Category: Devotions

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Daily Devotion

Take It Off Repeat
 
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."  Philippians 4:8
 
Hi everyone!  Late night I know…I'm working on that.  Anyway, I wanted to share this with you.  I've actually had this title on reserve since about August haha.  But for some reason I just couldn't find the words to write for this.  For the last few weeks, it has been drilled into my mind that I need to change my thinking.  I know, it seems like an easy task…but ask yourself, is it truly easy to change how you think?  I mean, have you realized how difficult it is to get rid of a bad habit?  Or how hard is it to redirect your thoughts after someone has ticked you off?  Lets face it, it is not easy to think positive about something we have conditioned ourselves to think negatively about. 
 
Negative thoughts, ideas, and hangups are things that usually have been embedded in our minds from childhood. Like insecurities about one's looks and appearance, comparing yourself to other people, believing that you will never amount to anything–these are all lies that the devil wants us to believe about ourselves.  DO YOU UNDERSTAND–the devil HATES YOU and he does not want YOU HAPPY or JOYOUS.  He wants you to play this tape of self-destruction over and over and over and over again!  He wants to use every possible tactic he can to make you doubt who you are in Christ Jesus.
 
In the scripture above, Paul tells us to think on the truth.  The truth is that God loves you so much that He is willing to do everything to save you.  Paul says to think on things that are honorable, right, pure, and lovely.  What is right is that we are the children of the Most High God.  What is pure is His love–because God is love.  Paul says to think on things that are admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.  What is admirable and excellent and worthy of praise, every single thing God has done for you.  He wakes you up, keeps you healthy, makes sure you are functioning in your right mind, that you can eat, walk, talk, and do whatever else it is during your day.  Everything God has done for you is worthy of praise–from your job, your family, your relationships, to the small things.  Take that track off repeat and think on the truth of God's word.
 
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit."  Romans 8:5
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Daily Devotion

Are You Willing?

"As he was going along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen.  Jesus said to them, "Come, follow me! I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish."  They immediately left their nets and followed him. As Jesus went on a little farther, he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat preparing their nets [to go fishing].  He immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee and the hired men in the boat and followed Jesus.  Mark 1:16-20 GWT

As I'm learning now, it is not a matter of can God use us and our lives, but better yet, are WE willing to be used by God.  I'm sure you can relate to this.  When I was growing up it was not necessarily "cool" to be really smart or different from everyone else.  Really smart people were ostracized or the target of rumors and bullies; the artistically inclined or people who wore what made them feel great not the current trend were the people that were ridiculed.  Or to relate to the scriptures above, those that had calls on their lives, calls from God to stand out and away from things of the world, now they were really picked on.  The apostle Paul prior to his conversion was one of those people that picked on the early Christians, and was responsible for their deaths.  Ask yourself, are you really willing to yield to whatever God is asking of you and why not?  Because there is no one to believe in you, no one to encourage you.  Or is it because you think you're too young or some tradition says that its out of the norm?

In the scriptures above, it does not tell you why the disciples simply followed Jesus.  But it tells you that they were willing because there is no sense of hesitation noted here.  They willingly went with Christ.  I'm sure it was not easy walking with the Lord because so many people wanted to kill him–anything that is different and rubs people the wrong way is the accelerant to a volatile situation.  I find myself struggling daily with embracing the things God wants me to do, primarily because I do not want to stand out.  But I know better than that!  From the way that I dress to the way that I talk and think, I know I wasn't made to blend in.  I know that I have to take on the character of the Disciples and willingly go wherever God leads me.  Do you think you can reap the full benefits of God's plan for your life by simply ignoring Him, turning away from Him, or ignoring those things He put in you?  I'm sure you don't want to have a Jonah experience–feeling that you are in the pits of hell because of your refusal to do God's will.  It is much easier to give God His way.

"Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me" John 12:26 NLT