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.

Each morning,it is important to spend some personal quiet time with the Lord. You then can enter the new day with a fresh positive attitude.  Every day in our lives is different and full of adventure, especially if you go through the day with God by your side.

God created us as beings subject to a twenty-four hour cycle.  He did that for a purpose, as He knew that our frail human minds were not capable of handling more than the present day’s events. His wish is that we walk through the present day with Him by our side. Together you will handle the day’s trials, tribulations and victories.  He doesn’t want us worrying about future events, as He will be with you then; to help you when the time comes.

Satan also knows that our human weaknesses come into play when we are physically and mentally tired. When our senses are impaired by exhaustion, worldly distractions can be more easily used  to keep us from thinking clearly about the Lord in those important early morning hours.

The evil one resents your  personal time with the Lord and jealously tries to distract you from focusing on Him in many ways.  He tries to make you feel guilty about the time you spend with the Lord.

Never feel guilty about your personal, quiet time that you spend praying and sharing your thoughts with the Lord.  This quiet alone-time is essential for renewing and refreshing your spirit each day. We refresh our bodies physically every night as we sleep. But, it is our communing with the Lord in our waking hours that renews the energy levels of our mind and spirit, before we enter the battles of the upcoming day. This is how we combat the evil one’s distracting ways.
Ephesians 6:10-20– A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Revelation 12:10–For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

We live in a world of noise, chaos and fast paced days that can leave us physically, mentally, and emotionally spent at the end of the day.  In my earlier years I can remember waking to a mind spinning with “the  list” of all the things that had to be done just in the day ahead.  Add to that list  several other “future things”  to worry about; and my mind was in overload before I even got out of bed.  Talk about getting out on the “wrong side of the bed!”  I was exhausted before the day was even started…

In the morning, talk to the Lord, tell Him what you are thinking and experiencing.  Humble yourself before Him with repentance for your human sinful nature, then ask for His forgiveness and guidance.

Come close to Him this way; and He will come close to you and, in His own perfect timing, He will lift you up in honor and give you His peace of mind, joy in your heart and calm you for the upcoming day.

There is a battle going on in today’s world…The battle is between  the forces of good and evil, (as it has always been through the ages)…There seems to be crisis everywhere…In our own country, and in the rest of the world; strife and war seems to be the norm. And on a personal level, it seems as if the pressures of daily life, work, relationships, finances and civic decay are insurmountable. Do not despair because the Lord is with there with you, to rescue you, and give you peace.
Luke 1:37–and the angel of the Lord said: “For nothing is impossible with God.”

In the midst of all the chaos of the present day world, God is at work everywhere. He is enlisting soldiers for His answer to the prideful people in the world who think they have the answers; who think that they can control the destiny of their lives; as well as the lives of everyone else. 
Psalm 13:5-6–But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. 
I will sing to the Lord, because he is good to me.

God has no use for prideful people who think they have all the answers and can control their own destiny. He, instead, chooses humble souls who acknowledge their weaknesses and ask the Lord for His strength to get them through each day of their lives.  He shines His light through their hearts; and that light reflects outward to others; accomplishing His good and purpose in the world.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10– In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul said: “even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Do not worry or stress out  about your limitations or weaknesses in a situation; for God will equip you and strengthen you, in order to provide for you.  

He, in return, requests trusting dependence  from you.  Stay prayerful, and listen for His guidance through His Holy spirit in your heart.

The Lord’s grace, and the strength that comes with it, is all you need to face the trials of this day that is ahead of you. Thus, you can enter this day at peace, trusting that the Lord is with you and protecting you.

My Prayer For This Day:
Lord, thank you for working your wonders through the weaknesses of my human frailties. Lord, my fears and my anxieties, driven by pride and self-sufficiency over the years, kept me from acknowledging your unlimited power to help me in my life. Lord, your Holy Word has opened my mind to receive you as the true answer to life eternal; instead of the false idols put forth by the world. Lord, I thank you for your grace, as I come to you, asking for your strength to help me face the challenges of the coming day.

In my younger “wilderness” years, my life was always in chaos, and without the Lord’s Peace in my heart.  He was allowing me to experience the “nothingness” of the world”, without Him.  During those  years He showed me that no amount of money, power, position or relationships could replace His Peace in my heart.

One of the biggest flaws in being “human” is self-sufficiency.  We tend to think that we can handle and solve our problems on our own.  If we walk in self-sufficiency, by rejecting God and His ways, we become self-sufficient, and the result of being self-sufficient is an error filled life, lack of fulfillment and finally, torment.  When we place confidence in our own intelligence, appearance, or accomplishments instead of God, we risk torment later when these strengths fade.
Isaiah 50:11–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.

The alternative to taking pride in self-sufficiency is to go humbly before the Lord and ask for His help in our daily lives.

By coming to the Lord with our trials and problems, we can cast our worries and anxiety to Him.  Then He can spring into action and  help us solve and administer our troubles in a way that gives us lasting solutions and peace of mind at the same time.
Philippians 4:6-7–Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  

He helps us by showing us how to look at our problems from His perspective; how to prioritize and not to worry about the future and it’s imagined problems.  This perspective allows us to experience His Peace in the midst of the storm. 
John 14:27–and the lord said to His disciples, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

When not viewed from His eternal perspective and perfect timing, our problems only SEEM to be solved by our self-sufficiency, but usually they come back with a vengeance and in an even more permanent and damaging manner.

Be thankful to the Lord for His help in solving and handling our problems.

My Prayer For This Day: 
Lord, thank you for renewing my mind and teaching me to come to You with my problems and worries. Lord, I relied on my self-sufficiency for so many years; my mind was in chaos and rent with anxiety. Lord, thank You for teaching me to cast my worries to You and to ask for Your guidance for the trials in my life. But most of all, Lord, thank You for giving me Your peace in the morning and helping me throughout each day; to stay focused on You & Your way.

Thank the Lord for the lessons that you learn from the trials that He places in your path each day.  These lessons help you  grow in your faith in Him. These trials, and their accompanying circumstances, enable you to learn to entrust the Lord with your cares and troubles more and more  each day.

Let the Lord take your cares, concerns, and aspirations and let Him arrange them according to His good plan for your life.

If you go your own direction, counter to to God’s plan, there will always be chaos, as your intentions will become an idol in your life.
1 Peter 5:5-10–“God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

As you turn your life and it’s circumstances over to the the Lord, be alert to notice how He is working in your life.  Others in your life will notice also.  These changes are all good things in your life.

As you notice these changes, be sure to thank the Lord for His handiwork; as well as for all the trials and circumstances that He used to bring about these changes.  Your thanksgiving and praise to Him is His joy; which is a good trade for the joy that He has brought you. 
1 Thessalonians 5:18– And Paul wrote: “Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Paul was not teaching that we should thank God for everything that happens to us, but in everything.  Evil does not come from God, so we should not thank Him for it.  But, when evil strikes, we can still be thankful for God’s presence and for the good that He will accomplish through the distress.

My Prayer For This Day: 

Lord, thank you for teaching me your ways through the trials that You set before me this day. Everyday with You brings new things in my life. Some things are joyful; some things are meant to test me; training me to see Your ways. Lord, I know that you make all things work together (both good and bad) according to Your will and perfect timing. Lord, I ask You to show me your ways for me this day.  I will wait in the refuge of Your peace as You set the course for my life. Lord, thank You for keeping me safe and at peace, during the day ahead.

The Lord’s loving Presence is perfect and limitless and big enough to envelope you, and bless others through you, at the same time.

Let the Lord’s Love for all His children flow through you, as you help others, and testify of His Love for everyone through your actions and words.

His Love goes with you always…Shining through you as you interact with the world.
Exodus 33:14– The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”

We must learn to interact with others through the Lord’s Love, because human love is limited and full of human failings, flaws, and manipulation.

Continual interaction with the “needy world” and it’s inherent sinful nature can drain you of your spiritual energy.  That is why we feel so exhausted at the end of the day. The world is full of “takers” and if you are “giver” you will have given so much during the day; that there is not much left of you by the time evening rolls around.  

That is why it is good to take the time during the day to stay in touch with the Lord, recharge your spiritual batteries, and rest in the refuge of the Lord’s loving arms.
Matthew 11:28-30–Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
A person may carry heavy burdens of sin, excessive demands of family, friends, and workmates, acts of oppression and persecution, or weariness in the search for God.  Jesus frees people from all these burdens.  The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labor.

Jesus doesn’t offer a life of ease–the yoke is still a tool for working hard.  But it’s a shared yoke, with weight falling on bigger shoulders than yours.  Someone with more pulling power is up front helping…Suddenly you are participating in life’s responsibilities with a great Partner.

Remember, you can do nothing meaningful without the Lord’s love flowing through you. 

My Prayer for This Day: 
Lord, thank you for your unconditional, never failing love. Thank you for the light that is generated by that love. That light is reflected by everyone who believes in you. Lord, over the years I found that human love is fleeting, conditional, and fickle; subject to human weakness and failings. Lord, for so many years that was the love I was searching for. But Lord, I know now that only your unconditional love is capable of providing the peace and joy that my heart was searching for my whole life.

Trials, problems, adversity and difficult circumstances are all a part of the fabric of the broken, fallen world we live in.  They don’t happen by coincidence, or by random.  Some of these situations are  due to the fact that evil is prevalent through-out everyday life; the devil is always on the prowl, looking to distract us from focusing on the Lord.  Many situations take the form of trials that the Lord has set in our path to teach us and correct the errors of our ways. The trials are designed to accomplish His ultimate goal of giving us the Mind of Christ.

All of these circumstances are opportunities for growth and learning to depend on the Lord.  We learn from the Lord’s trials; He makes them difficult, but not so much that we cannot bear them.  Even the evil one’s adversity cannot be victorious over the Lord’s power to make everything work to the long range good of those who are His children.
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.

Rather than running from problems and bad situations, or ignoring the Lord’s efforts to teach and correct us through trials; embrace them; ask the Lord for strength, guidance, and wisdom to see situations from His perspective.  So, when trouble looms, run to God, not away from Him.
John 15:5–and Jesus said to His disciples, ““Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

Learn to rely first on the Lord, not yourself.  Remember, our need for Him is constant, so it is good that He is with us…always ready to help. 
2 Corinthians 1:8-9–We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.  In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

As you go through rough circumstances, thank the Lord: for His help;  for showing you His perspective, and for the growth in spirit and faith He is building in you.
Ephesians 5:20–And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My Prayer For This Day:
Lord, thank you for being the shepherd and orchestrator of my life. Thank you for leading me to this place in my life. Without your gentle prodding I would not be facing the issues of today; I would be running from them. Lord, I trust you, and I welcome the trials you put in my life. I know you make good come from all things, and all things lead me to depend on you every moment of the day; as I do not have strength nor the wisdom to make it on my own. Lord, I trust you to give me the strength to face the trials you give me today, as we journey together to your glory.