First, I must apologize to you, my faithful readers. I have been dealing with a lot. I know that is no excuse not to share God's Word. But God has opened a door for me that I never imagined would even be possible, He has allowed me to open my own crochet business. My business is where I make items like afghans, throws, baby blankets, hats, scarves and even Christmas stockings along with many more items to sell. You can check it out at facebook.com/FleurDeLisCrochet. This allows me to make an income and be able to do something I love and be home with my two sweet, adorable little boys. In a word, the perfect job for me. I feel truly blessed. God is AWESOME. He always provides.
This is where our reading takes us today. Our reading comes from Psalm 104: 1-15.
Let all that I am praise the LORD. O LORD my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty. You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind. The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants. You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved. You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains. At your command, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away. Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth. You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains. They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. You cause grass to grow from the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth--wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength.
These verses tell of how God formed the earth and made his home in the heavens as well as provided for all the creatures and people of the earth. It is a reminder that God created us, so He will never abandon us and will always be sure to provide for us. Praise God!! Have a blessed day my friends!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Doing A Little Spring Cleaning
Today's Reading: Psalm 101 A psalm of David
I will sing of your love and justice, O LORD. I will praise you with songs. I will be careful to live a blameless life--when will you come bo help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them. I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil. I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors. I will not endure conceit and pride.
I will search for faithful people to be my companions. Only those who are above reproach will be allowed to serve me. I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence. My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked and free the city of the LORD from their grip.
David is pleading himself to God to serve the kingdom of Israel justly. He speaks of cleansing his house from all kinds of wickedness, naming a few in particular that plagued Israel more than others: vile and vulgar things which perhaps refers to prostitution; crooks; slanderers and gossipers; liars and deceivers just to name a few.
We can totally understand David here. This describes in a nutshell the world we live in today. So don't you think we should follow David's example and do a little spring cleaning of our "Isreal". What in your life, be it friends, neighbors, co-workers, situations or circumstances, do you think needs a good cleaning-weeding out the bad and keeping the good-in order that the light of the Lord may so shine in our lives?
Thought for the Day:
I urge you therefore...to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. --Romans 12:1-2
The weapons God provides for us are spiritual. We must become proficient with such an arsenal before it can be effective. So, if the LORD says His Word is a weapon, we've got to read it, know it and follow it.
I will sing of your love and justice, O LORD. I will praise you with songs. I will be careful to live a blameless life--when will you come bo help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them. I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil. I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors. I will not endure conceit and pride.
I will search for faithful people to be my companions. Only those who are above reproach will be allowed to serve me. I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence. My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked and free the city of the LORD from their grip.
David is pleading himself to God to serve the kingdom of Israel justly. He speaks of cleansing his house from all kinds of wickedness, naming a few in particular that plagued Israel more than others: vile and vulgar things which perhaps refers to prostitution; crooks; slanderers and gossipers; liars and deceivers just to name a few.
We can totally understand David here. This describes in a nutshell the world we live in today. So don't you think we should follow David's example and do a little spring cleaning of our "Isreal". What in your life, be it friends, neighbors, co-workers, situations or circumstances, do you think needs a good cleaning-weeding out the bad and keeping the good-in order that the light of the Lord may so shine in our lives?
Thought for the Day:
I urge you therefore...to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. --Romans 12:1-2
The weapons God provides for us are spiritual. We must become proficient with such an arsenal before it can be effective. So, if the LORD says His Word is a weapon, we've got to read it, know it and follow it.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Following the Good Shepherd
Today, I feel led to share the words from my devotion out of my women's Bible. They apply to me today along with a few others in my life that God has placed on my heart. You know who you are. But I know I am not alone so for those out there who are in similar boats, my prayer is that these words give you the hope, direction and light for the future that your heart so desperately seeks.
The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." --Psalm 32:8
Repeat these familiar words over to yourselves afresh: "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want."
Who is it that is your shepherd?
The Lord! Oh, my friends, what a wonderful announcement! The Lord God of Heaven and earth, the Almighty Creator of all things, He who holds the universe in His hand as though it were a very little thing, He is your Shepherd, and has charged Himself with the care and keeping of you, as a shepherd is charged with the care and keeping of his sheep.
If your hearts will only take in this thought, I can promise you that your religion will from henceforth be fullof the profoundest comfort, and all your old uncomfortable religion will drop off forever, as the mist disappears in the blaze of the summer sun...
You need not be afraid to follow Him whithersoever He leads, for He always leads His sheep into green pastures and beside still waters. No matter though you may seem to yourself to be in the very midst of a desert, with nothing green about you inwardly or outwardly and you may think you will have to make a long journey before you can get into any green pastures, the good Shepherd will turn the very place where you are into green pastures; for He has power to make the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose; and He has promised that "instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle-tree"; and "in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."
Or perhaps you may say, "My life is all a tempest of sorrow or of temptation, and it will be a long while before I can walk beside any still waters." But has not your Shepherd before this said to the raging seas, "Peace! be still. And there was a great calm"? And can He not do it again?
--Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911)
From The God of All Comfort
The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." --Psalm 32:8
Repeat these familiar words over to yourselves afresh: "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want."
Who is it that is your shepherd?
The Lord! Oh, my friends, what a wonderful announcement! The Lord God of Heaven and earth, the Almighty Creator of all things, He who holds the universe in His hand as though it were a very little thing, He is your Shepherd, and has charged Himself with the care and keeping of you, as a shepherd is charged with the care and keeping of his sheep.
If your hearts will only take in this thought, I can promise you that your religion will from henceforth be fullof the profoundest comfort, and all your old uncomfortable religion will drop off forever, as the mist disappears in the blaze of the summer sun...
You need not be afraid to follow Him whithersoever He leads, for He always leads His sheep into green pastures and beside still waters. No matter though you may seem to yourself to be in the very midst of a desert, with nothing green about you inwardly or outwardly and you may think you will have to make a long journey before you can get into any green pastures, the good Shepherd will turn the very place where you are into green pastures; for He has power to make the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose; and He has promised that "instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle-tree"; and "in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."
Or perhaps you may say, "My life is all a tempest of sorrow or of temptation, and it will be a long while before I can walk beside any still waters." But has not your Shepherd before this said to the raging seas, "Peace! be still. And there was a great calm"? And can He not do it again?
--Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911)
From The God of All Comfort
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Always Remember....
Today's Reading: Psalm 16
Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, "You are my LORD; I have no good apart from you." As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
This psalm is about an act of personal faith in God's power to save. This is a psalm of trust from David who has wandered away and come back to God may times, as have we all.
This psalm finds David in a state of trouble. He is asking God to deliver him and while in the midst of trouble, he is remembering how God has saved him in the past. He says that God is faithful and he won't let those who are faithful fall into the Pit or the grave (Sheol). David knows God will guide him through this rough time and bring him to a place of peace. We are reminded of this in another psalm.
Psalm 23:
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff--they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.
No matter how dark this moment may seem or how lost you may feel, there is a light-a true hope-that will see you through. It is the memories of moments when God has led you through tough times in your past. Let such memories give you the hope you seek as you tred through this day.
Also remember you are blessed because of the sacrifices of others as we remember those who sacrificed their very lives for us on this day eleven years ago.
ALWAYS REMEMBER 9/11/2001
Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, "You are my LORD; I have no good apart from you." As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
This psalm is about an act of personal faith in God's power to save. This is a psalm of trust from David who has wandered away and come back to God may times, as have we all.
This psalm finds David in a state of trouble. He is asking God to deliver him and while in the midst of trouble, he is remembering how God has saved him in the past. He says that God is faithful and he won't let those who are faithful fall into the Pit or the grave (Sheol). David knows God will guide him through this rough time and bring him to a place of peace. We are reminded of this in another psalm.
Psalm 23:
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff--they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.
No matter how dark this moment may seem or how lost you may feel, there is a light-a true hope-that will see you through. It is the memories of moments when God has led you through tough times in your past. Let such memories give you the hope you seek as you tred through this day.
Also remember you are blessed because of the sacrifices of others as we remember those who sacrificed their very lives for us on this day eleven years ago.
ALWAYS REMEMBER 9/11/2001
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Feast or Famine
I am going to begin a little different today. As I sit here and write these words, I think of all that I have been through this week, spiritually speaking that is. On the outside, my days have been filled with normal every day tasks of taking care of my boys, washing clothes and cooking meals. On the inside, it was a totally different scene. It was one of a battlefield where the smoke has just cleared. Stop for a moment and imagine that scene. It is a scene of desolation, pain and weariness. I know there are those who read this today that are in the same boat, feeling wiped out from the battle that has been waged inside of them this week. I can't promise a quick recover but there is hope for us as believers. That hope of healing and a fresh start is found in God's Word and it speaks of His love. It is by His love we are healed. This is what I discovered when I read today's devotion.
Return to the LORD, Say to Him, "Take away all inquity, and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruits of our lips..."I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from them. --Hosea 14:2, 4
Our holy God is not obligated to forgive us. Yet what hope would we have for change if God didn't wipe the slate of our past failures clean and provide us with the strength to start afresh?
To gain new strength we must turn to God's Word. Like it says in 2 Peter 2: 1-5: Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation--if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. We must ask forgiveness for our sins so we can start afresh and then weary from battle we must feed on the Word of God in order to not only recover but to grow in strength and knowledge so that when the next battle comes we are prepared and strong enough to fight off the attacks of our ultimate enemy, Satan.
What will you choose to do today? Will you be overcome by the muck and mire of the battlefield or will you dig your way out and be cleansed by the power of the Lord, gaining strength from His Word and be refreshed as a new day dawns? The decision is yours.
Return to the LORD, Say to Him, "Take away all inquity, and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruits of our lips..."I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from them. --Hosea 14:2, 4
Our holy God is not obligated to forgive us. Yet what hope would we have for change if God didn't wipe the slate of our past failures clean and provide us with the strength to start afresh?
To gain new strength we must turn to God's Word. Like it says in 2 Peter 2: 1-5: Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation--if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. We must ask forgiveness for our sins so we can start afresh and then weary from battle we must feed on the Word of God in order to not only recover but to grow in strength and knowledge so that when the next battle comes we are prepared and strong enough to fight off the attacks of our ultimate enemy, Satan.
What will you choose to do today? Will you be overcome by the muck and mire of the battlefield or will you dig your way out and be cleansed by the power of the Lord, gaining strength from His Word and be refreshed as a new day dawns? The decision is yours.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
God's Compass for the Heart and Mind
Today's Reading: Proverbs 3: 7-12
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body. Honor the LORD with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. My child, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves the one he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
Yesterday we discussed the importance of depending on the Word of God as our compass throughout life. Following the Lord's directions will change behavior and challenge our thinking, attitudes, and desires. He leads us to think differently about ourselves, our values, and even the difficulties facing us.
We naturally want to determine our own course in life. It seems like the only logical way to get where we want to go. But being wise in our own eyes is pride. To combat this tendency, the Lord instructs us to fear Him and turn away from evil. (v.7). This "fear" is not a horrified dread of the Father, but an attitude of respect that motivates us to obey Him for both our good and His glory.
We naturally want to keep our money for ourselves. A desire for a better lifestyle or fear of not having enough leads us to hang onto everything we get. But our compass directs us to honor God by giving Him the first part of all we have, trusting Him to provide for our needs (v. 9-10).
We naturally hate God's discipline. His painful reproofs seem to imply that He doesn't care about us. But our heavenly Father says His discipline is th evidence that confirms His love and delight in us as His children (v. 11-12).
Early Light:
Sometimes in our desire to follow the Lord, we focus on obedient actions--doing what He says--but miss His directions concerning our attitudes and thought patterns. To stay on God's path for our lives, we must make course corrections not only in our behavior but also in our hearts and minds.
--Charles F. Stanley
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body. Honor the LORD with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. My child, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves the one he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
Yesterday we discussed the importance of depending on the Word of God as our compass throughout life. Following the Lord's directions will change behavior and challenge our thinking, attitudes, and desires. He leads us to think differently about ourselves, our values, and even the difficulties facing us.
We naturally want to determine our own course in life. It seems like the only logical way to get where we want to go. But being wise in our own eyes is pride. To combat this tendency, the Lord instructs us to fear Him and turn away from evil. (v.7). This "fear" is not a horrified dread of the Father, but an attitude of respect that motivates us to obey Him for both our good and His glory.
We naturally want to keep our money for ourselves. A desire for a better lifestyle or fear of not having enough leads us to hang onto everything we get. But our compass directs us to honor God by giving Him the first part of all we have, trusting Him to provide for our needs (v. 9-10).
We naturally hate God's discipline. His painful reproofs seem to imply that He doesn't care about us. But our heavenly Father says His discipline is th evidence that confirms His love and delight in us as His children (v. 11-12).
Early Light:
Sometimes in our desire to follow the Lord, we focus on obedient actions--doing what He says--but miss His directions concerning our attitudes and thought patterns. To stay on God's path for our lives, we must make course corrections not only in our behavior but also in our hearts and minds.
--Charles F. Stanley
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Life-preserver in Rough Seas
Today's Reading: Psalm 96
O Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nation, "The LORD is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity." Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
This is a psalm of praise to God. It is also a "command" for us to worship God for He is worthy to be praised. As I stand on the brink of despair and frustration, this psalm reminds me to see the blessings in my life and praise God for them and they will be my life-preserver pulling me out of the rough waters I am in to the safety of God's arms.
Read this devotion this morning and just felt led to share it with you.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. --Romans 5: 1-2
People have scoured every nook and cranny of the globe in search of peace. But every new road eventually leads to the dead end of dissatisfaction. The only true and lasting peace comes from Jesus Christ.
Read this also and felt led to share:
A Compass For Life's Journey:
Proverbs 3:1-6
My child, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare they will give you. Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and of people. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
If you've ever been lost in the woods, you know the concerns, confusion, and panic this situation causes. Now think what a difference it would make to know that a compass was in your pocket.
Spiritually speaking, we have such a compass--God's Word. But it does no good unless we let it guide us. Yet at times, we may fail to follow its direction because of ...
1. Neglect. Sometimes we are so busy walking through life that we forget to look at God's compass to make sure we're headed in the right direction.
2. Pride. Oftentimes we want to determine the destiny ourselves. Relying on our own strength, understanding, and abilities, we plan our own route.
3. Distractions. God's path of obedience isn't always easy. In fact, sometimes it can be extremely challenging. Satan offers other trails that promise pleasure and ease if we will just ignore the compass and follow him. Although these trails seem pleasant at first, they lead to heartbreak and discouragement.
4. Difficulties. Whenever obstacles appear on the trail, our natural tendency is to try and find a way around them. But by ignoring God's compass and stepping off the path, we'll miss the blessings He wants to give us through the rough patches--strong faith and godly character.
Early Light:
Why should we wander when the Lord's compass is available? Let Scripture be your guide on life's journey. God promises to give you productive days and fruitful years if you follow His path. He'll direct each step of your way, and His peace will sustain you, even during difficult times.
--Charles F. Stanley
O Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nation, "The LORD is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity." Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
This is a psalm of praise to God. It is also a "command" for us to worship God for He is worthy to be praised. As I stand on the brink of despair and frustration, this psalm reminds me to see the blessings in my life and praise God for them and they will be my life-preserver pulling me out of the rough waters I am in to the safety of God's arms.
Read this devotion this morning and just felt led to share it with you.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. --Romans 5: 1-2
People have scoured every nook and cranny of the globe in search of peace. But every new road eventually leads to the dead end of dissatisfaction. The only true and lasting peace comes from Jesus Christ.
Read this also and felt led to share:
A Compass For Life's Journey:
Proverbs 3:1-6
My child, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare they will give you. Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and of people. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
If you've ever been lost in the woods, you know the concerns, confusion, and panic this situation causes. Now think what a difference it would make to know that a compass was in your pocket.
Spiritually speaking, we have such a compass--God's Word. But it does no good unless we let it guide us. Yet at times, we may fail to follow its direction because of ...
1. Neglect. Sometimes we are so busy walking through life that we forget to look at God's compass to make sure we're headed in the right direction.
2. Pride. Oftentimes we want to determine the destiny ourselves. Relying on our own strength, understanding, and abilities, we plan our own route.
3. Distractions. God's path of obedience isn't always easy. In fact, sometimes it can be extremely challenging. Satan offers other trails that promise pleasure and ease if we will just ignore the compass and follow him. Although these trails seem pleasant at first, they lead to heartbreak and discouragement.
4. Difficulties. Whenever obstacles appear on the trail, our natural tendency is to try and find a way around them. But by ignoring God's compass and stepping off the path, we'll miss the blessings He wants to give us through the rough patches--strong faith and godly character.
Early Light:
Why should we wander when the Lord's compass is available? Let Scripture be your guide on life's journey. God promises to give you productive days and fruitful years if you follow His path. He'll direct each step of your way, and His peace will sustain you, even during difficult times.
--Charles F. Stanley
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