Weekly Spiritual Meditations - May 13

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Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Psalm 25:4-5

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Think about the things you have planned or are looking forward to. Take a moment to place them into Jesus’ hands. As you do so, remind yourself that he is Lord of your future as well as your past.

"God may be in the process of pruning something out of your life at this very moment. If this is the case, don't fight it. Instead, welcome it, for His pruning will make you more fruitful and bring greater glory to the Father." - Rick Yohn

"It is God's amazing grace that holds us up and brings us through the grief experience. It is God's gracious love that supports us when we have nowhere else to turn. It is God's incredible grace that sustains us when we are at the end of our rope and have lost all hope." - James W. Moore

Don’t look to your insecurities; look to God and be confident. – Joyce Meyer

Does your faith evaporate at the mention of a storm? Take courage, God is with you! He can transform an unlikely hero into a fierce warrior.

The God Who holds the universe is the God Who is holding you. (David Egner)

Be true to yourself.
Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books.
Make friendship a fine art.
Build a shelter against a rainy day.
Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
~Coach John Wooden~

We can always count on God.

Sometimes our problems can seem insurmountable. And they may be, if we rely on our strength alone. But the God who promises to sustain and deliver us is greater than the trials that beset us. When we stop focusing on our difficulties and view our present circumstances through the word of God, the magnitude of our problems will diminish and the magnificence of our God will become apparent. Then, even during the trials of life, we can testify to God’s goodness and faithfulness.

While we wait, we will trust in God.

The busyness of life sometimes distracts us from seeing the love of God clearly. But when we stop to spend time in prayer and meditation, God reveals far beyond what we may see at first glance.

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Love Hopes All Things by Mason Barge
Love suffers long and is kind, . . . bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:7
If you are up for an inspirational story about the Scripture, there's none to top Connor, an eleven-year-old boy, and more especially his mother Cynthia. Connor started to suffer from increasingly rigid muscles when he was three and developed progressively severe walking problems. He was in a wheelchair by the time he was five.
His mom took him to 38 — yes I said three eight — different doctors. She got some diagnoses, all incorrect, but mostly she just got apologetic doctors telling her they had no clue what her child was suffering from. Some said there would probably never be an answer. Her reply? ”I couldn’t settle for that, I refused to accept that.“ She hit the internet, every day for hours on end, for years, chased down innumerable dead ends and false leads until she eventually ran across something called “Dopa Responsive Dystonia”; there had, at the time, been about 60 cases ever diagnosed in the United States. She wrote a letter to Dr Irwin Jacobs, a very respected pediatric neurologist in Cleveland, Ohio.
He said that her letter left him in shock. He said, “I mean, here’s somebody suggesting a disorder, and I’ve never seen this disorder”. It disrupts how the brain communicates with muscles in the body. Connor did not even fit the disease profile all that well, but Dr. Jacobs agreed to try out the medication for it, just on a long shot.
And, as you might have guessed, Connor began to improve. In a week his legs began to move and then — in his own words, “I was sitting in the chair in the kitchen one day and ... I feel like I can stand, I start holding onto the furniture and I start walking.” Today, he is playing sports and completely free of his wheelchair.
Love does not give up no matter what it faces, no matter how high the mountains in front of it, no matter what anybody else might say. And I hope, the next time you are at a wedding listening to 1 Corinthians 13 recited for the umpteenth time, that you will think about Cynthia when you hear that love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” It's not just words. This is God's message to us . . . and He is always right.
Lord God, let me never falter in my love. Amen.

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Are you so busy working for God that you never spend any time with God?
It is easy to justify doing good works for God as a substitute for spending real, intimate, quality, personal time with God. For example, a youth pastor may spend many hours planning events for kids—preparing the music, setting up the games, arranging the transportation, and even preparing a brief message. However, none of that is a substitute for spending personal time with God—reading the Bible, praying, seeking God's guidance, worshiping, and just sitting in His presence.
Unfortunately, many people are often so caught up in other activities that we use them as an excuse for not spending time with God. Instead, we need to make a firm decision to put God first in our lives. For example, King David, who certainly had many opportunities to fill his time with other activities, knew that spending time with God is an absolute necessity—a vital need. In Psalm 27:4, he said that God was the most important thing in his life: One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
Indeed, Jesus declared that if we seek God, he will take care of the rest of the things in our lives: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). In your life, put God first, and he will take care of "all these things." Follow David's example: make God the "one thing" you need. That way, you won't be so busy working for God that you never spend any time with God. --Weekly Wisdom

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Your outer life is your reputation with people, but your inner life is your reputation with God.
It can be easy to compromise one's inner life in hopes of maintaining a good outer life. While there is certainly nothing wrong with a good outer life, we can't allow our reputation with others to become more important than our reputation with God -- He desires to be the most important thing in every person's life.
King David knew the importance of putting God first in order to maintain a good inner life. In Psalm 27:4, he wrote, One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life. David made God -- and spending time in God's presence -- the one thing he wanted. For David, his inner life was more important than his outer life.
1 Peter 3:4 says that your beauty should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
While it is by no means wrong to have a good outer life and to look good outwardly, God values inner beauty much more. That's because your outer life is your reputation with people, but your inner life is your reputation with God. --Weekly Wisdom

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Trust His Vision
God sees each of us much differently than we see ourselves; "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Not only does God see deeper, He sees with an expanded spiritual spectrum which we can scarcely imagine. Our Father is intimately aware of all our failings...and He loves us anyway! He not only sees who we are, but also who we will become as our heart is fully devoted to Him and we learn to walk in step with His Spirit. He sees every opportunity we will ever have to glorify His name.
Let's put aside the baggage of our past which clouds and distorts our view. Let's refuse to look through the filter of our present understanding and perceived limitations; "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen" (2 Corinthians 4:18). God has called us into His Glorious Kingdom, uniquely equipped us for His service, and given us an assignment to share His love and truth. Our Heavenly Father sees our full potential as we walk in His strength. Let's answer the call and move forward with confidence as we trust His vision.
Have a Christ Centered Day! Steve Troxel

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Fresh Start By John Coody
"On the last day, that great day of feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" John 7:37-38
If anyone reading today is in need of a fresh start, there is good news. God is willing to grant it. A couple of weeks ago, I took a break from writing. I was tired, distressed and just honestly didn't know what to do about the situations I was facing. Being the courageous person that I am, my desire was to be four again and play with blocks.
Facing the trials and adversities of life is difficult. Facing our own struggles and failures is no fun. However, God's plan is to take all of these things, and use them to strengthen us. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." As many pastors have preached, it doesn't say all things are good. It says that our situations will work together for our good [as we] keep pressing on. Paul wrote in Phil. 3:13-14, "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
My folly was in turning back. My reasoning for taking time off was to work on my own issues and seek a fresh start. I was thirsty. In order to begin again, we need a thirst for God.
John 7:37 says, "If anyone thirsts..." If you need "refreshment" in your walk with Christ, ask yourself, "How thirsty am I for Jesus? How much desire for His will and ways do I have in my heart?" After asking those questions, ask Him to help you.
"Let him come to Me and drink." Be determined to leave everything and follow Jesus. In order to truly live in Christ, we have to remove any distraction, which could mean sacrificing something we hold dear. When you have done these things, make a decision to surrender. When I stopped worrying about what I was going to do and decided to trust Him, He showed me once again that He already had my way prepared.
Though in our eyes, our situations may be impossible, we must never limit what God can do. He is the Creator. He is capable of taking care of His creation. I pray that each of us will be learning to exercise our faith more and more.

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Learning Patience by Judith Welch
For the past few months, I have been trying to return to my pre-surgical level of fitness. It has required a great deal of patience. At times, it has been very frustrating and discouraging. Often at the end of my hour of exercise, I felt like I had taken one step forward and two steps backward.
For encouragement, I started reading the following verse before leaving for the gym:
1 Chronicles 28:20 – Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. (NIV)
Then as my patience wore even thinner, I added reading this verse:
Isaiah 40:31 – But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (NKJV)
After reading these Scriptures for several days, I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong goal. I needed to concentrate on preparing myself physically to do the work for this one day that God had given me.
As time passed, I began to see tiny gains. I stopped focusing on the number of miles biked or walked in a given time frame. I even stopped staring at the monitor recording my heart rate, and I weighed myself only once a week. What a blessing it was to know that God is walking with me in my steps forward and in my steps backward.
"Patience is seeing each step as a journey rather than seeing a journey as a thousand steps." – R. E. Goodrich
Now each day on my way to the gym, I remind myself that God has blessed me with this day, and I need only embrace today's challenge. So I continue to try to improve my speed, my strength, and my endurance. I also continue to hold out hope for an age-appropriate heart rate during exercise and a lower number on the scales. When I finally reach my goals, I will be healthy and fit once again and I will be ready for whatever the next challenge is that God has for me — in God's time, not mine! What is your challenge today?
Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the words in Scripture that help us to keep on keeping on and for the promise that You will go with us each day in all our steps. Give us the courage, we pray, to be patient and to persevere, even when our timeframe isn't Yours. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
Ask Me to reveal your faults. If you will be absolutely honest with yourself and with Me I will help you position yourself to walk in greater clarity of soul and spirit, says the Lord. If you seek spiritual purity this internal work is a requirement. You cannot walk in the Spirit when you maintain pretentions and facades. Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Fortify your power mightily! Many of you have forgotten that I have given you authority over the powers of darkness, which have exerted control over your life. It is within your ability to be determined to overcome. You must exercise the power that I have given you to fight your way to freedom, says the Lord. You are well able to gain the victory. Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

You have had many and varied opportunities to establish yourself in divine order, and you have done so in many areas. But, I want you to be alert to the process of fine-tuning where things will come up that demand your attention and willingness to bring correction and perfection, says the Lord. I will lead you in this process. 1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

It is important for you recover from recent stress by leaning on Me. Be strong. Don't give up. All things that represent problems are only a stepping stone to understanding the work of My kingdom more completely. Keep looking up, says the LORD. Never forget that I am leading you to victory. Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Deliberately seek a quiet resting place in the Spirit. Remove yourself from all chaos and confusion, and refuse to get emotionally invested in things that do not produce life and light. You need to stay protected from circumstances and conditions that interrupt the peace of your heart, says the Lord. Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
Mount up! Mount up on wings of Eagles. Mount up into higher places of faith. Mount up into My presence and maintain this path that you have set yourself upon this day. For surely I say to you, victory is assured. Victory is My way. My people, you shall be astonished in the days ahead because of the magnitude of the victory that I will provide on your behalf. So be encouraged. Be encouraged and spread your wings, says the Lord.

My beloved, it is indeed a time in which you can grow; even exceedingly and abundantly beyond all that you can imagine. So, I say now, plant your seeds; water them; hold them under the tension of faith, for My word never returns void, but it always brings forth that which was spoken. Enjoy My presence and be filled with the gladness that I have for you. Come to the place where your joy is unspeakable and full of glory. Come into My peace, which passes all understanding. And, remember that I am not only with you; I am for you. I am here to lead, guide, and to bless you with all goodness. Receive!

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God Does Author Unknown
When you feel unlovable, unworthy, and unclean,
when you think that no one can heal you,
Remember, Friend, God Can.
When you think that you are unforgivable
for your guilt and your shame,
Remember, Friend, God Can.
When you think that all is hidden,
and no one can see within,
Remember, Friend, God Can.
And when you have reached the bottom,
And you think that no one can hear,
Remember, my dear friend, God Can.
And when you think that no one can love,
the real person deep inside of you,
Remember, my dear friend, God Does!

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A Prayer For Patience by Helen Steiner Rice
God, teach me to be patient, teach me to go slow,
Teach me how to wait on You when my way I do not know.
Teach me sweet forbearance when things do not go right
So I remain unruffled when others grow uptight.
Teach me how to quiet my racing, rising heart
So I might hear the answer You are trying to impart.
Teach me to let go, dear God, and pray undisturbed until
My heart is filled with inner peace and I learn to know your will.

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Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.

You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. - Psalm 18:28-29

Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. - Colossians 3:13

The LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. - Psalm 100:5

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:2

The psalmist wrote, “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!” - Psalm 34:3

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. . . . let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:14, 16

Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! - Psalm 27:14

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Coach Wooden
Legendary coach John Wooden led UCLA to national prominence in college basketball. A reporter once asked him how he managed to keep his cool under the great pressure of coaching college basketball. Wooden reached into his pocket and took out a wooden cross. "When the pressure is on I hold that cross in my hand," he explained. "Not as a good luck charm. I just hold it there to remind me that there is something more important than basketball."
A poem that he penned a few years before his passing was printed in the memorial service program and reads as follows:
The years have left their imprint
On my hands and on my face.
Erect no longer is my walk
And slower is my pace.
But there is no fear within my heart
Because I'm growing old
I only wish I had more time
To better serve my Lord.
When I've gone to Him in prayer
He has brought me inner peace
And soon my cares and worries
And other problems cease.
He has helped in so many ways,
He has never let me down,
Why should I fear the future
When soon I could be near His crown.
Though I know down here my time is short
There is endless time up there
And He will forgive and keep me
Forever in His loving care.
May I not waste an hour
That's left to glorify the Name
Of the One Who died, that we might live
And for our sins, took all the blame.
Coach John R. Wooden 1910-2010

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May the Spirit of God
Be close to you,
Renew and uplift you,
Strengthen and comfort you,
Pour gifts on you to heal you,
Enfold you in love to protect you,
Lighten your burden of illness,
Bestow peace in mind and body,
Guide you in the way of Christ
And so lead you into glory.
Amen.

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Read Through The Bible
Jeremiah 23
1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. 2 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. 3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. 4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord. 5 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness. 7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 8 But, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land. 9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness. 10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right. 11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord. 12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the Lord. 13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. 14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. 15 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. 16 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. 17 They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. 18 For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? 19 Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. 20 The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. 21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. 23 Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? 24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. 25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. 26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; 27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. 28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord. 29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? 30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. 32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord. 33 And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the Lord? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the Lord. 34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish that man and his house. 35 Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the Lord answered? and, What hath the Lord spoken? 36 And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God. 37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the Lord answered thee? and, What hath the Lord spoken? 38 But since ye say, The burden of the Lord; therefore thus saith the Lord; Because ye say this word, The burden of the Lord, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the Lord; 39 Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence: 40 And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.

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Help me not to complain,
Help me to put my trust in You.
I know You see and understand all
That I’m going through.
You know how hard
The long days and nights can be.
You are my comfort,
The one who understands me.
Lord help me to always trust in You.
Amen.

Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. If you do not have Jesus in your life and wish to ask Jesus into your life please go to this link now to do so: https://bluidkiti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130 .
Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.