Concerns and problems flood our minds. There is always so much to do! But, God wants the very best for you but you just have to know how to recognize it and lay hold of it.
If you’ve ever said to yourself, “I don’t even have time to think,” then you know how hard it is to concentrate when you’re being bombarded from all sides. It’s even harder to focus on God when we can’t take time to renew our minds and refresh our spirits by quiet reflection. God doesn’t often shout to get our attention. Instead, He usually speaks to us in “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12, NKJV).
So, what can we do to put ourselves in a position to hear God’s voice? We have to make time in our daily lives to get quiet. David said of the Lord in Psalm 23:2, “He leads me beside quiet waters.” Today I want to encourage you to find those quiet waters where you can get alone with the Lord. It may be a room in your house, outside under the trees, or some other place where you can shut out the noise and distractions of the world for just a few precious minutes. The key to renewing your mind, body and spirit is to develop the habit and discipline of meditating on the Word of God every day — even if it is for just a moment.
“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…” (Joel 2:25, NIV)
Friend, God knows how to make up for years you’ve lost in your life. No, you can’t relive your childhood, but God can make the rest of your life so rewarding, so fulfilling that you don’t even miss what didn’t happen in the past.
You may feel like you wasted years in a relationship that didn’t work out. But God can bring somebody into your life so great, so fun, so friendly, so attractive that you don’t even remember the years that you’ve lost. You may have spent years on a job that turned out to be a dead end. You were working your way to the top; things didn’t turn out like you had hoped, and now it looks like there’s a big waste of time. You may not see how you could ever get to where you want to be, but don’t believe those lies. God knows how to make up for lost time. God can accelerate things. God can bring opportunities back across your path that you missed that will thrust you years ahead. It may not have happened the first time, but God will always give you another chance. He’ll make up for the lost time and bring you out better and stronger than ever before!
A Prayer for Today
Father, You are my Redeemer. Thank You for Your promise to restore to me the years that have been lost or wasted. I receive Your promise by faith. I put my trust and hope in You and believe that my best days are out ahead of me in Jesus’ name. Amen.
As a believer in Jesus, you have certain privileges because you belong to Christ. When you chose Him, God put a blood line around you that the enemy cannot cross. As long as you’re keeping Him first place, you have a hedge of protection, a hedge of favor, a hedge of mercy surrounding you like a shield. When difficulties come, God says that because you’re His child, because you honor Him, even though that problem has formed, in the end it is not going to prosper. When it’s all said and done, it’s not going to harm you. God is going to turn it around and use it to your advantage. That’s your heritage as a believer!
When God created you, He deposited in you everything that you need in order to fulfill your calling. He gave you the desire and the ability. He equipped you with gifts and talents. No dream is too big. No challenge is too great.
What happens a lot of times is that people don’t recognize what’s been placed within them because at first it seems subtle. The gift may not be evident in the beginning. It starts out in seed form. But just like planting a seed and tending to it will help it grow and develop fruit, when you tend to the seeds inside of you, they will begin to produce. How do you tend to the seeds? By reading, studying and meditating on the Word of God. By following His commands and keeping Him first place in your life.
Always remember, even if you aren’t clear about God’s direction for your life, when You put Him first place, He promises to lead and guide you. As you draw close to Him, as you gain knowledge of Him, His power gives you everything that you need!
No matter what weakness you think you may have, no matter what inadequacies or setbacks you’ve encountered, God wants to give you His divine strength. He wants to make up the difference and put you further ahead than you ever thought possible.
