A Thought from reading John 6:16-40 is that satisfaction, joy, peace, hope, and abundant living are within our reach at this moment; for Christ is the bread of life who nourishes our souls. From the bread of life, we have the Holy Spirit that indwells to bring grace, redemption, and everlasting life.
Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” – John 20: 27
As brought out in “It Takes Guts to Get Out of the Ruts”, courage is needed but it can be done if we work at overcoming our fears, are disciplined, and seek a firmer foundation to get traction.
So it takes guts to get out of the ruts, but we can conquer the fear if we listen to the voice of Truth, get busy, and confidently take actions for a better future. As the song Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns says: don’t be afraid, take a stand, and others will often follow.
It takes guts to get out of the ruts. What holds us back many times is fear so it takes courage but it can be done if we work at overcoming our fears, are disciplined, and seek a firmer foundation to get traction. This day with God, we continue to develop our faith to get out of the mud.
Let us take in what is right and reject what is wrong by reading today 2 Kings 18. Hezekiah the king of Judah was trying to get his nation unstuck so he got busy, and confidently took actions to benefit his people. He should be commended for doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord by removing the high places, smashing the sacred stones, cutting down the Asherah poles, and destroying the bronze snake Moses had made.
He trusted in the Lord, continued to follow Him, and kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. There were personal and national benefits for his actions. He was successful in whatever he undertook as he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and no longer served him. He also defeated the Philistines.
So it takes guts to get out of the ruts, but we can conquer the fear if we listen to the voice of Truth, get busy, and confidently take actions for a better future. The voice of Truth says don’t be afraid, take a stand, and others will often follow.
Hezekiah responded to present problems but not so much for the future. It’s the same with us. Sometimes we make the adjustments to handle a crisis in the moment, but the enemy will continue to create a crisis situation until there is a permanent fix. The enemy will continue to intimidate and create fear so we must prepare for the future. The permanent fix for us my friend is Jesus Christ. By accepting Jesus as Savior, we have the courage needed with the power to gain victory in this hour.
This day with You God, we are encouraged to boldly step ahead out of the mud to be unstuck from our past. With Jesus, there is a way to victory. This is Good News for us and for those we know with whom we share. We trust in You and are not afraid. There is no anxiety because we stand on solid ground. Help us now to listen to Your truth, get busy and confidently take action in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Photo Source – “Bing.” Microsoft. N.p., n.d. Web. Images >.
Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is He who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies. – 2 Kings 17:38-39
From “Spiritual Intelligence”, chronicled was how a nation went into total decline by following idols. The future was bleak in those days, but this day with God, we can head in the other direction.
This day with God, let us see His majesty in the things around us. Worship the ONE true God with songs like Here is Our King by David Crowder. Our God, became human and died for our sins. If Christ is our King and our love, we will be brought back from cultural decline that leads to destruction in order to once again flourish.
The newest big thing is AI (artificial intelligence), but wouldn’t it be better to be connected to spiritual intelligence! Is AI the next idol to worship in the secular realm? It’s important to be connected to the ONE true God. As we find out in today’s passage, not being connected to the ONE true God leads to a dismal future.
Reading today 2 Kings 17, several bad kings were not doing what was right in the eyes of God and the whole nation faced a very bleak future. The worship of other gods was practiced, and the anger of the ONE true God was aroused (v. 11). Then we read that God allowed the whole nation to be taken over by Assyria and the people were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria (v. 23).
The king of Assyria sent a priests to Samaria to live there and teach them how to worship the Lord (v. 28). Still there was confusion and hypocrisy as they worshiped the Lord, but also their own gods (v. 33). Think about today’s culture. Don’t we do the same today? There is confusion as many worship the Lord on Sunday, but also their own gods the rest of the week. Anything we put before God is an idol. Examples may include money, job, food, alcohol, and the list goes on and on.
The message for us is to know what God requires and to pay close attention. If we follow the next best thing in the secular realm, disorder will expand to fill the void of human failure, but if we focus on the ONE true God, order will fill the void with greatness.
This day with God, let us see His majesty in the things around us. Let us worship the ONE true God who became human and died for our sins. If Christ is our king and our love, we will be connected to the Holy Trinity which is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We will be brought back from cultural decline that leads to destruction in order to once again flourish.
This day with You Lord, we are thankful that You are the real Intelligence and not artificial. Things built by man are inferior but You Lord are supreme. Today, we put our total attention into Your majesty and worship the ONE true God who became human and died for our sins. Because we follow Christ our King, we are guided by and provided spiritual intelligence. We are properly connected to the power source with power beyond all comprehension. For in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Photo Source – “Bing.” Microsoft. N.p., n.d. Web. Images >.
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This Day With God - A Spiritual Journey 
