Tag: faith

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭84:11‬ ‭

God desires to see you succeed and be prosperous. If you are walking in obedience and seeking to please Him, you can be assured that God will give you the best.  God can only do good. 

The birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus proves how much God loves you.  And because God loves you, He desires to give you the best.  God will not withhold any good thing from those who seek His righteousness.  

God can only give good and perfect things because He is holy.  So when you ask God for something, believe that He will give only the best things.

With this concept in mind we must also know that if God does not answer our prayers the way we expect, it is for a reason.  God is all-knowing.  He knows what will happen in the future and will only give accordingly if it is what He wills for you.  

A “no” from God is ultimately a good thing.  If He knows it is not good for you, He will not give it.  This is great within itself.  We can trust that God will do what He knows is right.  

Sometimes it is a blessing to be told “no”.  When our priorities or mindset is not set on the things of God we need to be adjusted accordingly.  And by not giving us what we ask could eventually be a blessing.  

Do you remember a prayer that you were praying and God did not answer the way you expected?  Wasn’t it for the best?

Pray

Lord, I want my prayers to be aligned with Your will and way.  Holy Spirit reveal to me what I need to be praying. Thank You for answering my prayers.

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.  These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
Genesis 6:8-9

According to a former Walmart employee in West Palm Beach, FL, a man entered Walmart and stole a large screen TV. When he walked out of the store he discovered that his truck had been stolen. Needless to say, he encountered a bad day. 

Even the ones who are causing evil will encounter evil as well. We live in an evil, sinful world.  Every where we look we see all kinds of evil taking place.  It’s everywhere.

Noah lived during a very corrupt time.  The Bible says everyone and everything around him was evil continually.  He faced a crisis during his day in time.  It’s hard to imagine a world worse than it is right now, isn’t?  

It is interesting to note that Noah was found righteous and blameless while living amongst such evil people.  Noah did what was right.  Scripture says he found favor in the eyes of the Lord.  God was pleased with the way he lived his life while being exposed to such evilness.

We all choose if we will do what is right or fall into the temptation of evil.  We live among evil people who get away with a lot of crime but that does not mean that we should. As Christians we are to be different from the rest of the world.  

It’s difficult to live righteously in a sinful world but if we look at Noah we see that it is possible.  It is not possible to be perfect but we should strive to be.

Pray

Lord, help me to strive for holiness and righteousness.  Help me to overcome any temptation that I face. Let me set an example to others of what You expect from every Christian.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16:11‬

There are mysteries concerning the things of God.  But there is one thing that is for certain.  He wants to reveal Himself to us and He desires for us to know Him in a close relationship.

David reveals three blessings for those who trust in the Lord.  First, David not only found the path of life, he also found the path that leads to eternal life.  David didn’t come up with his own path of life, God revealed it to him.  

David knew he was a sinner and that God was holy.  David knew God had a special purpose for him.  

The next blessing is the fullness of joy.  David knew God was the One who supplied his joy.  David had many ups and downs but he never lost the source of his joy. He searched the Lord to find true joy and contentment.  

The third blessing is within the pleasures of life.  David didn’t seek God for physical pleasures but for spiritual pleasures.  He trusted God for eternal pleasures that awaited him in Heaven.

As you meditate on this verse today, understand that the path of life is made known by God, the fullness of joy is found only in the presence of God, and eternal pleasures are for those who fully trust in Him.

Are you seeking God for the things of this world or for the things that are eternal?

Pray

Lord, I seek You to know You and to serve You.  You are all that I need and all that I desire.  Thank you for loving me and saving me.