Ask For Directions

From a young age, I have been competitive. I always do my best to win at everything – from games at a friend’s house, to working on a project for my job; I do everything I can to be the best. This competitiveness drove me to listen to a lot of audiobooks. The purpose was to learn everything I could about my job, the world, and business in general. The problem is that a lot of successful people chase after money. They aren’t Christian, and their values started to rub off on me as I listened.

Can you relate to this? Do you find yourself following other values rather than God’s?

This morning I prayed that God would realign my heart and my desires. I want to follow Him and His direction for my life rather than creating my plan. I know God is looking out for me now. I have surrendered to Him so that He will lead me.

Each day is a day to surrender. To follow God requires each step (each day) to be used for good. Each day is an opportunity to draw closer to God and the destiny He has for you!

Proverbs 3:5-6 says ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.‘ God will lead when we are willing to follow.

Does This Verse Change Generosity?!

I was reading the bible in Proverbs when I came across an unusual verse. The verse made me rethink how I view giving and generosity. I was convicted and challenged when I understood another aspect of how giving works. The Bible text said (Proverbs 19:17) ‘Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.‘ Wow! I didn’t know God took generosity so seriously! The fact that he takes personal ownership of our kindness to the poor, turning it into a loan He will repay shows His heart for the poor.

What makes this verse even more interesting is how He chooses to be in our debt. As far as I am aware, this is the only time God is in our debt! God is very generous to us already, extending His grace every day. We are almost always on the receiving end when it comes to our relationship. After all, He is the one who saved us, and He is the one who gave His love without expectation of return. However, here He is giving us the opportunity to give back beyond His expectations. The act of giving to the poor reverses the roles of giving and receiving. God becomes the receiver, but true to His generous character, he will not accept the gift without promising another gift in return!

Relying on God’s Consistency

Some days I feel as though I could climb Mt. Everest, conquering the day without effort, while other days I want to stay in bed watching movies all day. I think we’ve all been there, unmotivated and undisciplined, but at what point does this turn from a bad day to a bad week, to a bad habit?

Thankfully, God is with us at every turn. He has our back, keeping us refreshed when we go to Him. Isaiah 40:31 says ‘But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.‘

I am so thankful for God’s grace for me. He always gives me strength when I pray.

Worship

Worshipping God is powerful. When I open my heart and worship, every little thing fades into nothing. My perspective changes as I focus all my attention and energy. I can feel every part of me worshipping. As I sing, my words become a prayer. I experience a powerful sensation shoot through my body, often leading to tears falling down my face. This real and raw submission to God gives me more peace than I can describe, more love than I can understand, and the strength to face any situation.

I love worshipping! I have to set a timer on my phone or risk spending hours alone, inevitably making me late for something. The act of worship puts me into a timeless state. I lose all other senses.

John 4:23-24 says ‘But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.‘

As this verse shows, when we worship, we are connecting directly to God. God is seeking worshippers, but unfortunately, in this age, there are so many distractions that take our attention; Worshipping God changes that attention to God and aligns us with Him. If you aren’t feeling connected with God or haven’t experienced this, set aside 2 hours with no distractions, play worship music and listen to the words, making them your prayer. You will not feel the same after! (Ideally, 20+ minutes of daily worship will become a part of every morning.)

Patience

When I was in my teenage years, I didn’t know the love God has for me. I felt alone and unloved, no realising that what I see isn’t the only reality. Just because I couldn’t see Him working in my life didn’t mean He wasn’t. The truth is, no matter my perspective, God is right by me. He speaks to my heart and gently nudges me in the right direction each day, desiring for me to respond.
After I had an encounter with God and His love (around age 16), my life took a significant turn for the better. I lost all suicidal thoughts, let go of a lot of hate toward others, and felt love and emotions again. Now that I see, I can look back and see how God hadn’t forgotten about me but was patiently waiting. It brings me to tears just thinking about how patient He is!
2 Peter 3:9 says ‘The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.‘
If you feel lonely, remember that God is waiting patiently for you. He wants your heart, and will pursue you until He gets it! When others push your patience, remember God has more.

Not Judging Others

Lately, I have been challenged not to judge others. I often find myself looking at the appearance of other people, and if they don’t look good enough for my standards, thinking they don’t care for themselves properly. This thinking is very unhealthy because it changes my perspective of others from how much they are valued the way God loves them to the way I see them.

The past two weeks I have been working toward not judging others. I noticed myself appreciating people more and getting along with everyone better. I found I have more in common than I first realised. I really started to see others positively.

Matthew 7:1-5 says ‘ “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” ‘

This week I will continue to look at others positively, not judging on appearances but having a genuine interest in them.

In God’s Strength

When I choose to live with God, my day is brighter. Many little events make up a day, and when these build up tension it makes for a stressful day; However, without the strain of stress, the day can be enjoyed.

God has designed and created each day. We are called to be thankful and enjoy the gift! Psalm 18:24 says ‘This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.‘

The life lived with God and with His strength is far more bearable. In Matthew 11:30, Jesus says ‘For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.‘ Jesus takes the burden we should bear and instead gives me love, joy, peace and hope! How can I, with this great gift, choose to carry my burdens? If I choose to live with shame, guilt or sin, I am rejecting God’s gift.

Today I choose to live for God and take the gift of today, giving all my burdens to Jesus.

Rest in God’s Presence

As I was kneeling by my bed listening to worship music, I felt refreshed. I felt the power of God gently flowing into my body, slowly filling me with peace and love. I love this feeling!

You can find peace and rest in God’s presence. If life is too busy, too stressful, or too intense, stop for 30 minutes and focus on God. He will fill you and give you strength to keep going.

Exodus 33:14 says ‘And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”’ In this verse, God is speaking to Moses. God reminds him he is not alone. With God’s presence, rest is found.

Run to Win!

Tonight after a successful night of bible study I was highly motivated. I went to the gym and started thinking. As I lifted weight after weight, I realised at that moment that no single event in my life determines my future. I have to decide every day if I want to run or not. I choose whether to win or lose.

I cannot put my trust in myself, nor can I sit back and do nothing – faith without action is dead. Every day brings new opportunity, and each successful day builds onto the previous ones.

If you are discouraged by what life has dealt you, move past it by kneeling by your bed and praying! Next time life is too much, go back again and pray. Tomorrow may be even harder than today, but again, pray.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 says ‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.‘

Don’t give up.

Finding Peace

I was in the middle of a lecture at university when I realised I had an assignment that was due 11:00 am that morning! I knew I missed out on those marks already. “How could this happen?” “How could I miss such easy marks?” “I’m stupid.” Voices in my head started yelling at me telling me I am not good enough. However, in the middle of these voices, I had peace. I knew that no matter what happens, God is with me.

It can be so easy to live a life filled with stress, anxiety, fear or doubt. Voices will try to discourage and bring you down when you make mistakes. The better way to live is with peace; it is very freeing! It’s like a bubble of protection is around your heart keeping you safe.

How can this peace be found? Keep your mind and heart with God (daily devotion and prayer achieves this.) Isaiah 26:3 says ‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.‘ You will know when your trust is in God because no matter what life throws at you, peace remains.