Gems in Life Series 1 “Confidence” (Philippians 1:6)

Gems generally refer to a gemstone, a cut rock or mineral. Jadeite is worth more than $3 million per carat; Red Diamonds are $2 to 2.5 million per carat. Have you considered the treasures that Christ has promised to make your journey successful?

 Any athlete can tell you in order to have any success in their field, Confidence is a must. I’ve watched singers who’ve gotten nervous in their performance and gone flat and off key. I’ve seen golfers who ‘choked’, once they thought about their four foot putt worth $40,000! There are several things that will destroy your confidence. Let’s talk about a few                                    “Confidence Killers”.

 Unrealistic demands. Friend, no one is perfect. The Bible is full of heroes who experienced many blunders and mistakes. Some people place so much pressure on themselves to be perfect, that they forget what Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ. (Phil 4:13) If you think you can succeed in your own strength, you will fall flat on your face!

 Hitting the Replay Button too Often. The feature may be wonderful in helping referees in making the right call on the sports field, but when you’re always focusing on your past, you will certainly miss what God desires to do in your future. You can’t drive very far down the road looking in the rear view mirror without having a major collision and crisis.

 Fear of Failure What if Moses would have never left the backside of the desert and faced Pharaoh? What if Joshua would have never gotten the Priests to put their feet in the Jordan River? What if David would have never faced Goliath? What if Queen Esther would have never gone to the King to rescue the Jews from a death threat? What if three Hebrew teenagers would have never said to the King, “We will not bow down to your god?” What if Peter would have never launched out into the deep for a great catch of fish? (Luke 5:4) There would have been Many Missed Miracles.

Peter could have argued with Jesus, “Lord we always fish in the night, not in the daytime. Lord, we always fish in the shallow end where the Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee, not out in the deep. Lord, don’t you know that I have been doing this all my life? Lord, don’t you know we are tired and have been fishing all night long?” Peter’s pride and ego could have gotten the best of him; but instead he says these words, “NEVERTHELESS AT THY WORD I WILL LET DOWN THE NET.”

 

If you really want SUCCESS in your walk with God, quit focusing upon your knowledge, your  abilities, your past experience, and your smarts. God can build your CONFIDENCE in HIS WORD to you. He is able to get you through your stress, your struggles and your shortages in life.    

 Dannysdevotional.com

The Challenges of Parenting! (Part 1)

A priest was invited to attend a house party. Naturally, he was properly dressed and wearing his priest's Collar. A little boy kept staring at him the entire evening. Finally, the priest asked the little boy what he was staring at. The boy pointed to the priest's neck. When the priest finally realized what he was pointing at, he asked him, "Do you know why I am wearing that?"The boy nodded his head yes and replied, “It kills fleas and ticks for up to three months".

 It’s amazing what goes through the mind of a child. Kids really do have a mind of their own. And because they do, they need essential Time, Training and Tough Love from Godly Parents. We can’t leave it up to the White House to lead and give time to our kids. Neither can we leave it up into the hands of the schoolhouse to Train and steer our kids in the right direction. In all honestly, it’s not even the church house’s responsibility to give Tough love to kids. God puts all these responsibilities upon the shoulders of Parents. Yes, the church house Will give tenderness, time and training because so many kids are without a compass in assessing what’s really valuable in life. So What’s Important?

Time, James Dobson says kids spell love… “T I M E”. Mom and Dad, no doubt you are under great pressure when it comes to the time you have left over from work, keeping up with the house, your child’s school, taking them to their ball games, dance recitals, music lessons, karate, and the list goes on and on. Somewhere you come to realize you can’t be everywhere and do everything that is pulling on your coat tail. You must determine your TOP Priorities.  Have you sat down and discussed, “Just what are the TOP priorities for our Family”? Is there time for God? Is there Time to deposit His Word? Is there Time to worship the Lord on “The Lord’s day?” Have other things crowded God out from your world?

 Training. If you don’t make time to train your kids, who will? Most of them will learn lessons from society, friends, MTV, social media, prime time, and television.  So what does God say about the child God has given us? “Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

Tough Love, God states that parents are to discipline their kids. Eli was a great man of God but a horrible father. His sons Hophni and Phinehas were wicked men. He allowed his sons to get away without any repercussions or discipline. They violated sacrificial portions that belonged to God. They scandalized the faithful, acted unjustly and had illicit sexual relations with the young women assigned to care for the Shrine at Shiloh. But Eli did nothing. Mom, Dad don’t neglect in bringing tough love with some form of discipline to your kids. Kids are more secure when you do. God himself “chastens those whom He loves.”

I’ll be the last to say I did it all right as a parent. But with God’s wisdom and help, He will enable each of us to give Time, Training and yes, Tough Love to the children He gave us.

dannysdevotional.com   

                                    The Challenges of Parenting - Part 1    - video message                                                                                          

Add to your Faith…… “EXPERIENCE YOUR PAYDAY” #8

God states, “If you will add to your faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love, you will have a “PAYDAY of Victory.” Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit states, “If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, you will be productive.”

 These could be looked at as tools in becoming everything God would have us to be. Everybody struggles with something. In the pages of the Word of God, it is evident that men and women have their hang-ups and weaknesses. It’s up to us to add to our faith tools to overcome the entrapments that Satan uses to destroy us.

 Nobody climbs Mt Everest overnight. Those who have made it to the peak did it by taking one step at a time. BJ Gallagher writes, “Our journey is about progress, not perfection. It’s not about doing one thing 100 percent better; it’s doing 100 things 1 percent better each day.” God has a plan and a strategy for us to win. But you have to pay ‘up-front’ before you experience your Payday.

 Abraham kept pressing until he hit Payday. He struggled in believing for his promised son Isaac. It was his impatience that brought about Ishmael. Failure is not final unless you don’t get up. He persevered at the age of 100 and Sarah at 90, and they saw God bring about their promised son.  Payday came as they trusted God to fulfill exactly what He had promised.

 Isaac kept pressing until he hit Payday. He struggled with the Philistines who threw dirt in his wells. But he wouldn’t quit. He stayed in the batter’s box and faced every curve ball that came against him. He pressed on regardless, even in a famine, Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him (Genesis 26:12).

 Joseph kept pressing until he hit Payday. He struggled with his eleven brothers who sold him into slavery. He still trusted God who led him through some very deep and difficult steps. He was falsely accused for a crime he never committed and ended up in prison until he was 30 years old. Those 13 years of confusion eventually turned into a celebration.  He could have easily quit and turned sour and bitter. But he believed God had ordered his steps. As a result, thousands of people and own his family were saved in a famine. Yes, Payday came for a young 17 year old dreamer because he kept pressing.

 How long have you waited for your Payday? Have you become weary and worn to a frazzle? Keep taking one inch, one step, and one moment each day, pressing towards the mark. You may not understand it now, but God says, “Keep pressing till you hit the mark, for there is a prize.” Yes, keep adding to your faith and you will see your own PAYDAY OF VICTORY.                                              Dannysdevotional.com

Add to your Faith….Mutual Affection #7

                                           

A waiter at a Boston-area restaurant witnessed an act of kindness on Tuesday night that's warmed hearts across the Internet. “While waiting tables tonight, a mother and daughter started crying mid-meal. I had no idea what happened until a single guy at the table next to them handed me this note with his bill, “Do me a favor and bring me their check; someone just got diagnosed, don’t tell them.”

              

 What a great act of compassion and kindness! Peter says, “Add to your faith…Mutual affection.” (2 Peter 1:6) He’s inspired by the Holy Spirit and says that loving others is part of the journey in our development. This adds to the securing of your faith and your walk with Christ.

 Just how serious are you about finishing strong in your walk with Christ? Nowhere in the Word does it say that our walk will be perfect and without blemish, bumps and blunders. Yes, there are many challenges along the way. One of the greatest challenges that your faith will face will be how you handle people around you. Not everybody is going to smile at you and be nice, kind and loving. Some might just “rain on your parade”. Your issues aren’t in dealing with easy to love people; it’s those who are belligerent and ugly that adds stress to your life.

 Moses had to deal with Korah in the wilderness. Joseph had to deal with his eleven brothers who threw him in a pit. Nehemiah dealt with an enemy named Sanballat who attempted to stop the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples named Judas. I don’t know who’s getting under your skin, but headaches and stress with individuals are always going to be part of your development this side of heaven. Yes, God uses people like sandpaper to make us smoother and better fit for His use.

 So, will you stay the course and become Better rather than Bitter? I have watched many people who have removed themselves from His Will and Plan all because they couldn’t handle the pressure of people who caused them tension and heartache. But the apostle Paul says, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. “For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. (2 Corinthians 4:7-11)

 Go the distance friend. And one day, standing before the Lord, you will see how God used each difficult situation and different people to make you more like Him and better at loving those around you.

 Dannysdevotional.com  

Add to Your Faith - Mutual Affection - video message

Making Godly Decisions?

                             

Have you ever seen a filter get stopped up in your home air conditioning, your car oil filter, or a gas filter? If you don’t replace the filter, it won’t be long you will be paying high dollars in repairs and replacement cost. Everyone should ask themselves, “Do I have a filter for making Right Decisions?”

 Filters are cheap in comparison to replacing your motor or your A/C unit that cools your home. Car manufactures recommend that owners replace their oil and filter every three to seven thousand miles. It’s a small cost, but it can be a big ticket item in your budget if it’s overlooked. So what is your filter for making Godly decisions? I’m certain there are many, but let me mention just a few:

  Keeping your Head clear is vital to making Godly decisions. I just recently talked with a discouraged Pastor of a local church. He came asking, “How do I know when it’s time to step down from my church?” Many people make a bad call when they are tired and weary. God says, ^{30 “}Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; ³¹ but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint”  (Ish 40:31, 32).

 Each of us NEEDS a filter called Time Alone With God. Without consistent time alone with the Lord, you are apt to make some very bad decisions. Sarah said to Abram, “Take Hagar, she will give you a son. Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarah.” What would have happened if he would have hearkened to the voice of God? This mistake caused Abram and Sarah a whirlwind of heartache.

 Each of us NEEDS a filter called Trusting In Our God. “Without faith it is impossible to please God, he that cometh to God must believe that He is and He is a rewarded of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). People who tithe, trust in their God. People who share their testimony and witness, trust in their God. People, who choose to engage in ministry, trust in their God. “It’s not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6). Most people hold back from obeying God because of doubt.

 Each of us NEEDS a filter called Remembering the Lord’s Faithfulness. If God did it once, He can do it again. “He is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). “They soon forgot what the Lord had done” (Ps 106:13). The children of Israel had just come through the Red Sea and within three days got amnesia. They came to Marah and the waters were bitter. Immediately they are murmuring and complaining of God’s unfaithfulness. I keep a black book of the breakthroughs that the Lord has done for me. I do that to remind myself that when I go into another battle the same God that brought me out the last time can do it again. Have you checked your filter lately? When you get the trash of doubt, discouragement and darkness out, it’s amazing to see how the Lord will guide and direct you.               

                        

Dannysdevotional.com  

“Add To Your Faith…. Godliness” #6

Why did Peter say, “Add to your faith godliness?” If anyone knew how frail and human each of us are it was Peter. He went from getting out of the boat, to walking on the water to Jesus. He responded to the Lords question of “Who do men say that I am?” He responded, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Later James and John and Peter went up with the Lord on a mountain top where Moses and Elijah appeared. Then, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Roman soldiers and the Jewish leadership came to take their Lord; Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the High Priest. Then at the Lord’s trial before Pilate, Peter denies to three different ones that he doesn’t even know who the Lord is.

                 So why would Peter say, “Add to your faith godliness?” Peter of all men knew the humanity and difficulty of staying the course in their faith. Is it possible to add to your foundation of Faith, “Godliness?”

Years ago I had a tree in my front yard that was fifty plus years old, eighty feet high and simply gorgeous. On the outside everything seemed normal, but a cavity began deteriorating at the bottom of the tree. It might have been an attack from a fungus or insects that invaded and destroyed the inner core. One day I observed a squirrel that went in the bottom cavity of the oak tree and came out at the top.

                 The Word teaches us, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) It’s little by little that Satan works at destroying our heart. One doesn’t overnight begin to lie, steal, cheat, gossip, and dwell on lustful thoughts and just get bitter with life. There are several things we must do to overcome the spiritual fungus that attempts to attack and deteriorate our heart.
                 Was it the business owner that treated you wrong? Was it the deal that went sour at work with a co-worker? Was it your dad or your mom who abandoned you at home? Do you still think about the church brother or neighbor or leader who deeply offended you? Do you still get on edge when you hear the name of that company, person or family member who wronged you?
                                      

God has the ability and power to help each of us fight back against the issues that have tried to stop our heart from being pure, clean and healed. When God saved you, His Word says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)  It’s unsafe to allow the enemy to leave your heart injured and hallowed out. God can give us a brand new heart. Your heart will then have His peace, joy, patience, passion and His purpose in your life.

                Each day I follow my doctor’s orders to take a baby aspirin. I could choose to refuse his instructions. Or I could just simply do what he says, trusting that he knows what’s best for my particular health and future. It may be by following that simple order from my doctor that keeps my heart ticking and keeps me living longer than I would otherwise.

Just how well do we follow the Lord’s instruction to protect our heart? Have we taken His instructions seriously? I had a tree surgeon come and take down that rotted oak tree. It had become a high risk to fall to the winds and storms. Have you ever seen one of Gods saints take a hard fall?  Their issues didn’t start overnight. Little by little destruction was happening from the inside. Man may look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.  Allow His precious blood to wash and cleanse you from all iniquity. Jesus said to pray every day, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Choose to be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Ps 1:3)

Dannysdevotional.com

Add to Your Faith - Godliness Part 6 - video message

What Causes Us To Make A Bad Call?

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way you should go. "(Ps 32:8)

When my wife and I had our first daughter Danielle, we shared in getting up in the night heating her bottle of milk in a pan of water on the stove. Wow, did we ever want the new technology in our kitchen called a Microwave which would be so much more convenient. One weekend we were in Sears, looking at this new appliance that could heat up foods and liquids in a few moments. The salesmen said, “We only have one more of these microwaves on sale.” As we were walking down the mall, neither of us had a peace about this decision to purchase this awesome appliance for 595.00.  What could be so wrong with buying this item for our home? Well, first of all we didn’t have the money for this costly new invention.

God’s Word teaches us to trust him with all our decisions. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” (Proverbs 3:5, 6) We’ve all made some bad turns in life. Maybe it was buying the last microwave on sale, the last car marked down, or just moving too fast off your emotions. Many in the bible got very weary waiting on God’s timing. I have learned that God’s timing is not my timing.  My flesh doesn’t like to wait on doing things God’s way. Most of us want instant gratification and to live a “microwave” life where we have what we want now.

God says, “To everything there is a season.” It really boils down to trusting God’s clock and not our own. My wife and I chose to walk away from the last microwave and see what God might have in mind. A few days later, out of the blue, my wife got a call from her father, who lived better than 1000 miles away. She had not heard from him in several months. He said, “Honey, I want to get you and Danny something for your new baby Danielle. Do you guys have a microwave? If not, take my Sears credit card and go pick one up this week.” Friend, that really happens for those who know how to trust the Lord. No little birdie told him we had been in the mall looking for a microwave a few days earlier.

Strange as it might be, when we went back to Sears, they still had one more microwave on sale that we had seen a week earlier. It’s better to watch God orchestrate your steps where He proves to you that He knows how to order our life. It’s so exciting watching Him make things happen that show us He knows our every need and even our wants. Learn to be patient and watch God send the right job, home, vehicle and person for your life.

You might have blown it in the past, but remember, God is full of Great Grace, Mercy and Compassion. Believe today, “Your best days are in front of you.”        

Dannysdevotional.com