Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
When I first gave my life to the Lord, like many of us, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. If God would have shown me, at that time, all the things that would have to change about me, I think I would have gone running for dear life!
Now, here we are, in Israel, a whirlwind of events going on around us, a growing ministry, all the trials you can imagine in relating to a different culture, language, etc. Ha! If you would have shown me this picture back in the days of my rebellion, I think I would have laughed my head off in unbelief!
But that is the Lord's way. God is a gentleman. He doesn't show us more than He feels we need to know. He knows that we are weak and He's merciful enough not to give us more than we can handle. He desires for us to lay our worries upon Him and trust Him for our future.
God has not given us the power to overcome all the problems we have yet to face. He has given us only the power to overcome what faces us today! Just as the children of Israel could collect only enough manna for one day, the power God gives us to face our trials -- it only comes one day at a time.
God has so many wonderful adventures ahead for us who love Him and are called according to His purpose -- and He will surely give us the strength to endure the trials we'll face with each adventure. Let's trust Him only for today's trials -- and let Him worry about the rest!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Many believers have a special place, a quiet place where they go to spend time with the Lord. This is a very important thing. But how many believers have actually 'prepared a way' for the Lord?
An organization in Montana offered a bounty of five thousand dollars for every wolf captured alive. Two hunters decided to head for the hills and make some money capturing wolves. Day and night, they scoured the mountains and forests searching for their valuable prey. Exhausted after three days of hunting without success, they both fell asleep.
The testing of Abraham's faith was repeated by YHVH throughout the patriarch's entire life. The tests grew greater as his life advanced, and through every one, whether Abraham passed or not, YHVH proved Himself to be his friend over and over again. Every test or "trial" involved a serious challenge or threat in which Abraham had to trust that the LORD knew what He was doing, asking, or requiring, and that His goodness and faithfulness were unquestionably reliable.
My wife and I had the privilege of leading a tour in Israel with over 50 people from all over the world. When tourists come to Israel, and especially to these southern parts where we live, one of the first things they're warned is to make certain they drink enough water. The climate here is very dry -- it fools you into thinking it's not as hot as it really is. You might not even feel thirsty, and before you know it, you can collapse from dehydration.
In one passage in John, Mary and Martha come running to Jesus, asking Him to heal Lazarus, who was critically ill. Since Lazarus was a good friend of Jesus, I'm sure they were expecting that Jesus would come immediately to his aid. The scripture says, however, that Jesus stayed two more days in the place where He was. It was in those two days that Lazarus died.
So often when I'm counseling someone, he speaks of his life as a life of struggle and even defeat. But what is our true spiritual reality? The Bible describes the enemy as ALREADY defeated! We who are walking as pilgrims in this world, fighting on a daily basis, are fighting a defeated enemy. Let that sink in! He has already been defeated ... even though throughout our entire lives we're in combat with the enemy of our souls.
A noncommissioned officer was directing the repairs of a military building during the American Revolution. He was barking orders to the soldiers under his command, trying to get them to raise a heavy wooden beam.