God's Guidance Works

GOD’S GUIDANCE WORKS
The Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire
In scorched places, and give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden, and like a
Spring of water whose waters do not fail.
Isaiah 58:11

Isn’t it interesting that we believe God is guiding us as long as we are getting what we want and we’re “living on the mountaintop,” relatively unscathed by the warp and woof of life in the valley below. But we need to understand that the Lord is directing our steps even when it seems things are not going our way. You may be in a stressful situation today. You may be living with a spouse or a child who is difficult to get along with. Or perhaps because of favoritism or politics at the office, you are not being treated fairly, or possibly you are having to work two jobs in order to make ends meet. You may be thinking, This doesn’t seem right. God, I don’t understand it.

The Scripture says, “Since the Lord is directing our steps, why try to figure out everything that happens along the way?” (Prov. 20:24) Friend, you are never going to understand everything you go through in life or why certain things come against you. You simply must learn to trust God anyway. You must learn to keep a good attitude in the midst of the chaos and confusion, knowing that God is still in control.

In your Best Life Now, I told the story of two former college basketball players who were headed to Kenya to work on a missions project back in the late 1990s. But they were delayed and missed their connecting flight. They were extremely disappointed, as the next flight wasn’t for eight or nine hours. They were a bit irritated and said so.

When it finally came time for the next flight to leave, there were no seats available except in first class. The airline seated two big fellows right up at the front of the plane, with plenty of legroom, so they were happy about that. But about midway through that flight, the plane took a nose-dive and started streaking toward the ground at full throttle. People aboard the plane screamed frantically as the flight attendants scrambled to keep the passengers from panicking. They thought for sure they were going to die.

The two big basketball players maintained their wits enough to pray: “God, we really don’t understand this, but please use our lives somehow.”

About that time, they heard some noise that sounded like a struggle in the cockpit. A flight attendant opened the cockpit door, and there was a deranged man- a big man who stood over seven feet tall- attacking the pilots and trying to gain control of the plane. The pilots were desperately trying to stop the madman, but they didn’t have a chance.

When the two basketball players saw what was happening, they wrestled the attacker to the ground and pulled him out of the cockpit. By the time they were able to subdue him, the plane had fallen allt he way from 30,000 feet to less than 4,000 feet. Had the pilots not been able to regain control, within seconds the plane would have crashed, most likely killing everyone aboard and possibly people on the ground.

Sometimes God will put you in an uncomfortable situation so you can help somebody else. God delayed those two young men on purpose. He put them in first class, right up front, so they could help save that entire plane. God knows what He’s doing. He can see the big picture; He can see the future. And He has you exactly where He wants you today. Quit questioning Him and start trusting Him. Just know that God is in control. He has your best interest at heart. Trust Him today to direct your steps, and to cause you to be right where you need to be at just the right time.

TODAY’S PRAYER

THANK YOU, FATHER, THAT EVEN IN THE UNCOMFORTABLE SPOTS IN LIFE, I CAN HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF ME, THAT YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME,AND THAT YOU HAVE A PLAN TO BRING GOOD INTO MY LIFE AND THROUGH MY LIFE AS A RESULT.

God is a Giver

GOD IS A GIVER
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.
John 3:16


“WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?” everyone wants to know nowadays. Many people are blatantly and unashamedly living for themselves. They’re not interested in other people. They wont take time to help others in need. They focus only on what they want, what they need, what they feel will most benefit themselves. Ironically, this selfish attitude condemns them to living shallow, unrewarding lives. No matter how much they acquire for themselves, they are never satisfied.

God, however, is a giver, and if you want to experience a new level of God’s joy, if you want Him to pour out His blessings and favor in your life, then you must learn to be a giver and not a taker. Quit trying to figure out what everybody can do for you, and start trying to figure out what you can do for somebody else. We were not made to function as self-involved people, thinking only of ourselves. No, God created us to be givers. And you will never be truly fulfilled as a human being until you learn the simple secret of how to give your life away.

You may not realize it, but it is extremely selfish to be dwelling on your problems, always thinking about what you want or need, and hardly noticing the many needs of others all around you. One of the best things you can do if you’re having a problem is to help solve somebody else’s problem. If you want your dreams to come to pass, help someone else fulfill his or her dreams. Start sowing some seeds so God can bring you a harvest. When we meet other people’s needs, God always meets our needs.

We were created to give, not simply to please ourselves. If you miss that truth, you will miss the abundant, overflowing, joy-filled life that God has in store for you. But when you reach out to other people in need, God will make sure that your own needs are supplied. If you’re lonely or down and discouraged today, don’t sit around feeling sorry for yourself. Get your mind off yourself and go help meet someone else’s need. Go visit the nursing home or a children’s hospital. Call a friend and encourage that person. If you’re struggling financially, go out and help somebody who has less than you have. You need to sow some seeds so God can bring you a harvest.

You may say, “Joel, I don’t have anything to give.” Sure you do! You can give a smile. You can give a hug. You can do some menial but meaningful task for someone. For example, you could mow somebody’s lawn. You could go to the grocery store or make a meal for a person who is shut in and unable to get to the store. You can visit someone in the hospital or in a senior citizens’ center. You can write somebody an encouraging letter. Somebody needs what you have to share. Somebody needs your smile. Somebody needs your love. Somebody needs your friendship. Somebody needs your encouragement. God didn’t make us to function as “Lone Rangers” He created us to be free, but He did not intend for us to be independent of each other. We really do need one another. If you want God to bless your life, start being a blessing to others.

TODAY’S PRAYER:

FATHER, PLEASE HELP ME TO GET MY EYES OFF MYSELF AND TO SEE THE MANY NEEDS IN PEOPLE ALL AROUND ME. MAY I BE A MEANS OF HELP, COMFORT, AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO SOMEONE ELSE TODAY.

BETTER DAYS AHEAD

Better Days Ahead
By: Joel Osteen

The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.
Job 42:10

Have you ever felt robbed or cheated by life? You may have experienced some unfair situations in which somebody did you wrong or mistreated you. Perhaps you are having problems in a relationship, or in your marriage, or with a child. Or maybe you’ve struggled financially, and you don’t see how you can ever get ahead. Life has been one setback after another. If that sounds like you, I have good news for you: God wants to restore everything that has been stolen from you. He wants to restore your joy, peace, health, finances, and your family. And when God restores, He doesn’t leave you as you were before bad things happened to you; He brings you out better than you were previously.

For instance, in the Bible, if a thief was caught stealing, he had to repay his victim seven times what he stole. In another place, Scripture commands that the thief repay four times as much. God Himself said through the prophet Isaiah, “I will pay you back double for all the unfair things that have happened.” (Isaiah 61:7)

When you face trouble or somebody does you wrong, instead of getting discouraged, your attitude should be, “Father, I thank you that I’m now in position to receive double. I know I’m going to come out stronger, healthier, and happier than I’ve ever been.”

God does not want to bring you out of your adversities all beaten up and bedraggled; no, you are not simply a survivor, you are “more than a conqueror” (Romans 8:37) He wants to bring you out promoted and increased, with abundance. Beyond that, God wants to make the enemy pay for the wrongs done to you, His child.

If you’re in a tough situation today, you need to develop restoration mentality. Mentally encourage yourself that God is going to turn your situation around. Remind yourself that you are a victor and not a victim. You don’t just defeat the enemy, you gather up all the spoils. You come out better than before, blessed to overflowing.

In the Scripture we read of Job, a good man who loved God and had a heart to do what’s right. Yet in a few weeks’ time, he lost his business, his flocks, and herds, his family, and his health. Things could not get any worse for Job, and I’m sure he was tempted to be bitter. He could have said, “God, it’s not fair. I don’t understand why this is happening to me.”

His own wife told him, “Job, just curse God and die.”
But no, Job knew that God is a God of restoration. He knew God could turn any situation around. And his attitude was, Even if I die I’m going to die trusting God. I’m going to die believing for the best.

When it was all said and done, God not only turned Job’s calamity around, He brought Job out with twice what he had before. He had twice as many cattle, twice as many sheep. He got his health back, and God gave him a new family. God restored double what the enemy had stolen. Amazingly, the Scripture says, “The latter part of Job’s life was more blessed than the first part”

Maybe you need to be reminded today that God wants the rest of your life to be more blessed than the first part. Despite what you’ve been through, or how somebody has treated you, no matter what the medical report says, or what your bank statement says, God is saying, “I WANT TO MAKE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE HAPPIER AND MORE FULFILLED THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE.” God wants to bring you out to a flourishing finish. In other words, God is saying THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

TODAY’S PRAYER:

FATHER, I DARE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO TURN AROUND THOSE CONDITIONS IN MY LIFE OVER WHICH I HAVE NO CONTROL, SITUATIONS IN WHICH SOMEONE HAS CHOSEN TO DO EVIL AGAINST ME. I KNOW YOU REWARD THOSE WHO TRUST YOU, SO I WILL CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO RESTORE ALL THAT HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM ME.