My Journey - 4/22/2010

God's insight for me:

As I was reading this devotional from Streams in the Desert, it brought back the saying that I tell people very often, "My bags are packed!" Mrs. Cowman wrote, "Christ's people, have vision of something beyond the difficulties and disappointments of this life", for we understand that we are here for such a short period of time and our thoughts are not of just this world.

In the Max Lucado devotional it reaffirmed as stated in the 23rd Psalm, "The Lord is my shepherd, I have no wants!" He is my everything.

Adrian Rogers devotional defines what life is about. We must get our eyes off ourselves. Even as I write these blogs, they are not for me but to help someone else feel the warmth of Jesus' love.

Charles Stanley wrote in this devotional on a subject that touches every life. We all need help in this life. I recall the saying "pride comes before a fall". As humans we feel it is up to us to get us through, but that is not what God wants to hear. He is waiting for each of us to cry out, "I can't do this on my own!" It is at that point we open the locked door to our souls to Him! Praise God for His wonderful grace.

In the Aleesa Naish devotional from 365.org she writes about nagging. I know in my own life when I do not immediately follow the Lords prompting He does not just let me get away without following what He wants me to do. I also find that once I commit to His requests everything falls into place. Maybe not right at that moment for it is in His timing, not mine.

This last devotional is one that I pray all will read, then read again to understand the importance. We are living in this world that has not changed since the fall of man. Sin is sin. We will not get away from it in our earthly life span, but Praise God, that through His Son, Jesus, and the presence of the Holy Spirit we have something greater to keep our eyes and mind focused on. So stay focused Children of God,just as Christ often said, "Father not my will be done, but Yours!"

From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott

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From Mrs. Charles Cowman Devotional - Streams in the Desert

The words often on Jesus' lips in His last days express vividly the idea, "going to the Father." We, too, who are Christ's people, have vision of something beyond the difficulties and disappointments of this life. We are journeying towards fulfillment, completion, expansion of life. We, too, are "going to the Father." Much is dim concerning our home-country, but two things are clear. It is home, "the Father's House." It is the nearer presence of the Lord. We are all wayfarers, but the believer knows it and accepts it. He is a traveller, not a settler. --R. C. Gillie

The little birds trust God, for they go singing
From northern woods where autumn winds have blown,
With joyous faith their trackless pathway winging
To summer-lands of song, afar, unknown.

Let us go singing, then, and not go sighing:
Since we are sure our times are in His hand,
Why should we weep, and fear, and call it dying?
'Tis only flitting to a Summer-land.
--Selected

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The Good Shepherd
By Max Lucado
“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep . . . and my sheep know me.” John 10:14-15

You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm.

You have everything you need.

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More Blessed to Give than to Receive by Adrian Rogers

"...remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

Unhappiness comes from mirrors. Happiness comes from windows.

If you want to be miserable, then think about yourself first...

•what you want,
•what people are saying about you,
•what you ought to have done for you,
•how down you feel,
•how good you feel.

Just focus on yourself. Feeling good yet? If you are, then something is wrong. Selfishness and happiness just don't go hand in hand.

If you're thinking it's better to receive than to give, then you'll never be happy. You'll never experience the blessing of giving that Jesus taught.

Hold out your hand and make a fist for at least one minute. Now relax. Which feels better—the clinched fist or the relaxed and flexible hand?

Imagine that your spirit is tight like that fist and think of how severely that can quench His work in your life. Now relax and submit your spirit to the One who truly blesses.

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The Source of Our Strength by Charles Stanley
Ephesians 6:10-12

People can have very different reactions to similar circumstances. For instance, suppose two women from the same church are battling cancer—let's call them Jean and Barbara. Both are believers, but only Jean is living peacefully, even joyfully, through her ordeal—she long ago admitted her weakness and need for the Lord's intervention. While Barbara prays for God to "help me get through this," Jean says, "God, I cannot. Please carry me through."

Jean knows that Jesus Christ is the source of her strength, but Barbara is relying mostly upon herself. Everyone has a certain amount of fortitude, but that human capacity can carry a person only so far. Some situations will sap every drop of energy we have and still demand more. Through the Holy Spirit, believers can access an endless well of supernatural power to triumph in any trial.

However, the second woman is not receiving the same infusion of the Spirit's power as Jean. Barbara wants help—which is why she desperately calls out to the Lord—but refuses to admit that she cannot face cancer alone. In truth, we all dislike acknowledging that we are weak. Human pride is a potent force that must be uprooted before we can be filled with the Spirit's power.

Our weakness frees God to make His greatest triumphs. His power is loosed when His children admit they are not in control and can do nothing to help themselves. Only then do we find the energy, courage, and peace we need to go on living for His glory.


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How many times do you have to be told something before it becomes nagging? Things as simple as “clean your room” or “do your homework.” Sometimes, however, it may not be quite as simple: “Don’t be tempted by peer pressure,” or “Don’t text and drive.” It may get monotonous, but does it work?

Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. Three times Peter answers, "Lord, you know that I love you." In fact, Peter was hurt that he had to answer Jesus at all. Peter finally says, "Lord, you know ALL things, so you know that I love you." With that, Jesus tells Peter once more, "Take care of my sheep." He wants to make sure that Peter follows through and continues with the mission that Christ and his disciples began. It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t trust Peter; he just wanted him to truly know and understand the importance of his ministry.

Parents don’t mean to nag; they just want to make sure that their children understand the importance of certain situations. We have all seen the results of people who text and drive and drink and drive. Yet with all of the laws, all of the advertising, all of the "nagging,” people are still doing it with fatal results. The next time it seems as if you are being nagged, remember that it could be because someone loves you and has a greater plan for your life than you may even imagine.

Aleesa Naish

Parent God, I know you have my life in your hands. Help me to realize that I may not always know what is best for me. Amen.

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Fruit of Self-Control by Sylvia Gunter

Beloved child of God, listen to your Father's heart and his ways for you in Galatians 5:22-23,25. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control... Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

Galatians 5:16 says "Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Romans 8:5, affirms this. "Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."

Ponder the immense self-control of Jesus. Isaiah 53:7 says, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." When he was abused, whipped, and crucified, he uttered only forgiveness. He was taunted and insulted and did not retaliate, not one word of bitterness. When he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23).

Hear the Word of God in Hebrews 12:1-3. "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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Jesus is the model of biblical self-control. The daily cross you take up is your opportunity to let your silent Lamb live through you the joy set before him in all circumstances of opposition, criticism, and shame. Jesus was fully God and completely a man and he learned obedience by what he suffered. He is the source of your resistance to every temptation to surrender to sinful words and actions (Hebrews 5:8-9).

Your greatest weapon is the presence of the Spirit of God in you to do your Father's will. Be blessed with victory that comes from having the nature of Christ in your heart and spirit. Be blessed with his correction and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16) which yields peace for those who are conformed to it (Hebrews 12:11). Be blessed to apply the same determination of an athlete for physical exercise to spiritual disciplines for training in godliness (1Timothy 4:8; 2 Timothy 2:5). Be blessed with being in control of your flesh and your mind and being free of the control of the appetites of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Be blessed with a disposition that is even-tempered and does not react to self-indulgence, senselessness, and selfishness.

Be blessed with Proverbs 16:32. "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." Be blessed to rise to be all God created you to be in him.

Be blessed with the fruit of the Spirits’ control that he produces in you - because he lives in you (Galatians 5:23).


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