June 4, 2014 Of David. A psalm. The earth is the LORDs, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Psalm 24:1 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. Psalm 81:10 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20 June 4, 2014 - Step By Step - Of David. A psalm. The earth is the LORDs, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. I am the LORD your God, Who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. Recently, my thoughts have been drifting back to a warm summer day in July of 1999. At this point is where my vision started and where time after time I have attempted to move forward - but as I was thinking it seemed like that all that had happened was that I had failed over and over again. And now today 14 years later here I am again getting ready to step out - to step by step move forward into all that God has given unto me, all that has been planted within me. The road less traveled is the hardest road to travel. Because it is an open road and everybody sees the falling and the falling and the failing Sometimes what others see as a failure - God sees as a step. And through each step is a gain - a gain of more closeness to Him - a gain of more listening to Him - a gain of more depending on Him. And at times step by step can be hard because you are moving as God directs you - you dont know where the next step will lead - you just step because God tells you to. . As much as I would like God to reveal his big plan for my life, my journey is comprised of one small, obedient step at a time. I cant see the 5 year plan. As much as Id like to start preparing for the unknowns of my future, they remain unknown. As much as I would like for the Lord to prove upfront that He is faithful, kind, loving, and unfailing, there is no faith or adventure in that. God knows that we grow closer to Him by leaning on Him for every moment and every decision. He promises that there are amazing blessings for those who bravely follow Him, without doubting. We just have to learn to trust our guide and take it ... step, by step, by step. Step By Step. Today I will take a step toward freedom and away from the brokenness in my past. Sometimes we can become overwhelmed by the “BIG PICTURE” of life: big dreams, big opportunities, big decisions, big transitions, and big questions. One of the biggest questions regarding the big picture that we often ask is “What is God’s plan for my life?” The key to answering this big question is actually found in taking what may seem like small steps. We only begin to see the big picture become a reality when we’re faithful with the relationships, opportunities, and obvious needs God has already place right in front of us. Lord, help me recognize Your voice when You call. Help me recognize Your trustworthy character and trust that You have my best interests in mind. Burn into my heart the desire to do the tasks You want me to accomplish for You. Give me the strength and courage to take the first step toward what You want me to do. God can take even a little faith and turn it into big faith if we will just take a step of faith. So many times we want the detailed blueprint. But just start with a step. Just start where you are. Do what you can. Step By Step. And each time I have to keep reminding myself to take the next step - to just step by step. God will use our experiences in life as stepping stones to prepare us for what He has in store next. Scripture tells us that He’ll even take the things the enemy tries to bring against us and turn them around and use them for our good. He is always leading us on a journey of preparation. That’s why it’s so important to keep our eyes focused on Him. We have to trust that when we are submitted to Him—even if we don’t understand—He is ordering our steps. If something is not happening on your timetable, remind yourself, “God knows what He is doing. He has my best interest at heart. God is preparing me.” While you’re waiting, don’t make the mistake of trying to figure everything out. If you’re constantly trying to figure things out, that will only frustrate you. Turn it over to God. Declare, “God, my times are in Your hands. I’m not going to worry because I trust that You are leading me on a journey of preparation for all the wonderful blessings You have in store for me.” Step By Step. God often calls us to move without direction. It’s the kind of stepping out in faith that few of us choose to do, yet God is constantly surrounding us, guiding us, even when we don’t sense His leading. Faith is the assurance of things unseen. It’s the confidence that God will provide as He said He will. And so much of life is operating in the unknown and trusting in something beyond ourselves. This doesn’t mean making irrational decisions or testing the waters of life just to see what will happen is wise. It does mean sensing where God is leading, and then stepping beyond our comfort zone with faith that He is with us. God often waits for us to step out in faith—to begin moving without a specific direction—before He provides the destination. I often take a look in Genesis 37, a look at Joseph - Joseph provides us an example of moving without direction. He gets a picture from God in a dream, of what his life will look like well into the future. But shortly after this dream everything in his life crumbles around him. And I can relate - back in July 1999 - I got a picture of where I was supposed to travel - the companies I was supposed to open - the home I was supposed to live in - the kind of cars I was supposed to drive - the type of charitable organizations I was supposed to be a part of and some that I was supposed to start - even writing these devotions that started out as a simple email of Bible study with a few friends all of this was shown to me by God back in July 1999. And many a time I have started to throw in the towel and God has come to me and shown me that I am on the right track many a time through some things that He has used to keep me going. And yet Joseph doesn’t waver on believing what he senses God will provide for him. He doesn’t know the end destination. He doesn’t receive specific instructions. But he does stay focused on honoring God with his life. And this is the point where I am now. I still do not see the how - the when - the where or the what but I do know the Who. God has said it and I know that His Word will not return void - so I choose today not to worry - I am just going to take it step by step believing in all that God has said. Because if you read the entire story of Joseph you will see that in the end God honored Joseph, not through perfect circumstances, but through Joseph’s willingness to stay faithful to moving forward in life without a specific sense of direction. Step By Step - Of David. A psalm. The earth is the LORDs, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. I am the LORD your God, Who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 12:42:00 +0000
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