The Most Important Part of Your Day
by Rick Warren

“Lord, every morning you hear my voice. Every morning, I tell you what I need, and I wait for your answer.” Psalm 5:3 (NCV)

"'Without review, I lose my view.' Make sure you allocate part of your quiet time to review the vision God wants you to have."

Any doctor will tell you the most important meal of the day is breakfast because the way you start your day influences the rest of your day. That’s true not just physically, but spiritually.

That’s why the most important part of your day is your time alone with God. Setting aside time in the morning to be alone with God will set the pattern of your attitude and response to every event and person for the rest of your day.

Whether it takes five minutes or thirty, there are four things you need to do in this time alone with God that will set your spiritual thermostat for the day.

Read God’s Word. You don’t have to read a lot, just enough until God speaks to you. It’s amazing how God will use his Word in your life. As the prophet Isaiah said, “The sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom” (Isaiah 50:4). I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read something in my morning quiet time that was exactly what I needed to share with someone later in the day.

Be quiet before God. Noise is one of the major sources of stress in peoples’ lives. Your body needs a certain amount of quiet, and you need to carve out time in your life for this quietness. You will be less stressed if you start your day with quiet time before God.

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15 NIV). The worst thing you can do in the morning is get up and immediately check your e-mail or turn on the news. You need time to meditate on God’s good news before you fill your mind with bad news.

Talk with God. Notice it says “talk with God,” not “talk to God.” Prayer is a conversation, not a one-way street. And it’s not the amount of words you say in prayer that make it effective. It’s about sharing what’s on your heart with God – your feelings, concerns, thoughts, and adoration. Just talk with God and then wait on him to respond.

Review your day and goals with God. Take time to go over your schedule, your goals and your day’s to-do list with God. There are dozens of verses in Proverbs that talk about planning with God and teaching you to number your days, which means looking at your time and pondering where you are going.

It’s easy to set goals, but if you don’t look at your goals every day, you will never accomplish them. Or as I like to say, “Without review, I lose my view.” Make sure you allocate part of your quiet time to review the vision God wants you to have.

Worry Simply Doesn't Work
by Rick Warren

“Don’t worry about anything …” Philippians 4:6a (LB)

"Worry works on us; it doesn't work for us."

Today’s devotional is by Tom Holladay,  author of ‘The Relationship Principles of Jesus.’

This is the time of year when reality hits. It’s a month into the New Year and you had all these goals for change in your health, your job, your relationships, and so far things look the same as they did in December.

If this is where you are today, if you have real problems and things aren’t working out the way you would like, you have a choice to make. You can either worry and wonder if it’s all going to fall apart, or you can choose to have faith and trust God.

We all struggle with worry in different ways. Some people sweat, some people yell, some people get really quiet. Do you tend to dwell on problems? Do you feel insecure about the future? Do you feel out of touch with God? Do you have physical symptoms of headaches, backaches, or a nervous stomach? Do you find it hard to accept defeat? Do you feel burned out? Do you find loose ends difficult? Do you constantly rehash events? These are all signs of worry and anxiety.

We like to think that worry works for us. It reminds us what needs to get done or it motivates us to get to the next step. But the truth of the matter is this: worry works on us; it doesn’t work for us. It will steal life and create relational difficulties. Until we get something that works better than worry, we are going to keep worrying.

How do you let go of anxiety? This week I want to look at the story in Matthew 8 where Jesus addresses the issue of anxiety and how to deal with it. And we’ll see how to address reality with faith.

 
Quiet Time Requires Protection
by Rick Warren

“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:7-9 (NCV)

"The key to sticking with any plan for improvement in your life is fitting a prayer of protection in to your quiet time."

A lot of people start well with resolutions and changes in their life, but don’t finish well. The key to sticking with any plan for improvement in your life is fitting a prayer of protection in to your quiet time.

What this means is asking God for help in the areas of your life that you struggle with. For example, if you’re in debt and you’ve set a goal to get out of debt, ask yourself, “Why did I get into debt?” It could be you bought things you didn’t need with money you didn’t have. That’s temptation.

Once you set a goal in life, Satan will start tempting you to do anything but reach that goal. Count on it. So you need to say, “Lord, I need your help. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” That’s the prayer of protection.

Ask God for the strength to reach your goals. Ask him on a daily basis. Keep a list of the goals you want to achieve, then pull out that list every day and say something like this, “Lord, there’s no way I’m going to reach this goal unless you help me. I’m going to be tempted to give in, give up, take the easy way out. I need you to help me overcome the temptation.”

Here are two verses to keep in mind:
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13 NIV). When Christ is inside you, you will have the power to do anything.

“Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT).

So if you say, “I’m a Christian, but I couldn’t help myself,” you’re lying because God says, “I will make a way out.” You have no excuse. You weren’t looking for a solution; you just didn’t want a way out.

But God promises that he will always make a way out for you. Ask him for that protection every day.

 
Quiet Time Requires Forgiveness
by Rick Warren

“And forgive us our sins as we also forgive those who have sinned against us.” Matthew 6:7-9 (NCV)

"When I hurt you, that causes guilt. When you hurt me, I feel resentment. Those two things can be resolved with forgiveness."

You will not get very far in life unless you settle the relational issues that you’ve been holding on to. That’s the focus of the fourth step in a quiet time – the prayer of forgiveness.  The prayer of forgiveness says, “Forgive us our sins as we also forgive those who have sinned against us.”

We live in a broken world and none of us are perfect. In fact, we’re all selfish. I think more about me than I think about you. You think more about you than you think about me. And so we hurt each other, sometimes unintentionally and sometimes on purpose.

When I hurt you, that causes guilt. When you hurt me, I feel resentment. Those two things can be resolved with forgiveness. The prayer of forgiveness is the only way to get rid of the emotional garbage of guilt and resentment.

You will never reach the goals you set in your life if you’re carrying the extra baggage of guilt and resentment. They slow you down. God doesn’t want that for you. He wants you to ask for forgiveness when you hurt others and offer forgiveness to those who have hurt you so you can be freed to move forward.

Now let’s say you let go of the guilt, but hold on to the resentment; you accept God’s forgiveness but you don’t forgive anybody else. You’ll still move forward at half the speed because you’re carrying the baggage of resentment.

On the other hand, let’s say you let go of the resentment and forgive other people but you don’t forgive yourself. Then you’ll still be carrying the baggage of guilt that will keep you from reaching your goals. You have to let both of them go.

How do you do that? Every day you need to give your guilt and resentment to God because new hurts come up every day. Then receive God’s forgiveness and release the resentment you’re holding against those who have hurt you. As James 3:18 says, “Those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness” (NLT).

Every day you are either planting seeds of conflict with the people in your life or seeds of peace. When you plant seeds of peace you reap a harvest of goodness, which means you will reach your goals because God is going to bless your life.

 The Impossible is Possible   

Almost everything we enjoy today was impossible yesterday.  So, what transforms an impossibility into a possibility; a possibility into a probability; and a probability into a fact?  

Deep inside you lives an impossible thought.  A dream longing to come true.  There’s a mission residing in you, put there by your heavenly Father.  You see, He specializes in the impossible.  That’s where He is at His best.  He is able to do more than we can ask or think.

Life can be a perpetual barrage of “things” coming at us, beside us and past us.  Fear, faith, friends, envy, the past, greed, giving, serving, mistakes, anger, peace, indecision and love ask for our time and demand our attention.  What they can leave is an impression that everything is impossible or at least very difficult.

The good news is that God longs to take our impossibilities and turn them into possibilities. When a mistake makes a situation impossible, God can turn it around. When worry wants to paralyze us, God wants to bring us freedom.  When confusion seems to be the only answer, God wants to shed light on His path for us.

Perhaps there is no greater truth than “with men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God” (Matt 19:26).

 - John Mason, from the book The Impossible is Possible

Trust God by Giving in Faith

"Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.  And whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV)

"God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work."  (2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV) If that verse is really true, what does that leave to worry about?

This is the principle of Sowing and Reaping. Every farmer knows this.  A farmer has four sacks of seed in his barn and he looks at his barren field.  He doesn't start griping -- "There's no crop!  I wish there was a crop!"  He just goes out and starts planting seed, it reproduces and he gets more than he had when he started.  Do four sacks of seed produce four sacks of seed?  No. Far more than that. They multiply a hundredfold. 

No farmer in his right mind would say, "I can't afford to plant, to sow.  This is all the seed I've got, only four sacks of it. Therefore I'm just going to hold on to the seed."  The only way he's going to get anything out of it is by giving it away.  He's got to plant it.  If he holds on to it, that's all he's got.  But if he gives it away, it multiplies. 

That is true with your money.  It's true with everything in your life.  It seems illogical that when you have a need, you need to give. That's why it requires faith.  God says "My ways are not your ways."  Why did God set it up that way? Because God is a giver.  He is the most generous giver in the universe and God wants you to learn to be like Him. 

"God so loved the world that He gave..." (John 3:16 NIV)God wants you to learn to be generous. If you don't learn to give, if you're stingy, miserly, always worrying about what you've got rather than giving it away, you'll never be like Christ.

Jesus said, "Give and it will be given unto you.  And the measure you use to give out will be the measure which God uses to give back to you." (Luke 6:38) 

We like to say, "Lord, when all my needs are met, then I'll give away."  God says, "No, when you give away, then all your needs will be met." Why?  It requires faith. 

"God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work."  (2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV) If that verse is really true, what does that leave to worry about? 

It doesn't leave anything to worry about.

 The Glass is Half Empty

So, now we are a little more relaxed after some rest, I hope.  Then tell me, why are we still thinking in the negative. Come on, cheer up. This is another beautiful day. Revel in it. How can you do that when everything  YOU see around you appear in shades of grey or black?  Are you really looking at the same thing I am looking at? Look again.  Good.  Look a little longer.  Now, look at the glass again. What do you see?  Yes, yes, it's HALF FULL. Not bad at all.   

See what happens when you try to dwell on positives? Now look around again...Oh, now you ask what happen to the blacks and shades of grey?  Well, they weren't really there.  Everything always look just aa they are now.  It's just that for a sad moment you choose not to see it.  Well, let me restate that.  You couldn't see it. 

I know you are trying, sometimes too hard, I think.  Relax.  Take a deep breath, and exhale. Close your eyes for a moment if that works better for you.  Now think about a time when you were the happiest you can remember.  Yesssss.   No, not then. Think about something else.  Something that you and only you were responsible for.  Wasn't that a good time?  Can you imagine yourself in that moment again for just a few minutes?  Just try it and see.  OK, that feels good, doesn't it?   

Could you share that experiemce with anyone?  Would You?  You said yes. Then go ahead and do it?    

The point?  When we look at the world we see different things depending on the frame of mind we are in at that particular moment. It is really hard to stay positive and upbeat all of the time. I know, because I can't do that either.  But guess what?  When we actually deliberately try to snap ourselves out of the doldrums, we can succeed. 

It will not be easy for everyone. But for those of us who can, it is amazing how good we can feel.  You know, some people pop a pill or two during times of low morale and low self worth.  They sometimes call it stresss relief.  Don't feel sorry for them.  Feel their pain because that could be us, if we didn't get some measure of success from out personal, private introspection.     

Yes, this world is one messed up place. But some of us are dealing with it. Yea, we figure out a way to make all the negatives work for our benifit. Isn't that amazing?  So, how often do you share this with anyone? Come on, at least try.  You think people will laugh at you?  Some might but they will definitely have something to thing or talk about later. 

While they are talking about it someone else will hear and probably understand the whole concept.  It's like paying it forward, but with positive thoughts and vibes.  See what I am getting at?  Soon, very soon, there will be a whole bunch of positive people walking around.  Maybe not as many as we hope, but the number will definitely increase.  

I am a praying person. I just can't live without prayer.  The good thing about prayer is that, you can do it anytime, anywhere, and anyhow you like.  Yea, Positive Reinforcement right in your head.  Isn't that cool.  No one has to know that you pray, if you don't want them to know.  You could whisper, you could shout, mumble, sing, or just think it. Awesome, right?  Now exercise your spirituality if you are so inclined.   

For those of you who don't pray, just think POSITIVE thoughts.  Yes, it's hard but try HARDER. At the end of the day, you will find yourself much happier and everything will appear in vibrant colors like they did during that happy time.  T-H-I-N-K  P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E  T-H-O-U-G-H-T-S.  Share the new vibes with me.  

Debs.

Trust God and Maintain Your Integrity

Better to be poor and honest than rich and dishonest. Proverbs 19:1 (LB)

"Sometimes the pressure to keep up is so overwhelming that we, even as believers, are often tempted to compromise our ethics."

God doesn't bless dishonesty.  Proverbs 16:11 says, "The Lord demands fairness in every business deal." (LB) That includes wages, sales, and taxes.  If you want God's blessing on your finances, you've got to be honest.  You can't rip people off.

Why?  Because Jesus said, "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?"  (Matthew 16:26)

"The blessing of the Lord brings wealth and He adds no trouble to it." (Proverbs 10:22 NIV) Have you ever known someone who made money, but it just brought them trouble?  Profit made dishonestly always brings trouble. Always. 

If you are dishonest with others, it will be returned to you.  If you think you haven't got caught, the clock is still ticking.  The game is still playing; the judgment is still out.  You cannot mock God and get away with it.  Whatever you sow, you will inevitably reap.

Sometimes the pressure to get ahead -- or just the pressure to keep up -- is so overwhelming that we, even as believers, are often tempted to compromise our ethics.  Maybe we do a little shading of the truth in order to make a buck.  Maybe we overvalue something or maybe we just don't tell somebody what's wrong with it when we're selling it to them.

Maybe we take a deduction on our taxes that really isn't there.  Or maybe we just don't tell the truth in a situation.  Why?  Because the draw to make a buck is so intense in our lives that many times we forget. 

The decision to do what is right and trust God is not a once-for-all decision.  It is a daily moment-by-moment decision. But God has said that he will meet your needs if you maintain your integrity.
 

Start the Day Remembering Who God Is

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name ….” (Matthew 6:7 NCV)

The first thing you should do in your time alone with God is begin with a prayer of connection. 

Your quiet time needs to start with focusing on God. You need to think about how much God loves you.

Don’t think about your problems or your goals or your sins. Think about who God is and what a loving father he is. He is a compassionate, caring, close father who can handle anything. His love for you isn’t based on what you do. He loves you no matter what and you will never lose that love. Start your time by reminding yourself of this and just focus on him for a little while.

To start your day well, you need two things – the fullness of life and the power of God. Where you do get those? They come from experiencing the love of God. So start your quiet time by reminding yourself of who God is and how much he loves you. Then respond with an attitude of praise. Thank God for loving you and thank him for his forgiveness. Take time to praise God.

Trust Your Finances to God's Provision

God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

"The Bible says, "God will meet all your needs" according to his wealth and his riches. It's not based on your assets. It's based on what God has and he doesn't run out of resources. "

Everybody has financial fears. You don't have to be poor to get anxious about money.  You don't have to be on welfare to have financial fears. In fact, it seems the more you have the more you have to maintain, to insure, to protect, to worry over.

But God gives us a guarantee regarding our finances. Philippians 4:19 says, "God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."  This verse is so packed! I want you to notice several words. 

First it says, "God will..." It doesn't say, "He might meet your needs" it says "He will."  It's a fact.  He's staking his character and his reputation on it.  "I will meet your needs."  Then it says, "God will meet all..."  It doesn't say "I'll meet some of your needs"  He says all.  Does that include car payments? Braces? Home?  Yes.  All your needs. 

It doesn't say "I'll meet all your greeds." There's a difference between needs and wants. God's not going to give you everything you want; you'd be spoiled to death.

But it says, "I will meet all your needs" according to his wealth, his riches.  It's not based on your assets. It's based on what God has and he doesn't run out of resources. 

Finally he says "... for you in Christ Jesus." This is not a promise for everybody. God has not promised to meet the needs of people who reject His Son. This is a promise only for believers. He says, "If you're one of my children, in my family, I promise to meet all your needs." 
 
Then how come you have financial needs? Did God fail?  Did He lie?  Exaggerate?  No.  With every promise there are conditions or requirements.  There are things God says, "I'll do my part and you do your part." 

God says if you meet the following five conditions, then he will meet your financial needs -
If I ask for his help. 
If I learn to be content.
If I practice giving in faith.
If I maintain financial integrity.
If I trust him with my life -- completely.