In His Word-11-14-11

In His Word- 11-14-11

I am as bad as the Israelites! From day to day I can change my attitudes from selfless servitude to complete selfishness, forget that; from day to day from moment to moment I can change how I feel! I am a woman after all. I am human too, but what about all that talk in the Word of God that tells me to be more like Him? What about that glory to glory change? How can I be sure my days are started correctly? What can I do to start out on the right track each morning?

I know, I can get in His Word, but what else?

I can get in His face!

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

Isaiah 55:6-7

I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. The poor will eat and be satisfied.
All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him.

Psalm 22:25-27

From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Acts 17:26-28

Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.

Psalm 105:4

It is through His strength that I can make the attitudes stay good instead of bad. It is the seeking Him early in my mornings that change my entire outlook on the day. I was noticing yesterday as I analyzed why I am this fickle Mom lately. I looked at what caused it and remarked to someone that if I start my day with my good morning Lord time, I am less apt to get grumbles about my chores in the morning. I was trying to complete the chores the night before bed but then I was not getting to bed, or the family movies were getting in my way. If I got up they would pause the show, or ask what I was doing so I just gave up on that. Now I do the minimum before bed and the rest in the mornings. I work better in the mornings and see clearly what there is to do. So why do I get so cantankerous?

I noticed that I usually do if I start my chores before my T.A.W.G. time! Time Alone With God is essential to our existence in the world today. I need to take that time to focus my praise, my thoughts and directions for the day on what the Lord has for me. I need to thank Him for the small things so that I can walk through the big things with His hand in mine.

If I remember that my Lord is with me in all that I do, when I seek His face in the mornings my whole day goes better.

I don’t mean that it has less hurdles to jump over but I can clear them much easier and even if I trip on them ( this is not fun) and they come flapping down on top of me I can get up much easier if I am focused on Him.

Think of it as a track runner who runs the hurdles. They train for months before the season starts conditioning their bodies to be able to leap as they are running. This is not as easy as it looks when you watch a race. The timing has to be precise and the steps must be right in place or they really will catch that back foot on the hurdle and pull it down on top of themselves. This can be horrible or it can be one of those things that you get back up and finish the race depending on the conditioning of the runner, and how badly they fall.

If the runner is strong and has done the proper training he will pick himself up that much easier than if he just was learning the hurdles.

A conditioned athlete does not fall as often as a person who just jumped into the sport without being prepared.

In our lives we must be prepared each day. We do our exercises to get our physical bodies in shape but what about our spiritual bodies? Do we condition ourselves; prepare our selves for the day? Do we feed ourselves a spiritual smoothie? Or do we settle for the fat of the world and have a spiritual donut. The spiritual donut is a message that feels good going down. It is sweet and tasteful to the ears but when it gets to the body it does nothing but tire you out.

A spiritual smoothie is full of nutrition, does not always taste as good as you would like but it gives your body strength and energy to push on through the hurdles of the day.

It’s the same with our walk with Christ. If we condition ourselves to pray each day, and read the Word for the spiritual smoothie, then we will have the strength and endurance to keep a good outlook no matter what the enemy throws at us. Even if we start to falter we will make it through and be able to stand up again after we fall.

When life throws hurdles in your way you have to be able to get back up and again know that the Lord is on your side. You have to be able to trust Him to be there no matter what you do, or what someone does to you. When you seek His face daily those things will be fewer and further between. The doubts you face when you fall and have to get back up will be fewer and farther between. The anger you feel when you get a hurdle tossed on top of you because you did not lift that back leg high enough, will be fewer and farther between. Life will go on, but you will find focus and direction when you start your day seeking His face.

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to seek You each morning as we wake up. Help us to follow after You and do what You would have us do each day. Give us the strength and endurance to do what Your Word tells us to do, in Jesus name, amen. 

Suggested reading: Psalm 105:1-45, Hebrews 11:1-39, Psalm 22: 1-31.

***If for any reason you choose ever not to receive this devotion again please remember that all it takes is replying with a "Please remove me from this list." I do ask that if there is a problem with anything I write for you to feel free to write me back and let me know what the problem was, that we might go over it together and seek the truth in love.

In His love,

Teresa M. Wilson

www.teresawilson.com

In His Word-11-14-11

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Seek and you will find....

You have to get in the Word!

Attitude is everything!