Daily Devotion

You're Looking at a Work in Progress
 
I'm convinced that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion on the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6(GWT)
 
Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that in the midst of all the confusion and disarray, that getting to where God wants you to be takes time.  There are stages of changing, and worrying nor complaining can speed them up.  We must accept that the work God has set forth in us will carry through until its completion.
 
Acceptance is the final stage of grief, whereas here it is the first step in yielding to God's will.  Once you accept that life will not go as you plan always, you have conquered a tremendous obstacle.  Its this part that is most difficult.  Mainly because we are used to most things going our way from birth: i.e, if we are hungry, our parents feed us, if we want to play, we get to play, if we are tired we go to sleep.  So we go about life until some major event breaks this pattern and shatters our way of thinking.  For some people it happens sooner than others, and because of the timing, this adjustment is not so difficult.  How do you get to acceptance?  You pray and cry out to God for His peace to cover you. "Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. May the Lord be with you all." 2 Thessalonians 3:16 BBE
 
Next, you must fortify your mind.  The enemy will continually try to turn you away from the truth, turn you away from God's word and His plan for your lives.  After you accept God's plan and come to terms with it, you better believe the devil will come after you.  "Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. May the Lord be with you all."  Acts 20:31
 
Lastly, remember the two above and repeat, because your battle with the devil is never ending.  The more God has planned for you, the harder the devil comes.  He comes harder each time you accept God's will and agree to live by it.  You must remember to continually choose God's will over your own.  Yes it is easy to give up and admit defeat; but where will it get you?  What can be gained from accepting failure and not standing on God's promises?  You are promised to win, because Isaiah 54:17 and Philippians 4:13 say so!
 
So accept, fortify, and remember…God has your back!  You are not doing this alone.
 
"What can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31


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God loves you…He blesses you with another day so make the most of it!

Marquita B. Priester

Daily Devotion

You Can’t Choose Your Own Way

“I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23
“A man may make designs for his way, but the Lord is the guide of his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 BBE

You can plan all day long, all week, all month, and all year long. But if you yield to God’s voice, you will really know that you cannot choose your own way if it is out of line with God’s will for your life. Like I said yesterday, I had planned to run more errands than I ended up doing after I left work. I actually planned to go buy 5 lbs of shrimp from a local stand (they sell em for $2.00 a pound lol), I planned to stop by another apartment complex and look around. But none of that happened! God guided me where He wanted me to go so that I could hear from Him in the most unexpected place. I’ve said a million times that I planned to go to medical school, meet my husband and get married; that definitely did not happen. I’ve planned several times before to do things that just didn’t end up getting done. Now I will not say that all that I have planned to do was changed by me listening and yielding to God’s will. In fact, sometimes I know I have deliberately disobeyed God’s voice and done what I wanted to do. But as Romans 8:28 says, God will work all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. So I can trust that He will work out my mistakes for my good as long as I obey Him and repent when I don’t. Realizing that you do not have absolute control over your life is a total act of faith and trusting God.(Proverbs 3:5-6) Don’t let your inner control freak get you off course!

“The way of the just is uprightness. You who are upright make the path of the righteous level.” Isaiah 26:7 WEB