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Renewed Strength

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Mark Shields

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. – Isaiah 40:31

The post “His Strength in Me” contrasted positive and negative qualities in our daily living. Contrasting the bankruptcy of a world with dishonesty, pride, gossip, and material gain to the rewards of integrity, humility, and eternal riches.

Let us seek to ingest these positive qualities so they are in our heart. As long as the Holy Spirit is in us, no one can take that away. The Spirit of Christ is with us everywhere we go.

As the song In Me by Casting Crowns points out, when we are weak, God gives us strength and brings victory because of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Index of devotionals

Posted in Devotionals, Strength | Tagged Bible Study, Devotional, Excellence, Faith, Generosity, Holy Spirit, Hope, Integrity, Kindness, Praise, Righteousness, Strength | 1 Comment

His Strength in Me

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Mark Shields

As explained in Proverbs 11, righteousness is manifested in everyday life with qualities like integrity, hope, tact, kindness, and generosity. On the other hand, wickedness is manifested with negative traits such as dishonesty, despair, rudeness, heartlessness, and greed.

The life of Christ demonstrates the qualities of righteousness so we are given a perfect model to follow. We are not able to be perfect like Jesus but we can ask for His guidance to help be the best we can be. We cannot control all things but we can pray, ask for direction, and have faith that God is in control.

Our strength is not in being like everyone else but it is in being who we are; a precious child of God. He is with us and His Spirit lives in us. Because of this fact, we have unlimited potential since He has unlimited potential and it is up to us to realize how He can use our potential for His purposes.

There may be a proverb in this passage that is related to your daily living. For example, Proverbs 27 says the following:

“Whoever seeks good finds favor,
But evil comes to one who searches for it.

Take a look at your daily living as a way to monitor habits in order to take actions using one or more of the positive qualities learned in today’s passage to steer away from mediocrity into excellence. The aim should be to analyze your activities and in so doing, discover your strengths.

This day with You Lord, we come to You in prayer which is our greatest power because we are speaking to the ONE who already has the answer. We ask for Your help today as we strive to be Your hands and feet in a struggling world. We know that You will take care of our own needs if we sow a seed to help someone else in their need. In Jesus name. Amen.

Posted in Bible Study, Strength | Tagged Bible Study, Devotional, Excellence, Faith, Generosity, Holy Spirit, Hope, Integrity, Kindness, Prayer, Righteousness | Leave a comment

The Week Ahead

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Mark Shields

This week, we will continue the study of the book of Proverbs and share more thoughts.

Below are some questions for reflection.

Proverbs 11
* How are wickedness and righteousness manifested in everyday life? What do your actions reveal about the basic qualities of your life? How is a proverb in this passage related to your daily living?

Proverbs 12
* In what areas of life is it evident that there is a difference between the intentions of the righteous and the wicked? How do the wise relate to others? How do fools relate to others? How should a person react to insults?

Believe that God has a great plan for you.

Victory starts by having a plan. By accepting God’s plan for us, all we need to do is follow and believe He will provide the power. He will give the upper hand to make what seems impossible possible.

Adeney, Carol. This Morning with God: A Daily Study Guide to the Entire Bible*. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1978. Print.

Posted in Bible Study, Devotionals | Tagged Bible Study, Christianity, Leadership, Plans, Prayer, Purpose, Quiet Time | 1 Comment

Mission Focused

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Mark Shields

To make the impossible possible, determination is needed. Prayerfully take steps to plan out your mission. Evaluate and make the needed adjustments along the way. Sometimes you may have to ruffle some feathers to get everyone headed in the right direction.

Step Ahead

With each new step
You prayerfully chose,
Good plans are written
And confidence grows.

For plans not accomplished,
Adjustments can be made,
Attitudes changed,
And new ones weighed.

To finish a quest
You have desired,
Determination
Is always required.

Sometimes courage
Is what’s needed
To make it through
What has impeded.

Ruffle some feathers
To get teammates moving
And transform practices
That need improving.

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Posted in Poems | Tagged Courage, determination, Mission, Motivation, Plans, Poetry, Prayer | Leave a comment

Advantage for Your Day

Posted on March 8, 2018 by Mark Shields

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13

In the post “Advice for Life”, highlighted is that being on God’s side gives a tremendous advantage. The scripture above and other memorized scriptures can be very useful when faced with pressure moments in life.

I once heard about a field goal kicker in football that repeated over and over in his mind scriptures like the one above before kicking a field goal. This gave him poise as he got set to perform the winning kick in the last seconds of the game.

One thing about sports that is related in life is how we all compete against time. We all set priorities in the use of our time. As we plan out each day, two questions must be answered: What is it that needs to be done? What is most important?

The amazing thing to me is that efficiency is thought of highly in sports but not so much these days in government, organizations, and businesses. Each sports team competes and the coach puts players in a position where they can do the best for their team. In government and in some businesses, people seem to be put out of position. They are put in a position to fail and organizations are run in such a dysfunctional way.

We all win some and loose some but the most important thing is you give it your best. If God is with you through all of it, then you’ll end up victorious. Here’s a song to inspire us toward a winning day: Through All of It by Colton Dixon.