The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord! Many people today might find it difficult to see themselves as “good” in the eyes of God, but did you know that in the original Greek, this word means “strong” like a warrior? In other words, when you stand strong, when you are willing to fight the good fight of faith, you are giving God something to work with. He is ordering your steps. He’s making a way when there seems to be no way. He’s clearing a path for you, and He is delighting in you. That means He is pleased with your attitude of courage. He is pleased that you are taking a stand for what is right. He is pleased that you are putting Him first place and relying completely on Him.
Remember, God loves your passion for Him. He loves it when you come boldly to His throne of grace. He is honored when you stand and fight the good fight of faith. If you are facing difficulty today, know that God wants to lift you up and give you His strength. Receive it by faith today. Dig your heels in knowing that He is ordering your steps; and when God is leading you, He’s always leading you in the path of victory!
“…apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NIV)
Jesus put it this way, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” In this passage, He talks about a vine and branches. Just like a vine will die if it is cut apart from the vine, we also won’t survive without being vitally connected to Him.
How do we stay connected? First, by acknowledging Him. By talking to Him. By reading and following His Word. See, when you acknowledge God, that’s a sign of humility. You’re saying, “God, I know You created the whole universe. You flung the stars into space. You tell every raindrop where to fall. I’m not here by accident. You breathed Your life into me. You made me in Your image. You crowned me with Your favor. Now God, I can’t do this without You. I can’t make it on my own. I need You in my life.” When you show that kind of dependency on God, there is nothing He won’t do for you. God will move heaven and earth to get you to where you’re supposed to be.
A Prayer for Today
Father, today I choose to abide in You. I don’t want to live life on my own, so I choose to trust in You. Show me Your ways. Teach me Your love. Keep me close to You always in Jesus name. Amen.
God loves and uses imperfect people. We all make mistakes. But because Jesus died and rose from the grave, every mistake we will make or ever make has been paid in full. Don’t let shame and guilt keep you from receiving God’s love any longer. Psalm 103:12 (NIV) says, “As far as the east is from the west, our sins are removed from God’s memory.”
Since God has removed them from His memory, it’s time we do the same and move forward with God and receive His love and mercy. You may have made mistakes, but God still believes in you, loves you and has an amazing future in store. Keep your heart toward God, and He will show Himself strong on your behalf!
God is a God of Second Chances-and third and fourth and even more chances. He loves you. God’s approval is not based on your achievements. It is based solely on the fact that you are His child and He sees the best in you. There is nothing you can do, and there’s nothing anyone else can do, that will ever change your value in God’s eyes. But you have to do your part. Quit over-analyzing your faults; stop taking an inventory of everything wrong with you. You make mistakes, ask for forgiveness and then move on. Don’t become overly concerned if you are not changing as quickly as you would like. Stay focused on what you can become, and God will get you to where you need to be.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NIV)
Have you ever thought about the relationship between the branch and the vine? We don’t use these kinds of word pictures very much anymore, but think about it — if the branch is not attached to the vine, it withers and dies. The very life of the branch depends on being attached to the vine. The same thing happens if we try to operate in this life without Jesus. Without Him, we can do nothing. We are cut from our life source. But when you remain in Him by daily connecting with Him through prayer, worship and study of the Word, then your life will be fruitful. You’ll walk in joy and blessing.
I love that this verse says “much fruit,” which means you will have an abundant harvest in your life. God doesn’t want you to just barely get by. He wants to overwhelm you with His goodness. Remain in Him today. Choose to make Him top priority, and you’ll see His hand of blessing operating in every area of your life!
Our mistakes, our failures, our poor choices don’t have to keep us from our God-given destiny. With God, it’s not about the way you start in life, it’s about the way you finish. Receive His grace today and embrace the bright future He has in store for you.
