How Do You Respond to Bad News?

How Do You Respond to Bad News? Today I heard a relative of my husband’s was sent home to be in hospice because there is nothing else the doctors can do for him. What do we do when we get these kinds of news? We all hope for a miracle. But what if the miracle does not manifest in our lives? It does not matter what kind of bad news we receive, we must have complete confidence and faith in Jesus. He is the only One who knows why things happen.

Today I want to encourage you to believe in Jesus no matter what you are going through in your life. The devotional I have for today talks about having complete confidence and faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ. Let's not lose our confidence and trust in Him.

Have Complete Confidence and Faith in Jesus
# 310

Mark 4:40 (NLT)
And he asked them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still not have faith in me?”

Jesus and His disciples were in their boat crossing a lake when a fierce storm arose. The disciples were afraid they were going to drown and went to wake up Jesus who they found peacefully sleeping in the back of the boat. Then Jesus asked His disciples the question above. It is insulting to Jesus when we have Him in our hearts, yet don’t have faith in Him to deliver us from the storms.

When we accept Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, we are telling Him we believe in His ability to save us from everything—including going to hell. How can we believe He saved us from eternal damnation in hell, but we don’t have enough faith to believe He can get us through the storms in our lives?

When Jesus was inside the boat with His disciples and a storm developed all around them, He was sleeping in peace. How could He do that? Simply because He had complete confidence in His Father, and He knew that no matter what was going on in the world around Him, the Father would take care of Him. This is a revelation we must appropriate in our hearts.

If you accepted Jesus, then He is in you now and all that He is and represents is inside of you, in your spirit. Having Him in your life means you have His power, His anointing, peace, love, joy, and everything else God wants you to have to be successful in Him.

Wisdom - A gift from God

Wisdom - A gift from God. From all the gifts that God can give us, I think wisdom is one of the best ones because when we have wisdom, we can discern God’s will in our lives. Wisdom helps us choose what is right and what is wrong. Wisdom gives us an awareness that the more knowledge we acquire the more we realize how little we really know and how vast God’s knowledge is. There are some things that happen in our lives that we do not know the reason or the answer when we ask why. Wisdom allows us to be okay with not knowing those answers because we acknowledge the sovereignty of God. Today I want to share with you the devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women that talks about letting wisdom enter in our hearts. Enjoy!

Let Wisdom Enter in Your Heart
# 350

Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NLT)
The hearts of the wise lead them to do right, and the hearts of the foolish lead them to do evil.

God wants us to be wise. He wants to give us His wisdom because earthly wisdom is the same as foolishness. It takes us down the wrong path, leads us to do evil, and ends in destruction. The Word of God tells us to ask Him for wisdom. It is a gift He is willing and ready to pour out on us when we ask. But just as with other gifts, He can only give it to us if we are trustworthy. How do we become trustworthy in the eyes of God? By being faithful with all the other gifts He entrusts us with, by putting them to use for His Kingdom, and by developing them.

When we have godly wisdom we know what is the right thing to do every time. Godly wisdom gives us self-confidence, inner peace, and a knowing beyond doubt that we are doing the right thing. We are wise when we recognize we get wisdom from Him and when we ask Him what to do in every circumstance. Being wise is recognizing that our job, company, friends, relatives, or even our church are not our source—only He is. All those things and people are gifts from Him we must treasure and appreciate.

Ask God to pour out His wisdom into your heart. Ecclesiastes 8:1 (NLT) says, “How wonderful to be wise, to be able to analyze and interpret things. Wisdom lights up a person’s face, softening its hardness.” Proverbs 2:10 (NLT) says, “For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.”

Our Source of Strength and Peace

Our Source of Strength and Peace. As I sit here today and reflect over the past week, I can only thank God for all He’s done for all of us. Last Sunday was Easter and He gave us the gift of life—to each one of us. Last week was also my birthday and I received the news that one of my friends who was pregnant had lost her baby. I had just finished saying thank you to someone who had wished me happy birthday and I was sharing how much I like birthdays because it gives me the opportunity to celebrate another year of life. Today, another friend had her baby and everything went fine. Sometimes we do not know why things happen but we do know that God is there for us to celebrate our happy moments and to embrace us during our times of sorrow. Today, I want to share with you one of the devotionals from my book to give you hope and encouragement in your life.

The Lord Is Our Source of Strength and Peace
# 139

Psalm 29:11 (NLT)
The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.

God is so powerful! He used His power to raise Jesus from the dead. The Holy Spirit gives us that same power, which is the source of our strength. This is one of the many benefits we have as children of God. We are weak but made strong in the Lord. He gives us the strength we need on a daily basis to fulfill the calling He has given us. He also blessed us with His peace that surpasses all understanding. The peace of God cannot be found in this world because it can only come from Him. Peace is another great benefit He gives us because He loves us.

When the stress of life with work and home responsibilities is getting to you, stand on His promise and go to the source of strength and peace—God.

Let's Stay Healthy and Productive

Let's Stay Healthy and Productive. As we continue to hear about Social Security (In the United States) not being here for us when we get older, and as we hear more about the health care reform, two things come to mind: 1) we must remain in good health so we can continue to work longer than planned, and 2) we must keep a good attitude toward life and see our life here on earth as a training ground for what God has prepared for us in eternity. When we have that perspective in life, we start thinking of new things we can do and learn to help others while we are here. Today I want to encourage you to always be fruitful in your life and want to share one of the devotionals in my book, Devotions for Working Women. Enjoy!

Purpose to Remain Fruitful Always
# 271

Psalm 92:14 (NLT)
Even in old age they will produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.

In this verse, Moses is referring to the godly. In verse 12 he says, “But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like cedars of Lebanon.” I plan to be a godly woman who will continue to produce fruit, be vital, and healthy even in my old age. Do you see yourself that way too?

Are you of old age now and still working and being productive? Then I’m proud of you. Some women start saying they’re old when they’re in their thirties, forties, or even fifties. If you retire at fifty-five or sixty-five, you still may have thirty to forty years to live. What are your plans? If you work for God, you will never retire. You have work for an eternity—to rule and reign with Him forever. Your time here is only preparation. I’m planning to continue my learning, preparation, and training until the day I meet Him personally in heaven. Do you?

Change your perspective with regards to work. When you work for the King, the Most High, our Father God, He will never lay you off, His benefits are the best, and He pays with His riches in glory!
It’s never too late to go back to school, start your own business, or start a new career. Follow your heart through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Be fruitful.

We Need Rest

We Need Rest. We all live busy lives but when our lives get even busier and the level of stress increases yet another level, what are we to do? How are we to handle the additional load that we have to carry? Lately, I have been experiencing that feeling of being “overwhelmed” consistently with no time to rest or to get refreshed and renewed. So what do I do? I go back to the basics—if I have something new to add to my life, something else has to leave! Today, I would like to share with you the devotional that talks about rest as a gift from God. Enjoy and rest!

Rest Is a Gift from God
# 11

Hebrews 4:9-10 (NLT)
So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who enter into God’s rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating the world.

Exodus 23:12 (NLT)

“Work six days, and rest on the seventh. This will give your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It will also allow the people of your household, including your slaves and visitors, to be refreshed.”

Did you know God commands us to rest? He created us to be able to work six days and rest the seventh. He Himself gave us the first example in the Book of Genesis when—after spending six days creating the entire universe—He rested on the seventh. If God wanted to rest, what makes us think we don’t need to?

Unfortunately, we don’t allow ourselves to rest enough. We keep going and going until there is nothing left of ourselves to give. We push until we burn out physically and spiritually. Our bodies and minds need rest. Proper rest refreshes and strengthens our body; it reenergizes our minds so we can think clearly again. Not only that, when we clear our minds from the daily pressures and stresses of life, the Lord can speak to us in order to refresh, renew, and strengthen our spirit.

We can experience a special peace and rest in God—but only when we obey and do His will. Rest is a blessing and a gift from God. Are you getting enough of it?

See Others With The Eyes of God

See Others With The Eyes of God. Recently I have been dealing with a person who is usually not very friendly and sometimes rude to others, including me. How do you deal with people like this? While praying about the situation today, the Lord has put in my heart to give this person a chance, to see this person with the eyes of love, compassion, and understanding of God—just as He does toward us. Today, I would like to encourage you to give that person in your life another chance and to see them from God’s perspective. This devotional reminds us to be humble, gentle, and patient with others so we can fulfill the call of God in our lives. Enjoy!

Be Humble, Gentle, and Patient
# 29

Ephesians 4:1-2 (NLT)
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

In this verse Paul is writing to the church of Ephesus, and he is begging them to live a life worthy of their calling. We are all called to serve Him in a special way. But in order for us to walk in the will of God, in our calling, we must be humble, gentle, and patient with one another. These are rare character traits in the business community and the workplace. God cannot use us if we are proud because in our pride we become deceived, rude, and impatient. Gentleness is another rarity these days. People don’t treat each other gently, but abruptly. Our lives have become so busy we don’t have patience to wait for anything, help somebody in need, or just love people.

Have you realized that you have been called by God? I encourage you to strive to be a humble, gentle, and patient woman so God can use you to the fullest.

We Need Balance

We Need Balance. These past two weeks have been out of balance for me. The workload increased significantly and my school work was beyond what I could complete in one week’s time in between classes. Last Tuesday was going to be one of those days with back to back meetings and no time to do work. So I prayed and asked God to balance my day and cancel all my meetings… and He did! Out of five meetings I had during the work day, somehow four got cancelled. Even my prayer group got cancelled that night which gave me the opportunity to meet my daughter for dinner. My lunch appointment also got cancelled so I called my husband and asked him to take me out to lunch so I was able to spend some time with him as well. God turned what was going to be an out of control day into a blessed, relaxing day and I completed everything I needed to get done. This experience reminded me that we should ask God to help us balance our lives—on a daily basis. Today I want to share with you the first devotional I wrote for my book on the topic of balance. Enjoy!

Balance Is a Daily Prayer
# 1

Psalm 119:133 (NLT)
Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by any evil.
Psalm 25:4 (NLT)
Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow.

With so many important things in our lives to manage, we long for balance. Balancing our lives is a daily prayer. With God’s guidance, our personal discipline, and careful planning we can achieve balance in our lives. In His Word we not only find the truth, but also the strength and wisdom needed to help us complete and accomplish all God has called us to do.

When we pray we have to ask for the balance we need—on a daily basis. His Word says in John 16:24 (NKJV), “Ask, and you will receive.” Just as we ask God for our health, our jobs, or for wisdom, balance is a precious gift, but we can only achieve it by working together with God.

Therefore, ask Him to help you balance your daily life, and once He shows you the path you should walk, be sure to follow His lead.

How to Make Difficult Decisions

How to Make Difficult Decisions. What do you do when you are faced with important decisions to make and you have different choices? Do you think things through, analyze the situation carefully, and then make the best decision you can with the information you have at hand? I believe that we need to make those steps but there is one more step we need to take which is to ask God for wisdom to help us make those difficult decisions. Today I want to share with you one of the devotionals that talks about seeking God’s wisdom. Enjoy!

Seek God’s Wisdom
# 358

Proverbs 2:6-7 (NLT)
For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity.

Each day at work we encounter numerous situations that require us to make decisions. Many of these decisions can be challenging. In fact, sometimes we struggle with knowing when to act and when to make the correct decision—at the right time. However, when we seek God’s wisdom, He grants it to us as a gift. Once we ask, we must remember to stop and listen for His response. As we gain His knowledge and understanding, things become clearer and we know what to do. When we walk in His wisdom, we become women of integrity, with no hidden agendas.

Therefore, when people ask you why you are so wise, don’t forget to give the glory to God.

Finish Your Race

Finish Your Race. During the course of our lives we will encounter bumps on our road, obstacles to jump through, and many opportunities to deviate from our main path. We all have a big race to run—our lives. But we also have “mini races” within the big marathon of life. Today, I want to encourage you to stay on course, don’t lose focus of the big picture, and finish the “mini race” you’re currently running. I want to share with you one of the devotionals from my book Devotions for Working Women that encourages us to finish our race. Enjoy!

Finish Your Race
# 174

2 Timothy 4:7 (NLT)
I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.

These were some of Paul’s final words to Timothy. Our number one goal in life should be to finish the race God placed before us and planned for our lives. We each have a unique race that only we can finish. During the race we must remain faithful to God’s Word and direction in our lives. We do not run an easy race. That’s why Paul said, “I have fought a good fight.”

Jesus said that in the world we shall have tribulation but to be of good cheer for He has overcome the world (John 16:33 NLT). When we seek God first, we have His wisdom, peace, joy, grace, and all the benefits we receive from being His children, then we can finish the race.

Finish your race and stay faithful to the Lord. Then you will be able to say Paul’s words when your time comes to meet your Lord and Savior personally.

Never Stop Being Thankful

Never Stop Being Thankful. These past two weeks I have been in “thanksgiving mode” because I realized (once again) how good God is to me and to all of us. With the busyness of life, we tend to forget the most important things in our lives—God and the people we love. Today, I want to share with you another devotional that reminds us to be thankful to God for everything He has done for us—little and big. Enjoy!

God Is So Good to Us
#292
Psalm 13:6 (NLT)
I will sing to the Lord because he has been so good to me.
Psalm 103:2 (NLT)
Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me.

The biggest thing God did is to send His Son Jesus to die for us so we could be saved. Jesus came to give us abundant life. This means He came to restore our relationship with the Father so we could fellowship and be with Him for an eternity. Wow, what a plan, and how undeserving we are! How can we forget this? If nothing else, let’s thank God for salvation every day of our lives on earth.

In addition to salvation, while you are living this life, you must notice the other small, simple things God does for you simply because He loves you. I challenge you to write a list of all the things you have, every talent and gift you possess, every person He put in your life, and all the nature around you. You will find yourself writing for a long time. God did all that for you.

Sometimes you may get wrapped up in your career and neglect your relationships, including your family. Remember, the most important gift God has given you, after salvation through Jesus, is other people. Therefore, you need to allocate time to nurture them. God put every person in your life for a purpose. You have the ability to influence their lives, and they have the ability to influence yours. Thank God for your current job (or for a new one if you are in transition) and don’t take for granted all the other things and the people He blessed you with. When you are surrounded by all the people you love—that is heaven on earth.

A Thankful Heart

A Thankful Heart. Today I write to you with a thankful heart. Sometimes we don’t know why things happen at work but they all happen for a reason and the Lord can use any circumstance to do something good for us. This past week was very intense at work. There were some major organizational changes that affected me directly but by the end of the week I got promoted with the titles that better reflect my current role. I would like to share with you one of the devotionals that talks about giving all the glory to God—always. He is the One we need to thank for everything we have. Enjoy!

Give God All the Glory—Always
# 291
Psalm 115:1 (NLT)
Not to us, O Lord, but to you goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.

During our working lives we will have triumphs and victories we celebrate. Some examples include being promoted, moving to a particular area within our company, being recognized publicly for our accomplishments, obtaining a degree, etc. It can be anything that brings glory to ourselves. In those moments, we have the opportunity to become proud or to give all the glory—all of it—to God.

How do you stay humble when everything is going well and you’re on top of the world? By getting on your knees at home in front of the Lord to thank Him, by recognizing that He is the reason of your success, knowing that without Him you are nothing, by doing everything you do as unto Him, and by not forgetting Him.

Give God the glory for everything you are, everything you have, and everything you do on a daily basis. He deserves the glory because of His unfailing love for us and His faithfulness.

Do You Need Wisdom Today?

Do You Need Wisdom Today? Daily we encounter situations at work where we need to make important decisions. Sometimes it is hard to determine what’s the best course of action and when is the best time to act. It is in those times when we need to seek God and His wisdom. Today I want to share with you a devotional that encourages us to do so. Enjoy!

Seek God’s Wisdom
# 358

Proverbs 2:6-7 (NLT)
For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity.

Each day at work we encounter numerous situations that require us to make decisions. Many of these decisions can be challenging. In fact, sometimes we struggle with knowing when to act and when to make the correct decision—at the right time. However, when we seek God’s wisdom, He grants it to us as a gift. Once we ask, we must remember to stop and listen for His response. As we gain His knowledge and understanding, things become clearer and we know what to do. When we walk in His wisdom, we become women of integrity, with no hidden agendas.

Therefore, when people ask you why you are so wise, don’t forget to give the glory to God.

Give Your Burdens to Jesus

Give Your Burdens to Jesus. Do you sometimes feel you can’t go on anymore? Do you find yourself burdened with all the worries of your daily life, work is stressful, and you have a lot going on in your life? Today I want to share with you one of the devotionals from my book that encourages us to give all our burdens to Jesus. When we do that, we will find rest and will have the strength to go on. Blessings!

Give Your Burdens to Jesus and He Will Give You Rest
# 100
Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

As working women, we may often feel weary. Sometimes our burdens are so heavy we can hardly make the next step. This is a scripture we need to get a hold of and personalize. Let’s give our burdens to Jesus. He is there for us. He wants to take them. God is pleased when we give our burdens to Jesus because that act tells Him we trust Him and believe in Him fully.

Our rest starts in our spirit and soul. Jesus promises us that rest. When we have rest spiritually, we have peace, and that peace eliminates the stress of our burdens.

Praise God for your job and thank Him for the grace and strength He gives you to do all that He has called you to do on a daily basis. For those of you who are single working moms, don’t despair. You are not alone, and Jesus wants to help you carry your burden. Jesus tells us in verses 29 and 30, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.”

New Year - New Ideas

New Year - New Ideas. As we start the New Year and get going with our jobs, it is always good to take account of what we do at work. Do you have old procedures or processes that need to be revised or improved? Do you do things just because that’s how they always did them in your company before you started working there? If that’s the case, a New Year is always a great opportunity to change old ways and create new ways of doing the old. This will not only help you improve efficiencies in your company but will also help you to get excited about your job again. Today I want to share with you a devotional that talks about being open to new ideas. Enjoy!

Be Open to New Ideas
# 262

Proverbs 18:15 (KJV)
The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

Successful people are always looking for new ideas and how to improve current processes. No matter what you do or where you work, always look for new ideas. Welcome change and be open to doing things in a new way. You can transform an old job into a brand new one just by implementing new ideas and ways of doing things. The New Living Translation version of this verse says it this way: “Intelligent people are always open to new ideas. In fact, they look for them.”

Make an effort to be more open. Ask God for new ideas to implement in your job and in your business. When you get the ideas, implement them (if it’s within your realm of authority) or seek the appropriate approval. If you are a manager, always be open to your employees’ ideas. They will be grateful you considered them even if you don’t end up implementing them.

Always Do What's Right

Always Do What's Right. As you may know, I’m completing a B.A. in Business Management through Bethel University’s College of Adult Learning program. My next class is on Ethics and, as I was doing my first assignment, it made me think of how we all behave at work on a daily basis. My assignment was for me to define the words “right” and “wrong” in my own words (without looking them up in a dictionary or asking anybody, just what I thought the words meant). Of course, we all know what right and wrong is but today I wanted to share with you one of the devotionals from my book that talks about always doing what is right. Enjoy!

God Gives Us the Grace to Always Do what Is Right
#107

Psalm 84:11-12 (NLT)
For the Lord our God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who do what is right. O Lord Almighty, happy are those who trust in you.

When we first come to Christ, we move from living in darkness to living in the light. As we grow in the knowledge of God, the Holy Spirit teaches us all truth. As we become mature Christians and have a revelation of what is right and wrong, we have the responsibility to do what is right—always.

Doing what’s right on a consistent basis and on our own strength is difficult, but we can do it with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Bible promises the Lord withholds “no good thing” from those who do what is right. In the workplace, we must make a decision to always do what’s right regardless of the consequences—even if it includes losing our jobs. We have to trust God in every situation to give us the wisdom necessary to handle it correctly. We must trust Him to protect us and give us grace.

Our part is to not compromise our beliefs but rather to trust in God. His part is to protect us and be our light. He is our “sun and shield” (v. 11 KJV).

New Year's Resolution

New Year’s Resolution. As we start a New Year, instead of making the same resolutions we’ve all done in the past such as losing weight or working out, let’s make a new resolution—to acquire a life-long learning attitude. We not only need to be learning more of the things of God to make it in this world, but we also need to learn more in our jobs and industry. Like the author in one of my management books said, “The more you learn, the more you earn.”

Today, I want to share with you one of the devotionals from my book, Devotions for Working Women, that talks about how we can achieve this goal. Enjoy!

Acquire a Life-long Learning Attitude
# 260
Mark 4:25 (NLT)

To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them.

Jesus encouraged His disciples to always be open to listen and continue to learn from Him because the higher their desire was to learn, the more they understood. On the contrary, people who don’t care or listen to the things of God drift away and forget even the little they know.

To be successful in the corporate world and our personal lives, we need to become life-long learners. This is true in the natural as well as in the spiritual area. We cannot grow in our spiritual journey with God if we don’t spend time learning from Him and are not open to His daily teaching to us. Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, is willing to teach us how to live our lives and be successful in every area.

Jesus said those who are open to His teachings will receive more understanding because the things of God are understood with the spirit, not with our human minds. When we open our hearts to learn about the things of God, our spiritual understanding is illuminated and we receive revelation—the moment when we “get it.”

Purpose in your heart to be open to a life-long learning attitude both professional and spiritually. This will ensure a well-balanced successful life here on earth.

Let's be Thankful

Let’s Be Thankful. Well, Christmas is over, just like that! Here in Minnesota we had over a foot of snow and it looks beautiful. Even though the snow storm caused many people to change plans for the holidays, I hope you enjoyed being with loved ones and were able to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas – the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Today, I want to encourage you to give thanks to God for all you have, your family and friends, your job, and everything that God has given you and done for you. Below is one of the devotionals from my book that talks about Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Burst Out in Thanksgiving
# 286

Psalm 28:7 (NLT)
The Lord is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

What a promise this is to us! In this verse, David is telling the Lord how much he trusts Him—with all his heart. We must follow David’s example of trust and thankfulness. For all the little and big things the Lord does for us on a daily basis, we ought to be bursting out in thankfulness.

You have much to thank God for. When you are feeling down (and we all have those days), just start thanking God by faith. After a few minutes, and a few things you say to thank Him, His Holy Spirit will fill you up with joy. That joy will start expanding in your heart until you are ready to burst.

Thank God for your job every day. If you are in transition, thank Him for the right job He has for you. We are to be women of thankful hearts.

Celebrating Christmas

Celebrating Christmas. Well, Christmas is already this week. Today I just want to encourage you with the message from my Devotions for Working Women book. I wish you a Merry Christmas!

Jesus Did It All
# 125
Isaiah 53:3 (NLT)
He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.

Do you know the man the prophet Isaiah is talking about? His name is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Since we humans messed up and gave Satan control over this earth, God came up with a plan to bring us back to Him. It is the plan of salvation God gave to Jesus to fulfill when He was on this earth. It is a simple plan that humans complicated. God sent His only begotten Son to save us and for all who believe to have everlasting life. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we accept salvation. We restore our fellowship with God the Father.

The following verses complete the story. “Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we may have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they lead him away to his death…But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and fill him with grief… He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins” (vv. 4-11). If you haven’t given your life to Jesus yet, it is never too late. Today is your day!

Pray for Balance Daily

Pray for Balance Daily. During these busy holiday times it seems the days get shorter and the list of things to do gets longer. It is hard to give the every day things to God and ask Him for help to get us through each day. But when we do, I believe, God stretches our time supernaturally and somehow we manage to get it all done. Today I would like to share with you one of the devotionals from my book that talks about praying for balance. Enjoy the time with family and friends during the Christmas time!

Balance Is a Daily Prayer
# 1

Psalm 119:133 (NLT)
Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by any evil.
Psalm 25:4 (NLT)
Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow.

With so many important things in our lives to manage, we long for balance. Balancing our lives is a daily prayer. With God’s guidance, our personal discipline, and careful planning we can achieve balance in our lives. In His Word we not only find the truth, but also the strength and wisdom needed to help us complete and accomplish all God has called us to do.

When we pray we have to ask for the balance we need—on a daily basis. His Word says in John 16:24 (NKJV), “Ask, and you will receive.” Just as we ask God for our health, our jobs, or for wisdom, balance is a precious gift, but we can only achieve it by working together with God.

Therefore, ask Him to help you balance your daily life, and once He shows you the path you should walk, be sure to follow His lead.

How to Keep Our Priorities Straight

How to Keep Our Priorities Straight. With all the things we have going on in our lives it is sometimes difficult to choose our priorities. I often find myself prioritizing my priorities! In those times, I have to slow down and go back to the basics by asking myself a simple question: What does God want me to do now? Today, I would like to share with you one of the devotionals from my book that talks about our priorities in life. Enjoy!

Keep God at the Top of Your Priorities
# 6
1 John 5:21 (NLT)
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

The King James Version of this verse says, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” With so many things this world offers us, we have to be careful and guard our hearts at all times from things that have the potential of taking God’s place in our hearts. We all have desires and dreams we want to pursue in our lives. Most of them are placed by God in us. However, even when those desires and dreams are from God, we have to be careful they don’t occupy our entire life. These dreams can become our idols if that’s what we pursue day and night and if we spend all of our resources on them. Things that can move us away from God are not only natural things such as money, success, fame, popularity, hobbies, or even our children; they can be also our desires, dreams, and our idols (including people we idolize). In other words, anything that takes priority over God in our lives can become our idol.

To refocus, always go back to the Word. Matthew 6:33 (KJV) says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” The key is to put God first in your life. Everything else falls into place after Him.