Hope For Brighter Days Ahead

I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
   And I have been saved from my enemies. - Psalms 18:3

In life, there are all these negative emotions like jealousy, fear, frustration, and anxiety. They become our enemies but a lesson from “Negative Energy Spews Up” is that the more I have hope for brighter days ahead, the more my frame of mind contributes to favorable conclusions. That’s one benefit of reading the Bible. I read about how God’s power and mercy releases negative emotions, so a load is lifted as I step ahead along the journey.

This day with God, goodness and love will follow me during my journey and I’ll dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I’m inspired by the song The Goodness by TobyMac & Blessing Offor and the lyrics “The Lord makes sure my roots are growing, He shows up to be the goodness in my life. Through the good, the bad, and ugly, I can still see the sunshine above me”.

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Negative Energy Spews Up

This picture was taken while going up Mt. Haleakala located on the Hawaiian Island of Maui. It’s now a dormant volcano but was responsible for forming most of Maui.  Deep inside the earth, there is all this built up negative energy that is spewed up and released through volcanos.

There’s a lot of negative things on the inside of people too. As we read today in Psalm 59, the jealousy of Saul towards David caused an eruption of anger that desired to kill David. Some friends of David had warned him about Saul so David had escaped and was on the run from Saul and his men.

In life, there is not only jealousy but fear, frustration, and anxiety. There is a need for us to replace those negatives with positives so we can flourish. The more we have confidence in a bright future, the more our frame of mind contributes to favorable conclusions. That’s one benefit of reading the Bible. We read about how God’s power and mercy releases these negative emotions so a load is lifted as we step ahead along the journey.

Today, we read about how David who replaced the negatives he faced in life with positives. David desired deliverance from his enemies who lied about him. They are described as snarling like dogs and their words are like sharp swords (v. 7). But David is sure of triumph because he knows he can rely on God who is his strength, his refuge in times of trouble, and his fortress.

In this world we live in, we all need protection from those against us. Like David, be sure of triumph and put your trust in God for His long-range plan of deliverance. Put things in His hands and be patient to let His perfect way work for total judgment and justice.

This day with You Lord, we choose not to be defined by our circumstances but to focus on Your goodness and be thankful. There are good days and bad days but we know the outcome is in Your hands. Your plan for our life brings hope for better days ahead because we have faith in Your promises. Amen.

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A Calm Soul Is Made Whole

Disruptions in life can throw you off and put you in terrible consequences. The poem of David recorded in Psalm 55 was written during a time when his world was crumbling around him, but he reacted with optimism because he knew there would be a joyful ending in God’s hands. The advantage of putting it all in the hands of God is the poise gained to withstand adversity. The attitude embraced is positive because there is faith that everything is going to turn out all right in the end.  

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Poetry Friday 03-24-2023

A poem posted at my other blog Step Ahead is inspired by the post ” Courage to Step Ahead” written to inspire courage as you apply your faith. With grit, determination, and looking to God who fights for you, things once thought impossible can become possible. Once proven possible, others will join in on the path to victory.

Rely on the Word as your guide, write down the steps of action, and use songs like Battle is the Lord’s by Rebecca St. James ft. Brandon Lake to encourage. God is in control so take courage in the fight as you step ahead with boldness because with God by your side, everything will turn out right.

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Victorious Finish

I have fought the good fight, 
I have finished the race, 
I have kept the faith.  
                2 Timothy 4:7

A main thought from “Starting this Day on the Right Path” is that life is not always fair but you can be a part of creating a better future by first going to God in prayer and listening to the voice of truth. This voice will lay out a level path so the race can be run fairly. The advantage will then belong to the righteous for securing daily wins that lead to final victory.

So this day with God, listen to the Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns and as the song points out, there are giants against us but there is no need to be afraid because we can listen and believe in the voice of Truth.

Index of devotionals

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