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

In Awe of the One Who Has Given All

Posted on November 20, 2024 by Mark Shields

So many in our world today prefer lies rather than the truth. This day with God, ask for the truth which is found in His Word. Read the scriptures and ask that He reveals a lesson to apply in life. Ask that He reveals himself through His Creation. He’s near and knows your name and has a great purpose for you.

Reading today in Isaiah 30:1-17, we get a prophecy of invasions of Assyria and Babylon which will cause destruction to the city. Israel in their fear, looked down to Egypt for help. They wanted to form an alliance with Egypt for immediate sanctuary.

I remember while off during summers going through college, I worked for a construction company. One summer we worked to repair the roof of an historic train depot. It was hard work, hot, and gave you motivation to get a college degree so you could someday work in a climate-controlled environment.

Not only was it hot, but the roof was 40 feet high and somewhat steep. I found out after a while to stop looking down because my focus was on the negative impact of my body if I were to fall. Would I break a leg, a shoulder, my hips, or scull? Would I survive the fall?

The lesson was to not look down. Like in today’s passage or in my experiences of working construction during my summers while going through college, do not look down. Instead … look up. Look up to God and ask for His help.

In today’s prophecy from Isaiah, there was no consultation with God about an alliance with Egypt. God was not pleased with Egypt because the people of Egypt had rejected Him. They were rebellious and unwilling to listen to His instructions. He says that the help of Egypt would utterly be useless (v. 7).

Like Israel during this time of today’s prophecy, the warning for us is to turn to God for our protection and refuge during difficulty or fear. When afraid, trust in God. Only God can give true confidence so be in awe of the One who has given all. Be committed to Him, plan with Him, and focus on acting on those plans.

Lord, things are scary in this world, but we can take refuge in You. We are focused on You and know You will get us through the scary times. Instead of looking down, we look up to You and our confidence is restored. We can trust Your plan and can step ahead with purpose in every step. Amen.

Posted in Bible Study, Focus | Tagged Bible Study, Creation, Fear, Focus, Lesson, Photo, Prayer, Protection, Purpose, Truth, Worship | 5 Comments

The Eyes of the Blind Will See

Posted on November 19, 2024 by Mark Shields

In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
   and out of gloom and darkness
  the eyes of the blind will see. – Isaiah 29:18

A thought from “Acquire Faith” is that we are not born with faith but it is something we can acquire by trusting, taking action, and continuing to work towards. Step by step, we gain confidence that the results will come.

Step ahead towards heaven
Each doing our part
Giving a lesson
A gem for the heart

As the song The Lord’s Prayer by Matt Maher goes:

Father let your kingdom come
Father let your will be done
On earth as in heaven
Deliver us from the evil one
Let your kingdom come.

Index of devotionals

Thanks for reading. Please like, follow, and pass on to others … sharing a gem for the heart!

Posted in Devotionals, Faith | Tagged Devotional, Faith, Joy, Peace, Photo, Praise, Prophecy, Trust, Video, Worship | 1 Comment

Acquire Faith

Posted on November 18, 2024 by Mark Shields

We are not born with faith but it is something we can acquire by trusting, taking action, and continuing to work towards. Step by step, we gain confidence that the results will come. This day with God, let us step ahead to Isaiah 29.

This chapter is a prophecy of God’s judgment for sin. Ariel stands for Jerusalem and Isaiah tells about the invasions of Assyria and Babylon which will cause destruction to the city. The people were insensitive to their wrongdoing to the point that they could not hear or feel any pain. They were completely absorbed in their own self-indulgences.

Many today continue to think that humanity is in control of everything. It’s an upside down relationship where many think they can play God to control the future. When they find out that they are not in control, there is a lot of pain.

Sometimes we need to feel the pain so we can ask God to help us see our own sin in our own land. This day with God, share the Word with others and hope:

Things will become clear,
The deaf will hear,
The blind will see,
And more will be set free.

Sow the seeds of God’s Word, cultivate, and share with others so they can participate in the harvest.

This day with God, we ask that we believe before we even receive and we go before we even know as we continue to grow in faith. Let us build our life upon the word of God as our foundation and with Jesus as the cornerstone. May each lesson help us step ahead on the way to heaven! In Jesus’ name we pray with assurance of joy and peace in our future. Amen.

Posted in Bible Study, Faith | Tagged Devotional, Faith, Joy, Peace, Photo, Praise, Prophecy, Trust, Video, Worship | 3 Comments

Thought From Devotional 11-15-2024

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Mark Shields

A thought from John 12:20-36 is how sharing the Good News is like planting seeds of faith. As explained in Follow the Passion of Jesus, these seeds begin to grow into the fruits of the Spirit, building intangibles living inside each person to guide.

Posted in Thoughts From Devotional | Tagged Bible Study, Difficulties, Faith, Holy Spirit, Inspiration, Passion, Photo, Prayer, Purpose, Worship | 3 Comments

Questions for Reflection for Study of Isaiah 29 Through 34

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Mark Shields

We live in a busy world with busy schedules and being able to share some thoughts about this journey with others across this world through the Internet is truly a blessing. The below Questions for Reflection will stimulate thought and offer ideas for applying biblical principles. At all stages of life, the Bible is helpful in providing what is needed to thrive in life. If you have not done so yet, click the follow button on the top right side of this page to be notified of future posts.

I s aiah 29 – Who can’t hear, see, or feel any pain? Who can see and hear God without the slightest problem? What in our relationship with God is upside down? What are some hide-outs people have?

Isaiah 30:1-17 – Where will Israel seek immediate sanctuary? Do you ever prefer lies rather than the truth? During times of fear, where do you turn? What attracts you to this protective refuge?

Isaiah 30:18-33 – Who are the prisoners here? Into what darkness and prison are all to descend? What light shatters their darkness? At what merry-making feast will all peoples be gathered? What makes you jubilant?

Isaiah 31 – What folly is Jerusalem involved in? Are you running from anything? What qualities about God commend him as someone to turn to?

Isaiah 32 – What is coming to transform the whole social order of things? In what ways will the society be transformed? In what ways is your society striving for peace, quiet, and productivity? What do you foresee and what would you like to see for your society? In what way and to what extent can you influence or change your society?

Isaiah 33 – Why is the destroyer going to be destroyed? What is the appropriate stance of prayer within the city? What is the basis of your view of the future? What is the ultimate fulfillment for those whose hope is too great for fear?

Isaiah 34 – For all the scathing judgments against Jerusalem, how does God feel about behavior in the rest of the world? How does this chapter depict universal judgment? Do you feel God is justified in making a wasteland out of the earth in which mankind has invested so much? Why?

Feel free to respond with a short note or a comment about any of the questions above. Also, I welcome any other thoughts or ideas, favorite inspirational videos, photos, or favorite Bible verses. Just add them to the comments.

To store up thoughts that are good for the soul, listen to a sermon. Download the free app in the App Store or on Google Play. Look for First Waco.

Resources and Supplementary Helps Used in Posts

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

“Sermons.” Sermons | FUMC Waco. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://fumcwaco.org/resources/sermons/>.

“Bible.” The Bible – The Word of God – ChristNotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 2017. <http://www.christianity.com/bible/>.

Nicholes, Lou. “Recent Commentaries.” Family-Times.net – Devotional Commentary Index. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.family-times.net/commentary/>.

“Bing.” Microsoft. N.p., n.d. Web. Images >.

“BibleGateway.” BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.biblegateway.com/>.