A New Day

by Charity Pence

This Week's Verse: "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalm 27:14 (NKJ)

There was a time when I looked forward to New Year's.  I'd jot down my resolutions and then ring in the new year with family.  We'd bang pots and pans, cheer, have a toast for all the good to come.  The new year always held such potential.  Regardless of what occurred the prior year, I could smile and be joyful.  A new year brought a new day, new opportunities.

Each year, a bit of that excitement slips through my fingers as I'm reminded that one day doesn't change anything.  Not really.  On New Year's Eve, when the clock strikes midnight, there's no magic wand that waves away our struggles.  And, thankfully, our blessings are not waved away, either.  Instead, life goes on in one continuous loop that seems to speed up and never slows down.  And you know what I recently realized? I don't mind.  Okay, I wouldn't mind if time slowed, but I don't mind that time occurs in a continuous cycle. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." (NKJ)  The point is, there really is a time for everything.  Seasons change, circumstances change.  And it all happens in God's time.  So rather than see January 1st as a new day for change, I try to appreciate each and every day because every day has potential for change.  When life gets tough, I accept struggles as lessons for patience (although not always gracefully), knowing that the trial will pass.  I try to focus on the blessings because they don't end when the year ends.

In the midst of the holiday season, it's easy to get caught up in the idea of a new year.  But every day is a new day.  And even more amazing, God's right there with us.  He will hold our hand, wipe our tears, laugh with us, hold us up.  Whatever we need, every day of the year, we can count on God to provide. 

So don't focus so much on January 1st.  Every day is a new day, and God is with us to celebrate.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for reminding me I don't need a new year to see Your glory.  I don't need to wait until next year to find joy.  Instead of focusing on a new year, help us to look upon each day as we do the new year.  Every day holds promise; every day You are there.  Thank You, Lord.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Power Verses:
Psalm 16:1 "Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust." (NKJ)
Isaiah 55:6 "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near." (NKJ)

Caleb and Joshua

Today as I consider the Numbers story of Caleb and Joshua, I wonder how often we as Christians back up our faith with courage.  In Numbers chapter 13, we are told that spies were sent to the land of Canaan.  Among those spies were Caleb and Joshua.  After spying on the land for forty days, the spies returned to Moses and the Israelites.

The children of Israel surely were expecting a good report.  They had been delivered from the Egyptians and were ready to claim the land promised to them by God.  Caleb did indeed give a good report.  However, verse 31 says, "But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.'"  The congregation then wept.  After everything they witnessed God do for them, they allowed a few men to convince them they could not fight against the inhabitants of Canaan. 

Yet Caleb and Joshua believed in God.  They had faith.  And they were ready to back up their faith with courage.  In Numbers 14:8-9, Caleb and Joshua tell the Israelites, "If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey.  Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us.  Do not fear them."

Caleb and Joshua were ready to go, even though the spies who accompanied them were not.  And when Caleb and Joshua tried to change the minds of the Israelites, they said Caleb and Joshua should be stoned!

The question I have to ask myself after reading this passage is this: would I have the courage to go where God sends me? If everyone around me was too afraid, would I have the courage to trust God and go alone? That's a question we all need to ask ourselves.

Being Vigilant

by Charity Pence

This Week's Verse: "Be sober, be vigilant; because the adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8

Isn't it amazing how we can read something in the Bible and get one message, but the next time we read it we get something else? God does this to me all the time, and maybe you've had this experience also. 1 Peter 5:8 is a verse I've long been familiar with. In fact, it is one I have posted on a wall in my house. Every time I've considered that verse, I always took it to mean that we have to resist temptation. And I think that's a fair interpretation. However, this morning as I was doing my "God time," I was shown something else. You see, I'm also very familiar with 1 Peter 5:6-7. However, for whatever reason, I've never associated those verses with the ones following. In my mind I have separated them as if they were two different messages. Cast your cares upon the Lord. Okay, don't worry; trust that God will take care of our needs/circumstances. Be sober, be vigilant. Okay, be aware of the devil's schemes. All that makes sense right? But what God reminded me of was that the devil doesn't just tempt us to separate us from God. He also tries to hinder us, to turn our focus.

This is an area that was causing me quite a struggle recently. The devil was keeping me so busy with negative circumstances that I was keeping my focus on my "worries" instead of on God. But when reading verses 6-9 as one passage, I am reminded that we have to remain vigilant because the devil will try to destroy us with negative circumstances. But instead of giving in, we are to give those concerns to God and be comforted that we are not alone in our struggles. The devil does this to our brothers and sisters in Christ because he wants nothing more than to keep us away from God.

I heard something else recently in a sermon. The devil doesn't mess with us because he wants our souls doomed with him. His true focus is on God, who he hates so much that he doesn't want God to win. To the devil, we are just casualties in his war. Is that what you want to be? A casualty? Or do you want to be one of God's warriors?

Ephesians 6:13, 14 gives us this challenge, "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, stand." Don't give in. Be God's warrior and fight the devil. Don't let him use you as his pawn in his battle against God.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are so amazing. Thank You for this revelation You have given. I needed this reminder, Lord. Thank You for equiping me to be Your warrior. Please help me when I grow weary. I refuse to become a casualty. I want to be Your warrior. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Power Verses:
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Abraham's Obedience

by Charity Pence

This Week's Verse: Genesis 22:2 "Then He said, 'Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." (NKJ)

I cannot imagine what was going through Abraham's mind when he received the command from God to sacrifice his son Isaac. The Bible only tells us that Abraham went. But it could not have been easy for Abraham. That is why I believe we can learn much from this story.

Abraham was an old man by the time he was blessed with a son. Consider for a moment the joy he must have felt when Isaac was born. His faith was already strong, but surely receiving such a seemingly impossible blessing must have strengthened his faith in God. Isaac would be his heir! The descendants promised by the Lord became a reality with Isaac's birth. But then God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as an offering. At that point, I would have said, "Hold up. How are you going to carry out your promise if I kill my son?" The story in Genesis doesn't mention Abraham doubting the Lord. But taking that journey to Moriah had to be one of the most difficult trips for Abraham.

The point is, being obedient to God is easy when His command makes sense. When we understand. But when we don't understand? That's when real faith kicks in. That's when we reveal our true character.

We may never know what would have happened if Abraham withheld Isaac from God. What we do know is that Abraham took those steps, despite how hard it must have been. And he was blessed for his obedience. "By myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand whch is on the seashore, and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies." Genesis 22:16, 17 (NKJ)

Dear Heavenly Father, It's so easy to rejoice and be obedient when things go our way. But when the path you set before us is difficult or doesn't make sense, too often we stumble. Please help us to be more like Abraham. Strengthen us so we can let go of fear and doubt, and so we can continue walking until your will is done. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Power Verse:
Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." (NKJ)

Fan or Follower?

by Charity Pence

This Week's Verse: "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" (NKJ)

Have you ever asked yourself if you're a fan or a follower of Jesus? There's a big difference between the two. You can like something, or someone in this case, without taking any action. In other words, you can be a fan. However, to be a follower means more than just liking something. A true Jesus follower doesn't just read about Jesus; he or she displays characteristics that Jesus displayed.

It's so easy for us to act contrary to what a Christian should be. We get mad. We hold grudges. We treat those who have hurt as as our worst enemies. But Jesus said, "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." Matthew 5:44 (NKJ) A fan says behaving as Jesus commanded is a good idea. But a follower goes further by striving to be obedient to that command.

Being like Jesus is what being a Christian is all about.

Dear Heavenly Father, So often I act in a way that goes against You and who You are. Please forgive me for being hasty in my anger, for not being concerned as I should be for those who have hurt me. I call myself a Christian, Lord. So please help me to be that. Make me more aware of how I treat others so that Your light will shine through me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

1 Peter 3:8: "Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous." (NKJ)