Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!
For the last month or so Father, I’ve been having “rumblings” in my heart telling me that I’m not seeing You as completely as I should; that...
Dear Lord; Happy Saturday Father!
Today Father, I choose.
I choose to embrace the day that You have given me;
To rebuke those voices that try to steal my peace,
And remind them that I’m Your...
Today’s entry in the “Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life” devotional reading plan I’m following made a powerful point about finding meaning and fulfillment, and where we should really be seeking it…
“Love is the energy of life. It’s what motivates people to get up each day and keep going. It gives life purpose and meaning.People often have times in their lives when they believe they are unloved or have no one to love. They develop this mindset because they are looking for fulfillment in ways that seem good at first but often leave them feeling frustrated, disappointed and empty inside.Does this ever happen to you? Do you ever look for love and end up feeling unfulfilled? Let me ask you this: What kind of love are you pursuing? You may be looking for love, but really, you’re looking for God, because He is love. Any love you gain that is disconnected from God is not really love and will leave you feeling unfulfilled.…”
When we seek love, in effect we’re truly desiring the source of all love; God. When we keep Him at the center of our lives, that overwhelming love flows through us and allows our other relationships to truly be as He intends them to…
Monday morning Father, I woke up to someone standing on my chest…
Or at least it felt that way.
No sleepy eyes calmly tip-toeing into the morning’s experience for me, but instead my heart raced; keeping time with my mind as it rushed frantically into the new week’s trials, struggles and fears…
The unknown had me firmly in it’s grip.
I tried to focus; to redirect my hectic mind and find Your peace, but those demons had caught me unaware as I slept and now were firmly entrenched within me…
So I went about my morning; moving from task to task in a determined effort to derail my inner turmoil, but in the dark recesses of my heart those taunting voices persisted…
Reminding me of my failures…
Seeding doubts about my choices…
Planting worries about those I love…
And introducing fears about the week that lie ahead…
“I’m already there Phil…” You whispered.
The voices calmed, finding diminished audience as Your truth set in, and the pressure in my breast began to ease…
The balance within had shifted… Your peace had won the day.
The assaults however, continue still Lord; timid declarations of dissent from the darkest corners of my mind, waiting once again to catch me off my guard…
Ever assailing me from the shadows… Seeking for an opportunity to regain that precious battleground.
It’s been said Father, that we can be our own worst enemy…
And in my case, I find this true far more often than I care to admit.
So thank You Lord.
Thank You for standing in that gap; aiding me in fighting back those unseen forces that threaten to pull me from Your peace.
For it’s in Your name I pray, and it’s bathed in Your grace I live…
““Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” – Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT)
As followers of Christ, we’re not only called to profess our faith and humbly serve others in love, but also to place our every thought, word and deed under the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit that we may ensure that God’s will is indeed being served.
“As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”” – John 8:3-11 (NLT)
We all sin. We all fall short. And yet, how many times each day do we find ourselves judging and condemning others for what we perceive as their failings, while we gloss over or justify our own misdeeds… In this powerful example from John, Jesus addresses this hypocrisy head on by reminding us to recognize our own sinful natures before decrying the deeds of others, and that the exercising of compassion and mercy is often the most direct way for our hearts to be transformed.
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”” – John 13:34-35 (NLT)
When we place our pain, our struggles and our joys in the loving hands of Jesus, our hearts can truly find the peace He desires for us…
“When my world is shaking, Heaven stands… When my heart is breaking, I never leave Your hands.”
““No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” – Matthew 6:24-33 (NLT)
Heavenly Father,
I come to you this morning both to give thanks, and to pray for Your continued guidance as I begin the week ahead;
You know my needs Lord, as You know each hair on my head and every yearning in my heart. Help me Father; aid me in seeing through the veil of my own perception of need, that I may clearly discern Your direction and desire for my life, and embolden my heart to embrace those opportunities that lie along that path You’ve laid.
As I endeavor to clear my thoughts today Lord; casting aside the “noise” around me to better gain Your presence, I pray You find me receptive; willing and driven to bring Your voice into sharp focus with everything I say and do, and allowing the deceptions of this world to fade into the background.
And as You guide my steps Lord, please help me share that joy with others; shining Your light from within that they may know the peace You bring, even when the world appears to be crashing all around us.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m a self-employed, blissfully married father of two wonderful little boys, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an amateur photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m a self-employed, blissfully married father of two wonderful little boys, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an amateur photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
