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Today's Prayer
God, I stay so busy. There is so much to do...working at home and outside the home, activities at church and school, taking time to exercise, appointments, family obligations, invitations to special events...it never ends. In fact, it all seems to grow larger day by day. Please remind me to take time out. I don't want to try to do everything and leave you out. I want to start fresh right now and come to you every day; spend time talking with you, meditating on your Word, listening to you, praising you and thanking you. Please, God, like a breath of fresh air, cleanse and clear my heart and mind. Fill me with your presence and power for living the life you want for me. Thank you, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Gaining Direction Through a Lack of Provision
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
07-21-2009
"You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there" (1 Kings 17:4). The prophet Elijah pronounced a drought upon the land because of the sin of Ahab and the nation of Israel. There was only one problem. Elijah had to live in the same land as Ahab. "Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.' Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 'Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there'" (1 Kings 17:1-4). God provided for Elijah in a supernatural way. The ravens brought bread in the morning and meat in the evening. His water came from the brook. God often uses money to confirm direction for our lives. Many times God uses a lack of provision to move us into new directions. It is a catalyst to encourage new ideas and strategies. Many times a loss of job becomes the greatest blessing to our lives because it provides the catalyst to do things we simply would never do without taking the step to get out of our comfort zone. Friend, if you are fully following the Lord in your life and seeking direction from Him and you have no un-confessed sin in your life, there is no way He will allow you to miss His provision for you. He has a thousand ways to get the provision you need at the time you need it. Provision follows obedience.
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Eternity In Our Hearts
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | DOWNLOAD: Download
READ: Ecclesiastes 3:9-17 He has put eternity in their hearts. —Ecclesiastes 3:11 I once came across a scene of beauty outside Anchorage, Alaska. Against a slate-gray sky, the water of an ocean inlet had a slight greenish cast, interrupted by small whitecaps. Soon I saw these were not whitecaps at all but whales—silvery white beluga whales in a pod feeding no more than 50 feet offshore. I stood with other onlookers, listening to the rhythmic motion of the sea, following the graceful, ghostly crescents of surfacing whales. The crowd was hushed, even reverent. For just a moment, nothing else mattered. The author of Ecclesiastes would have understood the crowd’s response. He sees with dazzling clarity the beauty in the created world and that God “has put eternity in their hearts” (3:11). Such an elegant phrase applies to much in human experience. Surely it hints at a religious instinct. Our hearts perceive eternity in ways other than the religious. Ecclesiastes presents both sides of life on this planet: the promise of pleasures so alluring that we may devote our lives to their pursuit, and the haunting realization that these pleasures ultimately do not satisfy. God’s tantalizing world is too big for us. Unless we acknowledge our limits and subject ourselves to God’s rule, unless we trust the Giver of all good gifts, we will end up in despair. —Philip Yancey Amid the measured music
What watchful ear can hear
God’s voice amidst the garden?
Yet hush! for He is here! —Charles To make the most of today, keep eternity in mind.
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Today's Prayer Dear God, I pray for every mother in the world today. Some are saints, angels on earth--loving, nurturing, giving, guiding; others are lacking and need some help; still others are not with their children or have abandoned them--maybe because of serious personal problems or because of sin; still others have have given their little one for adoption by a family who so desperately wants a child to love and care for. What a difficult and selfless act, to realize that you are not able to provide what a child needs and think of that baby above all. I pray for comfort and blessing for these mothers too. God, you know every need and every heart. I pray that you will meet those needs today. I pray that you will bless those who deserve honor this day as mothers. I pray you will work in the lives of those who may not be so deserving, but are in need of mercy. Mothers are so influential. Oh how lives and futures are affected by mothers! Lord, please grant wisdom, strength, and strong faith to mothers. Thank you, in Jesus' name, amen.
Know Your Armor
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
05-10-2009
"David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. 'I cannot go in these,' he said to Saul, 'because I am not used to them.' So he took them off." (1 Samuel 17:39). David, the young shepherd boy, heard the challenge from the Philistines to send someone to fight Goliath. No one volunteered to fight except David. King Saul reluctantly agreed and offered David his armor. David put on the weighty equipment, but quickly concluded he could not fight in this heavy armor. He gave it back to king Saul. God equips each of us in such a way that is unique to our strengths and abilities. David knew who he was and who he wasn't. David was trained as a shepherd to use another weapon. For David, it was a slingshot. David showed great maturity in realizing he could not be effective with Saul's armor. What are the gifts and talents God has given to you? Have you ever tried to accomplish a task with tools you were not trained to use? God allows each of us to develop skills that are unique to our life. He will not call you to use someone else's tools. However, this is only half of the equation. These talents must be mixed with faith. Talent alone is not enough. Faith alone is not enough. It is only when the two are combined that God's power is released and manifested in the physical realm. Sometimes we admire the talents of others and seek to emulate them. The temptation arises to be someone we are not. This is a mistake. Let God live His life through the unique you. Then, mix your unique gifts with faith today; you will be surprised at the power of God that will be manifested.
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A Donkey In Lion’s Clothing
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | DOWNLOAD: Download
READ: Matthew 7:15-23 Beware of false prophets . . . in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. —Matthew 7:15 In the final book of C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle, a devious ape named Shift finds an old lion’s skin and persuades a simpleminded donkey to put it on. Shift then claims that the disguised donkey is Aslan (the Lion who is the rightful king of Narnia) and forms an alliance with Narnia’s enemies. Together they set out to control and enslave the subjects of Narnia. Young King Tirian, however, can’t believe that Aslan would actually be involved with such brutal practices. So, with the help of the real Aslan, he defeats Shift and his counterfeit lion. The Bible tells us that the devil is in the business of imitating God. His goal is “to be like the Most High” (Isa. 14:12-15). Through deception, Satan tries to replace Christ with a substitute. Jesus Himself warned us of false prophets and false christs: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matt. 24:4-5). How can we tell the real Christ from the counterfeit? The only authentic Christ is the one described in Scripture. Anyone or anything that portrays a different Jesus than the One presented in the Bible is promoting “a donkey in lion’s clothing.” —Dennis Fisher Beware of anyone who claims
To speak directly from the Lord
If what he says does not agree
With everything that’s in God’s Word. —Sper God’s Word gives wisdom to discern what is false.
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