The Daily Walk

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 16 - Where is my Day Planner?

by Gail Rodgers
The engine made a strange sound and then my van coasted to a stop. It would not start. I had appointments to get to and a busy day ahead of me. I waited anxiously for the tow truck. What an annoying interruption! Probably a costly one too!

By noon I was back home, my van was in for major repairs and the tight schedule on my Day Planner was in disarray.
As I walked to the mailbox it occurred to me that God was aware of this change in my day. I talked with Him as I walked. “Lord, this is not what I had planned today. There is a list on my kitchen counter of things needing done at home too but…I wonder…do You have something in mind that You want me to do right now?”
My neighbor popped into my mind.” I should go see her”, I thought. Then I wondered, “Is that God telling me to or just my own thoughts?”
I thought about it…if it was God then He had an agenda. If it was just my thoughts than I would have a quick cup of tea and get back to my “to do” list.
I walked over and knocked. My neighbor nearly fell into my arms for a hug! She was going through a very difficult time. We had tea. We talked and cried and I prayed with her before I left.
As I walked home my heart sang. What a lesson! God knew my neighbor needed a hug today and He let me be His hands and arms. I knew He had brushed aside the busy plans on my Day Planner because He had something He needed done. My plans were good ones…but His plan to touch a heart was better.
As I headed up my driveway I felt good…and I realized there was a fulfilled feeling within my heart that no amount of check marks on that “to do” list could have ever come close to. God reminded me of a verse in the Bible…

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

prayer & reflection

Father God,
Today I place my Day Planner in Your hands. You know all the things I think must get done. But I want to do the stuff You have prepared for me to do. You have made me a unique package in order to accomplish what You created me to do. I know therein lies the fulfillment I long for. May my heart be quick to respond to Your quiet nudgings to do things I might not have penciled in. Replace my breathless running with the quiet confidence that You can be trusted with my Day Planner… and with my life. Thank you.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 17 - Plans Gone Astray

by Gail Rodgers
She called distraught. She had been hoping to get this job. Her cell phone plan had changed this week and with it her number. The old number had been on that resume. They hadn’t been able to reach her and the opportunity went to another.

I listened to her lament and blame herself for the oversight. My heart went out to her.
Then the Holy Spirit nudged my mind with a verse. She got her Bible and we read it together…

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

What confidence in the midst of disappointment! God has a purpose for your life. Your very best thinking is often not quite what God has in mind.
Trust Him with your life. When good things happen…rejoice! When things happen that cause you to wonder where He is, trust His plan, even in the dark. When things happen that seem devastating, invite Him in to redeem your life and direct you to His purposes.

• He is a God who is familiar with bringing beauty out of ashes.
• He is a God who is familiar with all your ways.
• He is a God who loves you and has a purpose for you that will fulfill your longing.
• He is a God who can be trusted.

Trust Him today with your plans.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Forgive me when I don’t trust you with my life. When I can’t figure it out I want to blame you. Remind me today that You have a purpose for me. Remind me today to trust You to work Your purpose in my life. I know it will be beyond anything I could have planned on my own. Redeem the devastating parts and bring your beauty out of my ash heap. I declare my trust in You, my faithful God, today!
In Jesus strong name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 18 - Morning & Evening

by Gail Rodgers
Trudy’s heart was feeling dry. She remembered times when her walk with God had seemed so much closer…and she realized she missed it. She thought about it as she ran through her early morning shower. She hadn’t even realized her heart was slipping away from God until she began to notice the emptiness.

Once you have known God’s fullness in your heart, the emptiness is hard to settle for.
Life had just become so busy somehow. There had been changes in her life…and with those changes had come slow erosion in her personal walk with God. Oh, she still got to church with her family on Sundays. By all outward appearances she looked intact as a good Christian…but her heart was parched.
As she reached for her curling iron she recalled how she used to take time every morning to lay her day out before God. She used to ask for His help and direction in every area. And it had made such a difference too.
At night she would recount the day and the help God had given her. She asked Him to make her conscious of His presence with her. She had been so aware then of His faithfulness.
Trudy put the cereal out for the kids and grabbed a piece of toast. In her heart she determined to come back to that again. She’d start right now.
Gathering the kids around the breakfast table she asked for God’s help in this day for each one of them. She asked for help to trust Him in every detail. She asked God to remind them tonight to share how God had shown His faithfulness through the day.
She set her Bible out on her bedside table. Yes, she knew where the well was when her soul was parched. She would make a change and consciously build that relationship with God that she knew would fill the growing emptiness she had been feeling.
As she stepped out the door she was aware of a sense of expectation in her heart, and she knew…this was where she wanted to live, in God’s presence.

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” Psalm 5:3

prayer & reflection

Dear Father God,
I’m sorry I have been running so fast that I have pushed You to the fringe of my life. Today I ask that You would help me and guide me; slow me down and show me the way to walk today in every situation. Fill me with an expectation of what You will do and who You will touch through me today. Remind me tonight to recount Your faithfulness. I want to have you fill the emptiness in my soul today.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 19 - Holiness

by Gail Rodgers
The preacher was talking about “holy living”. Sharon yawned. It made her think of quiet monasteries. Surely “holiness” could not to be expected in this day and age! She dismissed the word as old and musty and the sermon as irrelevant.

Before going to sleep Sharon opened her Bible. Tonight she would read a quick Psalm. Verse 6 of Psalm 51 jumped out at her.

“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” Psalm 51

The Holy Spirit shone His light into her heart. Suddenly, with clarity, she understood what holiness was. God was whispering to her heart. “Holiness is truth in the inner parts.”
She hadn’t expected God to really speak to her heart tonight. The inner parts were the places no one else saw…only God. This was where her true attitudes lived, this was where she hid the words that sprang to her mind when she was angry, this was where the justifications of her little white lies were tucked away.
Sharon had recently asked God to help her become “whole” as she struggled with some issues in her life. She had had no idea that “wholeness” comes through “holiness”.
Sharon knew she needed God’s wisdom to teach her in these hidden places. A new desire for holiness sprang up in her heart. With the light of God’s Spirit shining on these hidden areas Sharon knew she wanted to live differently.
What a revelation. God had so gently taken her heart and drawn her on toward wholeness. Never again would she see “holiness” as musty and irrelevant.
She asked God to forgive her for the hidden things in her heart. With His help she would begin telling the truth in her inner part. She thanked Him for showing her the true meaning of a holy life. She asked Him to bring His wisdom into the places where attitudes, words and integrity were hidden issues that were silently robbing her of all God wanted to do in and through her. Holiness…the pathway to wholeness!
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Today I want to thank You that You never leave me alone. You always draw me on in my walk with You. Thank you for showing me that holiness is simply “truth in the inner parts.” Today I invite you to penetrate my inner parts and reveal to me the areas where You want to free me from hidden thoughts, words, attitudes, and integrity issues only I know about. I need Your wisdom in these places as I journey on to wholeness. hank you for the light of Your Holy Spirit in my heart.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 20 - What to Wear

by Gail Rodgers
She stood in front of the full length mirror satisfied with her look. The new clothes were fun to wear and she felt good in them. With everything in place she was out the door.

As women we can tend to spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. It’s important to us that when we go out we look just right. God cares about how I cloth myself too. Oh He doesn’t care if it’s the red dress or the black pants, but His Word does tell us what to put on. Listen…

“Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…” Col. 3:12

Imagine the difference we would see in our lives if we got up in the morning and as we dressed we consciously put on these five pieces of spiritual clothing. God tells us the outcome would be peace ruling in our hearts.
Why don’t you try it and see for yourself. God’s Word is not only like a mirror that reflects back how we should look, but it is also provides us with the actual garments.
prayer & reflection

Dear Father God,
Today I want to clothe myself in your garments and experience the peace that can rule in my heart.
I put on compassion today. By your Holy Spirit give me a caring heart toward those whose lives touch mine today.
I put on kindness today too. Father, my day gets busy and people irritate me on the road, in the office and in my home. Give me a heart today that responds kindly where sandpaper relationships rub.
Help me to wear humility today, which is simply a consciousness of You as my Source so my confidence rests in You, not in myself throughout this day.
May I wear gentleness today. Let my voice, my tones, my interactions with people be firm where they must, but always with a gentle spirit in my heart.
Give me the garment of your patience. I am so often impatient. Help me today to remember how patient You are with me as You lead me on in walking with you. May I extend that same grace to those around me.
Father, thank you that You provide what I need. Pour your love into me today so that I may have it to give away. Give me a thankful outlook and let your peace rule in my heart as I choose to dress Your way today.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 21 - Make Your Deposit

by Gail Rodgers
Shelly spent a lot of time and energy thinking about herself and her needs. The needs of others were often an intrusion and a frustration. She felt that she just needed to find herself right now.

It’s true that there are times in life when we need to catch our breath and regroup after change has come our way. But God cautions us not to stay there.
In these busy days we live in we often feel tempted to back away from people and keep as much of our lives to ourselves as possible.
Sometimes a deep loneliness in our spirit develops as we try to cocoon ourselves.
God invites you to deposit your life into His hands or His account. He wants to use your life to touch others and bring you fulfillment in the process.
He says…

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39

God created you as a package that is uniquely you. He put gifts and ideas and passions into you that He wants to bring back to the surface to be used by Him to touch others.
This is where you will find your greatest fulfillment…in letting the God who created you work through your uniqueness to touch others.
Be careful not to spend your days just in “finding yourself”.
Deposit your life into God’s account for Him to spend in ways that will amaze you and bless you as He uses you to do just what He created you to do.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Sometimes I feel wearied by people and all their needs and demands. Thank you that You have created me uniquely. Thank you that when I put myself in Your hands You will use my uniqueness to touch some other life… and I will be blessed. Today I deposit my life in Your account believing, that as I spend my life for Your sake, I will actually find myself. Thank you for Your amazing grace that can use me as I am today because You will flow through me. Fill me now with Your Holy Spirit so I may walk today in Your plans for me.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 22 - Respond or React

by Gail Rodgers
Susan yelled at the kids. She didn’t like doing it but it seemed to be happening a lot lately. She sat down for a cup of coffee after supper. A Bible verse on the back of a magazine that was with today’s mail caught her eye.

“A soft answer turns away anger but harsh words stir it up.” (Prov. 15:1)

She thought about her own responses lately. She knew she often used the stirring spoon of harsh words and raised voice and needed help to put a soft response in its place. She knew she needed to be firm at times but with a gentleness that God could give her.
We need to keep our focus on modeling Christian character, yet we are all dealing with daily life and its challenges too.
Here is a simple exercise that can help us move from “reacting” in our own lives and circumstances to “responding” in the character of Jesus.
Grab a child’s hoola-hoop, stand in the middle of it and hold it around your waist. There…that circle that surrounds you represents your area of control. It is your own thoughts, your feelings, your ideas, your passions, your decisions, your words, all that you are responsible for.
Now envision a second larger circle outside the hoola hoop. This is the circle that represents other people’s thoughts, emotions, decisions, passions, ideas and words. You have no control here, only influence.
Think about what’s been happening this week inside your hoola-hoop. Have you been reacting to life’s pressures with the stirring spoon of harsh words, raised voice or angry tones? Are thoughts or emotions spiraling you down?
Invite Jesus into the areas of life where reactions are abrasive. He will give His strength where yours is weak. Then you will be less inclined to reach into the next hoola-hoop and try to control the decisions, ideas, words and feelings of others. You will be more aware of the gentle influence you can have when you “respond” with Jesus’ help rather than “react” in your own sandpaper humanness. (Gal.5:22)
Tend carefully what is happening in your hoola-hoop and be less concerned about what is going on in others. It will enable you to walk in a freshness of spirit that will impact and influence all your relationships.
Turn your reactions into chosen responses by the power of the Holy Spirit.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 23 - Coming Apart

by Gail Rodgers
I looked at the calendar…less than 3 weeks until company from overseas arrives for the summer. Friends and family are also scheduled to visit the visitors in our home. The painter just phoned and will be over this morning. The “to do” list is long and the days seem short.

I feel a nudge in my soul and an old familiar Bible verse plays over in my mind…

“Jesus said to his followers, “Come apart with me to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31

I knew the nudge well. It was the Holy Spirit reminding me, yet again, to accept the invitation of Jesus to “Come apart with me to a quiet place”.
I knew I needed to. I found some quiet moments to get away with Jesus to listen to His heart. It is when I stop and take His invitation to “come apart from the noise and frantic pace, to a quiet place” that I can hear His still, small voice and find out what is on His heart for me.
It is a time to let Him listen to my heart as well. Some times even words fail us and we know He can simply listen to our heart.
It is probably the most basic principle of the Christian walk yet we often need to be reminded.
Over the years I have learned that to “come apart with Him to a quiet place” is indeed the thing that keeps me from coming apart.
Today make some time to “come apart” with Him before you just simply come apart.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Thank you that You know me better than I know myself. Thank you that You listen to my heart. Today may I find some quiet moments to “come apart with You” so we can hear each other’s heart and I can gain Your perspective on my day. Father, help me during the days of summer, when life’s rhythm changes for a few months, to keep You in focus and keep my heart connected with Yours. Thank you for calling me today.
In Jesus” name, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 24 - Dad's Imprint on Your Heart

by Gail Rodgers
He was 80 and old. My friend was 50 and still mad at him. He had made mistakes in raising her. She could recount them well, and she did as her fingers curled tightly around the invisible handle of the baggage she had carried for so long.

Dads don’t always get it right. If you are a daughter you know that well already. Some Dads even get it terribly wrong. Sometimes things happen to daughters that never, ever should!
Dads leave an imprint on a daughter’s heart that makes a lasting imprint. You are the only one who can decide what to do with what has been imprinted on your heart.
My friend knew she needed to allow God’s healing to flow over her heart and she did…from time to time. She would let God lop off the bitter fruit that sprang from her childhood experience and off she would go. But without the root gone, it always grew back. As she focused on her pain and her dad’s inadequacies she became twisted in a knot. Her yesterday of life began to rule her today.
God doesn’t want His daughters to live that way. He wants to begin a work in your heart that will bring healing and wholeness where wounding and scars are now. Father God wants to re-write the Dad chapter of your life and show you how treasured and loved you are as His precious child.
God makes a lasting imprint on a daughter’s heart that leaves a foot print to follow.
Let this Father’s Day be a change point in your life. If your wounds go deep, talk to a trusted friend and seek God’s help in moving beyond the despair and shame of yesterday.God longs for your heart to be free! He will take you on a journey to wholeness…follow Him there…you can trust Him in this.

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

If your Dad was a blessing in your life, tell him so. If he is gone, tell someone about him. Our God of Hope will multiply the blessings of your heritage just as he will also redeem the destruction of the past!
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Today I want to ask You to restore the broken places in my life. Sometimes I can’t even get to You because I see my father first and the pain turns me from You, my Heavenly Father. Today I ask that You would not only begin this work of healing in my heart and life, but also carry it on to completion. Thank you that I can look to You as my Heavenly Father. Thank you for Your care for me as Your treasured child.
In the name of Jesus’ I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 25 - Praying or Obeying

by Gail Rodgers
Cathy shared with me how she longed for God to intervene in a certain circumstance in her life. She had been waiting and crying and agonizing before God. But she only felt grieved, disappointed and frustrated at the lack of an answer and God’s seeming silence.

Then God spoke to her heart. She read something in the Bible and a fresh realization hit her. These are the words God used to speak to her.

“Dear brothers, I plead with you to give your bodies to God as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship”. Romans 12:1

With the sudden clarity that comes when the Holy Spirit sheds his light on the scripture, Cathy knew…as she was pleading with God for an answer to her circumstance, He had been pleading with her to live differently.
She thought about it awhile. God pleading with her! God was waiting for her to present her body as an act of worship to God. How could she do that in a practical way on a busy morning as she headed out the door to work? Just what did it mean?
Cathy remembered God had asked her to do something about a physical habit in her life and she had not bothered. She now recalled how God had been nudging her about her harsh words and critical attitude, but she hung on to it anyway.She knew He wanted her to contact that woman down the hall and have coffee with her but she hadn’t had time. She had been too busy to bother with any of it.
We talked about it later. When we plead with God to do something for us, we expect Him to act. When God pleads with us to give Him ourselves as a living sacrifice, He expects us to act. Yet while we wait for His answer, we seem to believe our part is optional.
Has God asked you to do something that you have pushed to the pack corner of your heart and mind? Are you worshiping Him by offering yourself to Him everyday for His purposes? When God works His purposes out in your life it will bring a fulfillment you never knew possible…because that’s what He created you for! He waits for you.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Please forgive me for the times when I have been praying yet not obeying. Thank you for reminding me that You plead with me and want me to move ahead in my walk with You. You have more in mind for me than just answering the cry of the circumstance in my life. Today I offer myself afresh to you. Show me the ways in which you want me to adjust my habits, my thinking or my actions. I want to worship you today with my whole life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 26 - So How are You Doing Spiritually

by Gail Rodgers
I had a friend who would ask me, just out of the blue, “How is your soul today, Gail?”

It always took me back a bit and even made me uncomfortable at times. Yet when she moved away, I missed it. It had been the beginning of some great talks and prayer times.
I thought of Jean today as I read this verse,

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 1:3

“Blessed with every spiritual blessing”! She would say, “Are we living there, Gail?”
Let’s ask ourselves that question. Am I living today as one who has been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenlies in Christ Jesus?
If you are anything like me, the answer is probably not. Yet it is a promise I can live in because God has done it, He has blessed me this way. But how do I receive spiritual blessing, that walking in the joy of knowing Jesus even when circumstances around me are less than perfect?
The last verse in the same chapter says, “God fills everything in every way.”
The problem is not with God…He promises the blessings and the filling up. Let’s ask ourselves this…Could it be that I limit God in my own life? Could it be that the child-like trust He calls me to have has become too grown up with cynicism and doubt?
The only limit to God’s fullness in our lives is the limit we place on offering our lives back to Him.
Today, open all the windows and doors of your “heart home”. Tell God you don’t want to limit Him in any way in your life. Ask Him to help you sweep out the doubt and cynicism that has created cobwebs in your heart. Ask Him to help you clear out the clutter of a “too busy” life so you can sit with Him and hear His voice. Ask Him to help you to invite Him into every decision. Let Him help you capture thoughts that drag you down and clear them out by replacing them with the truth of God’s Word.
Give Him all that you are so He can fill you and make you all that He created you to be.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Thank you that You have promised me “all spiritual blessing” and that you “fill everything in every way”. Today I offer to You all that I have, all that I am and all that I hope to be. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit today.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 27 - Oaks of Righteousness

by Gail Rodgers
Noreen knew God had plucked her life from the ruins. And she was so grateful. When she read Isaiah 61 verses 1 – 3 she knew she was one of those who had been broken hearted and a prisoner in another life style. She knew the power of His love as He bound up her broken heart and brought beauty out of the ashes of her life.

Yes, she was grateful… but still rather timid to step out and do much for God. She still felt so inadequate and sometimes worried about what people would think if they really knew the path she had come.
She read the familiar verses again but this time she saw something more. The Spirit of God opened the eyes of her heart. After the words describing how God binds up the broken hearted and brings beauty out of ashes and joy out of mourning, she read these words that had never penetrated her mind before:

“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:3b

Wow! Her mind could barely take it in. God said she was an “oak of righteousness”... planted right where she was today… by the Lord… to display God’s splendor and show what He can do in a life that says “Yes” to Him.
She thought awhile about the oak tree; strong, durable, able to weather the storms of time, mighty. Yes, a mighty oak. She didn’t feel very “righteous”, yet someone had just told her that righteousness was simply having a “yes Lord” attitude in all areas of her life. She truly did want Him to permeate every decision and every part of her life.
Noreen got ready for work with a new view of herself and a new purpose in her heart. She would be that mighty oak today, planted just where she was in order to show the splendor of God’s healing touch.
As she headed out the door she breathed a prayer asking God to give her an opportunity today to share the difference He has made in her life. Yes, her broken heart had been touched by God and beauty was beginning to come from the ashes in her life…and she would declare His splendor.
Even though she knew she was still in the process of her healing journey, she caught a glimpse of how God saw her today, and she would walk in it because He had declared it!
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Thank you so much that you see me so differently than I see myself. May I honor You today and display Your splendor in living a changed life by the power of the Holy Spirit!
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 28 - Small Things

by Gail Rodgers
Terry got to her car with all the groceries. Loading them into her trunk she sighed. She had forgotten to take the bag of flour from the bottom of her cart and run it through the check out. The cashier usually asked if there was anything on the bottom of the cart, but not today.

Should she bother to run in and pay for it? Or should she just be thankful she had saved a bit of cash? She decided it was too small an item to worry about. She was too busy to run back anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to overlook it. So on she went with her day.
Small things…little opportunities for our integrity to grow or slow. Small things that most, in many cultures, would just overlook.
Terry was startled when she stopped to read her devotions one day that week. A verse nudged at her heart and she remembered the flour.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” Luke 16:10

When Terry returned to the grocery store to explain that the flour had not been paid for, the clerk looked at her strangely. Who would bother to come back when they could get away with it?
But Terry knew she wanted God to be able to trust her with anything and the trip back to the store was worth it.
How about you…where are the small things of integrity showing in your life? It could be small items taken home from work; a cashier’s or bank teller’s error gone unnoticed; any number of opportunities arise as we go about our daily business to show us where our line of integrity is. Small things do matter…God says so.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
Thank you that You settle for nothing less than spurring me on to be all You want me to be. Help me today to move my line of integrity up. Help me to be honest in the very small things of everyday life. Father, I want You to be able to trust me with more for Your Kingdom. More influence in others’ lives, more finances for your work, more opportunities to see Your power displayed. May I be faithful in small things today with the help of Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 29 - Distorted

by Gail Rodgers
Susan had wanted the photo to be perfect. But it came back distorted and she realized she had moved at just the wrong moment.

Distortion is subtle. We often don’t know its happening. It’s a bending or twisting out of shape. It can happen in conversations, in creative projects, in paintings and in photos. It often isn’t even noticed at the time.
My husband laid some hardwood floor in our house last week. At one point several rows were down and we noticed an end in one of the boards had twisted out of place and a sharp edge appeared where it should have been smooth. Immediately he reworked the area to remove the distortion. It seemed small but in the overall view it would have distorted the look of the whole floor.
It’s much the same with our hearts. Jagged edges pop up of resentment, anger, negativity, self pity and any number of little things we rationalize away. Left alone they will create a distortion in our hearts that will interfere with the picture God wants to paint of our heart in connection with Him.

Psalm 101:4 says “A perverse heart shall depart from me.”

In the original Hebrew language the word “perverse” means “distorted” and the word “depart” suggests to “sour” or “decline”.
Normally we would never view our Christian hearts as perverse and departing from God.We recoil at the thought! But here we are warned to be careful we don’t let our hearts become distorted. It can cause a heart to become sour and decline away from our God. Distortion is so subtle.
Are you feeling a sourness in your heart? Is there a slight decline away from your God and you are puzzled by it? Ask God today to show you if there is a distortion in your heart that you have allowed to come in by resentment, hurt, or some emotion or circumstance that has caused your trust in your God to falter just a bit. Ask for forgiveness and let God know you want a pure heart so you can see Him undistorted.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
I confess to You that I have allowed distortion of my view of You to creep into my heart by some relational or circumstantial difficulty I have experienced. I recognize my potential for a sour heart that can decline away from You. I don’t want that Lord. I ask that You would forgive my wrong attitude and heal my hurt. May I see You clearly and draw near to You with a pure heart today.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

[bluidkiti]

The Daily Walk Part 30 - Emotions

by Gail Rodgers
Susan felt like a rag doll ...tossed about by a variety of emotions. One minute she was up and the next minute she was down and frustrated. A Bible verse caught her attention that made her think about what was happening.

“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God”. Romans 8:14

She realized that as a believer she had been allowing her emotions to drag her around rather than allowing the Spirit of God to lead her through her days.
But just how does one practically apply steps so as not to be caught on an emotional roller-coaster? Pay attention to what is going on in your heart and mind. Acknowledge your emotions. Look at the circumstances or the reasons causing your emotion.
If there is something you can physically do to help your situation then ask for God’s help and do it. If there is nothing you can actually do about your situation, tell God you will trust Him to be your strength and your supplier. Ask Him to give you peace in your heart and direction in your steps. Every weakness you have is an opportunity for God to show His strength in your life.
Today let your emotions be a guide, or a tool, to push you back to your God and His strength in your times of weakness. Catch the downward spiral before you get caught in it. Ask His Spirit to guide you to solutions, to wisdom, to insight, help and strength.
If you are at the bottom of the spiral, tell God you need His help to get up. Ask for His strength to fill your weakness. If you need to talk to a trusted friend to find help and counsel in the journey, then make that call for help.
God wants His children to be led by His Spirit, not dragged by their emotions.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
I thank you that You are there to help me in every step I take throughout this day. I offer my emotions to You and I ask for Your help in managing them and in seeing them as a tool to help me understand what is going on in my heart. I declare that I want to be led by Your Holy Spirit and not tossed about by emotion. Give me understanding and your help as I keep my heart and mind guarded today.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.