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Be Led by the Spirit
Today's Scripture
“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).
Have you ever started to do something when you had a little nudging on the inside of you telling you to do something completely different? Sometimes it’s easy to override that little inward voice, but that small voice deep on the inside of you is how God speaks to you. It’s how He leads you by His Spirit. When you follow the Spirit’s leading by faith—even when it doesn’t make sense—you are making a declaration with your actions that you are a child of the Most High God. Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons and daughters of God. The more you yield yourself to His leading, the easier it becomes to follow Him. You’ll hear His voice in the midnight hour giving your direction about which steps to take. You’ll hear His voice affirming you and guiding you into everlasting peace. Remember, God lead’s us by peace and joy. He’s never condemning but He always leads you into Truth. Take time today to tune out the other voices so that you can be led by His Spirit into the life of victory the Lord has in store for you!
No Eye Has Seen
Today's Scripture
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him” (I Corinthians 2:9).
Have you ever tried to imagine what God might have in store for your future? No matter how great the dreams are that you may be able to come up with, God has more in store for you than you can even begin to imagine! It’s starts in this life and then carries over into the eternal life. God is a creative god and His thoughts and plans go way beyond our thoughts and plans. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined what He has in store! Let that encourage you today to dream bigger. Get your expectancy up. There's nothing that you can come up with that is beyond God. He wants to see you rise higher and it starts with your thinking. Think bigger. Think expansive. God wants you to excel and go beyond where you are. He wants to see you fulfill the desires of your heart! Keep standing strong in faith, and dreaming big, and you will see the life of victory He has prepared for you!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me and for preparing great things for my future. Help my thoughts to become agreeable to Your will. Increase my vision and give me Your strength to fulfill all that You have placed in my heart. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Don't start reading this one until you've got more than 3 or 4 minutes to just "scan" over it. It deserves some time for reflection.
GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED
I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night.
He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed..." I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in. He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them. I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a wee k to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores. And Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. "That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest compan ion . In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the ha ndicap . I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care. Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God. And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. Kevin won't be surprised at all! When you receive this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do.. There is nothing attached. This is powerful. Prayer is one of the best free gi fts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards.
FRIENDS ARE ANGELS WHO LIFT US TO OUR FEET WHEN OUR WINGS HAVE TROUBLE REMEMBERING HOW TO FLY !!!
