Day 210  God Rejoices In Doing Us Good

Jeremiah 32:41 (AMP)

Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly and in truth with My whole heart and with My whole being.

We already know how good God is from the previous two days.  Today we are going to focus on the rest of the scripture.  “I will plant them in this land assuredly….”

There are times in our lives when we reach a season of transition.  We know that our time is up where we presently are.  For example, we sense a change is coming—maybe in our job, our family or in our ministry.  God says that He will “assuredly” plant us in this land.  He knows exactly where we should be at this point in time—and He is going to do the planting!!  And not just that, but let’s read the rest of the verse.  He will plant us in truth with His whole heart and with His whole being!!  Do you think just maybe He cares deeply for where you should be??  I think YES!!

GPS  (Directions From God’s Word)

·         Acts 17: 26b

·         Psalms 16: 5-7

·         Psalms 107:7

Prayer Focus:

Thank God out loud for His direction and for giving you a place to live, a job or a ministry, a family.  Thank Him for His faithfulness to you.

Day 209  And The Lord Shall Guide You

Isaiah 58:11   Amplified Bible

And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.

God loves nothing more than to take us by the hand and lead us in the way that will bring us peace and joy.  Of course, if we choose to do our own thing, He will let us do that too.  The result is confusion, dissatisfaction, chaos, delay, etc.  Even in that, when we come to Him, He is willing to lift us out of our circumstances and bring us unto Himself where we can walk hand-in-hand with Him again.

And He said He will “guide you continually.”  That mean sometimes.  It means all the time.  When you are going through a “dry” place,  He wants to satisfy you and make your body strong.

God wants to make you like a watered garden—continually.  Can you even imagine how good our God is??

GPS  (Directions From God’s Word)

·         John 16:13

·         Isaiah 42:16

·         Isaiah 30: 21

Prayer Focus:

Begin to thank God out loud for the guidance He promises you in the scriptures above.  Your heart will feel secure and you will know that you can talk to God all through your day.

Day 208  Announcing Messages Of Joy

Isaiah 61: 2-3  (MSG)

God sent me to announce the year of his grace—
a celebration of God's destruction of our enemies—
and to comfort all who mourn,

Messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.

The Bible is filled with “messages of joy.”  For example, let’s take a look what He says in Psalms 103.

He forgives all my sins.  (Vs. 3)

He heals all my diseases.  (Vs. 3)

He redeems my life from the pit.  (Vs. 4)

He crowns me with love and compassion.  (Vs. 4)

He satisfies my desires with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the Eagle’s.

(Now that IS good news!!)

He works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.  (Vs. 6)

He is compassionate and gracious.  (Vs. 8)

He is slow to anger.  (Vs 8)

He is abounding in love.  (Vs. 8)

He does not treat us like our sins deserve.    (Vs. 10)

He does not repay us according to our iniquities.  (Vs 10)

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.  (Vs. 13)

He remembers that we are not perfect.  (Vs. 14)

His love for us is from everlasting to everlasting to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey Him.  (Vs. 17)

How about that for a “message of joy??”

GPS  (Directions From God’s Word)

·         Acts 13:38

·         Jeremiah 30:7

·         Psalms 108:4

Prayer Focus:

Thank Him for what you have just read.  Speak your prayer out loud.  It will not only bless Him; it will bless you!!

Day 207    Grant Us Success

Psalm 118:25,29   (NIV1984)

 O Lord, save us;  O Lord, grant us success.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Let’s switch these two phrases around so that it says:

God Is good.  His love endures forever and He grants us success.

That’s what every loving parent wants for their child—success in everything they do.  God is no different.  He wants even better for us than we can  imagine.  He takes great joy in watching us be successful and even more joy when we give Him the credit for our success.   “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.”

So many times we hear people say that God brings sickness, accidents, etc. to teach us something.  We even use the term “Acts of God” when we talk of hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, etc.  God being “good” could not do any of those horrible things.  God is all about taking these things and turning them into something good because He is good!  That is our God!!

GPS  (Directions  From God’s Word)

·         Luke 11: 11-12

·         Ephesians 3:20

·         III John 4

Prayer Focus:

Thank God for being so good to you.  Specifically thank Him for what He has done in your life.

Day 206  Let Us Hold Firmly To The Faith

Hebrews 4:14  (NIV1984)

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God,  let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

What is the faith we profess?  God’s Word is His promises to us as a result of the cross.  In the Old Testament they were looking for a Savior.  The New Testament is the account of His coming into the earth.  When we receive Him as Savior, all that He died on the cross for is ready and waiting for us. Here’s what His Word says regarding that:

2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV1984)

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.

 ⁴ Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

God in His graciousness towards us has provided everything we need in this life—way over and above all we can ask or think!!  If He wrote it, we can profess it!

GPS  (Direction From God’s Word)

·         I Peter 1:13

·         Hebrews 3:6

·         Ephesians 3:20

Prayer Focus:

Pray out loud the wonderful promises God has personally given you.

Day 205    Do You Need A Fresh Start?

Zechariah 10:6   The Message

"I'll put muscle in the people of Judah; I'll save the people of Joseph.  I know their pain and will make them good as new. They'll get a fresh start, as if nothing had ever happened.”

Could you use one of those----a “fresh start,” that is??  We all can at some time or another!  Maybe you need one today.  You got up and right away you discovered that your day was going “south” quickly.  We’ll here’s the good news--you can press the “restart” button on your day and start over with a clean slate.

Or maybe you have been repeating some destructive behavior for years and you are ready for a “fresh start.”  It’s as simple as pressing that “restart” button.  In both of these cases it’s good to go to God and say, “I have messed up and I am desperate for Your help.”

God is all about “fresh starts.”  In His “mag-normous” love for us, He sent His Son to the cross so that you and I can press the “restart” button on our lives and start over.  When we mess up, we can do it all again!!  He knew we would make mistakes and His arms are still open wide!!  Is it time to press your “restart” button?

GPS  (Direction From God’s Word)

·         John 1:29-31

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201:29&version=MSG

·         I Corinthians 1:26

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Corinthians%201:26&version=MSG

·         Psalms 18:20

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms%2018:%2020&version=MSG

Prayer Focus:

Thank Your wonderful God that He always has a “fresh start” waiting for you!

Day 204  Let Us Rejoice And Be Glad

Isaiah 25:9 (NIV1984)

 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God;  we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

I love that word “surely.”  In this day and age when there is not much stability---politically, financially, emotionally---it’s good to know that “Surely this is our God…”

No matter what, God is there with His ‘everlasting arms” reaching out to scoop us up.  It doesn’t matter our age or how mature we think we are, God is big enough to pick us up and carry us up and over the instability that exists all around us.

When we trust in Him with child –like faith, we are safe in His arms no matter what the future holds.  He takes delight in taking care of His children.

GPS  (Direction From God’s Word)

·         Deuteronomy 33:  12, 27

·         Psalms 112:7

·         Proverbs 3:24

Prayer Focus:

Thank Your wonderful Father that as you rest in Him, His strong arms are holding you.  Your future is in good hands!

Day 203  It’s Time To Rise and Shine

Isaiah 60:1-2  Amplified Bible

ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you.

Today is the day of new beginnings.  My prayer for you today is that you would see things in a whole new light.  As the things in this world seem darker and darker, the Light of Jesus Christ is supposed to shine on us so we can reflect His love to a world who is worrying about so many things.

Keeping our eyes on Jesus through His Word will cause us to shine and reflect.  His glory is His presence.  We are called to carry His presence wherever we go—to the coffee shop, to the job, to the neighbors ….everywhere!  So lets not be the depressed ones.  Let’s stay close to His heart and shine for Him.

GPS  (Directions From God’s Word)

·         Luke 1: 78-79

·         Jeremiah 30:8  MSG

·         II Corinthians 3:17

Prayer Focus:

Thank your wonderful God that when you feel down, He picks you up.  Thank Him for His words of life found in the Bible that bring strength and energy and vision.

Day 202  God Is All About Increase

Psalm 85:12-13 (NIV1984)

The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.

 Are you on your way somewhere and perhaps you have some real estate property to sell??  Well, here is a good word for you. Also if you are a farmer, this is really a good word for you to pray over your crops.

The King James Version of the Bible says, “our land will yield its increase.”

“Increase” is a good word because God is right in the middle of that word.  Hard work yields some but only God can yield the “increase.”

“Our land will yield it’s harvest.”  Land in the Bible was all about what one owns, whether it be a house or a car or anything that someone owns.  It also means “land.”  It could be your garden or your field.  It’s even your job—what you do yields an increase.

GPS  (Direction From God’s Word)

·         John 10:10

·         Philippians 4:19

·         Ephesians 3:20

Prayer Focus:

Bring your property to God and thank Him that God causes increase to come to you.  Thank Him that He has gone before you and prepared the way for you.

Day 201  God Is With You

2 Chronicles 20:17   The Message

Don't be afraid, don't waver. March out boldly tomorrow—God is with you."

It’s so good to know that God is with us, especially in potentially fearful situations.

I encourage you to read all of 2 Chronicles 20.  The enemy had come to make war.  Jehoshaphat and his people had every reason to be afraid.  How did Jehoshaphat feel?  Verse three said that he was “alarmed!!”  But look what he did when that fear came upon him… he “resolved to inquire of the Lord….the people came together to seek help from the Lord.”

God has the specific answer for every situation that you find yourself in.  How do I know??  Because He always answers when I say, “What are we going to do about this, God?”  After all He is my Father!  Any good, well-meaning father would come right to his child’s aid in times of trouble--Our heavenly Father, so much more than any earthly father!

GPS  (Direction From God’s Word)

·         2 Chronicles 20- put yourself in that story

·         Exodus 14:13

·         2 Timothy 1:12

Prayer Focus:

Bring your fears to God and ask Him what to do in each situation.  Give Him time to answer you and then be sure to thank Him.