Daily Devotion

When It Rains

"In spite of that, he commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven." Psalm 78:23

Good evening beautiful people!!  How are you enjoying this wonderful winter weather day?  Its been raining all morning and day here in Charleston while in other places you were blessed with the white stuff that I have come to despise lol.  Well in obedience to God, before I posted or called anyone with my good news, I am writing about it.  I learned many lessons this weekend and truthfully in the last 10 days.  Lets recap, shall we, lol?  Last night I talked about the importance of diverting your attention from your own problems and circumstances and being willing to be used to bless someone else.  Once you stop negatively meditating on a problem, you allow your faith to turn on and you actually allow God to do His work.  You focus on being a blessing to someone else long enough, see if your fear and worry don't disappear.  And Saturday, I told you to keep pressing on toward the ultimate goal.  You see, every person's faith goes through valleys and mountains…its called the Law of Undulation (see that devotion if you need to!)  When you get into the trenches of that valley experience, where nothing a soul says to you clears away that frustration, or where you don't even feel that uttering a single word of prayer will help you, think again because it will.  When you refuse to give in to the devil and you keep pressing ahead, and you finally get the humility to look beyond your problems, that when God can open the windows and doors of heaven to rain down a blessing for you.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows."  Malachi 3:10
"This is what I will do if you will live by my laws and carefully obey my commands:  then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit."  Leviticus 26:3-4

The two preceding scriptures illustrate the consequence of obeying God.  But I also look at it as trying God at His word.  If you simply are willing to try God at what He says, look at what you can receive!  Look at the abundance of blessings that He promises.  Ask a farmer if it isn't a blessing to receive a good harvest of their planted crops.  They are rewarded by their diligence and obedience to the laws of planting and harvesting.  You can't over-water or over-light a plant and expect it to yield at the fullest.  Likewise with neglecting them; you simply cannot yield a good crop.  God tells us what He will do for us when we try Him at His word.  I had to learn that after crying my eyes out and praying, and stressing and even a little doubting.  When I took my focus off of my problem–because it could have been much, much worse–God went ahead and laid out the royal treatment.  Okay so testimony time: I went to my kidney appointment this morning; I got there around 9 because of the weather.  I got my labs and decided to wait around in the waiting area until time for my appointment.  1st blessing: labs went without error, minus the fact that the lady made my blood splash out a little (I could tell she was new).  2nd blessing: I was called back early because not too many people actually made it in this morning because of the weather…and I love the rain! 3rd blessing: my lingering cough and annoying sinuses are being eliminated via antibiotics as I type lol. 4th blessing: my doctor came right in the room and I was done in about 20 minutes.  Then he told me that because I'm stable and have been for a while, that I will see him a year from now and only have to get my labs done once every three months now!!!!!!! Healthy.  I haven't heard that word in reference to me in a long time now.  I have had health challenge after health challenge, both physical and mental…and to be told I do not have to come back for a year!!! Hallelujah thank you Father!!!!   Okay so I left the doctor's office and eventually headed over to the car dealership.  I didn't see my all-beloved Honda lol when I got there but hey…God knows what He is doing.  5th blessing:  So after being denied 3 times God finally said yes.  He set everything up so that the money I received from the death of my sweet Tina (smile it was my Civic lol) was more than enough!  He blew my mind every step of the way and do you know what else He blessed me with? PEACE!!! I had peace the whole day.  I was not pressed because I have my friend's car so I wasn't worried if I didn't get a car today.  But God But God BUT GOD!!! 

So today I tell you to welcome the rains…because after the rain is the harvest!  Remember that He always has the final say.  Because God possesses all things, it is not beyond Him to supply those things that you need.  We needed salvation, redemption, restoration, and reunion and who did He send??? JESUS!!!  God loves us, more than we can ever truly know.

"For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn–conflicts on the outside, fears within.  But God, who comforts the downcast…" 2 Corinthians 7:5-6 NIV


"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17
http://lifeinspiredbygod.blogspot.com

Daily Devotion

Divert Your Attention

"He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God."  2 Corinthians 1:4 GWT

Good evening everybody!! I tried to get this out before it became a new day.  Obviously you know by now that I learn something new every single day, and I thank God for it!!  So yesterday I was pretty sad because of all the difficulties I have been facing with replacing my car…and quite frankly I had been having a pity party.  Well so God will work on our behalf once we step out of His way.  I'm learning and accepting that as I seek Him for direction in regards to where I should go to get my new car.  I told all of my friends that pray for me of the disappointments I had so far.  God used my twin (smile Kia) to encourage me yesterday.  She is an awesome minister out in Memphis, TN that I attended college with.  Of course, Kia has a powerful testimony and with our roads running somewhat parallel to each other, it was her turn to give me some encouraging words.  You see, Kia is facing her own difficulties due to her own health issues.  But don't you know when you divert your attention from your own problems, you give God the go-ahead to go work for you?!  As she was sending me encouragement and interceding for me in prayer last night, God performed some miracles for her…which of course helped me see what she was saying to me all along.

I have looked at this scripture above in many different contexts now.  I see the comfort and used it in application to myself when my dad and cousin passed away.  I, in turn, thought about the things that I needed from people but did not get and gave that to my friends that lost loved ones recently.  But look at the latter part–whenever other people suffer.  Yesterday in my suffering, God kept my friend's focus diverted long enough to move some mountains for her.  And of course fortunately for me, I was able to see the lesson in all of it.  I'm going to divert my attention from my problems, my past, and my plans so that God can do His work.  By dwelling on what I do not have and what I cannot do, I am not looking at the blessings God has provided and the ones He will provide.  I was able to divert my attention long enough last night that God opened the door for me to have transportation for the week so that I do not have to rush and find a car.  God used other people to comfort me and in turn worked out things concerning them.  And we all know that God is not a respecter of persons so He can do the same for you and me.  Be encouraged and I pray that you renew your mind long enough to focus on your blessings and be a blessing to someone else so that God can turn around and perfect those things concerning you.  Love ya!

"Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall."  Psalm 55:22 NLT