Day 180   A New Way Of Thinking

Mark 2:22 (NIV1984)

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.

2012 is a new year (a new wineskin) and it’s a year that none of us have experienced before.  This year is a blank canvas and it can be filled with all that God has for us (new wine).

I say “it can” because it also can be filled the remembrance of the difficult things we may experienced in the last year.

When we are driving our car our eyes are positioned on the road ahead.  We are anticipating our destination.  It can be a pleasant trip as we drive along, but what if we are constantly looking in the rear view mirror—constantly turning around and thinking about unpleasant events that have happened.

I know it is difficult when the thoughts and emotions from last year want to come into this new year and hold us in a place of sorrow, disappointment, guilt, etc.  We can, however, pray that day-by-day God will help us to focus on the future.

Each day is a blank canvas and we can ask God to “cause our thoughts to be agreeable to His will,” for that day.  (Proverbs 16:3 Amplified Bible)  His will is for us to have peace and even joy, and we can only have that as we walk closely with Him—and that is a daily walk.

GPS (Directions)

Read His promises—Get His directions!

·         Proverbs 16:9  Amplified Bible

·         II Corinthians 5:17 Amplified Bible

·         Ephesians 4:23 Amplified Bible

Prayer Focus

Father, cause my thoughts to be agreeable to Your will so that I can think Your thoughts for this new year.

Day 179    A New Year—A New Thing

Isaiah 43:18-19  (NIV1984)

¹⁸ “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

What a great promise this is!  I am ready for a new year and a new thing.  How about you?  From what I have experienced with God, He is always progressing, always advancing and always taking us on to bigger and better things.

I think God is waiting for us to come to Him and take His hand.  If this verse is true—that He is “making a way” for me, then I want to go with Him in that way. 

As we enter 2012, let’s take His hand.  Let’s go with Him because He has made a way (through Jesus’ death on the cross) and He is still making a way for us.  We don’t know how and we do not have what it takes to make our own way, but thank God that He is able!

GPS (Directions)

Read His promises—Get His directions!

·         Isaiah 43:18

·         Isaiah 65: 17

·         Isaiah 48:6

Prayer Focus

Thank God that He is doing new things in your life in this new year.

Christmas Is About Love

David and I were reading our Daily Devotions this morning and I was touched about their explanation of the true meaning of Christmas.  I want to share that with you today.

Christmas is not about what we find under the tree.  It’s about giving.  God came down the stair of heaven with a baby in His arms.  It’s His gift of love given to us out of His heart of love.

I intend to focus on that during this season.  God gave of Himself because He loves us.  I think it would be good for us to think of what we have to give to others this holiday season.  If we have peace, we can give it.  If we have joy, we can give it.  If we have a listening ear, we can offer it to someone who needs to talk.  If we have wisdom or encouragement, we can share it.  If we have a smile (and who doesn’t??), we can show it.

Let’s spend this next two weeks sharing what we have—from a heart that loves!

God bless you,

Karol

My thoughts today are taken from the Daily Devotional entitled, “Love Talk—A Devotional For Couples by Les and Leslie Parrott.

Day 178  I AM Right Now

John 11:25  The Message (MSG)

“I am, right now, Resurrection and Life…. Do you believe this?"

Perhaps you have an area of your life where things seem stagnant----where there seems to be no way out or no hope of change?

Mary and Martha were experiencing that.  Lazarus had been dead for four days.  Pretty “hopeless,” wouldn’t you say?

When Lazarus became sick, Mary and Martha called for Jesus to come quickly.  Jesus was very strategic in the timing of his journey to go to them. 

John 11:6   (NIV1984)

Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

AAAAAHHHHH!!  “Jesus, what are You thinking??  Where are You when I need You??”  Have you ever felt like that??  “God, what is the delay?”

Jesus did not hurry because He already knew how this was going to play out.  He had consulted with God and He had the confidence of what to do in the timing He was to do it.

Let’s go back and look again:

John 11:4 (NIV1984)

When he heard this,(that Lazarus was sick) Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

No need to rush!  In fact the timing of this miracle was going to confirm that this was God’s doing.  In the meantime, Lazarus died.  What could get more “hopeless” than that?

Upon arriving in Bethany, Jesus said to Martha, “Your brother will rise again.”  (Verse 23)

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”  (Verse 24)

Jesus replied, “I AM the resurrection….” And I am right here now!  The Message Bible says:   “You don’t have to wait for the End.  I AM right now, Resurrection and Life.”

When you call to God, He sends LIFE into your situation.  He wants you to trust that what He is saying is true.

Will you look to Jesus today and invite Him into your stagnant, dead circumstance??  Will you believe that when you pray, the great “I AM” is on the way to help you??  See Him walk in the door of your home and say, “I AM right now.”

GPS  (Directions for our journey)

Take a piece of card stock (even a recipe card will do) and write on it:

            John 11: 25 MSG

          I AM right now!!

Put it in your Bible so you can see it as you begin your daily “meeting with God.”  The life of God is in your midst, answering your call.

Prayer Focus:

Father, thank You for hearing my prayer and coming to me.  Thank You that You are here right now, bringing new life into my situation, and Father, I will be quick to give You all the glory for it!  Amen!

Day 175 and 176

God said, “I AM who I AM,” (Exodus 3:14)  Tell them “I AM” is on the scene!  Okay, that’s a Karol Horken paraphrase, but you get the picture.  God is here and He wants to manifest Himself in our lives in the following ways: 

(Spend time with Him, worshipping Him that He is each of these things to you!!  EnJOY!

I AM your Shepherd.

            I watch over you.

            I go get you when you get off track.

            I bring you back.

            I hold you next to my heart to comfort you.

            I take care of you and soothe you.

            I meet all your needs.

I AM your Savior.

            I rescue you.

            I bring you into the fold.

            I go get you in your hard place.

            I save you from death and destruction.

I AM your peace.

            I calm the seas for you.

            I make straight your paths.

            I speak to you.

            I give you rest.

I AM there for you.

            I listen to you.

            I answer you.

            I comfort you.

            I provide for you.

I AM your healer.

            I made you and I know how to fix you.

            I heal your hurting heart.

            I heal your relationships.

            I heal your trauma.

            I heal your emotions.

            I heal your body.

God bless your day!  Feel free to comment if you have been blessed by this series on “I AM God.”

 Day 173     I AM Your Victory

Exodus 17:15-16 (NIV)

Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.

He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the LORD, the LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

God fights my battles for me and always causes me to be a winner .

As long as Moses’ arms were up, he was winning.  God always wants us to be involved in the process.  That’s why He created us with a free will.  He wants us to come to Him and put our faith in Him.

2 Corinthians 2:14   (NKJV)

 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

Wow!  Did you see that??  He “ALWAYS” causes us to triumph!  If you will notice in the previous verse, Paul had no peace.  In the midst of Paul’s unrest He knew that God would bring him through to victory.  What a wonderful promise that is!!

1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV1984)

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

God gives us so many things and one of those things is victory!!  Aren’t you so glad about that, and aren’t you so glad that you don’t have to do it yourself—because you can’t anyway!!

GPS  (Directions)

Today I am only going to give you one scripture to wrap around your heart.  Meditate on His love and His strength in these His words to you:

            Romans 8: 31-39

Prayer Focus:

Thank our wonderful Jesus for loving us enough to die for us and now to pray for us so that can conquer every problem that comes into our lives.

Day 173    I AM Your Sanctifier

Exodus 31:13b   (NIV1984)

….. so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.

It is Jesus who sets us apart as holy.  God is instructing the people to set aside a time to rest (a Sabbath) in order to remember Jesus and keep Him alive in our thoughts and in our lives and to teach our families to do the same.

The Bible says in…..

Hebrews 13:12  (NIV1984)

And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood.

When I think of how Jesus suffered on the cross and shed His precious blood for me ---that in all my sin, I might be sanctified (washed) clean --it makes me want to live for Him.  He gave His all for me.  I want to give my all for Him!

When the devil accuses us by bringing up our sin, Jesus walks into the “courtroom” with us and says to God, “This is Karol.  She accepted Me as her Savior so she is one of Ours.”  God looks at the devil, slams the gavel down and says, “Game over!!”  I like that picture!!

You might say, “Is that really true?” 

Yes, that is how it is.  Jesus did all the suffering for you.  All He is asking You to do is stay close to Him and follow His ways.  If you stray from Him, He will come and get you and bring you back under His covering of sanctification. 

That was always God’s plan.  He knew we were going to mess up and that we would need a Savior.  In His love for us, He provided His own Son to suffer in our place.  How could we not live our lives wholly and purposefully for Him??

GPS  (Directions)

Reinforce God’s finished work of sanctification in the following scriptures.  When you receive Christ as Your Savior, You stand with Him in the courtroom of heaven.  Jesus is at your side, explaining to God that You are one of the family!!

·         I Peter 1:2

·         I Corinthians 1:30

·         Ephesians 5:26

Prayer Focus:

Father, help me to stay away from the contamination of this world so that I can fully walk in all that Jesus did for me.