Trusting God

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Trusting God Part 15 - Fire

by Gail Rodgers
The news announcer stated the facts. 244 houses had burned to the ground. I wondered if my friend’s was among them. She had phoned days earlier to ask for prayer for this desperate situation. Forest fires! Such devastation from a single spark!

It reminded me of a verse from the Bible that I read this week:

“Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire….” James 3:6

I have been witness to some devastating “fires” started by a careless tongue. Words spoken carelessly, thoughtlessly, selfishly, angrily or hastily are often the spark that ignites a blaze in relationships and homes, work places and churches.
Think about what has come out of your mouth this past week. Did you carelessly throw a spark out on dry grass and were surprised at the quick spread of flames? Did relationships get frayed around the edge because you had an uncontrolled tongue? It is so easy to do.
We justify it by tiredness, stressful situations, or another persons aggravating behavior.
God has a lot to say about the tongue and the words we speak. If you are having trouble in this area, read the book of Proverbs this week and underline every verse that speaks about words, lips and tongue. You will find a wealth of help from God’s word. Ask for His Holy Spirit to set a guard at your mouth. Ask for His help with the words that come out of our mouth. Be quick to ask His forgiveness and the forgiveness of others when your tongue throws out sparks. When tough issues must be addressed, ask first for the help of God’s Holy Spirit as you respond. Always keep your distance from gossip. Gossip is already a small blaze and you make a choice to throw water or gas on it as it comes to your ears and tempts your tongue.
You will be amazed at the difference in your relationships, your home, your job, your church and your life when God’s Holy Spirit is the first call on your lips. God says,

“He who guards his lips, guards his life.” Proverbs 13:3

prayer & reflection

Father God,
Today I ask that You would set a guard at my lips. Forgive me for the times I have let my tongue run off with words that were not helpful or graceful in any way. Help me today, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, to be careful about giving quick retorts, unsolicited opinions, and critical, negative comments. Help me to mind my tongue as I would mind a match in a dry forest. Give me Your wisdom and grace when I need to address situations and issues and give me a sense of the right timing in addressing them. Thank you that You provide help and strength to me in this area when I call out to You.
Guard my tongue today for I ask this in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.

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Trusting God Part 16 - Seeing More of God in My Life

by Gail Rodgers

Connie was feeling like she saw so little of God in her life these days. There had been a time when He had seemed so real and so close ...and she missed that. She couldn’t put her finger on what had changed.

One night she picked up her Bible to do her devotions. It was a habit…she didn’t really expect to get much out of it. But this simple verse struck her; she read it again.

“Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8

The Holy Spirit gave Connie a revelation of what had happened in her relationship with God. She let the words “pure in heart” penetrate her thinking. With clarity that comes from God’s Spirit she realized that she had allowed impurities to gather in her heart and this was exactly why she was not seeing God in her life as she once had.

Oh, the impurities had been so subtle…a bad attitude to a co-worker that she had felt justified in hanging onto; critical thoughts about her husband that she had chosen to rehearse over and over, an agitation she just wanted to nurse along; some of the movies she had chosen to watch. Subtle impurities had blocked her sight of God in her life.

And she knew she needed to choose. What did she want? Did she want to hang on to these things in her heart or did she want to see more of God and His blessing in her life?

Connie mused over these thoughts for quite awhile before turning out the light. She was justified in so many of them…people and situations around her were trying at times. But she knew the choice was hers as to what she kept in her heart.

Take a check at what is going on in your heart today. Impurities build up that seem so small in themselves, yet they will cloud God from clear view. Ask Him to show you your heart. Give the wrong attitudes, motives and thoughts to Him. Ask Him to help you keep your heart pure. It will make a big difference in seeing God in your life. Take a moment now and pray with me…
prayer & reflection

Dear Father God,
I know I have allowed wrong attitudes and thoughts to settle into my heart. I have felt justified in my criticism and in my ulterior motives. I don’t want any impurities in my heart that will block my seeing You. Please forgive me. Help me, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, to be aware of these subtle impurities and keep my heart guarded. Renew the desire in my heart today to have a pure heart and to see You as I once did. Show me Yourself in new and amazing ways. I want to trust you with every area of my heart and my life. Renew my heart today.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

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Trusting God Part 17 - Where to Find Joy

by Gail Rodgers
Fall will bring changes of some kind for most of us. Life’s changes can be challenging and fun. They can also be demanding and can sometimes deplete our strength. Did you ever notice that when your strength fades often your joy goes with it? Lately I’ve asked God to show me, in a new way, just how His Word works when it says “the joy of the Lord is my strength”. It can sound so trite and religious and I wanted a fresh application of both His joy and His strength in the changes and demands of life.

God usually answers my questions for more understanding right from His Word. I read an old verse and the impact of it hit me with a freshness.

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence”. Psalm 16:11

Suddenly it was very clear…in God’s presence is where I find joy…and this joy would bring the needed strength in my life. Yes, I knew it to be true…but the fresh perspective that I needed was the reminder that this is the very oxygen of my life and must be a high priority.
Spending time in God’s presence…it’s more than the quick nod we often give God as we hurry on with our day. If I take the time to be with God, His joy will fill me and strengthen me for whatever lay ahead in each new day and new challenge. How does it happen?
God reminded me that just as I scheduled in all my other appointments and agendas this fall, I needed to not forget to schedule in specific times with Him.
In those scheduled times
I take my coffee and my worship music and often listen to a whole CD…just letting the words of the songs become my prayers and till up the ground in my heart that has become hardened by my busyness.
I open my Bible and often a devotional book and I ask God to speak to my heart. Being unhurried is so important. Then I listen to the still, small voice in my heart.
I write down the impressions I receive and I pray. This is not the time I bring all the other requests to God. I pray for me…for forgiveness for the hardened parts I found in my heart, the attitudes or motives that need to go; I pray for the items on my “to do” list and ask God’s help with them; I talk honestly to Him and tell Him where I feel overwhelmed or insecure and I ask for His strength in my weak areas. I ask for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit.
As fall approaches and your calendar begins to fill, schedule some specific times with God beyond your quick daily devotion. We make time for what is important to us. As you do this you will find the strength you need in your life and new joy will come. Don’t try to live without it!
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Thank you for reminding me where I need to go to find strength and new joy. Help me to be determined and tenacious in keeping my times with You protected and high priority. I need You, Lord.
I ask this in Jesus powerful name, Amen.

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Trusting God Part 18 - Where to Find Peace

by Gail Rodgers
Does your life ever feel in a state of commotion? Do you ever notice how the sense of peace in your heart can be dislodged and replaced by turmoil and confusion before you even realize it? It is easy to overlook what is going on in your spirit.

God tells us to pay attention to it. It is the key to His peace ruling in your heart when turmoil wants to reign.
His Word puts it simply…

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…and be thankful.” Colossians 3:15

In order to have God’s peace in our hearts we must make the choice to let it rule there. But what does that mean on a Monday morning with a challenging week ahead of you?
It means keeping a check on what is happening inside. As soon as you recognize irritation or turmoil taking over your spirit stop a moment and check out why this is happening.
God has wired us to be completed by our relationship with Him. Being filled with peace is His work in our heart, but it is our choice to let Him do that work. How does it happen?
Almost without fail you will find the peace of God gets pushed aside in your soul when one identifiable thing happens and you will be aware that turmoil has entered. Anything that has “self” as its source will push the peace of God aside and you will feel the change.
Anything that has “God” as its source will, in the same way, push the turmoil aside. Think about it…when self defense takes over in a relationship, turmoil is the result.
When self pity reigns, you find yourself on the slippery slope of discouragement. When self-seeking is the focus in business, or even ministry, a shallowness creeps in that pushes peace aside. When self energy tries to live the Christian life, defeat will be the result.
As long as self is the focus in our thoughts and actions, there is little room for God to do His work in us and His peace cannot rule in our hearts. When we choose to let Him be the focus of all we do, drawing on His energy, His help, His wisdom, His patience, His purposes, then His peace will rule in our hearts.
Today, pay attention to what is going on in your spirit. If His peace is eluding you take a look inside and see where self focus has taken over. Let His peace rule in your heart by bringing everything in your day and in your life under the umbrella of His care. It is the best way to live!
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Today I ask You to forgive me for the places in my heart where I have allowed Your peace to be pushed aside by my own self issues. Right now I place everything I have and am and ever hope to be under the umbrella of Your care and attention. I choose to let Your peace rule in my heart today.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

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Trusting God Part 19 - It's For You

by Gail Rodgers
She didn’t feel worthy of praying to God herself so she came to my office for prayer. The potholes on her road in life were numerous and she knew she needed God’s help. She also knew that many of her problems had been of her own making so she felt she did not qualify to go to Him and ask. She wanted me to ask for her. She felt God would hear me better than He would hear her. But she was wrong.

She didn’t know that God had already made a statement in His Word about this very thing.

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all who call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 12:10-11

God does not meet our needs because of who we are… but because of who He is. “The Lord is rich unto all who call upon Him”. What a promise! His wealth of love and compassion and forgiveness and help and strength and wisdom, all His riches, are available to those who call upon Him.
Don’t waste another minute thinking you somehow don’t qualify to go to God because of the messes in your life. “The same Lord over all” includes you!
You are invited today to call on Him. He waits to hear your voice and to come and save you and meet your needs out of His riches.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Thank you that I can come to You and call upon You, not because of who I am but because of who You are. Thank you that You are the same Lord over all of us and You will show Yourself to those who call on You. I cry out to you today to come into my life and my circumstances. Forgive me for the messes I have made and meet my needs today out of your rich supply of strength and wisdom. You know what I need today Lord. Thank you that I can ask because of who You are.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

Trusting God Part 20 - God's Plan for Change

by Gail Rodgers
I wrote it in my Bible nearly 20 years ago. A quote from a preacher long forgotten…but it has helped shape my life.

He said “If our lives, as Christians, are not lived out on the wavelength of the great commission, then our lives are irrelevant to God’s plan for change in our world.”
It had stopped me short .... God has a plan for change in this world; changed lives that will effect changes in our society, in our cities, our neighborhoods, our homes and schools and offices. Changes that will not just effect today but eternity as well. Is my life relevant to God’s plan for change in our world? Does it really matter?
Jesus words in the “Great Commission” say:

“...go and make disciples ...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-29

On a practical basis this simply means to be ready to share, heart to heart, the things you have learned from following Jesus. That’s what it means to make disciples… to simply teach, through your life, the difference it makes to know Him; to share what you are learning as you journey through life. He has promised to be right with you as you do this and to be your helper.
This is why you and I exist…to share His love with lives that long for the changes He can bring. HE has packaged you to do this in a unique way just who you are, just where you are. It is the very thing that will bring true relevance to your life.
What wavelength are you living your life on? Possessions, power, position, pastime, pressure? Whatever fills your mind front and center is the wavelength you are living on.
If you are a Christian and are feeling empty and frustrated in life, look again at the call of Jesus to every believer. It will truly bring relevance to your life. It is the one thing that will effect true change in the little corner of the world we each occupy.
Don’t let your life be lived irrelevant to God’s plan for change in our world. Go today and share heart to heart with someone in your path.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
I do not want to be irrelevant to Your plan for change in our world. Use me today to share Your love in some small way. Help me to be aware of teaching what You have shown me in my life. I love you Lord. May my life be relevant to Your plans in my world today. Use me today to touch some heart.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

Trusting God Part 21 - Thy Kingdom Come

by Gail Rodgers
He is a quiet man, a man of few words but he taught us something about prayer. It wasn’t something taught in a class or shared from a book but we learned it as he prayed with us. I have found that the friends who mean the most to me and are closest to my heart, are the friends I pray with.

This friend and his wife shared a season of our life very closely. We lived close and often shared a pot of coffee at the end of our busy days. Always our conversation turned to God and the great mystery of how He works in our lives and in our sometimes confusing circumstances. Often our evenings ended with a prayer for each other and our kids in our various places in life.
Today as I read my Bible I was reminded of how Jerry often prayed for us. I read these familiar words in the Lord’s prayer. What Jerry taught us was good to remember today.

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”. Matthew 6:10

Sometimes in our prayers we don’t even know what to ask of God. Sometimes our own ideas of solutions are limited to what we can see and understand. Jerry opened up a new way to pray when he would recount the particular circumstance to God and then pray, “May Your kingdom be established in this business” or “in this child’s life”... or whatever it was we were dealing with.
God has instructed us to pray that His will be done on earth just as it is in Heaven. He instructed us to pray that His kingdom would come. Jerry put this into one practical step as he requested God to establish His kingdom in specific areas of our lives. As we invite His kingdom to be established, we are asking God to do beyond what we can imagine as a solution in our own minds. It invites God to work in a way that will bring honor to Him and have results that will not just affect the moment but will have an effect for eternity as well.
Today if you have a situation that is challenging you, or troubling you, invite God to establish His kingdom in your circumstance. Put aside your own best thinking and invite Him to work things out in a way that will show our God is trustworthy and faithful and in a way that will effect results that will bring glory to our God.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
I thank you that You have instructed us how to pray. I so often feel inadequate in this. Today I ask that You would establish Your kingdom in my life. Please work in my circumstances to bring glory to You and to show me and the world around me that You are a faithful and trustworthy God. I invite you to establish Your kingdom today right where I walk.
In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

Trusting God Part 22 - Safety

by Gail Rodgers
It was a business meeting and I was surprised at the turn in conversation. One man turned to me and said, “Gail, you’re a pastor. I don’t understand why it is I have nightmares of terrible things happening. I seem to sense things”. “Yes”, added the woman across from me, “I don’t sense things but sometimes in the night I see or feel things in my room.”

These are actually fairly common questions. Usually asked privately because they are disturbing to the individual, but here we were with a table full of business people… and so we talked about God.
Sometimes God will give a dream in order to spur us to pray for a certain situation. In these times we will have an urgency to bring the situation to God so that His will will be accomplished.
But other times, these experiences seem to leave the individual feeling fearful and worried or at the least, curiously disturbed.
We do live in spiritual world. Just as we open our hearts to the Spirit of God and allow Him to come into our lives, we can also open our hearts to other spirits. Sometimes it is through the choices we make to engage in activities we know are not from God that we open doors in our lives. Other times these things just seem to happen without explanation.
The Bible gives us a wonderful verse that we can use whenever fear overtakes our soul, whether it is in the middle of the night or any other time. It says….

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10

When you feel a fear come over your soul that wants to settle in and leave your heart disturbed and anxious, speak the name of Jesus. In the night if things awaken and disturb you, speak the name of Jesus. Any work of the enemy cannot stand when the name of Jesus is proclaimed as our strength. His name, and all it represents as our Savior and our God, is a strong tower of refuge for us as believers. If this happens often and leaves you living a life of fear, ask God to show you if you have opened any doors in your life, through your choices. If He brings something to mind, confess it and ask His forgiveness, close the door on those choices and claim the power of His name in your life. The spirit of fear does not come from God (2 Timothy 1:7 KJ)
prayer & reflection

Father God,
I thank you for sending Jesus to be my Savior. I thank you for the powerful name of Jesus and the refuge it is when I am fearful and afraid. Remind me in the day, or in the night, when fear wants to capture my heart, that Jesus is my strong tower of refuge. May I be reminded by Your Holy Spirit to speak His name in the face of fear. Thank you for the strength you offer me through Jesus.
I pray this in His powerful name, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

Trusting God Part 23 - Who's doing the Talking

by Gail Rodgers
She couldn’t understand why her husband would not hear her. The issues were important and she tried time and again to address them. Often it was in the heat of the moment and her words, spoken too harshly and from a hurting heart, fell on deaf ears and did more harm to their relationship than good.

The afternoon sun began to sink in the sky as she poured her heart out to me. I silently prayed for the help of the Holy Spirit in knowing what to say to this precious lady. As I listened to her story I became aware of the still small voice in my spirit. “Tell her to let Me do the talking” God seemed to whisper to my heart.
We decided to pray together asking God to help her hold her tongue. We prayed too that His Spirit would begin to speak to her husband’s heart, giving him a desire to face their issues and work toward solutions. From time to time we prayed together over the next several months…and change began to happen.
Whether it’s a rocky relationship with your teen, your spouse or a fellow worker or neighbor, don’t fall into the trap of speaking harsh, rash words in the heat of the moment.
Begin instead to pray about the relationship, trusting God with it and asking Him to do the talking. His Word reminds us that…

“He who guards his lips guards his life but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin”. Proverbs 13:3

Guard your lips today…and let God do the talking!
prayer & reflection

Father God,
I thank you that You know the very best way to handle the difficult situations and people in my life. Today I ask that Your Holy Spirit would help me guard my lips and not speak rash words in the heat of the moment. Father, I ask that You would do the talking to their hearts and to mine. Thank you that I can trust You with the relationships in my life. I love You, Lord and I look to You for Your help in this.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

Trusting God Part 24 - Are You Fretting

by Gail Rodgers
It seemed there were a lot of new things to fret about this week…and so I did. I quickly sensed the anxiousness in my heart and knew I needed some extra time with the Lord. I asked God to help me. As I flipped through my Bible it fell open to Psalm 37 and I knew it was no accident. This Psalm is all about fretting. There were 4 things God was reminding me to do.

TRUST in the Lord (verse 3)
God was telling me to trust Him with the things that were causing me to fret! It really was simple…oh not necessarily easy…but simple. I needed to take each concern and place it freshly in God’s hands, trusting Him with each one. So often we give our concerns over to Him only to take them back and keep worrying. If you find yourself taking them back into your hands, give them to God again and again until your heart rests in the fact that you truly can trust Him to handle them.
DELIGHT yourself in the Lord (verse 4)
I had to settle my heart afresh into the fact that God would be to me all He has promised to be and I could find joy in that fact. When we leave our concerns with God we can rejoice in what He is going to do.What a wonder that the God of the universe cares.
COMMIT your way to the Lord and trust Him (verse 5)
I needed to freshly commit my day and my way to God. Each day is a fresh start! When we commit our path to the Lord we can accomplish so much more with Him!
BE STILL before the Lord (verse 7)
In this moment God was telling me to be still before Him and to bring my fretting heart to Him. When we take the time to be still before Him He can speak to our hearts and refresh us. It is so important to come before God ~ through studying His word, praying to Him and listening to Him! He will meet with us if we only take the time to come!
The short time in His presence changed my heart. His peace settled over my soul and my day was changed.
Take a few minutes right now, right where you are, to be still before the Lord and to give Him the anxious thoughts that crowd your heart and mind today. Commit your day and your way into His hands and ask Him to increase your trust in Him. Ask Him to help you find delight in knowing the God of the universe has promised to be with you and to walk beside you. Experience the peace today that only He can bring.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
You truly are a good God. I thank you today that You care about the fretting of my heart. I come before You right now and ask You to increase my trust in You. Cause my faith to grow in believing You will be my strength and my help. I commit my day today and my path in life into Your hands. Guide me through this day and let my heart find pleasure in the fact that You care about me. Thank you for being my trustworthy God!
In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

Trusting God Part 25 - A Divided House

by Gail Rodgers
She wept as she told me of the difficulties in their marriage. They were pulling in different directions and it was destroying them. We talked long into the night.

Jesus talked about this very thing. He said…

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. Matthew 12:25

This is a serious thought. Stop for a moment and consider if you are a part of any division that is pulling your home, your church, your relationships or even your workplace apart.
If something comes to mind as you read this, ask God to show you new ways in which you can be oil, rather than sandpaper, in that particular situation.
God calls us as believers to respond differently than the world around us. Sometimes we don’t want to be the first one to make the move toward unity. Sometimes our pride gets in the way. Pulling in different directions while in the same home, church or workplace is a sure recipe for ruin.
Today ask the Lord to help you in the situations that threaten to divide and destroy in your circle. Invite Him in to give you wisdom and humility. Lead by example and work toward unity. Ask Him to help you influence divisive situations around you in a way that will build up and not tear down. Ask Him for creative solutions to issues that are unresolved. His desire for you is wholeness and unity and His Holy Spirit can guide you to that. Trust Him today with the divisions in your life. Don’t be a contributor to “a kingdom divided against itself”.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Thank you that You have warned us about division. Thank you that today You are reminding me that my house won’t stand if we are divided against one another. Please help me to be part of the solutions and not just part of the problems. Give me Your wisdom and humility and resourcefulness to help us pull in the same direction. Let me model Your way to the world around me. I trust You today to help me work toward unity where I walk.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

Trusting God Part 26 - Lines in the Sand

by Gail Rodgers
We sat at the sidewalk cafe enjoying the warm sunshine in this pretty South American city nestled in the mountains. As I sipped my rich, dark coffee I was surprised by a bright orange plastic cup thrust into the midst of our table. I looked up into the eyes of a mountain woman. She was old and bent over and had such a weary sadness in her eyes. She was carrying a bundle of half wilted flowers in hopes of selling them for a few pennies. Someone came quickly to shoo her away from our table. John dropped some coins in her cup as she turned to leave.

No matter what country of the world we live in it seems there are invisible lines drawn in the sand. Lines drawn between those who have and those who do not; between those of one race and color and those of another; between those with power and prestige and those without.
Jesus words came to my mind.

“I tell you the truth; among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Matthew 11:11

God draws no lines in the sand. He clearly tells us that status among men means nothing in the economy of God. Have you drawn any lines in your neighborhood or in your place of work? Do you feel inferior in your place in life… or are there those you feel superior to… because of money, status, power or race? As God’s children it is our responsibility to do what we can to erase those invisible lines. To see each set of eyes that we look into as a soul loved by God in just the same way we feel His love.
Today look for places where the lines are drawn and ask God to show you how to do one small thing to help erase those lines. If you have status among men remember that in God’s economy it means nothing and he wants to use you to change the world around you.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
I confess that sometimes I have drawn invisible lines between myself and others. Please help me today to do one thing to erase those lines and to influence those around me to do the same. Thank you that status among men does not impress You. Thank you that You see the least in the kingdom as greatest. May I have Your perspective today where I walk.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

Trusting God Part 27 - Management Agreement

by Gail Rodgers
The 10 page document was placed in our hands for review. It outlined the responsibilities of both parties. Our job was to help bring balance and fairness to the people involved. This Agreement would help dispel confusion and bring clarity in the day to day business.

As we looked over each point of this Agreement I realized God has given you and me a “Management Agreement” in life too.

“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Here God was outlining His part in the management of my life. The God of Hope would fill me up with His joy and His peace, in spite of the circumstances of my life, so that I could overflow with hope to those around me. He would do this in and through me by the power of His Holy Spirit. Wow!
My part of the “Management Agreement” was outlined carefully, “as you trust in Him”.
God was using this very practical object lesson to remind me that I was trying to handle some challenging circumstances in my life in my own strength. I was trying to do God’s part of the “Management Agreement” of my life. He was reminding me that I simply needed to refresh my trust in Him in every detail of my life. He would give me what I needed in order to display His hope to those around me and He would do it by the Power of His Holy Spirit.
How about you? Are you trying to do God’s job in your life rather than tending to the part that He gave you responsibility for? Look over the “Management Agreement” He has given you and determine to refresh your trust in Him. As you do your part of trusting in Him, He will do His part. He will fill you by the power of His Holy Spirit so that you can overflow with hope to a watching world around you.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
I thank you that You have so simply laid out the requirements of what You want from me today…and that is to simply trust You to handle the details of my life. Please forgive me for trying to do what is Your part in my life. Help me today to trust you to fill me up with your joy and peace. Help me today to allow the hope You offer to overflow in me and through me, by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Thank you that as I refresh my trust in You to handle the details of my day today You will be my strength.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

Trusting God Part 28 - The Choice

by Gail Rodgers
He had a mistaken philosophy. He was a new Christian and the habits of the life he wanted to leave behind kept pulling at him. He excused each fall to temptation by dismissing it as part of the inevitable process of leaving the old life behind. What he did not realize was the fact that he was making choices to stay in his old ways.

Every day we choose what kind of person we will be. We choose to trust God or to stay in a state of anxiety. We choose to say “no” to things that draw us away from God or we choose to engage in them. We choose to love with the love He can put in our hearts or we choose to turn away.
Every day we make choices and every day those choices take us down a path.

• In a marriage we make the “I choose us” statement when we stand at the altar. Many times over we make the “I choose us” choice as we journey through married life. To choose otherwise takes you in a different direction.
• In business and day to day life we choose integrity and honesty or we choose otherwise and each takes us down a different path.
• In our walk with God we choose to allow Him to be a part of the details of our lives or we plunge ahead on our own. Each with its own result.
• In relationships we choose to respond with God’s help and love or we react out of our own feelings and each brings a different result.

God says “Choose this day whom you will serve”.
Every choice you make sets your foot in a particular direction. Be very aware today of what you choose. Ask God to make you sensitive to His Holy Spirit as you ask Him to help you in your choices today. Be conscious of the person you are choosing to be today.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Today I choose to serve You with my life. Remind me as I go through my day today to be aware of the choices I am making. Help me to conscious of the path I am putting my foot on by my choices today. Father, you know the kind of person I desire to be. Please empower me by your Holy Spirit to choose actions and reactions today that will help me become that person I desire to be.
I thank you and I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

Trusting God Part 29 - Praying Together

by Gail Rodgers
It was an interesting sight. Here we sat with the three owners discussing the future of their company. After going over some important decisions they had to make, one man asked, “Can we pray about this?” They reached out and took our hands. As the five of us held hands around the desk we committed to God the things we had just discussed. I was surprised at such an openness to spiritual things… even in this business arena.

I knew this was what God must have meant for us when He said in the Bible,

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Ephesians 6:18

The next day a lady and I dropped our husbands off at the airport. She was nervous and upset. Encouraged by the prayer the day before, I asked if we could stop there at the top of the escalator and pray. We clasped hands and committed our husbands to God.
I am freshly reminded that this is exactly what God tells us to do “on all occasions”. So often we listen to one another, share the concerns on our hearts and we go away, promising to pray for each other. And that is good.
But God is showing me, with a fresh reality, that to stop and pray as the situation is shared, is to declare His power in the spiritual realm. It is a declaration of trust in our God. It is raising the expectation of seeing the “God of Hope” work in a particular situation. And it raises the level of glory to Him when the answer comes and you can point back to the time of prayer.
Ask God for courage today to pray with someone. When a need is shared ask simply, “Can I say a prayer for that right now?” It need not be long and eloquent, just a simple plea for the help of the God of Hope.
If praying out loud with someone seems too much of a stretch for you just yet, tell them you will pray for them.
Raise the level of prayer in your life. Reach out and share prayer. Look for the “on all occasions with all kinds of prayers” in your day today. Watch God work and watch your own heart be encouraged!
prayer & reflection

Father God,
I want to raise the level of prayer in my life. Please help me today to share the privilege of bringing all kinds of requests to you on all occasions throughout my day. May my words be guided by Your Holy Spirit and may I be quick to respond to opportunities to introduce prayer into my conversations. Thank you for inviting us to come to You in prayer.
I ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.