After you Say “I DO” The Oil Gauge (2)

Mom called me as she sat on the side of the road. “Danny, there’s steam coming out of the engine.” As I pulled up beside her I noticed steam and heat coming out from the hood. Mom had ignored a red light that came up on the dashboard. The engine light was telling her to stop. She had insufficient oil in the engine, and now it was toast.

Ignoring our gauges on the dashboard of our cars can be very costly, but even more costly in our marriage. I would like to use the oil gauge as the oil that comes from the Holy Spirit to empower each of us for the journey in life. Jesus told his disciples when I leave, “I will send the Holy Spirit to empower you, to guide and lead you into all truth.”

It’s essential for each of us to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. He will help us to work out our stress and struggles that each of us contends with. Taking out your stress on your spouse will cause the engine of your marriage to overheat.

How often do we take the time to allow the Holy Spirit to change our thinking, our hurts that cause us to toss and turn in the night? One word from the Holy Spirit can settle down our emotions and our temperament. The Spirit of God comes to keep us cool calm and collective in the storms and stress of life. When your upset about something, the last thing you need to do is to take it out on those around you.

God says; “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.” “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.” God sent His very best when He left this world to help us. Why would we not lean on Him to see us through the uncharted waters of life? Your marriage doesn’t have to die in a hot desert.

Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to heal your past hurts, jealousy, abuse, or even an affair that is hindering your going forward? There is nothing the Holy Spirit can’t heal in your life or your past. Maybe you have suffered physical or verbal abuse from your past. Today allow the Holy Spirit to bring healing to your pain and sorrow. He died on Calvary; He paid for your hurt and pain, and yes even our mistakes. By His stripes you are healed.

Refuse to allow your relationship with your spouse to burn out. Refuse to be stranded on the side of the road for thieves and robbers to destroy. If the oil gauge is running low, “Stop," and allow the Holy Spirit to refresh and renew you even as you read this devotion.

 “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles and shall run and not be weary and shall walk and not faint." God can quickly change your gauge today and bring fresh life, peace and power back into the relationship that seems impossible to repair. Had Mom stopped to pour in some oil, the engine would have lasted many more years. How much longer would your marriage last if you would stop to let Him pour in you today?   

   

Dannysdevotional.com
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After You Say "I DO" The Amp Gauge (1)

Ephesians 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

If you have driven a car very long, you realize that cars have important gauges on the dashboard that are to be watched and not ignored. I was praying about our Marriage Series and it came to me that there are also gauges to watch in our marriage. Have you thought about what the gauges are indicating in your marriage?

Several years ago, the Saturday Evening Post published an article entitled “The Seven Ages of the Married Cold.” It revealed the reaction of a husband to his wife’s colds during their first seven years of marriage. It went something like this:

·       The first year: “Sugar dumpling, I’m really worried about my baby girl. You’ve got a bad sniffle, and there’s no telling about these things with all this strep throat going around. I’m putting you in the hospital this afternoon for a general checkup and a good rest. I know the food’s lousy, but I’ll be bringing your meals in from Rosini’s. I’ve already got it all arranged with the floor superintendent.”

·       The second year: “Listen, darling, I don’t like the sound of that cough. I called Doc Miller and asked him to rush over here. Now you go to bed like a good girl, please? Just for Papa.”

·       The third year: “Maybe you’d better lie down, honey: nothing like a little rest when you feel lousy. I’ll bring you something to eat. Have you got any canned soup?”

·       The fourth year: “Now look, dear, be sensible. After you’ve fed the kids, washed the dishes and finished the floor, you’d better lie down.”

·       The fifth year: “Why don’t you take a couple of aspirin?”

·       The sixth year: “I wish you’d just gargle or something, instead of sitting around all evening barking like a seal!”

·       The seventh year: “For Pete’s sake, stop sneezing! Are you trying to give me pneumonia?”This humorous story describes the decline of marriage as seen through the common cold… A funny look at a not-so- funny reality.

I have been married 32 years, and while I have never accused Vonnell of barking like a seal, I have seen changes in our marriage, and not all of them for the good. Today I want to talk about being proactive in keeping the spark in our marriages.

Let’s look at the AMP Gauge. It’s important to know if the right electricity is running through your car. More importantly is if it’s still in the marriage. When you first got married, there was plenty of electricity in the relationship. But as we journey through the uncharted waters of marriage, we tend to forget the things we did with each other before we got married.

Do you remember how sweetly you asked how she was doing each day? And how long it took to get ready for a date? You got all dressed up, shaved, brushed your teeth, put on cologne, and couldn’t wait to share the night together. Has the fire gone out? No one likes to get in a vehicle with a dead battery.

There are things you can do to get the fire back. Guys, how about washing and vacuuming her car this week? Get the oil changed and fill up the tank instead of having her do it. Ladies, make his favorite dish and surprise him by being all dressed up when he comes home from work. Are you watching your AMP gauge? Are you maintaining the electricity in the marriage?

Remember, if the battery goes dead in your car, you don’t buy a new car; instead, you replace the battery or get it recharged. If the amp is reading low, begin doing things that will ignite a new fire in your marriage.     
                                    

Dannysdevotional.com

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Cautious With Your Steps ( Reposted) 4.11.13

Solomon was the riches king on the earth. He was blessed with thousands of horses, camels, sheep, silver, and gold just to mention a few. He took seven years to build the most incredible temple and thirteen years in building his magnificent palace. Where did this man detour from his roots of faith? Where did he go wrong? How could one step in the wrong direction lead him so far from his Jehovah God? (1 Kings 11:1-13)

The word says that Solomon loved many foreign women. So did this guy just have issues with women? God was clear that Israel was not to marry those from foreign nations, because the women's gods would turn their hearts away from their Jehovah God. (1 Kings 11:2)

Why did this king seek after women from other nations? Could it be that he married Pharaoh's daughter so that he wouldn't have to war with the king of Egypt? Would not that be a wise strategy in order to secure his nation Israel? What father is going to go after the destruction of his daughter's domain?

The problem with that reasoning is God never breaks His principals in order to take care of His children. I do believe that indeed was Solomon's strategy and when it worked with one nation, he married women also from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from the Hitties.

How did this wise man lose confidence in his protector? God had promised him that as long as he kept His commandments, blessing's and protection would be on him and his nation.

Just as God had predicted, Solomon's wives turned his heart to worshipping other gods. These 700 wives caused him to worship Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. What he did was evil in the Lord's sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done.

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Satan works at tempting us with one step, the first step in the wrong direction. Solomon married one woman from a foreign nation. When it seemly worked out to marry Pharaoh's daughter, what could be so wrong with marrying more from other nations?

Just one step in the wrong direction is what will lead you down the road of death. There is a way that seems right unto man but the end thereof is the way of death.

Be cautious with your steps in life, when you choose your own strategy that opposes the word of God, your about to step on a landmine that will forever change the trajectory that he has purpose for your future. How could one so blessed, so powerful, so successful turn away from his God?

Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) Order my steps in thy word, and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. (Psalm 119:133) Let God's word and not your knowledge and wisdom be your guide and compass today.

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Moses Climbs Higher

In Moses' dying days, we see him climbing higher and higher up Mount Nebo to Pisgah Peak. There the Lord allowed him to see and view the Promise Land where Joshua would lead the people across the Jordan River. (Deuteronomy 34 )

Who said in your later years that you were to slow down and crawl inside a cave and die? The Word says that before Moses died at the age of 120, his eyesight was clear and he was stronger than ever before. Too many seniors in their later years lose more than their health; they lose the will to live, serve, be used of God, and to complete the dream that they started.

Moses doesn't back down in his last years of leading the people of God. He writes a song that Israel is to learn in going over into the Promise land. He is giving instructions to their new leader Joshua who will take them over into the land. He gives them warnings about traps and ways the enemy will try to distract and detour them in their new journey.

 It's not over till GOD says it's over!  It's our culture that leads many down the path that tells us in our older years, all we are to do is just retire, get a motor home and tour the nation. I have no problems with people touring the country, but if that is all you have to dream about, you will most certainly die an early and empty death.

Dreams are what keep people alive. Like Moses, keep climbing up your own mountain until the Lord brings about your last dying breath. There's still much work to be done in the kingdom of God. Like Paul, let's all have the testimony, "I have fought a good fight, finished my course, and kept the faith.  Are YOU climbing higher?

dannysdevotional.com

Why Are People Blind?

Have you ever wondered why someone would throw away their marriage for a one night stand in Vegas? Why would someone throw away their hard earned money for a chance to win the lottery? Why would someone throw away their career over stealing from their company? Why would do people lie, cheat and deceive others to try to get ahead in life? The answer is that we are all Born Blind in sin. We are all guilty of sin. “For all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Satan, who is the god of this world, hath blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. (2 Corinthians 4:4a) I’m told that a bat is blind the first 7 to 9 days after birth. Friend, each of us is born blind spiritually until the Lord Jesus Christ opens up our blinded eyes.

Being Blind limits one from being Productive, living at Peace, fulfilling Gods Purpose and Living out God’s Plan. Blind Bartimaeus one day heard that Jesus was coming through Jericho. What caused him to cry out to Jesus? Had he seen the Lord multiply the bread and fishes? Had he seen the Lord calm the winds and the waves on the Sea of Galilee? Had he seen the Lord heal the leper or raise Lazarus from the dead? The answer is simply no. Even though he had never seen Christ do any miracles, you can be certain that he had heard of the miracles of Christ. That hearing stirred up a hope and faith in his heart to cry out to Jesus.

Has anyone heard your story of how Jesus has transformed and changed your life? Do you think that God could use your own miracle to place faith and hope in the heart of your friend, your peer at work? Has your neighbor heard of the healing and radical change that has taken place in your own life through Jesus Christ.

As Blind Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus, the Lord stood still. It’s amazing that the Creator of the heavens and the earth will stop and stand still to hear the cry of your heart. Regardless of your pain, darkness and difficulty, Jesus will stand still to hear the pain of your life. Jesus asks him, “What is it that you want?” Bartimaeus said, “I want to see.” Jesus said, “Your faith has made you whole.”

The same way the Lord opened up the eyes of Bartimaeus is the way He can open up your eyes to knowing Him as your Lord and Savior. Call on Him today, He will stand still to change your life. He is the Light of the world; never doubt what He can do beginning now.                                                              

 Dannysdevotional.com

Don't Forget Where Your Blessings Came From

How did Israel ever get out of a land of pain, sorrow and bondage? It was God's mighty hand that brought Israel out of Egypt into a future that was brighter than they could imagine. Well at-least the younger generation experience the Promise Land that was intended for all of them.

Israel had botched their whole future up because of unbelief. Ten out of the twelve spies said, "Were not able to go in, because there are giants in the land. We are grasshoppers in their site." It was Joshua and Caleb that proclaimed, "We are more than able to go in and possess the land." Doubt caused most of Israel to miss the Promise Land.

God was merciful enough to see them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. He fed them manna, quail, and brought water out of the rock to quench their thirst. These forty years, their clothes didn't wear out, and their feet didn't blister or swell.

It was the desire of God to bring them into a good land of flowing streams, pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. This was a land of wheat, barley, grapevine, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey.

How could so many miss the blessings and prosperity that was intended for Gods people? God reminds Israel that He is the one that gives men the power to get wealth, success and blessings. It was faith in the heart of two men that would lead the younger generation to all their blessings and success.

God says, "When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey His commands. When you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful!" (Deuteronomy 8)

The point is to never become arrogant or prideful, or to think that is was your talent and smarts that got you where you are today. It is God alone that has brought you the success that you have today. Never forget where all your blessings came from. God has done great things for you and should be praised and glorified.

In the closing of chapter 8 God gives a Warning. If you forget where your blessings came from, don't be surprised if you lose it all. My friend, that is a great warning and reminder for each of us. Why not take a moment today to give God thanks and praise for all He had done for you? This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

dannysdevotional.com

Never Write People Off

           Years ago when my son Daniel played Little League baseball, he was hit in the head while batting. He began to cry and tossed his bat and helmet aside and said, “I’m finished; I quit.” I said, “Son, are you okay, you have a free base?” He said “Dad, I’m through.” Hell is very good at hitting each of us with stuff that puts us out of God’s plan and purpose for our life.

Jesus came to show us the way, the truth and the life. He came to give us His love, mercy and forgiveness. He knows how to give people a brand new start and a brand new beginning. His mercy is enough to get us out of our pit of sin and place us in His purpose for living out this life.

Once there was a woman brought to Jesus caught in the act of adultery. Her accusers said, “The Law of Moses says to stone her. What do You say?” Jesus stooped down to the ground and began to write. We can only speculate what He wrote. One by one the Scribes and Pharisees began to walk away. Jesus looked up and said, “Woman, where are your accusers?” She said; “There are none.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more.”

Jesus shows us four great positions to take in Showing Mercy.

First, Jesus reached out with HOPE. Many in today’s society have lost hope that they can be changed or transformed. Recently it came to the attention of the Oceanway Church that the suicide rate in Alaska is the highest in all of America. Our church plans on taking a group this summer to build cabins in order to provide housing for a new youth camp. Is there a friend, spouse or a neighbor that needs to see there is HOPE beyond being beat up by Satan?

Second, Jesus reached out to HELP her. The crowd and religious leaders were ready to stone her. Is there someone today that needs your help? Could you make a difference in someone’s dilemma?

Third, Jesus reached out to HEAL her brokenness. She had looked in all the wrong places to fill her achy heart. Jesus came to show her that He was the River of life.

Fourth, Jesus reached out with His HAND. Jesus Hand can heal anybody, anywhere, anytime. Do you know of someone who needs a hand of Mercy and Grace? Jesus had no stones in His hand. One by one the crowed dropped their stones and walked away. God has called each of us to be a light and beacon of Hope. Will you allow God to use your voice to bring Hope? Will you allow God to use your feet to bring someone help? Will you allow God to use your eyes to bring Healing to someone’s brokenness? Will you allow God to use your hands to change someone’s destiny?  Let’s Drop our stones and follow our Lord and Savior’s actions of Mercy to change our world. Never write poeple off, rather love them and show them mercy.                                            

Dannysdevotional.com