TRUST IN THE LORD

by Minister Diane Cannon

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. - Proverbs 3:5,6

Expectations are often formed by our failures and patterned by what we think is our just desert. Never expecting more than we deserve can lead to a mediocre life with little more to look forward to than what We think God wants us to have. But in fact God has not put such limitation on us and He fully expects us to move out from the bondage that we have placed ourselves in.

We spend a lot of time talking about our track record, all the things we have achieved, or not achieved throughout our life. Christians have a tendency of always living in the past or looking toward some future event instead of living in the now. We are either worried about tomorrow's circumstances or trying to resurrect some dead memorial of the past, If we are always looking back and not ahead, we will begin to believe that what we have done in the past is the best we can do in the future. In any case we are missing what God has for us today! God is always leading us to expand our horizons and stretch out in faith for the impossible.

There will be no end to the opportunities that God will give us if we will forget the past and take hold to that which does not yet exist. If we will expect the impossible and reach for the unexpected we will experience great miracles of grace and favor.

We have been given the grace and power to change tomorrow by what we pray what we believe and what we say today. Getting in line with God requires faith. You have to put your trust in God. You have to believe that God has the best plan and that that plan is best for you. You have to be willing to let God guide your life.

We have to come to the place that there are no more excuses that hold us back from reaching every plan and purpose God has for us. Not our age, race, financial status or even our gender can determine what God has for you is for you. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.Jeremiah 29:11 God says he know the plans he has for you. And he is well able to provide for you what is needed to accomplish all the plans and purposes he has for you. Soooooo trust him, acknowledge him and let him direct your path.

Be Worthy

The Universe is teeming with bountiful gifts and blessings to share with me, and I am worthy of receiving them!

I have no use for unworthiness, guilt, or shame. I release any ideas or practices that serve only to deter my good. I replace negative self-talk with confident self-love and feel my doubts disappear.

When I accept myself fully, realize my divine nature, and believe in my own worth, I stand a little taller. I know I have a place to fill in this world that no one else can fill. I behold a world rich in opportunity.

I give myself permission to receive all the gifts and support the Universe is eager to shower upon me. I expect the best and receive it gratefully.

Are you so busy working for God that you never spend any time with God?

It is easy to justify doing good works for God as a substitute for spending real, intimate, quality, personal time with God. For example, a youth pastor may spend many hours planning events for kids—preparing the music, setting up the games, arranging the transportation, and even preparing a brief message. However, none of that is a substitute for spending personal time with God—reading the Bible, praying, seeking God's guidance, worshiping, and just sitting in His presence.

Unfortunately, many people are often so caught up in other activities that we use them as an excuse for not spending time with God. Instead, they need to make a firm decision to put God first in our lives. For example, King David, who certainly had many opportunities to fill his time with other activities, knew that spending time with God is an absolute necessity—a vital need. In Psalm 27:4, he said that God was the most important thing in his life: One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple

Verse Of The Day; 1 Peter 1:18-19

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19

Ressurection Sunday

Can you imagine how Peter and John felt on Saturday? I’m sure their hearts were broken and their hopes were annihilated. Their dreams were shattered. Surely they thought, “He’s dead, it’s over, everything we thought was going to happen won’t…” It must have been a very long day for them. One writer put it this way, “it is neither the dark Fridays nor the bright Sundays that require the greatest grace. The greatest grace is needed during the eternally long Saturdays of life when we are caught in the middle. It is where we seek to get through our grief, and get on with life. It is where our former vision of what life would be has failed and we are desperate for a new one . . .. Hope is never more needed than on Saturdays.”

Then came Sunday. . .

Luke 24:1–12 captures the wonderful story of the resurrection. Luke tells us that when the women came to the tomb, they looked, and the stone was not there. It wasn’t in front of the grave. One ancient manuscript says that the stone was so big it would have taken twenty men to push it up the groove—a stone that big would have weighed between one and a half and two tons.

The words that are used by Mark and Luke to describe the position of the stone tell us that that this was the first miracle of Easter. Next, they discovered that the sepulcher was empty. Some people don’t understand that the stone was not rolled away so Jesus could get out. Jesus could have come out without the stone being moved. The stone was rolled away so that they people could see in!

Luke 24:3 says, “Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” The tomb was empty. This is radically important—The Gospel of Christ rest squarely on this very point. Jesus wasn’t there and nobody, not the religious leaders, or the Romans could prove it. His body was gone.

All the famous tombs in the world from Westminster Abbey in London to the Tomb of St. Thomas in India to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington are famous for the bodies that they contain. The tomb of Jesus is famous for what it does not contain. It was empty on that first Resurrection Sunday, and it is still empty today. Its emptiness is a constant reminder of the angels’ first message to the women: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen!”

How did the disciples react? Luke 24:12 tells us, “Peter arose and ran to the tomb.” After that awful Saturday came Resurrection Sunday and Peter ran to the empty tomb! John ran as well (John 20:4). They ran to experience the Good News.

What about you? Can you feel in your heart the miracle of the Resurrection and know that Christ died and rose again for you? Are you ready, like John and Peter to run to the empty tomb? Are you ready to commit your life to the risen Savior and let Him heal and restore you?

He had power over death and that same power can help you today. Run; don’t walk to or ignore the empty tomb. Your eternal life depends on it.

True Worship Should Create God-Intoxicated People

Everyone worships. Some people worship money, possessions, popularity, prosperity, or other people. They may not sing worship songs to their bank account, but by the way they live they worship (i.e. give value to) their money.

Worship is not just singing songs in church; worship is a lifestyle that places value on its object. True worship of God means that the one worshiping is placing value on God and putting him at the center of life.

That's what Jesus was getting at when he said, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)

Notice Jesus didn't say anything about singing "worship songs." To worship in spirit and in truth means that everything in your life is centered around God and guided by him -- that your choices reflect him, that your actions are directed by him, and that you words are filtered through him.

In short, true worship is such that the one worshipping should be so enveloped and surrounded in the presence (the spirit) of God.

Quiet time and fellowship

Quiet time and fellowship with God—the most important part of each day. Use these free devotionals from Bible Gateway to help you focus on God each day.