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Each day that we wake up, above ground, is a new day that the Lord has given us. How our day will go depends not only on God, but upon us! We can either determine to have a good day, or we can run our day into the ground before we even get started.

Before getting out of bed in the morning, if you didn’t do it today, Lord willing tomorrow will come; give thanks unto the Lord and praise Him for another day to glorify Him in everything that you say and do.

Psalm 118:24, is a good place to begin: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice rejoice and be glad in it.”

When facing the unknowns of today I find that it is more profitable for me to start out this way, before going out and being attacked by all the evil, negativity and discouragement that the world, the flesh and the devil are trying to defeat and destroy me with.

How I choose to start my day will determine my altitutde and attitude from then on! Depression can be around me 24/7, but I don’t have to let it be in me. I can choose to be thankful or become ungrateful at will and that is not God’s fault if I choose the worst; it is mine.

When I stop to consider what I have as a born again Christian, it just humbles my heart. Before my salvation back in 1983 I could not appreciate the blessings that I enjoy today. Giving thanks is much better than complaining.

“Precious Lord, thank you for the many blessings that you have given me. What a privilege it is to have You love me and care for me the way You do. Father in Heaven, forgive me when I fail to see your GRACE that has rescued me from the penalty of sin, and give reflection to my heart as it beats for you that others may be transformed, for righteousness sake.”

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalm 1: 1-3

Endurance is a subject whose life span is forever in the balance of feelings and logic. Faith seems to be left out of the equation! Sometimes it just does not seem logical to keep going, and sometimes our feelings wrecklessly navigate us to false destinations that rob us of our faith to carry on.

A friend of mine years ago made this statement! I don’t know where he got it from, or who might originally had said it; but it makes a lot of sense. He said it this way, “Through patience and humility comes endurance.” Patience is one of those virtues that challenges us on a daily basis, in every situation, trial and tribulation imaginable.

It is so important for us to realize that in order to succeed in life, in our relationships one with another that we have to be stubborn. Being stubborn has a tendency at times to be looked at in a negative light, however, obstinance is not always a weakness or sin; it can be a strength when applied properly.

If one needs to endure, one needs to be determined in their heart not to be side tracked, detoured or to quit. Perserverance should never be substituted by our unwillingness to go the distance, when there are obviously others watching us to see what it will take to for us to throw in the proverbial towel.

Here is a poem by an Author Unknown that you might have already read or heard before. It is inspirational!

“Don’t Quit”

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-
It’s when things go wrong that you mustn’t quit.

In the Scripture of the day, the Apostle Paul was giving Timothy, a young preacher, some advice and encouragement. Timothy was Paul’s convert, whom Paul had led to the Lord. Paul knew a few things about the ministry, and also about people! Paul didn’t want Timothy to fail. God didn’t want Timothy to fail. God didn’t want Timothy to quit and God does not want any of us to quit in serving Him or others.

1st Corinthians 15:58 ministers to my heart whenever I read it! “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord.”

What we do for the Lord is never in vain. What we do for the Lord, when done with the right heart attitude, brings glory to the Lord.

1st Corinthian 10:13 helps me as well! “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Father in Heaven, thank you for the riches of Your glorious grace that give me the stength to carry on. Thank you for Your Holy Spirit, and your presense in my life. Thank you for Your promise that You would never leave me, nor forsake me. Thank you for creating in me a will to meet You daily in Your Word and in prayer. Father, keep me safe from the perils of doubt and discouragment that would lead me astray and cause me to quit; leaving a watcher by, to not see Your purpose for their life.

As a little boy growing up I remember each night before laying down to go to sleep my mother would kneel with me at the foot of my bed and I would offer up my little prayer to God. Not fully understanding any of the dynamics, I would pray my little heart out to God; believing He was there just for me.

Prayer before bed was only one area of worship, before each meal I would also pray asking God to bless the food before me giving thanks that I was fortunate enough to have a family that loved me, a home where I could live and a meal to eat.

Prayer is our: avenue, medium or means to communicate with God. It allows us beforehand an opportunity to make certain that our hearts and motives are right before an Almighty God, of who we are addressing. God is holy! God is not the man upstairs, nor is He just someone  we would speak to casually like people we meet on a daily basis.

When we ask the question: what is so special about prayer, we need to realize that the ONE of whom we are praying to is SPECIAL. That is what makes prayer special!

In Luke 18:1 Jesus is sharing a parable with His disciples that is for us as well. He states, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not faint;”.

The Apostle Paul shares this in 1st Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”

When we examine the lives of the Old Testament saints and the New Testament Saints we can see for ourselves why prayer is special and important. We can also examine the life of Jesus Christ through the revelation of the Word of God and see that He was a prayer champion, as well as our Champion of Love. Even at the very end of His life, He prayed to the Father, as our example.

If ever prayer was so necessary, for God’s people and our country we need to pray. We are admonished in the Scriptures to pray for those in authority. 1st Timothy 2:1-3, “I EXHORT therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

If we do not have faith, and we do not trust God, how will we ever know the miracle and blessings of prayer.  God answers prayer according to His sovereign will.

King David said back in Psalms 66:18, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”. It is important to know when we bow before the  God of Heaven that our fellowship is unhindered by unconfessed sin in our lives. Our relationship with God the Father has to be in accordance to His priorities and not ours. James said, The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” First we need to be declared righteous before a holy and righteous God, who sent His Only Begotten Son to purchase our salvation at a great price. We must be born again into God’s family, by trusting Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. Justified, forgiven and declared righteous just as if we had never sinned!

Dear Heavenly Father guide us today into the paths of your righteousness and grace. Remove from us the dross of our unbelief and create in us this day a heart that will receive only what thou can impart. Change us O Lord and help us to be like Israel; the apple of thine eye.

When we pray believing, it is only a matter of time before we see the impossible happen.

“Call utno me, and I will answer thee, and show great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3

Today in our society and world there are definate trust issues that exist. People have a tendency to renege on their loyalties and agreements! For some they do it as often as they might change their socks or facial expressions.

People are not usually dependable or reliable, unless it serves a greater purpose that is motivated by self interests; sad to say.

Even though we have been betrayed by family and friends and let down by expectations that were not meant to be, should we hold God accountable for our own failures and mistakes? Should we give up trusting altogether? Trusting in the LORD is never a mistake, nor is it ever unwise or a course of human weakness to do so.

In fact it shows the true character of oneself to take the next step of faith in trusting the Providence and Sovereignty of God in our Sanctification that takes place after our Salvation.

I might not be able to trust people, let’s say, but one thing for certain is that I can trust in the Lord each day of my life! “For I am the LORD, I change not..” Malachi 3:6a

Proverbs 3:6 says, “In all thy ways acknowldege him, and he shall direct thy paths.” It is not about leaning unto my own limited understanding; it is about trusting the LORD with all my heart; for the results.

Today O LORD, make my way safe, keep my heart fixed on thee and lead me peacefully along; that I might be a light in this present darkness all about me. Father impart your wisdom unto me today, for I am dismally lacking, give me clarity of thought and purify my discernment for thee.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalms 119:105

According to Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Someimes it is difficult to wrap your brain around what this Scripture is saying, however, if we will take a deep breath and venture out beyond what the boundaries of our intellects, the invisible will start to manifest itself in ways that will cause us to pause and ponder the miracle that faith contains.

Keeping in mind, respectfully, what Hebrews 11:6 has to say, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Faith can start like the size of a mustard seed which has the capacity to yield gratness in God’s economy!

By faith, this is what I have  found to be so, since I have trusted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior back on January 8th of 1983.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17