Daily Devotional

Scripture Psalms 6:2 Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

Observation: I believe we all want God’s mercy, but none of us deserve it. I know what I deserve and the life I led I deserved any trouble that came upon me, but because of God’s mercy I received so many more blessings that I don’t deserve. I’ve been struggling trying to discover what God has called me to do and the harder I try the weaker I see myself. I can’t go a minute without a negative thought or just losing my train of thought, I’m lazy and tired all the time. My body is weak and I feel like doing nothing. I need God’s mercy each day just to make it through, but I want to do so much more than that, I want to finish this race well and I can’t do it alone.

Application: I need to realize that I can’t do it alone, that I need the Holy Spirit to give me strength and guidance. I need to fight the temptation to do nothing and ask God for the strength that I will need to fulfill the purpose that I’m here. I need to be more positive and to trust my Lord completely no matter what and to draw nearer to Him each day through Bible reading, journaling and using what God has given me for His glory.

Prayer: Dear Lord have mercy on this sinner. I come before you broken and I need your mercy to carry one. Help me wake up each morning with joy, the joy of knowing that I can please you. Speak to your servant and command me to do your will and to make a difference for you. I love you and I want each day to please You.

Scripture Psalms 5:8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face.

Observation: Each year Teri and I go on a fast the week of Good Friday. My hope is that I will hear from my Lord and He will guide me, make His way straight before my face. I have such a hard time meditating or keeping quiet long enough to know what He desires of me. I want God to lead me, not my sinful ways, I’m so disparate to know what I should be doing. At times I feel His presence and I know I ‘m in His will, but so often I feel lost and confused and waste the precious time God has blessed me with.

Application: I need to spend more quality time with my Lord and be quiet in His presence. I know God knows my heart and desire to please Him and I need to trust that He will guide me. I truly want to please Him and He knows it, but I’m so lazy and self-centered. I need to give my life totally to my Lord and listen for His guidance.

Prayer: My Lord speak to me and command me on what You want me to do. Take all distractions from me and show me the path you want me on. I have only one purpose and that is to obey, so command your servant, for you deserve all of my love, obedience, praise and time.

Scripture Psalms 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD.

Observation: Is our sacrifice righteous? I fast the five days before Good Friday to draw closer to God, but do we? The fast is our sacrifice, but it needs to be given for the right reason. If we tell others so that we get acknowledgment it isn’t a righteous sacrifice. A sacrifice must be offered for the right reason and if our hearts are true and the reason, we are doing this is to draw closer to God then it’s a righteous sacrifice. However, if our sacrifice is for ourselves then it means nothing. We need to offer it knowing that God will honor our motive more than the actual sacrifice and we need to trust in Him that things will be done according to His will and not ours.

Application: I need to take this time and draw closer to my Lord. I shouldn’t be focused on being hungry, but how I might hear for my God. I need to trust in my Lord with all of my heart and listen to what He has to tell me. At all times my focus should be on God’s will and not my circumstances.

Prayer: My Lord receive this sacrifice; may it be Holy and pleasing to You. I want to know you more and what it is you desire of me. I want to get it right and I know time is running out here, help me make an eternal difference and when It’s time to come home you can receive me with open arms and a smile on your face.

Scripture Psalms 3:3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

Observation: With God as my shield why am I still afraid. God has always been there for me and even if I should die, I would be home with my God, so what is it about this place that gives me fear. I allow the enemy to have his way with my mind. God is my shield, my strength and courage, however if I’m not focused on Him, but what my enemy puts before me I forget about God’s protection. God has always been there even before I became born again and when I think of Him and meditate on His word, I’m at peace. Unfortunately, I don’t stay focused on my God, but on me and what might happen without God’s protection. I fear because I chose to, God has given me a way out but I disregard His shield and go out to battle without any weapons or protection.

Application: God needs to be on my mind always and in my heart. As soon as I feel anxious at all I need to stop and pray and think of all that He has already gotten me through. I need to left Him up in my times of fear and ask Him what I should do. I need to trust in my God with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding but in all my ways acknowledge Him and He will make my paths straight. God and not fear needs to rule my life.

Prayer: My Lord, my strength, my reason for living, please take charge and lead me each day. Protect me from the sinful nature I have and calm my spirit as I go out to battle each day. Continue to give me hope and a reason to live each day. Show me how to please you for you deserve the best I can give. I love you, please draw me near to you.

Scripture Psalms 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

Observation: When you look at this world today, boy is this scripture true. Every country it’s seems is against God. We can’t pray in school anymore, a day doesn’t go by that some atheist group isn’t trying to take down a cross or Christian symbol, Christmas can’t be used in so many venues now and blasphemy is more prevalent than worship. The devil has done a great job using our rulers against God and turning His people either away or sitting idly by. Our country that was founded by Christian influence now is teaching our children lies and drawing farther away from our Lord and closer to Hell.

Application: I need to fight for my Lord and not to stray from the path that He has placed me on. I need to lead others back to Him and be an example of God’s faithfulness, love and grace. I need to ask my Lord what He wants of me and that I will do whatever He commands me to do. I need to be a better example of a loving Christian and not be swayed by others, but to stand firm in God’s word no matter what.

Prayer: My Lord come dear Jesus come and rid this place of all the evil we have placed in it. Until then please use your servants, give us courage, wisdom and strength to fight for you. To help overcome the evil rulers of this world and draw others close to the true King. May you once again reign in this world or the new one you will create. May we be faithful until your return.

Scripture Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Observation: to lead a Godly life you will have to meditate on God’s word day and night. The world is so full of noise and distraction, if you are not grounded in God’s word the world will take over quickly. Everything that comes your way each day must be measured by God’s law, is this right or wrong, will this honor God or betray Him. Betray Him might sound drastic, but it is exactly what we do when we stop thinking of God’s commands and start to listen to the world around us. To make it through each day I need to focus on my Lord and I can’t do it completely, I have my moments, but mush too often I catch myself thinking sinfully about someone or something. The only way to avoid this temptation is to meditate on God and His commands and desires.

Application: I start my day in prayer, but even then, I get distracted and my mind wanders. I need to try harder to stay with my Lord and meditate on His commands, not just read them each day but place them in my heart for safe keeping. If I can get God to be my main focus and drown out any other distractions and enjoy Him, I can make it. I need to delight myself in Him not drive myself crazy because I have a hard time staying focused, but when I’m with Him to enjoy that time I get to spend with Him.

Prayer: My Lord I want to delight in you, but my mind wanders all of the time. Show me how to pray to you in a way that will draw me closer to you. May I enjoy each moment with you and fill my mind and heart with you and you alone. I want people to see you in my life, but I need to know you and your commands better. Help me draw close to you and that you will also enjoy the time we get to spend together.

Scripture Job 42:7 And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.

Observation: All through Job they talked about what Job most have done to have God’s wrath against him and Job kept defending himself to his friends. No one spoke of how righteous God is. Nobody said that God is good and there must be a purpose in what was happening and that they should trust in that. God was only mentioned by Job when it came to his suffering and he had no idea why God would do such a thing. The same is with us we will go through a period of trials and be so focused on the mess we were in that we didn’t look at God, knowing that He loves and cares for us and that there must be a reason we are going through this time. We forget that our home is not here, but we have an eternal home and that we earn rewards and a lot of those rewards will come from the way we trust God in our hardships.

Application: I need to be focusing on God and to trust Him always no matter what might be going on in my life. I don’t do very good with that since my work contract was up in the air all I thought about what was I going to do about it, instead of looking to God and ask Him what He wanted me to do during this process. God has always been there for me and when I look back I can see Him throughout my life. I need to draw closer to Him and meditate on His word and His desires for this life. I want to know God better and what He expects of me and do it in glory and honor to Him.

Prayer: My Lord show me how to stay focused on you. My mind wanders continually and I have a hard time staying focused. Give me a peace of mind that will help me seek you with all of my heart, mind and soul. Show me how to love you the way you desire me to. Draw me close to you and open my eyes.