Can you make an honest assessment of how well you run your life; and handle the problems and trials as they crop up unexpectedly…as they always do?
Can you honestly say that your heart is content and fulfilled as a result of the choices you make in your life?

If you have issues with those two questions, you are not alone.

The evil one uses our worldly sense of self-sufficiency to trick us into thinking that we can run our lives efficiently and competently on our own, “fix” our problems ourselves, and “be happy” without the help of the Lord.
Well, how is that working out for you?
 
Isaiah 50:10-11–Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God. 
But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires.
This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon fall down in great torment.

 Our human minds were not designed to handle, on our own, the myriad of problems and trials we face each day; let alone the problems, both real and imaginary, we will face in future days, months and years from now.

Without the Lord’s help and guidance; our mind is soon careening out of control; overwhelmed by the chaos of too many problems, needs, and anxious thoughts. Friends and family can help and bail you out occasionally, but when it comes down to it, they are band-aids, and they can’t help with your bigger problem: pride and self-sufficiency.

During this vicious cycle, we tend to feel more and more alone and isolated, not knowing where to turn. In fact, help is standing right next to you, just waiting for you to ask for it.  All you need to do is to remember that He is there…Always
Zephaniah 3:17–For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

When you do slow down and ask Him for assistance, you immediately sense the the heavy load on your shoulders begin to lighten; and your perspective on the problems begin shift to the Lord’s view of them.  The problems are the same but, from the Lord’s view, many of them lose their importance and danger to you.
Isaiah 41:10–Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

With the Lord on your side, helping you, the need to “fix” everything on your own changes to a sense of “partnership” with God, working together, letting Him counsel you.  Together, you take each problem of this day head-on, and leave the worries of the future for another time.

The evil one works night and day to fill your mind with worldly influences, bad thoughts, temptations, and general chaos…all meant to distract you; from being totally aware and focused on the Lord’s Presence, which is all around you, and that He loves you unconditionally.
Genesis 3:4,6-8–and the serpent told Eve:”“You will not die…For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they felt shame for their nakedness.
Sin had broken their close relationship with God, just as it has broken ours. But Jesus, God’s son, opens the way for us to renew our fellowship with Him.  God longs to be with us.  He actively offers His unconditional love.  Our natural response is that we cannot live up to His standards.  But understanding (being aware)  that He loves us, regardless of our faults can help remove that dread and guilt.

This awareness, and the amount of it that occupies your thought life, controls your receptivity to having Him live in your heart; and to take part in your life and actions going forward in this earthly, fallen world that we all live in.

This awareness also enables you to recognize and appreciate the blessings the Lord gives you each day.  Those blessings give you the strength and wisdom  to walk with Him; allowing Him to shine the light of His love through you; for others around you to see.

Bring your heart and mind to Him each morning, to receive His rest and renewal, to keep your awareness of Him strong through-out the day.
Psalm 89:15–Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.

My Prayer For This Day: 

Lord, thank you for being my one true friend who will always have the time to listen, understand, and love me unconditionally. Lord, in the past years when I had trials; I felt like I had no one to share my troubles with. Now Lord, I thank you for guiding my mind to the awareness that you have been here with me for me my whole life; always ready give me your strength, counsel, and most of all your love. Lord, I praise you and  thank you for all that you have done for me.

Begin the new day seeking the Lord’s Presence through prayer and communing with the wonderful beauty of the morning stillness around you.  As you come into His Presence; know that He already has your day planned out; with new experiences that continue to shape your life; and that He is ready to reveal to you the mystery of His hidden treasures of life…Wisdom and Knowledge; which will lead you to finding Him during the day…Right beside you.
Isaiah 33:6–In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.

Some of those experiences are trials; hidden treasures designed to further refine your spirit and soul; and make your Christian walk with the Lord stronger.
Colossians 2:2-3–Paul wrote : “I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” 

Remember, He doesn’t make any of your trials so bad that they are unbearable.  He always gives you a way out of your predicament.  That way out may not be obvious at first; but that is the purpose of the trial; to draw you closer to Him for the real solutions to the issues in your life.
1 Corinthians 10:13–The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Other experiences are blessings that are testament to the fact that He loves you and has given you a wonderful creation to live in.  The beauty of His creation of the world around you gives constant proof of His Presence; and that He hasn’t given up on the world; even though it is constantly in a broken and fallen state.
Colossians 2:2-3–Paul wrote : “I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

So make it a priority to keep your eyes open for the signs of the Lord’s Presence –they are all around you — subtle hints from His Holy Spirit that guide your actions during the day.

My Prayer For This Day:
Lord,  thank You for this day which you have made for me; full of your love for me and full of His hidden treasures for me to find. Even though I live in a broken world; I know you have not given up on it; and that it is still a wonderful example of your power over all things in your creation. Lord, help me find the wonders of this day; so that I can experience the loving wisdom of your Spirit.

Some of the things the Lord does in your life are so “big picture” that they are beyond your comprehension and understanding.  Have faith in what He is doing in your life will work to your good according to His purpose for you, in His own perfect timing.
Romans 8:28– And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 

The Lord is sovereign over your circumstances, learn to see your circumstances from His perspective. He is the way, the truth, and the life…and is giving you everything you need for this life and your eternal life.
John 14:6–Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
As the way, Jesus is our path to the Father.  As the truth, He is the reality of all God’s promises.  As the life, He joins His divine life to ours, both now and eternally.  Jesus is, in truth the only living way to the Father.
 
 Because of that, don’t let things that don’t go your way cause you to be discouraged.  Accept the situation as it is, go humbly to the Lord, ask for His help , so that you don’t go down the road of self-pity, self-preoccupation, and self-sufficiency.
1 Peter 5:5-6–“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.

So don’t let your earthly life distract you or debilitate you from your continual focus and communication with the Lord.  When He is central in your thinking; you are able to see the situation around you  more clearly; and how it fits into His perspective regarding your life.

My Prayer For this Day: 

Lord, thank you for this life you have so lovingly given me. Thank you even for my present circumstances, as I know that they are all part of accomplishing your purpose for me. Lord, from the “world view” standpoint, I would be wanting more of “a life” then I presently have; but Lord, I understand that my present life is your will; and what you are doing in my life is only understood by you; and will work in the long run for my good and for your purpose for my life.   Lord, my focus is on you in the midst of the storm I live in presently; and I understand that you have a higher perspective of my circumstances.  Lord, I ask You for the blessing of your peace, strength and loving presence, as we walk through this day together.

This world is full of people walking around with a lonely empty void inside of them…I call it “the hole in my heart”…That hard to define vacuum gives most people an uneasy sense of incompleteness; something is lacking in life.

King Solomon wrote extensively about this human condition in Ecclesiastes…
Ecclesiastes 1:8– Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.
  And the lengths people go to try to define, and then fill, the void are amazing…I, myself, tried everything under the sun: relationships, accomplishments in my career and personal life, going places in the world, buying stuff (houses, fast cars, boats, all kinds of materialism).

Ecclesiastes 2:1-4–I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.  I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards.

 But what happens after experiencing various…or all…combinations of those worldly endeavors is that we find that the void…or emptiness…is still there…No contentment, no love, no joy…A sense of “that’s not it,” can lead to more searching and a depressed spirit.
Ecclesiastes 2:11– But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

Solomon had everything a person could want. But here he says that he came to see that “it was all so meaningless.”  What happened?  His marvelous accomplishments left him sour because he pursued them as a means to personal satisfaction.  Personal satisfaction, by itself, is empty because we are alone in the enjoyment we receive.

After all his searching Solomon concluded in:
Ecclesiastes7:28-29–Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”

Years later, Paul came to the same conclusions… and also addressed the remedy for the emptiness in our lives…
Paul writes in: Philippians 3:7-9– I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.  For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

The only real solution to the endless cycle of searching… is to focus on the Lord and to let Him help.  

As Solomon and Paul…two guys who had it all…concluded: Everything we have on this earth (possessions, relationships, money, status, accomplishments) is temporary and meaningless compared to God’s love for us; and the eternal companionship He offers us when we walk with Him. 

My Prayer For This Day: 
My Dear Lord, neediness in worldly terms is considered to be a weakness… And I have been told that I was too needy for a healthy “of the world” relationship; when in fact what I was needy for was a lasting relationship with my Holy Father… My relationship with You is filling up the emptiness in my heart; and is being replaced with gladness and joy; knowing that  I’ll be with you. Lord, I depend on you and I need you every moment of the day.

When you stumble, and being only human you will, He is right there beside you to help you up. He will then brush you off, receive your repentance, forgive you,  and then continue to help you on your way.
1 John 1:7–But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Humans tend to hide from God when they sin; which leads to a downward spiral of self-pity, self-preoccupation and then giving up.  That all happens in the darkness; because we are forgetting or ignoring the fact that that God is a forgiving God; and will faithfully stay right there with us to help us up from our transgressions.

And the Lord knows about our sins long before we commit them.  So it is senseless to try to hide from Him; when He already knows we have blown it; and stands ready to forgive us when we come back to Him and admit the error of our ways.
John 16:24–You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

The Lord’s light is there to shine into our darkness; to drive the evil one’s darkness away from us; and to bring us back into His loving Presence.
John 8:12–Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

The Lord is there for us; to relieve us of the heavy burden of our sin; and the spirit-crushing guilt that accompanies it. 

So don’t delay; come back to Him quickly; receiving His forgiveness, cleansing, and healing. That way you may not long suffer the burdens of guilt; and the separation from the Lord that Satan so desires.

As a believer, the Lord has given you His righteousness (Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross) so nothing can separate you from Him.
Isaiah 61:10–I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!  For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness.  I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels.

My Prayer For this Day: 

Lord, I thank you for shining your glorious, cleansing light on my life. Lord, I am a sinner in a broken world…I need your presence in my life every moment of the day. Lord, I know I will stumble because of my humanness; but I have faith in You, and the fact that you are with me; to help me get back on the path of life you have designed just for me. Lord, help me in the battle for the control of my mind. The evil one constantly throws distractions and temptations in my way; but now I have the armor you have provided me; to deflect the evil one’s fiery arrows; and Lord, I have you by my side.

The Lord makes a unique plan for you each and every day.  The plan is set up to keep you safe; moment by moment, step by step, as you  wind your way through a broken, fallen world; full of chaos, temptation, and evil.

Because of the fallen nature of the world we live in; expect troubles during the day; they cannot be avoided.

But, in the midst of it all, the Lord’s plan for you; and the path He has laid out for you, is perfectly set up to get you through the day.  All you need to do is stay focused on Him, trust in Him, and follow Him.
Psalm 18:30–God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

Just stay focused on Him, remembering that He is right beside you, ready to help. Just a little thought of His name alerts Him and He will spring into action.

How many of you remember Nik Wallenda’s tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon last year?   That was a  great example of how to focus on the Lord in a stressful situation; to say the least. It is also a great testament to Nik’s faith and trust in the Lord…And He made it clear to the world who was responsible for his exciting accomplishment. He was thanking and trusting the Lord literally every step of the way!  And if you watch the video, notice that Nik is not shy about verbally voicing his trust in the Lord, in fact he is bold in front of the whole world about his love for God.  As we should be. 
Here is the link to the You Tube video of his crossing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRRKJmQtzVg

The Holy Spirit will guide you through the myriad of choices you must make each day…His help in making the right choices will enable you to endure the trials, stresses and strains that inevitably crop up up on your journey.

The world can be a dreary, troublesome place…So stay focused on the Lord, who is in a heavenly place, and He will protect you, give you His strength and courage, and lift you up as you call His name.
As He lifts you up, He is enveloping you with His light, and surrounding you with His peace and joy in the midst of the storm. 
Isaiah 40:10–Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
 
My Prayer for this Day: 
Lord, thank You for the encouragement you give me through the examples and fellowship of other believers. Lord, I see that you are always here, ready to give strength to the weak, and lead them step by step, moment by moment, through the trials and difficulties of the day. Lord, I ask your spirit to calm my mind and help me focus on you, as we journey through the day together.

The Lord waits patiently, ready to give you His Peace in your heart and mind.  But, you must be ready to accept it by faith, without questioning it.

A common human failing is to not accept a concept unless we can “understand” it.  The more we gather “facts and information,” and “discuss and process,” the more our intellect becomes “godlike” and hard to convince.  That is the way of the world.  
Job 22:21-23–Submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you. Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored—so clean up your life.

Have you ever noticed how a child believes and accepts something without questioning every nuance, with a trusting positive sense, not needing to “understand.”  That is how the Lord wants us to accept Him and His Presence in our lives.
Psalm 116:6–The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me.

Being still in the Lord’s Presence;  not trying to “intellectualize” everything; enables Him to plant the seed of Peace in your heart.  As His Peace grows in our hearts, it spreads to our mind; calming it, infusing His Love into it; enabling Him to replace your intellectual thoughts with His simple thoughts of love, peace and joy towards yourself and others.
2 Thessalonians 3:16– Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.

My Prayer for This Day: 

Lord, thank You for the stillness of the morning in which I receive Your Peace that enables me to prepare for this day. Lord, in these quiet times, you do your best work; shining the light of your precious Presence on my heart for this day. Lord thank you for sending Your Spirit to control my chaotic and confused mind; and guide me through the situations that we may come upon this day. Lord, thank You for the light of Your Spirit that warms my heart; and  guides me along the path you have set before me today.

The Lord’s capacity to bless us is unlimited, because His resources are abundant and unlimited…Period.

The fallen world we live in is skewed to the physical, materialistic things we can see, not the eternal blessings of the Lord, which are just as real, but not visible.  Many focus on the icons of the rich, who can afford to buy what they want, while in the shadows there are many who cannot get what they need to just survive.
Ecclesiastes 1:8–Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

Because of the world that we can see (and are focused on because of media exposure), it is hard to comprehend God’s unseen world of lavish provisions  and glorious riches, reserved for those who believe in Him.

By spending time in the Lord’s presence here today, and every day, we get short glimpses of God’s abundance that will be eternally available to us in Heaven.
Philippians 4:19–And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Our faith in Him now, enables us to receive the blessings of His Presence as we make our way through the day.  We receive His peace,strength, and joy moment by moment, step by step as we keep our focus on our faith in Him rather than the visible distractions of the world that are being thrown at us from all directions.

Have faith in Him that you cannot see, rather than the false and misleading faith in things that you can see in the world around you.
2 Corinthians 5:7–For we live by believing and not by seeing.

My Prayer For This Day: 
Lord, thank you for showing me the difference between your world of eternal abundance in heaven; and the world of Satan’s fleeting pleasures. Lord, you created this world from your unlimited resources; and made it available to your creation, man. But due to man’s sinful nature, the world today is nowhere close to the riches of your kingdom in Heaven. Yet so many in this broken world pursue its temporary treasures while not seeing the promise of of your eternal riches in Heaven. Lord, I pray you open their hearts and show them what their eyes cannot see… and that one person at a time will become aware of the true love you have waiting for them.

As you enter this day, you may have plans…Pray to the Lord to see if  your plans fit into His will for your day.
Proverbs 19:21–You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

Don’t fall into the trap of planning too far in advance…This can lead to worry about outcomes far in the future.
Matthew 6:34– “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Planning for tomorrow is time well spent, worrying about tomorrow is time wasted.  Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps and schedules, and trusting in god’s guidance.  When done well, planning can alleviate worry.  Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult  to trust God.  They let their plans interfere with their relationship with God. 
James 4:13-16– Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. 

It is good to have goals, but goals can disappoint if we leave God out of them.  The future is in His hands, so there is no point to making plans without including Him in them.  If we put God’s desires at the center of our planning, He will never disappoint us. 

The Lord gives His grace only for today and works with you through-out the day, moment by moment, applying His grace at the right time.

Work with Him in His ways, concentrating on the tasks immediately before you; performing them out of your love for Him. 

As you work this way through the day, your mind loses the worry, anxiety and distraction of those long range plans, allowing the Lord to fill more and more of your consciousness and soul with His peace and joy.

Trust in the Lord to show you how to work through your day , one loving step at a time.  Let Him guide you as you follow Him, bending your will to His and His perfect plan for you today, and for your life to come.
Luke 1:78-79–Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,and to guide us to the path of peace.”

My Prayer For This Day:  
Lord, my life with one of constant planning and keeping busy with the ways of the world. Thank you for helping me to change my focus from the busyness of the world, to you and your ways of peace. Lord, thank you for helping me calm the whirlwind that was my mind. Thank you for helping me to clear the constant distractions that the evil one was putting in front of me. And thank you for your leadership to the right path for my life.