God's Timing

We live in a fast-paced culture and are accustomed to quick results.  It's no surprise, then, that we have a hard time if God doesn't answer a prayer right away. But when we refuse to be patient, our only option is to step out of His plan.  The best advice is to listen, obey, and wait. God's timing is perfect, and we don't want to miss His best.

Thought for the day

God calls us to prepare for his return by living in thankful obedience.

Short Thought for the Day

You can never outgive God.

Following God

God promises that following Him leads to hope and an established future.  He promises to care for us and to do what will benefit us most.  His way is best, and it offers hope, joy, and peace. We will not always like everything He chooses at the moment, but He promises to work all things for good. –Charles Stanley

God in a Box

We must guard against attempts at forcing God to act as we think He should. If He does something that won’t fit into the box we’ve designed for Him, we easily become upset, angry, or confused. The Lord will never stay within the parameters we set for Him. Since we are mortal, earth-bound, and sinful, we have a very narrow perspective and understanding of life. But our eternal, sinless, sovereign, and omniscient Creator sees and knows what we cannot perceive.

Filling the Void

Whether the substance is food, career, possessions, or relationships, our souls are continually trying to find satisfaction. But nothing in this world will fill the void. Since we were created for relationship with God, He placed deep within us a yearning for Him. Though we may not recognize it as such, everyone knows the feeling of dissatisfaction that at time seeps into our souls. Whenever we attempt to find fulfillment with worldly substitutes, disappointment and disillusionment are sure to follow.

There are two possible menus from which we can choose to fill our empty souls. Satan’s menu is long and full of enticing things that seem to promise fulfillment and pleasure. These could include relationships, prominence, acceptance, riches, or recognition. Whatever he offers looks like the good life that will bring contentment, but it’s a deception. But God’s menu is quite small. In fact, it lists just one “item”—Jesus. He is the only one who can fill the void.—Charles Stanley

Doubt

One reason we are so prone to doubt is that we fail to see God at work in our circumstances. We asked, and nothing happened. But the Lord is not some cosmic bellhop who jumps in response to our requests. He sees past, present, and future and knows the right time for every answer. His invisible hand is already at work on our behalf—arranging situations to accomplish His will, opening hearts, and preparing us to receive what He wants to give.

God's Comfort During Trials

The Lord’s principles and promises don’t change, no matter how severe or painful the situation is. Focus on Christ instead of the circumstances—God will comfort your heart and bring you safely through the trial. Then you can answer Paul’s call to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4).

Requirements for living a disciplined life

1. Have a definite goal or purpose.

2. Attach to the objective and detach from distractions.

3. Pursue your goal with diligence.

4. Be consistent about seeking your objective daily.

5. Practice self-control.

6. Say NO to hindrances in the strength of the Holy Spirit

7. Accept failures as opportunities to start again.

Handling Difficult Circumstances

Focusing on Christ is neither a natural reaction nor an easy one.  Our instinct is to dwell on the situation at hand, searching for solutions or stewing over the pain and difficulty.  As a result, troubles look scary and overwhelm us with a sense of defeat.

However, fear and defeat cannot live long in a heart that trusts the Lord.  I’m not saying that you’ll forget what you’re going through, but you can choose to swell on His provision and care instead.  God pushes back negative emotions.  In their place, hope, confidence and contentment take up residence.  You aren’t going to be happy about a difficult situation, but you can be satisfied that God is in control and up to something good in the midst of trouble.—Charles Stanley

Waiting

Waiting can be difficult.  After a while, we might even begin to wonder if God will do anything at all—then it is easy to quit.  But God has gone before us and is preparing the way.  No matter how he chooses to handle the problem, His solution is always in our best interest.—Charles Stanley

Contentment......

Contentment is found when we remember how precious we are to God: He created us, our Savior died for us, and the Holy Spirit lives in us.

A Helper for All Occasions

The Holy Spirit is a very practical Helper who assists us in every aspect of our lives. When we pray, He intercedes for us according to the Lord’s will (Rom. 8:26). Because of our limited knowledge or self-centered desires, we sometimes ask for the wrong things, but the Spirit takes our petitions and aligns them with the Father’s will. Although you may think your prayer wasn’t answered, in reality, the Holy Spirit just straightened out your request in order to give you what was best.

God’s Spirit also helps us understand His Word (John 16:13). In fact, no one can comprehend the Bible unless the Spirit illumines his thinking. If you come to the Scriptures with a clean heart, a submissive will, and a dependent attitude, He will enlarge your spiritual senses to see the truth and understand His thoughts.  

Perhaps one of the Spirit’s most under-appreciated works is His conviction of our sin (vv. 8-11). Although it’s unpleasant and sometimes painful, we should never want Him to stop, because this is the way He gets us back on track after we have strayed. But He doesn’t just point out our wrongs; He also empowers us to do right. True righteousness is achieved only by relying on Him to transform us and carry out His work through us.

Sometimes we don’t realize how much we need the Spirit. Though we acknowledge that salvation is accomplished by Christ alone, how many of us feel as if living the Christian life is now up to us? But self-reliance is a recipe for failure. Only when you know you can’t, will you find He can!

The Holy Spirit is the only one who can achieve all this. Consider His qualifications:

1. He is a personal Helper, not some inanimate force. God’s Spirit is a member of the Trinity and coequal with both the Father and Jesus Christ.

2. He is a practical Helper who involves Himself in every aspect of our lives.

3. He is an adequate Helper because He’s omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

4. He is an available Helper who permanently lives within us.—Charles Stanley

Thought for the Day

The law tells me how crooked I am.  Grace comes along and straightens me out.--Dwight L. Moody

The Open Road

We can all relate to the sinking feeling we get when we are handed a traffic ticket. No matter how careful we are to abide by the traffic laws, we are bound to make a mistake here and there. The time we allow our foot to get a little heavy on the gas pedal always seems to coincide with a police officer sitting in our path.

Living out our Christian life attempting to follow rules created by man - is almost like having the highway patrol constantly monitoring our every move. No matter how much we attempt to obey the laws, we are bound to make a mistake, only to be immediately caught and punished for our negligence, whether intentional or not.

But living our life by the grace of God is like being on an open road, a road where we are free to drive without constant patrols. Of course, we must still drive using good sense, enjoying our journey under the direction of God's grace; but we can be free from the fear of failure - on the open road to a wonderful destination!

Verse of the Day

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.—Romans 12:13

Verse of the Day

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.—Romans 12:12

Verse of the day

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.--Romans12:2

Thought for the Day

When we simply cannot understand why God allows circumstances that threaten to overwhelm us, it’s good to remember that He has our good and His glory in mind. If we can say, “Father, please enable me to trust and honor You in this situation,” then we will be in concert with His perspective and plan.—Daily Bread Devotional 8/29/11

Verse of the day

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.—Philippians 4:4-8