Reminder - Which Is It?

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT

"I've left it in the Lord's hands." How many times have we heard that? How many times have we said it ourselves?

In the course of conversation, I found myself questioning - Are we believing God or blaming Him? Is it a declaration or a denial? Faith or failure? When we say we've left it in His hands - are we declaring our confidence in God to see it through to fruition, or is it a cop-out because we don't want the responsibility?

Actions speak louder than words. When it comes down to a choice between God's will or our own way, do we continue to do God's will - to trust Him despite what we feel, what people say - or do we quit? Which is it?

Prayer:

Father:

            According to Your Word, we choose to walk by faith and not by sight. We have not yet achieved it, but we focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, we press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which You, through Christ Jesus, are calling us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

Conscious or Mindless

Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

Proverbs 4:7 NKJV

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.

James 1:5-6 NLT

We make many decisions in a day. Some are considered 'no-brainers' - things we don't have to decide daily because at some previous pivotal point, we decided we would do it regularly. Other decisions require conscious effort, deep thought and reasoning, and just when we think we've made the hard decision, we think about it some more.

Some decisions are made for us - such as what the boss wants done and when s/he wants it. Some are seemingly without thought because they 'go with the territory' – for instance, if you deliver pizzas, you’ll need a driver's license and the state-required insurance, and a vehicle of some sort.

The bottom line is this: we make our decisions and our decisions make us. More than that, decisions we make affect the lives of those around us. To choose to live righteously, to choose to have an attitude of gratitude. To choose to reach out to others... or not. It affects everyone within our sphere of influence. If we don't make conscious decisions, it will be our mindless decisions that will adversely affect our lives and those around us.

So, knowing that - how are you at making decisions? Do you have all the wisdom you need in order to make them?

Prayer:

Father,

          We come before You today and ask for Your inspired wisdom to make the right decisions to follow Your purpose for our lives. Lord, Your Word says You will give it to us and not rebuke us for asking. Our faith is in You alone, Father - we do not want to waiver. We need Your wisdom. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Decision-Making Time

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:5-6 NLT

We make many decisions in a day. Some are considered 'no-brainers' - things we don't have to decide daily because at some previous pivotal point, we decided we would do it regularly. Other decisions require conscious effort, deep thought and reasoning, and just when we think we've made the hard decision, we think about it some more.

Some decisions are made for us - such as what the boss wants done and when he or she wants it. Some are seemingly without thought because they 'go with the territory' - if you deliver pizzas, you need a driver's license and the state-required insurance, and a vehicle of some sort.

The bottom line is this: we make our decisions - and our decisions make us. More than that, decisions we make affect the lives of those around us. 

To choose to live righteously, 

to choose to have an attitude of gratitude. 

To choose to reach out to others... or not. 

Those decisions affect everyone within our sphere of influence. If we don't make conscious decisions, it will be our mindless decisions that will affect our lives and those around us.

So, knowing that - how are you at making decisions? Do you have all the wisdom you need in order to make them?

Prayer:

Father,
          We come before You today and ask for Your inspired wisdom to make the right decisions to follow Your purpose for our lives. Lord, Your Word says You will give it to us and not rebuke us for asking. Our faith is in You alone, Father - we do not want to waiver. We need Your wisdom. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen