Psalm 91

Who is God?

God is my Shelter (v. 1)

God is my protector (v. 2,3,4-9)

God is whom I trust (v.2)

God will deliver me from harm (v. 10, 11)

God will rescue me (v. 14)

How should I respond?

Trust in Him to protect, and to deliver (v.2, 3, 4-9)

Give Thanks for his protection (v. 2,3,4-9)

Trust in Him through trials (v. 2)

Believe that He is our refuge and fortress (v. 1,2,3)

What should I pray about?

For faith to believe He is my refuge and fortress (v. 1,2,3)

For a willing spirit to trust in Him (v. 14, 10)

For a thankful heart (v. 16)

Where do I go from here?

Pray continuously

I should trust in my God

Trust he will protect me

Surrender my worry and fear of the future

--Brielle Smith

Anxiety

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God"- Philippians 4:6-7

Not every day is a good day. On a bad day like today, I am thankful that God is willing to listen to me through prayers. He amazed me every time that a God as mighty as Him, is willing to listen and answer prayers. I am blessed by His gentleness today and I am ready to pray for others so that they can feel God's love as well :)

Jia Hong Yapp

Bring Everything to God in Prayer

Today I was reading through Psalm 5, and as I read through the Psalm two things struck me: 

David’s bold approach to bring everything to God, and his constant insistence on going to God in prayer in good times and in times of need. Over and over again David repeats, as in verse 2, “Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You do I pray.” David was very blessed in his life; he was king of Israel, he killed Goliath and was a mighty warrior. However, he also spent a good deal of his life on the run from King Saul and his own son who both tried to usurp the kingdom that was rightfully his, and he committed sins that he suffered the consequences of for the rest of his life. Yet despite all this, he was known as a “man after God’s own heart.” This is obvious in the Psalms. David is open and honest and brings everything to God, the good, the bad and the ugly. He was a man after God’s heart because he always sought communion with God and always turned to Him in really rough times and in times of blessing. I think we can be a people after God’s heart if we follow in David’s footsteps.

Prayer is such a great gift, we can talk to the Almighty God of the Universe anytime we want, and He will listen, and He cares, and He will answer! That is so comforting to me and it’s very encouraging that God knows and understands my situation, and He will always be there to walk me through it! I encourage you to read through the Psalms as a model of a life that is centered on prayer to God and seeking after His heart.

--Allison Tallman

Isaiah 43:1-3

Who is God?

God is a redeemer (v1)

God is not a God that brings fear (v1)

God is always with us (v2)

God is a protector (v2)

God is our Savior (v3)

God is the Holy One (v3)

How Should I Respond?

By not fearing (v1)

By listening to when God summons us (v1)

By trusting the Lord (v2)

By following Him even though the path may seem scary (v2)

By making God the Lord in our lives (v3)

By allowing the Lord to guide you (v3)

What Should I Pray For?

Pray that I trust the Lord (v1)

Pray that I listen to the Lord's commands (v1)

Pray that I follow His path no matter where he leads me (v2)

Pray that I do not fear (all verses)

Pray that I make the Lord number one in my life (v3)

Pray that I have courage in every circumstance (v3)

Where Do I Go From Here?

I should not fear (v1)

I should trust the Lord in every circumstance (all verses)

I should listen to the Lord (v1)

I should make the Lord my number one (v3)

I should follow the path He has for my life (v2)

I should let the Lord guide me (v2)

--Rachel Lind

Dealing with End of Semester Stress

Did I do my best?

The end of this semester is so near and every nerve and cells of my body are screaming loud for it to come now.

However, this last 2 weeks of school are always the hardest time and place to be in. All of the sudden, I found myself drowning in seas of homework and struggling through tests and finals. Life can be even harder when financial check-in is just around the corner and I am physically and spiritually exhausted.

But every time I am tired and feel like giving up, I will want to be closer to Jesus. I am reading Colossians 3 today and I came across this powerful verse. Colossians 3:23-24, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving."

It reminds me that I do not belong to this world, nor do I serve this world. I am serving an awesome God who is HUMBLE and LOVING, who was willing to come down to this earth to DIE for my sins even though I do not deserve it. I am amazed by the fact that, the Master I am serving, is Jesus Christ.

I am more motivated than ever after knowing this wonderful fact that my Master is Jesus alone. All of the sudden, the stress of trying to pass all the classes for this semester or difficulties in completing financial check-in are all taken away. I found the peace and the joy of working my best to finish this race strong.

I will do my best in whatever I do, and work it with all my heart because "it is the Lord Jesus Christ" whom I am serving! :)

Thanks to Jia "Joey" Yapp for this wonderful devotional. 

Being Ready

I read a devotional "article" from My Utmost for his Highest this afternoon and it spoke about being ready. It really hit home for me because it discussed how sometimes as people we are waiting for something to happen, but usually it is something that we really want, not just waiting for God to call us. We have specific ideas of what we want to do and while there isn't anything wrong with that, we should be ready to hear what God has to say and where He wants us to go. It was short, but it did hit home with me. Just a reminder for me to continually and consistently set my mind on Christ and not just on the things that I want or things that I need. If i make God my focus, He will provide for me and have everything else fall in line.

God Bless,

Adeola Oyelabi 

Proverbs 16

Who is God?

The Lord is in control of all things and He is sovereign; He blesses the righteous for their obedience and punishes the wicked. (1-6, 9)
He is Life; for those that seeks Him finds Life. (15)

How Should I Respond?

I should trust in the Lord because He is in control of everything that happened, happening, and will happen. (4)
I should turn away from arrogance and pride because if I do not God will turn his favor away from me. (5)
I should continually seek Him in order to find life. (15)
I should not gossip or spread strife because it will tear friends apart and turn into hatred. (28)

What Should I Pray About?

I wanted to pray that with the help of Christ, I will be able to completely trust in God for the plans He has for me.
I also wanted to pray that God will open my heart and soften it so that He may use me for His glory so that I can be a light to the world shining His glory and majesty.

Where Do I Go From Here?

I should keep in mind that Christ is in control. (3)
In every activity, I should try to please God because He will give me peace. (7)
Continually trust in the Word and meditate on it and I will be blessed and the Word will keep me from the ways of the wicked. (20)

Blessings,
Pov Keo

Spiritual Intimacy with God

What does it truly mean to have an intimate relationship with King of Kings? Well, the whole Bible can explain that. But the definition of intimacy is to have a  close, familiar, and affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group,  having a close association with or detailed knowledge or deep understanding of a place, subject,  or period of history. When I think of having an intimate relationship with Christ, the verse from Philippians comes to mind.

"For my determined purpose is that I many know Him. That I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person more strongly and clearly, and that I many in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed in spirit into His likeness, even to His death." Philippians 3:10

 I read this verse over again and I could hear the Lord whisper this in my years. "Be acquainted with Me and know My ways. Know what is expected of you. I created you, so I know how you are and what you can adapt to. You were created to adapt to me, to be apart of me as I am apart of you. Know what you're truly seeking, and let it be Me alone.

I challenge you to get more acquainted with Christ, more open with Him, understanding who He is, growing in the knowledge and the wisdom He has for you. Just know that each day counts as a new refreshing chance to give Him all you got. I pray that this encouraged you. 

--Camille Chuks

Finding God's Will

If you're a perfectionist like me, you might just not want to make a "huge" mistake or a wrong decision which means a waste of time and effort but no we do not have to worry. In Romans 8:28 we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.The biggest thing I think is trusting in Him and doing the best we can for today.

Visit this website:

http://www.cma-ministries.org/Studies/how_can_I_know_what_god_wants_me_to_do.pdf

Identity Crisis

Lately, I have been realizing that a lot of Christians are under bondage from lies that they believe in. One area that is specifically prone for a Christian to believe lies in is their identity in Christ. A great website to go to in order to see what your identity as a Christian is http://www.ficm.org/index.php?command=textwhoamiinchrist.

One of the points that is listed is that Christians are citizens of heaven. Philippians 3:20-21 says, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body."

I pray that you will be encouraged by knowing this: we are citizens in heaven with our bodies like Jesus' glorious body. I pray that you will keep this future in mind throughout each day. There are daily struggles and joys, but we are promised a better place in the future.

--Chelsea Cummings