Day-by-Day – Day 47 – Hidden

On May 14, 2009May 12, 2009 By KateIn Devotionals1 Comment

Mist in Woods

~Job 42:2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

I have heard many times that as long as I don’t carry out my thoughts into action, I’m O.K. However, God knows our every thought. Jesus even went so far as to say:

~Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Nothing can be hidden from God. Our sin cannot be hidden, even if it is in thought only. Our discouragement and pain cannot be hidden from Him:

~Psalm 69:5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.

~Psalm 38:9 Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.

God knows every little part of me down to the smallest cell in my body. Since He knows us to the finest detail, He is able to know our goings as well:

~Psalm 139:15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

~Jeremiah 23:24a Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD.

There is not a place, even in our own thoughts, that we can hide from God. Therefore, let us keep our thought life in check and centered on the Lord then our actions will follow.

Repentance is to leave
The sin we loved before,
And show that we in earnest grieve
By doing so no more.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Day-by-Day – Day 46 – God’s Mercy

On May 13, 2009May 12, 2009 By KateIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

Birds and waves

~He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

Can you imagine if God dealt with us and rewarded us according to the amount of sin in our lives? We would all be goners! That is why His mercy is so overwhelming! There is NO man who has ever lived that is without sin – contrary to catholic belief. God did not say it only once, but four times in His Word:

~Psalm 14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

~Psalm 53:3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

~Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

~Romans 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

If even one person were born without sin, these four verses would not be in God’s Word because God cannot lie.

~Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie;

God’s Word is truth so there cannot be anything false in the Bible.

~John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Since all of us are sinners, we all fight the same battle with our flesh. We desire to sin because we were born with a sin nature because of Adam and Eve’s fall. Praise be to God that we are not dealt with according to our sins! God in His mercy sent His Son to take on our punishment. That is love!

*The above photograph was taken by Pam Banegas.

Day-by-Day – Day 45 – A Virtuous Woman

On May 12, 2009 By KateIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

Mist in Trees

~Proverbs 31:10, 27-28 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

Noah Webster defines the word “virtuous” as:

1. Morally good; acting in conformity to the moral law; practicing the moral duties, and abstaining from vice; as a virtuous man.

2. Being in conformity to the moral or divine law; as a virtuous action; a virtuous life.

3. Chaste; applied to women.

The virtuous woman spoken of in Proverbs 31 is the woman who lives a chaste and morally good life. Women merely need to turn to this chapter in God’s Word to find out how God wishes for them to live. What have I learned from this chapter? Here are but a few things to which I judge myself according to the Bible:

Does God and His Word come first in my life? If yes, I can expect my spiritual life to be chaste and moral. If not, I am no better than the unsaved “religious” person who tries to do so “in the flesh.” There is no peace and victory without God being first in our lives.
Is my husband my priority in all the things that I do and say in my home? After all, after Christ, my husband is my life. This encompasses a great deal. If I follow this pattern of chastity and being morally good, I will not listen to music which will have my thoughts stray away from my beloved. If I follow this pattern, I will not watch shows on television that involve adultery, etc., which will have my thoughts stray away from my beloved. This also includes anything that would stir up rebellion in my heart. I can’t begin to tell you the number of “Christian” women I know who watch Desperate Housewives! The commercials alone would cause Christian women to question their own happiness. I cannot stress this one enough. The virtuous woman is to be content with the husband that God has given to her. Even though salvation came after marriage, there is no excuse. We women are commanded to love our husbands no matter what (1 Peter 3:1-3). There is no deviation there. Do I love my husband unconditionally as Christ loves me? Do I repeatedly forgive my husband as Christ repeatedly forgives me? Granted, the wife of an unsaved husband faces different challenges in her marriage, however, God’s commands to her are the same as to the woman whose husband is a Godly man.
Do I raise my children according to God’s Word? How do I handle situations with them when Dad does not agree with me? Do I dishonor Dad by correcting him or making him look bad in front of the children? If I am honoring my husband, so will my children. Do my children’s needs come before my husband’s needs? This is not what God intends for me. Granted, a baby’s needs are more immediate but after those needs are met, my husband should be first once again. My example to my children should be a living testimony of obedience to God’s Word.
Do I take care of the home that God has blessed me with? A home is not a house, per se. It is anywhere that my husband and I (and children) reside. Making it a home is up to me. My obedience to God, my creativity, my talents, and my attitude make up the home. Sadly there is a saying in the world that goes something like this: “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t NOBODY happy!” That saying breaks my heart. The virtuous woman’s home should be a safe haven for her husband and children. Her husband should be anxious to enter the doors at the end of the day. My attitude “du jour” will be the spirit of my home. If I am grumpy, my family will suffer and they will be grumpy. However, if I started my day with the Lord and am yielded to Him, my spirit will be joyous and my family will reap the benefit. It is do-able!

The woman who desires to be all that God intends for her to be will have her nose in her Bible at some point in her day (preferably at the start of each day). She will desire Him first in her life, every day. The Holy Spirit can then work in her heart and give her direction from His Word.

We will never achieve perfection on this earth but we can be busy striving to be what God has intended for us to be. This brings true peace and joy!

*The photograph above was taken by a dear friend, Pam Banegas. What a talent the Lord has given to her!

Day-by-Day – Day 44 – Sin’s Appeal

On May 11, 2009May 7, 2009 By KateIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

Recent Events 058

~Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Sin’s appeal works in many ways. If the devil cannot attract us through one of our senses, he will use another. This is apparent in the account of Eve’s temptation in the Garden of Eden.

After Satan questioned Eve as to what God had told her, he probably saw that she understood what God had said to her. So his first attempt was to appeal to her reasoning. He twisted God’s words around to cause Eve to question what she had actually heard. Had that worked completely, he would not have had the need to proceed, in my opinion.

However, he did proceed – Eve probably needed just a nudge to turn her thinking around and he knew just how it do it. So Satan then appealed to her sense of sight. She saw the fruit and it was pleasant to her eyes. She sees that the fruit is healthy fruit and has no blemishes. Now the devil has appealed to her reasoning and her sense of sight.

Like anyone else guilty of doing what we’re not suppose to do, Eve wants to share that with someone close. She had no one else but Adam. Adam could have said no. But he didn’t. God punished Adam just as much as He punished Eve. They both had the opportunity to say no, but they did not. Had they just yelled out to God to come to their rescue, the fall of man would not be an issue today.

Are we any different? No! How many times a day do we give into temptation? We cannot blame Adam and Eve for their sin. We are just as much to blame and we possess the same weak flesh as they had. At least we can recognize what is going on because we have God’s Word to instruct us. Let’s pay attention to the devil’s antics. He’s only going to get worse as his end draws near.

In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.
Blaise Pascal

Day-by-Day – Day 43 – Quiet

On May 8, 2009May 7, 2009 By KateIn Devotionals1 Comment

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~Psalm(a) 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God:

Today’s distractions are many. Between television, radio, i-Pods, and internet, the average Christian is bombarded. The prayer closet is cluttered. It no longer is a place where God and His child meet on a regular basis. We compromise when we think that our reading the Word can take place of this quiet time. We compromise when we think that doing God’s work is sufficient. Thinking this way makes us no better than the religious person at this point. Our motives are all wrong.

God desires to speak to us and show us things in our lives that we cannot even begin to comprehend.

~Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Did you notice Jeremiah says that God will show us things we do not know? Don’t you want to know as much from God as you can? How can you if you are living with distractions. Get yourself alone with God. Find a spot in your home or outside your home that is away from distractions. I love my ride to work along the beautiful scenic coast of Oregon. There are many stops along the way that overlook the gorgeous Pacific Ocean and I find this the best place to spend time with the Lord. Find your “spot” and get alone with God. Call unto Him as Jeremiah encourages us to do.

I often wonder what I have missed when I have given up that quiet time with the Lord. I’m sure I will be shedding tears in Heaven when I see what God had prepared to teach me and I ignored Him!

All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.
Blaise Pascal

Day-by-Day – Day 42 – Glorifying the Lord

On May 7, 2009May 7, 2009 By KateIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

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~1 Corinthians 10:31b … whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Whatsoever we do, do to the glory of God … what a tall order for the believer who is living on the fence. We all have experienced sitting on the fence of compromise at one time or another in our Christian walk.

Hopefully, the older we get in Christ, the less sitting we do on that fence and the more we stay on the side of righteousness. Ole slew foot loves that fence – it belongs to him. The longer a Christian sits on the fence of compromise, the longer Satan has nothing to worry about. The Gospel does not get spread, the power of the Holy Spirit is not demonstrated to the unsaved world! A famous preacher once called this fence, “the fence of do nothing.”

What can we do to honour the Lord? Everything! We are exhorted to honour Him in all things. Just to name a few:

How we take care of our bodies (ouch – what a conviction), the temple which houses the Holy Spirit, should be kept in shape and healthy.
Our work around the house – should be as impeccable as the work we do for our employer.
Our language – should be consistent and “clean.”
Each task we do should reflect Christ – doing everything to His glory.

Doing our own moral inventory each day will keep us on track in this area. It’s never too late to start honouring God with our words and actions.

I believe that our God is best praised in common things. He who molds a shoe with a right motive is praising God as much as the seraph who pours forth his celestial sonnet.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Day-by-Day- Day 41 – Fiery Trials

On May 5, 2009May 5, 2009 By KateIn Devotionals3 Comments

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~Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

How often do we really desire God’s will in our lives? It is not our nature to desire anything that would be difficult in life. We do not wish for sickness, heartache, and difficult trials. However, there are times that God allows sickness, heartache and difficult trials to draw us closer to Him. He also allows them so that we can be a help to others who are going through the same thing. All that we go through in life should be a testimony to God’s goodness and His faithfulness.

So when we go through difficulties, let us be thankful because we know that it is God’s will for us and He will be sure to help us through. God never gives us more than we can handle.

Fiery trials make golden Christians.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Day-by-Day – Day 39 – The Word of the Lord

On April 30, 2009May 1, 2009 By KateIn Devotionals2 Comments

p7050022 The phrase, “the word of the Lord,” appears 255 times in the Authorized Version. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have been contacted by readers criticizing the fact that I believe that the Bible is the sole authority to the Christian. If God sees fit to put the phrase, “the word of the Lord,” 255 times in the Bible, then it must be important!

I found it interesting that the last time it appears in the Bible is found in 1 Peter. Peter said that God’s Word would endure forever! God doesn’t need man to add it to His Word or even make it better or clearer.

~1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Day-by-Day – Day 38 – Prayer

On April 29, 2009April 27, 2009 By KateIn Devotionals1 Comment

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~Psalm 61:1-2 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

What would we do without prayer? No matter how desperate our situation may be, we can ask the Lord to lead us to a place spiritually that will encourage us and lift us up. Without Christ as our Saviour, we cannot pray this. However, with Christ we are able to cry out to God and He will lead us to the Rock. That Rock is our Shepherd – it is He who will lead us to water – lead us to green pastures – forgive us our sins – lift up our spirits and raise us up!

You’ve been there, haven’t you? Tears wet your bed in the night. But with prayer, the sun rose the next morning and a new day came with all the blessed hope of renewed peace and joy. It is Christ who brings us this precious gift. It is He who loves us so much that He cares for us as a parent cares for his child. Thank You, Lord!!!

Maranatha – Awaiting Christ's Return

Tag: Day by day

Day-by-Day – Day 47 – Hidden

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Day-by-Day – Day 46 – God’s Mercy

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Day-by-Day – Day 45 – A Virtuous Woman

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Day-by-Day – Day 44 – Sin’s Appeal

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Day-by-Day – Day 43 – Quiet

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Day-by-Day – Day 42 – Glorifying the Lord

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Day-by-Day- Day 41 – Fiery Trials

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Day-by-Day – Day 39 – The Word of the Lord

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Day-by-Day – Day 38 – Prayer

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