Devotional Day 34: Bring The Rain!

• 1 Corinthians 10:13 : "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 
• Romans 8:35-39 : "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
• The Lord will never give you more than you can handle. Through Him, all things are possible.

     1 Corinthians 10:13 is a beautiful verse. It explains perfectly why we can trust God. Things will be put in your path to test and strengthen your faith. These things will seem difficult and virtually impossible! We just have to keep in mind that God will never give us more than we are capable of dealing with. He doesn't want to hurt us. He just wants to help us grow! As it explains in the end of the verse, God will always provide a way out. He will always give you the tools and help you need to overcome your circumstances. This is where we usually run into a snag. We tend to rely too much on ourselves to handle every little things we do. When it comes to things that are a serious obstacle to you, don't forget God! He wants to aid you in your struggles as much as possible. God wants to see us prevail over bad circumstances and come out a stronger individual through character and spirituality. This is why I believe this message ties in heavily with overcoming failure! It's all a learning experience and a test of your faith.

     I think Romans 8:35-39 is an extremely powerful verse. It lays out every obstacle that can come across you and explains that nothing on this earth will come between you and God's love. Nothing will change how God loves you. No action you take, nothing that has happened in the past or that will happened in the future, no creature, person, angel, obstacle, sin, pain, death, or anything at all will take away how God cares for you. He made sacrifices for us and will always be there for you in your darkest of moments to your brightest of days. There is nothing in this world you will do alone. God is always there to guide your heart and mind. He is always there to comfort you and forgive you. Never be overwhelmed by the things you have to deal with in life. Just have hope! Have hope that there will be a way out, and God will hold your hand and bring you to safety.

                                                                     Questions/Application

• When was a time you felt you had too much to handle?
• Have you ever recognized God giving you a way out?
• How would you explain God's love for you?

Devotional Day 33: Peace, Love, And Potato Chips

• Ecclesiastes 5:18 : "Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot."
• Ecclesiastes 11:9 : "Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment."
• Ecclesiastes 2:24 : "There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God."
• Part of working in life is sitting back to enjoy the labor you went through! Don't forget to embrace to simple things in life.

     Obviously Ecclesiastes has many verses that apply to this lesson! In 5:18 its very simple. It tells you enjoy each day you're given! Appreciate each day that you're alive and each day you have the ability to get up and work. It also says to take time to enjoy the works that you spent so much time on! This same message is displayed in 2:24! It says to eat and drink and find joy in everyday you live. The things we enjoy most in life, the things that we appreciate, the times we have to sit back, eat, drink, and relax, those are the works of God. Those are His blessings to you! He appreciates the hard work you put into life. He also appreciates when you utilize the talents you've been given!

     In 11:9 it speaks directly to youth. God wants the young people to enjoy the days we're young and appreciate the things we can do now. God says to follow your heart and see things for what they are. Have fun and use good judgement in what you do! Always keep Him in your mind and heart though for the things you do now will be remembered! Everyone will make mistakes, but it's important that we learn from those mistakes as we get older. That's how we truly experience life! Take pleasure in the time you have now to learn what you can and do the things that you can given your age! Spend time embracing His blessings to you, but always follow His guidelines, and your life will be something worth looking back on! Don't spend too much time focussing on what you don't have or achieving perfection. Always try your hardest and take time to stop and enjoy the simple things just like God intended for you to!

                                                                      Questions/Application

• What simple things do you enjoy in life?
• Do you make sure to tell God that you appreciate those things?
• What hard work do you put in to your day to day life?

Devotional Day 32: I'm A Loser And Proud Of It!

• James 2:24 : "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone."
• Matthew 3:8 : "Bear fruit in keeping with repentance."
• I know this is crazy y'all, but I have to confess something. I'm not perfect! I know, it's shocking! No one in life is perfect, but it's by making mistakes that we learn. It's by asking for forgiveness that we grow!

     I love James 2:24. Faith is such an important thing when it comes to Christianity. Yet, if you profess faith and do not show it, what good is it? No one is perfect in their walk with Christ. We all have down moments. Sometimes our mistakes are made through genuine misunderstanding. Sometimes mistakes are made intentionally! Our consequences through our failures are what help us grow and understand! Failures build character! They help you learn what not to do because, Lord knows, we can't always do everything right. We're human after all! Now, that doesn't mean you go out and do every bad thing you've ever wanted to do just because you think it'll all be washed away! Our failures are meant to teach us to strive for perfection. Don't ever beat yourself up over perfection. Some people spend so much of their time trying to be perfect that their happiness is just a facade. Life is meant to be enjoyed and embraced even the icky parts. In Matthew 3:8 it brings up an important rule. If you've done something wrong, talk with God! Tell Him you recognize what you've done. Ask Him to help show you the lesson through all of those things. He doesn't expect you to be perfect either. He just expects you to try your hardest. Like my mom always told me, "As long as you're giving it your all and trying, I'll always be proud of you." After all, it's not your failures that define you. It's how you learn from your failures and push on that define you.

                                                                          Questions/Application

• Do you sometimes obsess over perfection in any part of your life? If so, how does it make you feel? (Overwhelmed, frustrated, etc..)
• What recent lessons have you learned through failure?
• How can you show you're trying your hardest for God?

Devotional Day 31: There's Only One

•  1 Kings 8:60 : "That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else."
• 1 Samuel 7:2-4 : "It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord. And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only."
• Many times when we are  desperate for God is when we turn to Him. What happens when things don't go the way we want? What happens when we experience hardship? Can God trust us to still put our faith in Him?

     In 1 Kings 8:60 the message is simple. There is only one God. There are to be no false gods or idols put before Him. We are to trust Him fully even given hard times! Sometimes we get angry with God or confused. Sometimes the thought of Him is hard to grasp! That's where personal faith comes in. However, some people turn to other means of worship through false gods who they feel can help them. I'm sure you all know the story of the golden calf. The people decided to worship this material thing because of selfish motives rather than trust what God has in store for them even through the bad times.

     In 1 Samuel 7:2-4 above it speaks of the Israelites and there struggle to trust God. Time and time again they would turn to God then turn away. Then they'd go back to God and turn away again wasting their time worshipping false gods. In a way we all do this when we struggle with our faith! We make others things a priority over God. In the Israelites case they were quite literally worshipping other gods hoping for a more favorable outcome for themselves through selfish motives. In our case things we "worship" or idolize are our false gods. When things are good we often stick to our texting, facebook, games, hanging with friends, social time, and many other things. It seems that we always turn back to God only when things get really bad, and we don't know what else to do. God should be able to trust that we will have faith in Him. That's why He gave us free will so that He will know when our faith is genuine. He will know by how much time you spend with Him making Him a priority or how much time you spend with your "false gods." I'm way guilty of this! When things are going good, and I'm having a great day I often forget to stop and thank God for those simple things. I spend too much time wrapped up in my fun! This message ties a lot into the lessons of trust and quiet time. Put no other things before God! You can only trust in one God. All other things will expire with time and leave you desperate for more than what you have. God will never do that to you. 

                                                                         Questions/Application

• Why do you think the Israelites kept the false gods close at hand?
• What do you consider to be your false god?
• How can we learn to make God a priority and recognize things we shouldn't put before Him?
• How do you think God feels when you don't fully rely on Him? What about when you do?

Devotional Day 30: Don't Get It Twisted!

• Colosians 2:8 :"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."

• Revelation 22:18-19 : "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall ass unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
• The Bible is a book of guidance and specific instruction from God. You can't take only the parts you want from the Bible, or add to it to suit your needs! You have to read the whole thing, and understand what God intends for you to.

     Everyone has their own interpretation of how things are in the Bible. Some people have different ways of viewing the stories told and the lessons taught. No one can really know for sure exactly what the mediators for God where saying. We have to rely on our trust in God, on faith, and His word to try and understand and study what He is trying to teach us. The point that is being made above in Colosians 2:8 is that we shouldn't lean on others interpretations or understandings. Your journey with Christ is yours and yours alone. It's not meant to be dictated by someone else. It's a personal relationship! Some people's interpretations will speak to you and open doors to new thoughts. That's fine! What I believe it means is that you don't count on someone else to tell you exactly how you should feel and what you should take from the Bible. You have to read the Bible as a whole to truly understand all that has taken place.

     In Revelations 22:18-19 the message is pretty simple. Don't take away from or add to the Bible in order to suit your needs or discredit things you have done. There are many lessons to be taught from the Bible! Not everything in the Bible is positive, however. There are things that are hard to read and hard to grasp. Some things in the Bible will make you feel guilt or hurt. No one enjoys those emotions, but they are part of life. You need those emotions in order to know how to change and what path to take in your spiritual walk with Christ. As far as adding goes, that doesn't include interpreting what you genuinely feel it's saying in order to better understand. It just means, in my opinion, not to add all the fluff and nonsense in order to benefit you. The Bible is black and white on it's expectations of you, the stories told, and the lessons learned and taught. It's your personal text book! Read the Bible in order to arm yourself against those who take away or "fluff" His word. Read it so YOU understand it and so that you might help council others and open the door of opportunity for them to seek understanding. Don't try to condemn someone without knowing your stuff! The Bible is an important tool. God intended it to be a direct guide to what He feels you should do. Embrace that tool for what it is.

                                                                       Questions/Application

•  What was your favorite Bible story growing up? What about your favorite story now?
• How does reading the Bible make you feel? What emotions does it stir up?
• What Bible verse do you feel helps you against false prophets?

Devotional Day 29: Humility

• 1 Peter 5:6 : "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you."
• Matthew 23:12 : "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
• An ongoing lesson we must all keep close to our hearts is the one of humility. Being humble brings respect not only from others, but God as well.

     In 1 Peter 5:6 it talks of being humble so that God can reward you properly. If you do a good deed or find your self to be a generous, hardworking person, but seek that recognition right then by being boastful, then God cannot reward you properly. Do what you feel you should out of the goodness of your heart, not because you want to look good in front of others. If you are humble in your actions and words towards others, God will surely see that and bless you for your humility. I like how in Matthew 23:12 it speaks of those who are "arrogant" or boastful. It simply warns people with an arrogant character that their actions will be refuted one day, and they will learn humility the hard way! Yet, if someone is humble and does good deeds with genuine motives of being a servant to God, they will be noticed! Their praise and blessings will be significantly more than that of the person who views themselves higher than those around them. Be humble in your actions for it was God that blessed you with what you have. He deserves the glory. He will recognize what you do. Your good deeds will never go unnoticed! Just remember humility!

                                                                           Questions/Application

• When was a time God humble you?
• When was a time you did a good deed without needing recognition and received a greater reward?
• How can you show more humility towards others? Towards God?

Devotional Day 28: Stick With It!

• Philipians 4:12-13 : "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
• 2 Timothy 4:7 : "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
• Life is full of obstacles. Many things we want to accomplish put us through many hardships. All we have to do is remember to never give up!

     In Philipians 4:12-13 it talks of understanding each spectrum of life from the lowest lows to the highest highs. With hardship comes obstacles and with success comes responsibility. No matter what we do there's always an easy way out by just quitting! I love how in the end of the verse it says, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." It's the perfect verse! It speaks clearly what we so often forget. We aren't meant to handle our struggles alone. God never intended for that. We have to seek guidance and strength through Him, our undying resource for wisdom. If we but remember the things He has taught us and the way He has guided us we will find strength and inspiration through Him and His works! I love how in 2 Timothy 4:7 it says, "I have finished the race." Sometimes the hardest part is the middle of the race! Your starting to get burnt out with what you're doing, and you get the sense that you just can't do it anymore. That's when you have to dig down deep inside for that second wind! God is that second wind, that breath of fresh air. He reminds you how proud He is of your accomplishments and the goals you have achieved to see you through to the finish line. My best advice to you is don't give up. If you have a dream or a goal, fight for it! No matter the hardships remember to turn to the one that knows you best and that can help you move mountains. Do all things through Him and surely your hard work will pay off!

                                                                        Questions/Application

• What is a goal you have set for yourself?
• How do you intend to achieve those goals?
• How can you trust God to help you with those things?
• What inspires you to keep going even through hardship?