This Day With God – A Spiritual Journey | Share The Word

Wicked Verses Righteous

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Mark Shields

The wicked are described in Psalms 36 as being arrogant while planning out their sinful course without fear of God. They only care about themselves, are deceitful in order to get their own way, and their way leads to destruction with no hope of repair.

On the other hand, God offers love, faithfulness, protection, and abundance. Our hope should be in the qualities of God’s righteousness; the greatest being His love of us. Let us be grateful because with faith we will benefit from the assistance of spiritual wisdom and advice.

There may be times along the journey when confidence is lacking but it can be found again if we go to God in prayer and ask for help. Let us overcome pride, disobedience, distractions, and carelessness so we can go to the ONE who has the answers. Then we are on a different path of studying God’s word, and praying consistently. We gain confidence because of acceptance of God’s love in Christ Jesus.

This day with You Lord, we are never 100% prepared for anything but memorized Scripture, songs, encouragement from others will help. Most of all, our faith that You will be with us give us confidence in the challenges ahead. Amen.

Posted in Bible Study | Tagged Bible Study, Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Love, Prayer, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Reference

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Mark Shields

I once heard a story of a swimmer that set out to swim from Catalina Island to California’s mainland. It was a foggy morning with vision only about fifty feet and the fog didn’t allow the swimmer to see the shore line. They gave up half a mile away. Later, the swimmer was asked why they gave up just half mile from the goal and the answer was that they would’ve finished had they been able to see the shore. They gave up because they couldn’t see the reference point to where they were going. As Christians, we have the Bible as our game plan and it tells us that heaven is where we are going and Christ is our reference point.

Step Ahead

A man swam from
Catalina Island
In the fog to
California’s mainland.

Visibility
Only fifty feet
So making the shore line
Was a hard feat.

He gave up a half mile
From the coastal bank
Since with no focal point
His spirit sank.

But we have the Bible
For our knowing
That it is heaven
Where we are going.

For as a believer
We have our reference
That points to the cross
For our deliverance!

Poem by Mark Shields – © 02-21-2019

View original post

Posted in Poems | Tagged Bible, Cross, Focus, Goal, Heaven, Inspiration, Poetry | Leave a comment

Claim the Victory

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Mark Shields

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. – Galatians 5:1

Your hope should be in the qualities of God’s righteousness; the greatest being His love of you. All that is needed is to claim the victory handed to you by the great love of Christ Jesus.

It may take some time, some work, and lots of patience but just like the song Broken and Beautiful by Mark Schultz, you can maintain the joy if you never give up and practice your faith. If you continue to grab the upper hand of God and enthusiastically express your appreciation for the freedom He gives you.

Index of devotionals

Posted in Devotionals | Tagged Confidence, Devotional, enthusiasm, Faith, Hope, Liberty, Love, Music, Optimism, Praise, Prayer, victory | Leave a comment

From Desolation to Restoration

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Mark Shields

David was in a desperate situation because of his enemies who lied about him to ruin his reputation. He was constantly on the run from Saul and in Psalms 35 he calls on God for help. That’s when momentum began to turn for David and his problems became smaller because God was bigger.

There are situations we may face in life when confidence in God to deliver is needed. We may not be in physical danger like David but we face our own enemies like health issues, the pressures of meeting the demands of work, family concerns, and the courage to stand up to misguided secular thought.

Our hope should be in the qualities of Christ Jesus; the greatest is His love of us which transforms our desolation into restoration. Let us claim expressions of praise because with God by our side, we have the upper hand and can enthusiastically express our appreciation for the advantages God gives.

This day with You Lord we have confidence because of the power of prayer. We are now connected to the ONE who has the answers and can deliver us from the challenges we face. When faced with pressure moments in life, there is hope which gives optimism against desperation, there is faith which gives courage to overcome doubt, and there is the love of Christ Jesus which brings victory over hate. Amen.

Posted in Bible Study | Tagged Bible Study, Confidence, Faith, Hope, Love, Optimism, Praise, Prayer | Leave a comment

Let Your Light Shine

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Mark Shields

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

Even under difficult circumstances, David continued to show confidence in God as explained in the post “Live with Confidence”.

We can also have confidence in God by seeking Him in everything we do. He will teach us in His Word, encourage us in our relationships, inspire us through His creation, and enthuse us with music.

This day with God, join in on the praise from today’s wonderful song to get a great start to your day: We Are by Kari Jobe.