A Christian and Travel Lifestyle Blog
This morning’s devotional will come in the form of an audio. I pray it blessed you as we talk about confidence and how to regularly apply it to our life.
Focus Verse: Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: Hebrew 10:35-36
Focus Verse: However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. John 16:13
Have you ever had to sit in stop and go traffic? It can be exasperating, to say the least. With my new job, I have many stop and go traffic days, going to and from work. Because I live quite a distance from my job, there are countless routes that I can take.
One day, while I was sitting in traffic, my GPS was routing me to go one way, but I decided to take a different route. A route that I thought would be less congested allowing me to avoid having to stop so much. I mean anything was better than just sitting.
After making a couple of self-guided turns, I soon found out why my GPS selected the initial route. There was another traffic jam, but this one was worse than the one I was trying to avoid. My GPS was directing me to a route considering all circumstances on EVERY route. I was basing my guidance on what I could see on the route I was currently on.
We tend to make decisions based on what we can see or perceive to be up ahead of us. However, the Holy Spirit, our spiritual GPS, is our guide and is responsible for leading us to all truth and informing us of things to come.
We tend to make decisions based on what we can see or perceive to be up ahead of us. However, the Holy Spirit, our spiritual GPS, is our guide and is responsible for leading us to all truth and informing us of things to come. Click To TweetBecause roads and routes are always changing, in order for a GPS to work properly, so you get to the proper destination, it must be updated regularly. The updates are pulled from satellites in space. In the same way, the Holy Spirit gets updates from the Father in order to lead us and guide us considering every aspect of our lives. Even the things we can not see.
Just like we are willing to trust that the GPS is guiding us to the right route, we also have to believe that the Holy Spirit is guiding us according to the Father’s leading. Will you trust your spiritual GPS today?
Father God, Thank You for the Holy Spirit that You sent to help lead and guide me. Please forgive me for the times that I have disregarded the leadings of the Holy Spirit and went my own way. Help me on today to know that I can trust my spiritual GPS. In Jesus name, Amen!
Focus Verse: I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Ezekiel 36:27
Recently I got an iPhone. This is something that I thought would never happen because I was happy with my Android. I have other Apple products, so I am familiar with the Apple experience. But I never thought it necessary for me to convert everything over, I was fine with my Android.
When it was time for me to upgrade my phone, there were no Android devices out that I was crazy about, so I decided to give Apple a try. In the first couple of day that I got the phone people would ask me how I was enjoying my phone. “It’s cool, I mean it’s just a phone,” was my response.
It wasn’t until I was preparing a blog post one day that my thoughts towards Apple started to shift. While working on the post from my laptop, there was a photo that I needed to include, but it was on my phone. Usually, when this happens, I would have to email the photo to myself. But not this time. Since all of my accounts are connected, the photo that I needed was already on my computer.
Dear friend, when you get connected to Christ, everything that you need, you already have. Our memory verse reminds us that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior He puts His Spirit in us. And when we remain connected to Him, we can rest assured that He will work in us to do His good pleasure according to Philippians 2:13.
When you get connected to Christ, everything that you need, you already have. Click To TweetOftentimes we can feel anxiety about walking in our purpose. Especially when we consider our insufficiencies. But as we remain connected to the Father, we have to believe that we can trust Him and that the vision for our lives originated with Him. So our insufficiencies don’t stand a chance against His sufficiency.
Are you connected to The Father accessing everything He has placed in you in order to help build His Kingdom? Or have you subconsciously disconnected from Him, making it difficult to gain access? Today, I challenge you to evaluate your current connection status with The Father.
Prayer: Father, Thank you for reminding me how important it is to remain connected to You. It is my desire to walk in Your statutes. As I evaluate my connection status today, I ask that you search the innermost parts of my heart and reveal my true connection to You. It is in Your Son, Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Focus Verse: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Everything just seemed to be all over the place, nothing was in order anymore. Work was crazy, home even worst and I was struggling to try to hold everything together. “God, why won’t you just fix this, all of this chaos? I know you can do it.” I remember saying this to God on a number of occasions.
That’s what I kept hearing.
Isn’t it interesting how when we go to God about one thing, usually something that’s tangible, something we can physically see is out of order in our lives, His response to us is usually dealing with something we can’t see, but has a direct connection to the things we can see?
The fact of the matter is, God can! He can change your situation in an instant, like that! Your frustration at your job is not a surprise to God. Maybe He is trying to develop you in the area of commitment so that you complete what you start. God sees the condition of your family. But maybe He is using that to develop self-discipline so that you don’t feel the need to comment on everything you observe. But instead, you go to Him in prayer about it. God knows you want to be in a relationship. But He could be using your current relationships to reveal to you that being kind to someone is not contingent upon how they treat you.
Many of us have heard our focus verse, Romans 8:28, so many times that we can quote it without looking at the passage in the Bible. But as soon as something uncomfortable arises in our life, we run to Him saying “fix this, God, fix this”. But instead we should be saying “fix me, God, fix me.”
Prayer: Father, Fix me. Like the Psalmist in Psalm 139:23-24 says, Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. Lord, help me to understand that the way You lead me may be uncomfortable. But in that space of discomfort, remind me that You are using all of this to work for my good because I love You and I am called according to Your purpose. It is in the precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen!
Focus verse: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Psalm 32:8
“Keep your head to the sky.” Those are lyrics to a popular Earth, Wind and Fire song written in the early 70’s. However, it wasn’t until recently that I was reminded how motivating and inspiring those lyrics are. You see, last year I struggled a lot with where I wanted to be vs. where I actually am. Every person of purpose has a goal and vision for their life. We plan and oftentimes expect what we plan to play out the way we intended. But if your life is anything like mine, that rarely ever happens. And quite honestly, I felt some type of way about it.
Because of this, I started to look around and see what I could do to improve my situation and set my plan in motion. I started focusing on things that honestly didn’t matter, hoping that I would get some results that I was pleased with. “Maybe if I changed careers”, I thought, “my life will start looking up. Should I go back to school? Or maybe my husband isn’t here. Maybe I need to move back home or to another area for him to find me.”
A few months later, I was about to be living out my dream, or so I thought! I did get a new job, and I’m grateful for the experience, but with that new job, I soon found out, it didn’t instantly propel me to where I wanted to be in life like I had imagined.
But where did I go wrong? What happened during my journey of going from where I am to where I want to be?
My attention was so focused on looking around, that I stopped looking up. I looked around at the people around me, those on social media, everywhere.
I was looking around because I had started to get frustrated with what my life STILL looked like. Not realizing I was exactly where God wanted me to be. I was soon reminded that the only way we will get complete and total fulfillment, even if there are some desires of ours that haven’t come to fruition yet, is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Our focus verse reminds us that God will instruct us with His eye. But the only way that can happen is if we keep our eyes focused on His eyes. We all experience frustration, and when we do, we have to remember that God will keep us in perfect peace when we are focused on Him, Isaiah 26:3. That He has everything under control, Psalm 46:10. We have to remember that God’s ways are not our ways and He has a plan for us, Isaiah 55:8-9. A plan to prosper us and give us a future and a hope, Jeremiah 29:11. All we have to do is continue to look toward the hills, where our help comes from, Psalm 121.
The only way we will get complete and total fulfillment, even if there are some desires of ours that haven’t come to fruition yet, is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Click To TweetPrayer: Lord I thank you that my heart is confident in You. Thank You for reminding me that I don’t have to look around or anywhere else but up to You. Forgive me, Father, for allowing my frustrations to fuel my focus. Help me to remember to keep my head to the sky, completely focused on You, In Jesus name, Amen!
Focus Verse: I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the strong, and neither is bread to the wise nor riches to those of intelligence and understanding nor favor to men of ability; but time and chance overtake them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11 (AMP)
Recently, I had the opportunity to go hiking. If you are familiar with hiking, then you are probably also familiar with the term “trailblazing.” This is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with blazes, markings that follow each other at certain- though not necessarily exactly defined- distances and mark the direction of the trail. While hiking, if you are not familiar with the area, it is important that you pay attention to these markings. They are going to lead you into the direction of your desired final destination.
While on this particular hike, there were places that the path was clear; there was no confusion about the direction one should travel. Other places, the walking path may not have been as clear, so you had to keep your eyes open, as you were moving, for the next blaze. But then, there were times that you had to come to a complete stop, look around, ahead of you, to the left or right, and sometimes behind you to locate the next blaze.
This was a reminder of our journey with Christ. There will be times that the path before us is clear from obstructions, we get in our stride and we move. Other times, our path may not be as clear, but we can still navigate our way through while still moving. Then there are times that we must come to a complete stop and look around for the Father’s blazes. Sometimes we may even need to turn around and go back or revisit where we came from to clearly see the next blaze. This is caused by a number of things: moving too fast, following others, being distracted by things around you that you forget to look to the Father for direction, etc.
Each and every one of us, if we have not already, will experience each of these phases in our Christian journey. The only way we will successfully reach our final destination, hearing God say, “well done, thy good and faithful servant,” we have to remember to keep our eyes on God’s blazes!
Prayer: Thank You, Father, for that reminder! My final destination is to hear You say, “well done.” As I am going through my journey with You, help me to remember to be watchful for Your blazes for my life. During the times that I may not be able to see them clearly, help me to stop and look up for You, trusting that You will reveal Yourself and Your plan for my life. I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!
Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually [longing to be in His presence]. 1 Chronicles 16:11 (AMP)
I was in prayer one day and I was asking God to allow me to hear His voice. “Above all the noise of this world God, allow me to hear just You.”Then I heard these words, “Don’t desire to hear My voice more than you desire to be in My presence. You know My voice and when you get in My presence, My voice will be heard by you.”
This was interesting to me because all throughout the Bible are instructions on hearing the voice of God. As I was seeking clarity in this, it became evident that as Christians when we are seeking to hear God’s voice, it’s usually for a specific reason. “Lord give me guidance in what You want me to do. Tell me what Your will is for me.” We often times come to God with our own agendas, but when we seek to be in His presence, it gives God the opportunity to say everything He needs to say, do everything He needs to do and reveal everything He needs to reveal. When we are in His presence and seek Him, not His answers, we will hear His voice and experience so much more!
Additional scripture: Exodus 33:14; Psalm 16:11; Jeremiah 29:13; Acts 17:27
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are amazing! Thank You for this revelation. Som many times I come to you with my own agenda, wanting You to do what I need You to do without any regard for what You desire, forgive me, Father. Lord, give me a heart to seek You, just for who You are and the confidence in knowing everything that I need will be provided in Your presence. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!
So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 (ESV)
“Like a bride waiting for her groom
We’ll be a Church ready for You
Every heart longing for our King
We sing,
Even so come,
Lord Jesus, come!”
Even So Come by Passion Band
While listening to this song a while ago, it made me stop and think, “Tiff will you be ready when Jesus returns?”
We have all heard plenty of times in the past, “we are living in our last days” or “Jesus is surly on His way back.” People use these statements so loosely nowadays.
I have no clue when Jesus will return, none of us do, see Matthew 24:36. But one thing’s for sure, when He does return, we will all have to give an account for our actions; those things we did and didn’t do. So I ask, will you have completed everything God has required of you?
Will you have ministered to everyone you knew God was leading you to?
Will you have shown the love of Christ in every area of your life? To everyone you encountered weather you felt like they deserved to be loved or not?
Will you have sought the salvation of those you interact with daily?
I challenge you to really stop and reevaluate your life and the answers to those questions. For many Christians, our lives consist of us doing things that are comfortable for us.
We may attend church and even be active in ministries, but outside of that, outside of the four walls of the church building, are people seeing Christ in us? If we are the church, according to 1 Corinthians 3:9, we have to go beyond the actual church and church people to show what the church really is outside of the building.
How many times have we prayed, “God lead me to the people You would have me to minister to…” then when He does reveal them, we turn away and run back to our safe place? We become consumed with the thoughts of what others would think, while totally neglecting how Christ feels about our disobedience.
Evaluate your life today, ask yourself if you have been doing everything you feel God leading you to do and will you be ready when Jesus returns? If you don’t feel like you have been obedient to God’s voice, pray and ask God to remind you of the areas you have been disobedient and what you have yet to accomplish for Him. God will answer you; It is not His desire to hide His will from you, see Romans 12:2.
Prayer: God, thank You for being a patient God. I so desperately want to please You. I confess that in the past, I have been concerned about what other’s would think of me, more than I have been concerned about displeasing You. I ask You to forgive me Father! I want to do Your will whether it’s comfortable for me or not. I ask You to give me the courage to be obedient in every area of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!
Bible Reading: Exodus 16
It is so easy for us 21st century Christians to judge those 1st-century children of Israel. I mean they woke up every day to manna in the morning and quail in the evening, just waiting for them. They didn’t have to look for it; they didn’t have to work for it; they didn’t have to store up any and figure out how to manage it – well except for the 6th day, they were just required to collect a double portion of what they would normally get. Simple enough, right? They had it made, but why was it so darn hard for them to just follow directions?
…because it was something new, something they weren’t used to. They had come from a place that was so much different from where they were currently. And, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never taken a test that didn’t have some level of challenge to it (Exodus 16:4).
It’s so easy for us to say, “God rain bread down from heaven, for you, you had it made.” That is until we have to trust God DAILY for direction and provision. It seems that it would be so simple until you actually have to do it.
Put yourself in the shoes of the children of Israel for a minute: You left everything you knew to go to a foreign place, a place you know nothing about. Yes, your former place may not have been the best place for you, there may have been abuse there, there may have been bondage there… but you knew that abuse, you knew that bondage, and you learned how to cope with it so it didn’t seem so bad, especially now that you are in this new place, a place that you know absolutely nothing about.
Now you have to learn everything over again. Some things you may have known for years, but now you are being told something different. Does that still seem so easy?
What do you do when God is taking you out of that familiar place you once knew, to explore all new territory? What do you do when after you have surrendered to the new thing and done everything He has instructed you to do, the outcome is not what you expected? Will you, like the children of Israel, want to go back to Egypt, the place of familiarity?
You may want to, but I guarantee you, deliverance is better than what’s familiar. So what do you do while you are navigating this new place? You pray like Jesus instructs in Matthew 6:11, “Lord give me this day, my daily bread…” You believe that God didn’t deliver you in 2015, for you to go back in 2016. You wake up daily and say, “What are we doing today God?” You ask Him for His strength and courage for today while knowing that tomorrow will worry about itself (Matthew 6:34).
Prayer: Father God, thank you. Thank You for providing for me even when I don’t know that’s what You are doing. Thank You for doing exceedingly, abundantly above, all I could ever ask or think, even when I don’t understand. Forgive me for wanting to go back to what was familiar and not appreciating where You are elevating me to. Open my eyes, so that I see spiritually in the midst of natural frustration. Thank You for continually being good to me. It is in Your Son, Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 17: 31-37
Focus Verse: Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted and defied the armies of the living God.” 1 Samuel 17:36
When David was a shepherd, looking after his father’s sheep, protecting them from lions and bears, he didn’t realize he was indeed preparing daily to ultimately fight for the freedom of Israel.
Don’t despise where you are now; considering it a small task, the sheep you’ve been entrusted with. The very place that you are serving faithfully, consistently showing up to is the training ground for you to defeat your “Goliath” and ultimately usher you into your “Kingship”.
What have you been wrestling with? Possibly thinking God has forgotten about you? You have been serving faithfully, waiting for your turn. Others have gone before you, causing you to think you have been overlooked.
David’s brothers were chosen for battle, while he was left behind to tend to the sheep. Some may have looked at David’s life and thought it of no significant value to God’s Kingdom. But David was ultimately accounted for being a “man after God’s own heart.” See Acts 13: 22
What are you preparing for?
Prayer: Holy Father, thank You for never forgetting about me. The place that You have me now, is exactly where I need to be. I am not here by accident. Every assignment in my life in preparation for something. Help me to remember that You work all things together for the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. I embrace this preparation period. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!
