Stay Focused On God's Word

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Joshua 1:8

The Lord wants you to be blessed and prosper; He wants you to reach higher heights and measures of success that were thought to be unobtainable… The word of God tells us through the prophet Jeremiah this very thing… It is in the 29^th chapter and the 11^th verse that we find these words recorded, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In the time of Jeremiah, the children of God had lost focus and were subject to captivity; however, even in the lowest position God reminds them that He desired for them to prosper; however, the key to their prosperity is their willingness to obey His will… Today, you may be in a place where it appears that you aren’t prospering, you may be at the end of your rope and feel like there is nothing that can be done or no words that can be said to change your circumstance; wherever you are today and whatever you are dealing with, know that you (through the obedience to God’s word) have the ability to transform your life and alter your direction… God speaks to Joshua in our focus verse today at a point in his life where he is called to lead the children of God… Moses has gone on top of the hill and passed away and the children of God are on the very doorstep of their destiny, but still have a stiffness and disobedient spirit in them… With all eyes on him and the pressure of leadership being upon his shoulders; God speaks the key to Joshua’s success in the first part of this text when the Lord says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth…” 

Being in leadership means that you have people who are following you… With leadership comes distractions and temptations; however, despite how much pressure Joshua may feel to please the crowd, God reminds Him that as long as he stands on faith and seeks to please the Father he will prosper… You may be in a position today where there are a lot of people who are trying to persuade you to please them; you may be battling in the mind about a decision that has to be made and you are worried that you will lose some friends or break some hearts in the process, the word of God challenges you today to stay focused on the will of God… This is why the Lord proceeds to tell Joshua, “but thou shalt meditate therein day and night…”When you are in the midst of a storm or a trial, stay in the proximity of God… Keep Him closer than any other thing in your life and meditate on the word that He has given you… When you seek God, those who are not supposed to be there will be removed, but when you meditate God will provide comfort and peace that will keep you through the entire process… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Worldly Perception Is Flawed

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

Proverbs 23:17-18

You may be at a point in your life where it seems like everyone around you that isn’t following the will of God is obtaining the measures of success that you desire… You may be battling in the mind with staying the course and holding to God’s unchanging hand because the grass appears to be greener on the other side; wherever you are in your life or whatever you are battling today, know that Solomon reminds us to “Let not thine heart envy sinners…” The prize that you are working and competing for may not be seen on this earth, but you can rest your thoughts today on knowing that “there is an end…” The path that is broad which many follow appears to be the right direction to go, but the end is destruction and resentment… Solomon followed the ways of the land even though he was the wisest man to ever live and in his wisdom, he instills in us the fact that the most important thing we must do on this earth is “be thou in fear of the Lord all the day long…” Despite what questions or concerns you may have about your situation, you must maintain your reverence and admiration to the Lord… The bible declares that as a child of God, we walk “by faith” and not “by sight…” This is mentioned to us because if we walked according to the things we see and observe we would become disheartened by circumstances, we would give in to temptations and eventually stray away from God. The bible also says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen…” God knows that we will face man hardships on this earth and that whenever we allow ourselves to focus on worldly issues we will strain our faith and lose sight of our focus in walking according to His calling… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

His Return Is Imminent

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Revelation 22:12-13

We do not know the end of our days on this earth; however, we do know that there is a (n) end coming… I hope to see my children and children’s children, but the truth of the matter is that my life could come to an end before the sunsets… Often times we don’t want to think or even talk about this truth, but we are reminded that each day we see on this earth is one we will never see again and there will be a day that others will see and we will not… I presume that we all have heard the phrases “tomorrow is never promised” or “don’t wait until tomorrow?” If you have, the question that I pose to you today is do you truly believe them? As a child of God, we are to live every day of our lives as if it’s our last, we are to let the light that God has placed within us shine for all mankind to see… Sadly, the reality is that we constantly place God on the back burner of our lives, we place value on other things and people, but today we are reminded that we must “seize the moment because God indeed is coming quickly…” Believe it or not, but every day of our lives that passes by, every second that flashes before our eyes is another opportunity that we can take a step closer to Christ or stray away… The book of revelations tells of the coming things that will happen upon this earth and today Jesus writes to us telling us that His return is closer than we may believe… Any stone that you have left unturned, turn it over, any job that you have put off, complete it, and any wrongs that you have done should be resolved.  If you aren’t doing the will of God then you dread the day of Christ's return, but if you are His child you embrace it with open arms!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

In Christ, Whom Shall I Fear

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear" the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid"

Psalm 27:1

We live in a dark and aimless world; one that will lead you astray if you don’t know the passage that we focus on in today’s devotion… There are many things that we are susceptible to in this life; many avenues that we can take that will lead us down a path of destruction… The word of God declares that “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” The paths we see leading toward darkness are more visible and enticing than the paths that lead to Christ; however, despite what you see around you and how things may appear to be, you must focus your eye on the narrow path which leads to life… Everything around you says that you can’t amount to anything and the statistics say that you will fall into one of many unsuccessful categories; however, you can use the things to motivate you instead of deterring you and let the world know that “The Lord is my light and my salvation…” I don’t know about you, but I refuse to be a statistic, I refuse to allow this world to limit me and dictate my future based on my ethnicity or past… God wants to open your eyes to a bright future, He wants to transform your mind to begin to look beyond what you know and see, but the key to all this is for you to recognize that you can be better than you are and go further than you currently have gone…  As a child of God, our focus should be on living a life that is pleasing to the Lord and not appeasing our fellowman… Even though we are sure to face highs and lows on the rollercoaster of life, our focus cannot be deterred or become unclear… 

The psalmist today poses two questions that we will study and reflect on today, the first is “whom shall I fear” and the second is “whom shall I be afraid…” The use of the word fear in this verse means terror, dread or horror; we all have many things in our lives that at one point in time we feared… Notice that I did not focus this fear specifically on a person, because there are different circumstances, obstacles or trials that we fear… Fear can be a vice grip that strangles our relationship with the Lord and causes us to fall short of His promises… What is it in your life that you fear? Are you scared of losing that special someone; so you do things that you shouldn’t? Are you fearful of losing a job or business; so you compromise your morals or integrity? Are you fearful of financial insecurity, so you do all that you can to make a dollar…? The two questions posed today are vital as they dictate our ascension in life or the lack thereof... Fear can cripple you or motivate you. Another way to look at this is that there is a good fear that we should have. In all things, reverence (fear) God and his sovereignty. This will keep you centered in life and allow you not to fear the events you face or people you encounter on this earth... I ask the questions posed by the psalmist to conclude, whom shall I fear or of whom shall I be afraid? The answer, nothing of this earth is worth fearing, for I am a child of God!!!

Walk In Your Purpose!!!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

His Vows To You Are Everlasting

And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD. 

Hosea 2:19-20

God wants you to know today that He loves you… Despite how many mistakes you have made or the direction your life may be headed; we are reminded today that God wants to have a relationship with you, He wants to form a union with you that will last forever… The word of God tells us in Paul’s first epistle to the church of Corinth that love “is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” I am sure that there are things that you have done in life that you are not proud of, there are things that have happened in your life that you don’t want people to know; however, understand today that the Lord isn’t holding your past over your head; He is looking beyond your faults and wants to fulfill all your needs… Love sees the beauty amidst the mess, it sees the diamond in the rough and the worth surrounded by unworthiness… God wants to commit to you through whatever you have gone through or are going through… Yes you have messed up, yes you have fallen short, yes you have gone the wrong way and made some bad choices, but even still don’t let the enemy lead you to believing that there isn’t a better tomorrow or a brighter future for you… God betroths you; He is standing with open arms, He desires to give you another chance and wants to bring righteousness, lovingkindness and mercies into your heart and into your home… This is why Hosea starts our focus verses by saying “And I will betroth thee unto me for ever…” 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

There's No Condemnation In Christ

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:1-2

From your mother’s womb you were on a path filled with the desires of the flesh that would lead to eternal damnation… This was the course that was laid before you until you decided to turn and follow Christ… Paul reminds us today that there are no chains or restrictions on us in the body of Christ… So many people have found themselves conforming to the ways of this world; however, we are to walk these streets with our heads held high declaring that “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…” You have been freed from the blood of the lamb… All your sins have been forgiven and the slate has been wiped clean… Even though we have a new lease on life, we are reminded that we are not condemned through today’s passage simply because there are a lot of people on this earth who will try to discredit you or cast you down… This world has a crab-like mentality, which means that when someone is coming out of the basket others will latch on to them to bring them back down… I say that to say that you will endure persecution for the name of Jesus, you will have many days where you want to give up or throw in the towel; however, you can smile in the face of your adversary because you know that what Paul declares later on in this chapter is the unadulterated truth in that “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” The growing pains in Christianity are real and you will endure much torment and pain as you transition your life and begin to focus on the things of Christ instead of the things of this world… You will have days where you feel alone and isolated as you learn to “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit…” Paul wants to encourage you in your walk today because in your maturation process the enemy wants you to believe that you can’t win and that you are bound to fail… Christ has made you free and given you the ability to win; however, the choice is yours as to whether you take up your cross or loss your life… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!