Why Am I Here?

From: Bryant Wright Ministries

Proverbs 19:21 "Many plans are in a man's heart, but it is the decision of the Lord that endures."

One of the most common, age old questions people ask is, "Why am I here?" And it's not a bad question to ask, for it requires us to consider the answer.

It seems the average American thinks life is all about working hard, raising a family, doing your best, making enough money to retire (the earlier the better), and finally, doing what you want to do when you want to do it. But by mid-life, this philosophy makes a person cry, "What on earth am I here for?"

Good news! We can know what on earth we're here for. Through Him and His Word, the Bible, you can become clear about why you are here. Our role is to trust Him and obey Him through His written Word. Get to know your Creator personally. He has a special reason for each of us to be here!

Clarity Versus Trust

From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn  

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not rely on your own understanding."

When the philosopher and professor of ethics, John Kavanaugh, went to work for three months at the "house of the dying" in Calcutta, he was seeking an answer about how to spend the rest of his life. His first morning there he met Mother Teresa. She asked, "And what can I do for you?" Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him. "What do you want me to pray for?" she inquired.

He voiced his pressing burden: "Pray that I have clarity." Mother Teresa firmly refused! When the bewildered Kavanaugh asked why, she said, "Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of."

When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, "I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God."

God Speaks Every Day

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

1 Samuel 3:10 "The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, 'Speak, for Your servant is listening.'"

God speaks through His Word. Holy Scripture does not need any help as it stands on its own. While you read and digest His Word, by faith you know He has spoken. He speaks loudly, precisely, and clearly from Scripture.

God speaks every day. He speaks through authorities, He speaks through our spouse, He speaks through our health, He speaks through our calendar, He speaks through friends, He speaks through strangers, and He speaks through circumstances, but most of all He speaks through His Word.

Obey what you know, and over time what you are unsure of will become clear. Listen intently to the Lord and submit. Do not use or abuse this Christian privilege of hearing, knowing, and understanding God’s voice. He speaks; so humbly listen and obey.

Strength For The Journey

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries
 
Psalm 34:5 "I sought the Lord, Who answered me, delivered me from all my fears."

The Lord is strength for the journey of life. Fatigue and discouragement can assault us like a bandit on a deserted dirt road. Life is constantly swinging its bruising punches. Before long we can become beat down with no energy to continue. We know in our heads we are a child of the King, but our hearts feel no royal resilience. Fatigue requires faith.

Weariness is an opportunity for the Lord to strengthen you. He uses His people to energize and encourage one another. The Lord wraps His strength around the gift of a prayer warrior—someone who storms heaven on your behalf is a strength giver.

Work will get you down. People will let you down. Failure will knock you down. Your greatest fears may cause you to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. But God will strengthen your soul daily as you sit quietly before Him. His whisper of affirmation motivates you to walk with Him, to trust in Him. His spirit gives life and endurance.

Spiritual Exercise

From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn

1 Timothy 4:8 "While physical training is of some value, spiritual exercise is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future." 

Daily devotionals are powerful tools in the living out of our daily lives. Devotions can be found more easily these days than just about any time in our history. This truly remarkable way to pause for a moment in our lives to turn ourselves inward and renew our devotion to our Lord and Savior is simple and easy.

Not only does it renew our devotion to our God, it also gives us a chance to reinvigorate our spiritual selves. When we are feeling sad or discouraged, fearful or anxious, a daily devotion can help us renew our spirits and remember that the Lord watches over us in all things.

Do we start each day with the right attitude, perhaps by spending time with God? "The Bible is the only book whose Author is always present when you read it."

Grace

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

Hebrews 13:9 "It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace." 

Has your patience been tested to your very last nerve? Are you exhausted and depleted by the demands of others? Look for the way of grace to give you what you need in your emotional emptiness. 

Your heart yearns for what only the Lord can provide through the fullness of His Spirit. So, Christ consoles your soul with His eternal encouragement, the good hope you have in Him.

Grace strengthens! Grace gives you stamina to serve a needy child or an aging parent. Grace engages your empathetic heart with a friend’s hurting heart. Grace is the fortitude you need to remain steadfast in a relationship that is not life giving right now. Grace does carry Christ’s expectations, but with it His power to execute. 

An Agent Of Almighty God

From: Through The Bible Daily Devotions

1 Peter 1:13 "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  

God desires a relationship with you above all else, a relationship built around action. Start preparing your mind for the work of infiltrating the world as an agent of Almighty God.

Be self-controlled, a fruit of the Spirit. Let that fruit come to fruition in your life. Once you realize what important assignments God has for you, you will want to be disciplined as you prepare for them. We aren't just laboring for a worldly empire, but for the Lord of all.

Your hope should be on the grace that will be lavished on you when Jesus appears in glory. With your eyes fixed on that day, live a holy life...holy in all your thoughts and the way your time is spent, in your desires and aspirations. He is worthy of that response.

Thanksgiving Every Day

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."

We are compelled to give thanks to our Heavenly Father for His everyday provision. It may be the moment by moment opportunity to fill our lungs with God’s oxygen or the meals He routinely provides to fill our stomach.

Ordinary, daily blessings from Jesus give us the privilege to slow down and say thank you. Perhaps gratitude for a spouse’s support, a child’s love, a parent’s laughter or a friend’s faith. Neighbors who smile make us smile with genuine thankfulness. Our gratitude for the Lord’s ordinary gifts overflow our reservoir of faith. Joy fills our emotional cup.

Make a list of the Lord’s blessings you can refer to when you have a bad day. Look for Christ’s gifts in your ordinary, everyday life. Brag on Jesus to others who may need Jesus. Respectfully and humbly, declare what good things God has given you to enjoy today!

Thanksgiving

From: Boyd Bailey Ministries

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."

Gratitude to God is a natural overflow of generosity. For example, the gift of salvation in Christ is indescribable. He gave when we did not deserve. He still gives, even though we are undeserving. His gift of liberty is freeing; His gift of peace is calming; His gift of wisdom is confidence; His gift of the Holy Spirit is comforting. His gift of Himself is reassuring and humbling.

Gratitude explodes from our hearts when we are reminded of His generous gifts. They are incomparable and incomprehensible. Thanksgiving to God is a tremendous opportunity to unleash joy. This is one of the fruits of gratitude.
 
Gratitude to God can be a moment-by-moment expression. Even in the middle of the worst of circumstances, your thanksgiving to God is appropriate and needed. He has prepared a place for you, and His preparations are not lacking. Your thanksgiving is for what He has done in the past, His current provision, and what He has prepared for you in the future. Use it to put out the fires of fear and worry before they spread too far.

Timing Is Everything

Our Daily Bread Ministries

Galatians 4:4 "When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son."

The old adage is true: Timing is everything! A quick look at history reveals that the coming of Christ was at just the right time. Centuries earlier, Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world, bringing with him the Greek culture and language. On the heels of his demise, the Roman Empire picked up where Alexander left off and expanded the territory under the unifying influence of the culture and language of the Greeks.

It was under Roman rule that the crucifixion took place, where the blood of Christ was shed for us. It was also under the rule of Rome that conditions were made ready for the spread of the gospel across three continents: good roads, territorial boundaries free of "passport" restrictions, and a unifying language. The providence of God had put all the pieces in place for the perfect time to send His Son.

God’s timing is perfect in everything. While you are waiting, perhaps wondering why God doesn’t seem to be acting on your behalf, remember that He’s working behind the scenes to prepare His moment of intervention at just the right time. Trust Him. He knows what time it is.

Turn To Him

From: BBH Daily Devotions 
 
Ephesians 6:10 "Draw your strength from the Lord and from His mighty power." 

You have perhaps had someone at one time or another seek to comfort or encourage you in the midst of a personal trial by slapping you on the back and telling you to "be strong." The counsel was well-meant but not too helpful. If you could just make yourself "be strong" then you wouldn’t need encouragement to begin with.

But Paul is here providing much more than a simple pat on the back and optimistic slogan. He is reminding us of exactly where all true and lasting strength comes. He is saying to you, "Turn your eyes away from your problems and place them on the Almighty."

Perhaps you do not have the strength to tackle the huge challenges that are facing you now, but God does. He can give you the strength to go through them, or the ability to overcome them. Turn to Him and rely on Him!

Deeper Faith

From: Daily Disciples Devotionals

James 1:2-4 "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

God's goal in allowing us to experience various trials is to make us grow stronger, to learn patience, and to develop a deeper faith in our walk with God. We can choose to "consider it all joy" as we go through them because we have the assurance in God's word that the end result will benefit our faith. 

How many times have you looked back after a trial has passed and recognized the benefits it produced in your life? So often, we get the point after the fact. We tend to acknowledge the blessings after the trial is over. "Oh, now I see what God was doing." There is not much we can do about avoiding such things in life; however, we can decide how to get through them.

Trials and testing can produce patience. If you find yourself in trials today, ask the Lord to help you find joy through His Holy Spirit so that you will come through the testing with an increased patience, strength and faith.

Our Spiritual Journey

From: Os Hillman Ministries

Habakkuk 3:19 "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights."

God equips His people to scale the heights even in the midst of great challenges. He enables us to go to the higher places with Him where we are set apart from the world. Sometimes the way we have to go to get us there is through suffering and sorrow, but if we rest in Him and trust Him we come out where He wants us.

When Jesus told the disciples He was going to send the Holy Spirit to them, it was in order for them to scale the mountain before them with a new form of power they had not experienced. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

If you find yourself in a place of doubting God and His plan for your life, know that this is a normal aspect of your journey in God. However, know that God has made available His Holy Spirit in order for you to accomplish the tasks that lie ahead.

Truly Blessed Life

From: Os Hillman Ministries

Habakkuk 3:19 "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights."

God equips His people to scale the heights even in the midst of great challenges. He enables us to go to the higher places with Him where we are set apart from the world. Sometimes the way we have to go to get us there is through suffering and sorrow, but if we rest in Him and trust Him we come out where He wants us.

When Jesus told the disciples He was going to send the Holy Spirit to them, it was in order for them to scale the mountain before them with a new form of power they had not experienced. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

If you find yourself in a place of doubting God and His plan for your life, know that this is a normal aspect of your journey in God. However, know that God has made available His Holy Spirit in order for you to accomplish the tasks that lie ahead.

Discernment

From: Through The Bible Daily Devotions

James 4:3 "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives..."

Godly wisdom produces a peaceable environment. Worldly wisdom is always self-seeking and therefore erupts in strife. It starts with desires in the heart of man. If your desires are surrendered to your Creator, who you trust, then He will bring every needed thing into your life. Then you don't have to vie with others for position and power. 

God is the giver of all good things. All His children need to do is ask. The world believes success is to fight and quarrel and come out on top. It is the evolutionary mindset: The strong survive. The problem is that there is always someone stronger than you. Though you may not realize it, God is sovereign over all.

It is not that God does not want us to enjoy life, but that He knows what is truly good for us. His mercy keeps Him from giving us some of our requests. In time, we learn to ask for His will as He reveals it to us. That brings us into the truly blessed life