Devotional Time with God

Live under the protection of God Most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful. Then you will say to the Lord, You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you.

Psalm 91:1-2

There’s a lot of places I can hide in this world.  I’m so tiny compared to this planet earth. I can go to some corner of the neighborhood and hide.  I’ve never tried to get lost, but if I want to I probably can.

But is that the kind of hiding that’s beneficial for me?  I don’t want to be lost. I want to be found!  There are times when I’m in trouble that I have to be under God’s shadow, under His protection, under His glory.

I want to hide under God’s refuge – for my own safety!

We live in this world, but we don’t act like its people or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God’s power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people’s thoughts and make them obey Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

The world’s media bombard us with junk, every day. They made us selfish, arrogant, scared, worry, and hateful.  It’s a nasty world. It’s an unforgiving world.

I can’t fix my mind on this world!

I have a perfect God. I have an awesome model for peace: Jesus. If I want calm and love, I have to fix my thoughts on Jesus.  He’s the perfect peace.  Trusting God is my first priority.

I can’t let my imagination wander anywhere else, except to heaven – towards God.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Mark 12:30

I do often feel close to God when I sing worship songs. The words are like prayer and the melody is like a soothing calm to my mind.  Yet, God wants me to do more than that. Singing hymns is not enough. I must give God my all – my attention, my time, my shouts, my sweat, my talents, my money – as an act of trust.  I worship God because I want to give Him everything that I can give Him. God wants me to be sincere about it, too!

God simply wants me to bring me.

It’s so wonderful to see my daughter grows, from a tiny baby into the active kid that she is now. I went through her cute, cuddly, crying, or cranky moments. Throughout all of them, I never stopped loving her. I never stopped to deny her to love me back. I never abandoned her.

I’m always there for her.  I know this because she trusts me, completely. She knows she can depend on me. I can’t be that far away from her. I will always take care of her.

Drawing from this experience, I know God wants me to be close to Him. I know God wants me to trust him, completely. I know God loves me, no matter what. In turn, I’ll love Him back.  That’s how I make God smile, as He takes pleasure in my devotion to Him, no matter where I am, no matter what the circumstances might be.

So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

2 Corinthians 5: 9

Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.

Philippians 4:6-7

There are challenges in my life.  Difficult people to deal with. Tough tasks to complete. Financial issues to deal with. Family to take care of. Relationships to maintain.  Nothing is ever easy. Not everything ever goes according to plan.

But I learn, over the years walking with God, is to trust everything in Him.  Bring my concerns to His feet. I look at God and wonder, why am I fretting over little things? God is the master of the universe, the creator of everything.  Why am I worried?  All I need to do is bring up my issues in prayer. According to His design, it will be done.  I just have to know what He wants me to do – and be obedient.

Lord Jesus, I thank you for being here for me.  I don’t know much about everything, but I know this: You know everything! This is why I depend on you. I can’t do this alone.  I can’t handle everything on my own. Please Lord, give me the strength and wisdom to handle the problems of my life, with dignity and grace that only you can provide.  Don’t let me worry. Guide me all the way!  Thanks you, Jesus.  In your name. Amen.

Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. How I long for your precepts! In your righteousness preserve my life. May your unfailing love come to me, LORD, your salvation, according to your promise; then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word.

Psalm 119:39-42

I praise God that I have Him to love me, abundantly.  He’s the only one who can do it. I can’t rely on other people, but they have limited love to give. I have to put God first because He’ll always be there for me.

I hold on to God’s promise for my salvation. Nothing can be more gratifying and comforting! Anyone can insult me. Anyone can hate me. Anyone can ignore me. But God will never do those things. He will always be with me and love me.  I thank God for that promise.

Thank you, Lord, for your grace and love. I can’t begin to imagine what happened if I don’t have you. My life would be unstable. I would get angry way too often. I would have given up way too soon. Thank you for the patience you’ve shown me. And thank you for the good people you’ve surrounded me with.  Pour your love to me, Lord. Fill me with your love. Amen.

The law of the LORD is perfect,   refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,   making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,   giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,   giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure,   enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,   and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold,   than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,   than honey from the honeycomb.
By them your servant is warned;   in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 19:7-11

God knows I’m not perfect. God knows I’m not always right. God knows I’m vulnerable. God knows I need direction. God knows I need provision. God just knows.

To put it simply, all I have to know in life – to enjoy life, is to know God’s word and laws.  He gave me the instructions manual, the Bible, for my protection.  It’s the blueprint to be a good man. It’s the way to know how to be like Jesus.

I will follow His words.  I will be a do’er of His word. For He promised me a great reward. He’s waiting to give me the strength to go through this life – which in itself, is a reward worth having.

Life is good, eternal life is better. God’s perfection is what I’m looking for.

The bible warns me of false prophets (Matthew 24:11). They typically show up in a nice package, claiming to care about the people, but their actions dp otherwise! A wolf in sheep clothing, as the saying goes. The politicians offer free healthcare, doing good to the planet – but turn around pocket more taxes and making people depend on the government more.

Salvation is trusting Jesus and depending on Him.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

I have a past.  I have a past that haunts me sometimes.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  I can let go of my past.  I don’t need my past to remind me how useless, embarrassing, and insecure I was.  I need to move on past my guilt.

First, I can take a personal moral inventory.  I have to write down my good and bad choices and events in my life (in confidence).

Second, I’ll need to take responsibility of my faults.  By being honest, not rationalizing, not blaming others, and not fooling myself.

Third, I have to ask God for forgiveness.  My God is a forgiving God.  He wants to forgive me more than I want to be forgiven.  I won’t bargain.  I won’t bribe.  I do believe that He wants to forgive me of my sins.

Fourth, I need to admit my faults to another person.  This is a tough one for me, for I still have trust issues.  For those I trust, they’re not here to hear me.  I made new friends, but not best friend(s).  This is an area I need God to reveal to me.  I need someone I can trust, understand what I’m going through, and mature enough not to be shocked.

O Lord, thank you for forgiving me.  I’m ready to move on.  Please open the opportunity to share my faults to another person who understands.  I need a person who has your personality, God.  Someone who can help me move on past my guilt.  Thank you, Jesus.  Amen.

Finally, I’ll accept God’s forgiveness.  His forgiveness is free and instant.  His forgiveness is paramount to my salvation.  It’ll be foolish if I don’t accept.

I am moving on!

I’ve asked the question before, “What kind of God do I serve?”  Some folks would paint Him as a mean God, full of fire and brimstone.  Another folks would consider Him as a aloof God, so distant and hard of hearing.

The truth is, I used to compare God with my own parents.  My parents are generous, so naturally I considered God is a generous one.  My Dad is also hot tempered, so I thought God got angry a lot, too.

The real truth of God’s character is in the Bible.

God knows my situation.  He knows about my pain, grief, hurts, and struggles.  He knows what I need before I ask him.

God cares about my situation.  He knows that I’m weak and constantly needs help.  God has compassion for me.  He wants the best to happen to me.  He wants to bless me.  I just have to let Him by surrendering my life, and accept Christ as my personal Lord and savior.

Until I understand God’s true character, I can’t completely trust Him.