My Journey - 4/26/2010

God's insight for me:

As I was reading today's devotional I thought back on the weekend when I was in the storm. I wish I could say I was rowing, but I will admit I was sitting still saying, "Please let these storm clouds pass!" What I should of done was "pick up the oar (the Bible) and start rowing, for that is the quickest way out from the storm. His disciples had Him with them, we have His Word and the Holy Spirit to interpret it for us.

George Matheson's words touched my heart. I was thinking of the hymn "In The Garden", which was one of my mother's favorites. "And He walks with me, (God and I) and He Talks with me, (God and I) and He tells me I am His own! Wow!

I loved Adrian Roger's devotional. As I was reading it I thought of a poem that the Lord blessed me with today as I was sitting in my vehicle having lunch before the God's Love 2 PM program. I hope it blesses you as it did me;

In The Shadow Of The Cross

In the shadow of the cross,
I stand with hands raised high.
I lift my voice to heaven,
"Praise God is my cry!"

It is in the shadow of the cross,
that I'll always remain free.
It is there I understand,
God's love and purpose for me.

Though I truly don't deserve to be there,
for it is not for what I said or done.
It's because of God's Grace,
and Jesus, His beloved Son.

There is room there for everyone,
for with Christ you can not lose.
God's Word tells us the truth,
all we have to do is choose.

E. P. Shagott
4/26/10

Charles Stanley's devotional complemented my poem above. It speaks of purpose that we find God has for us and we praise Him for it. I love presenting programs for the "God's Love Outreach Ministry" for it gives me an avenue of telling all I meet about God's love and grace. I loved in the bible where Mr. Stanley quoted Isaiah 43:21 says, "The people I formed for Myself will declare My praise." This is what I try to do to the best of my ability throughout the programs and my life now. Mr. Stanley also wrote about "look for daily evidence of His hand on your life." I was visiting a friend of mine today who is recovering from open heart surgery and stated how he saw God's hand through his personal ordeal.

Allison Gillaspie's writing to me speaks about our daily lives. Too busy that we don't take time to stop and listen to what God is telling us. Oh, we love the relationship with Him, when we can squeeze Him in. That is not what God calls a relationship.

The Keep Your Lips From Speaking Lies devotional is a good one to read slowly and understand. Years ago I had to make a covenant with God to stop lying, even if I thought it was to help someone. Trying not to hurt someones feeling, by not telling the truth. The Lord has brought me a long way in this matter. I will always remember a cartoon I saw one time about a person in church who saw this friend of his coming to him. He said, "Lord I pray for Bob, that He is OK", then as Bob walked up he said, "Hi Bob, I've been praying for you!"

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


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We Row By Max Lucado
“He went into the hills to pray.” Mark 6:46


What does Jesus do while we are in the storm? You’ll love this. He prays for us . . .

So where does that leave us? While Jesus is praying and we are in the storm, what are we to do? Simple. We do what the disciples did. We row . . .

Much of life is spent rowing . . . Getting out of bed. Fixing lunches . . . More struggle than strut.

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From Streams in the Desert Devotionals

My soul, practice being alone with Christ! It is written that when they were alone He expounded all things to His disciples. Do not wonder at the saying; it is true to thine experience. If thou wouldst understand thyself send the multitude away. Let them go out one by one till thou art left alone with Jesus. . . . Has thou ever pictured thyself the one remaining creature in the earth, the one remaining creature in all the starry worlds?

In such a universe thine every thought would be "God and I! God and I!" And yet He is as near to thee as that--as near as if in the boundless spaces there throbbed no heart but His and thine. Practice that solitude, O my soul! Practice the expulsion of the crowd! Practice the stillness of thine own heart! Practice the solemn refrain "God and I! God and I!" Let none interpose between thee and thy wrestling angel! Thou shalt be both condemned and pardoned when thou shalt meet Jesus alone!

George Matheson

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Handling the Sting of Criticism by Adrian Rogers

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

God loves you so much that Jesus Christ hung in agony and blood for you.


•You are precious to God.
•You are the object of God's love.
•The blood of Jesus Christ was poured out on Calvary for you.

Friend, if you know all that, then you can stand up against any criticism. What others say about you won't bother you. The cross sets you free.

He who died for you now lives in you. He gave Himself for you that He might give Himself to you.

When Jesus Christ died for you, He didn't just take away your sins, He took away yourself. You are crucified. So who can harm a dead man?

Have you felt the sting of criticism this week? Remove the stinger and bathe the wound with the balm of Jesus' love. Give your critic to the Lord. Then ask God to teach you from what happened.

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A Special Purpose by Charles Stanley
Psalm 150

The Lord has made us a special people in order that we may fulfill a special purpose. Isaiah 43:21 says, "The people I formed for Myself will declare My praise." An integral part of worshiping the Lord is proclaiming His greatness.

To praise our Father is to applaud Him for who He is and what He has done. This involves the release of our emotions, which frees us to express unrestrained adoration of the Lord. When someone loves another person, the most natural response is to speak highly about the cherished one. In the same way, those who love Christ find that praise comes easily to their lips.

Praising the Lord is good for us. In our self-centered society, people are primarily interested in getting their own needs met. Sadly, this same attitude has infiltrated some churches. But God doesn't want us to come to church concerned only about ourselves. Praise lifts our eyes to Christ and fills our hearts with the contentment that eludes us when we focus exclusively on personal needs and problems.

Although praise and worship are usually associated with church services, they ought to characterize us wherever we are. Some of the most intimate and precious experiences of worship can happen during times spent alone with God.

If you find that your praise lacks vitality, tell the Lord you want to learn to extol Him with your whole heart. The focus of worship is the key. Remember how God has cared for you, and look for daily evidence of His hand on your life. Then tell Him how great He is.

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A Devotional from 365.org

Kids seem to ask the same questions over and over. Even though you have already answered, they may not like the answer so they ask again. My five year old will do this on a daily basis. He continues to ask and to ask until one or both of us gets completely frustrated.

This is the scene here. The Jewish people continually asked Jesus if he was the Son of God. Each time He gave an answer, but it was not the answer they wanted. The people wanted Jesus to shout it from the rooftops that He was the Messiah, and he wanted them to watch and believe it for themselves. There were no miracles he could perform or sermons he could preach that were going to make some people listen. So they were frustrated and asked him to just tell them “plainly.”

Oftentimes we find ourselves praying the same questions continuously. We are so busy asking the question that we don’t stop to listen for the answer. God is going to answer our questions in a way God knows we can handle. Stop and listen today.

Allison Gillaspie

God, open my eyes and ears to the answers you surround me with daily. Help me to hear the answers you are offering, even when they do not satisfy me. Amen.

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Keep Your Lips From Speaking Lies!
By Katherine Kehler

“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies” Psalm 34:13

Have you noticed that lying has become acceptable in our culture? Or does it just seem that way to me? Every day, the newscasters have their own spin on stories; adults cheat on their spouses or income tax forms; students cheat in school; padding a person’s resume is normal. And there are gray areas like, “I like your shoes” or “I am sorry, but he is not available.” Not true.

Who are we taking our direction from? The Lord is the Truth. (John 14:5) Satan is the father of lies. (John 8:44)

Lying is wrong and does not please God. We cannot lie and be filled with His Spirit at the same time. Jesus said, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4).

Being truthful pleases the Lord and He hates lies. “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful” (Proverbs 12:22).

How can we change our complacency about lying?

1. Ask God to search our hearts and confess the sins He points out. (1 John 1:9)
2. Be controlled and directed by the Holy Spirit
3. Read the Bible every day - fill your mind with Truth.
4. Obey the Lord. Ask Him to enable you to be Truthful.
5. Pray for others who have made a habit of lying

Father, lying has become a way of life for so many people, including many Christians. Cleanse our hearts, Oh Lord! Let nothing but the truth cross our lips. Let there be revival in our hearts and in Your church, Lord Jesus. Amen