based on all of the after school specials and superhero cartoons I used to watch.  To a certain point I am still this positive but my belief is now based on the All Mighty God. 

            Unfortunately this was not always so.  I always believed that God has the power to do anything He wants to do but when it came to me I didn’t believe.  Now, I would pray for others that asked for prayers for the “impossibilities,” like missionaries going to Africa or Pastors planting churches in third world countries.  I believed God could and would use these people but as for me, I didn’t believe.  What did this say about me?  Where was my faith?  Why didn’t I believe that God could do anything through me that He wanted to reach others for His Kingdom? 

Here’s the thing, I didn’t realize that I was lacking in faith.  I didn’t realize that by believing that God could use everyone else but me I was selling myself short.  No, worst, I was selling Him short!  I didn’t realize that what I was really saying was, “God you can use everyone else but me.”  How could that be?  How could it be that I would pray with so much faith and enthusiasm for everyone else that God had called and was calling into ministry...everyone else except for me.

            The definition of faith is, reliance, loyalty or a complete trust in God or in others.  The definition of fear is, feeling anxious or apprehension caused by the presence or the anticipation of danger.  The definition of arrogance is, feeling or showing self-importance and contempt or a disregard for others.  So then, I believed I had faith which means that I had to have had complete trust in God.  But yet I was afraid of the unknown.  This fear then produced arrogance because I had complete disregard for the Lord’s will for my life.  My faith then was lacking.

            Conviction of this lack of faith hit me hard!  I thoroughly believed that I trusted God with everything, including using me however He saw fit.  It was not until I started studying the Word of God in in-depth Bible Studies that not only conviction hit me in the face but application of His Word set in.  The verses that the Lord has used in profound ways in my life are, Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (NASB)  Philippians 4:13, “Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” (MSG)  Ephesians 3:20, “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” (MSG)  Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (NIV) 

These verses are my life verses.  They are the verses I turn to for encouragement and inspiration.  These verses, and many more put fire in my belly!  They help me stay focused or get refocused and remind me that God can do anything, not only for everyone and anyone else but also for me.  I now believe in the possibility of the impossibilities.  Nothing and I mean nothing can ever stop God from doing anything and everything He has purposed in us no matter how impossible it may seem.  

 

My dear friends thanks for visiting my blog and reading this devotional.  I appreciate  you and am constantly praying for you.  I’d love to read your comments on this devotional.  I’d also love for you to pass this blog site on to your friends and family.  Word of mouth is always so helpful.  God bless you and yours.  

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com