Think About This: “Christian liberty is freedom from sin, not freedom to sin.” – Aiden Wilson Tozer
The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 76, Isaiah 40-42. You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
Posted on July 24, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Victory Call
The morning dawned and there I lay in bed thinking (not good!). Regrets, failures, disappointments and missed opportunities. It started simply enough with a single thought – then another and another until it snowballed. The day was not off to a good start.
I got up and took care of making coffee and such, but the discontentment hovered in my spirit. I was having a good ‘ole fashioned pity party and no one else showed up.
I knew the only way for me to crash my own party was to sit at the Savior’s feet for an attitude adjustment.
What follows is the conversation I had with God[i]:
“This is where I sit this morning. God, You are gracious to remind me: ‘I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.’”
Life is not about me – life is about You. Life has a broader scope, meaning and purpose and I am not at the center.
One generation shall commit your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
Sometimes I must first declare Your works to MYSELF!
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate.
What am I meditating on this morning? The last number of days? ME, and the effect has been predictable, unpleasant and sinful.
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Lord, You are good, gracious, loving and merciful. My life circumstance is not by mistake or oversight. I know you have a plan and purpose.
Father, You have chosen good for me – change my heart, my mind, my attitude.
Repent, Diane.
Father, forgive me for loving anything more than You and allowing it to inform my day.
Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. (NKJV)
I will trust in You with all my heart, and lean not on my own understanding; In all my ways I will acknowledge you, And You shall direct my paths.
The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.
Lord, I pray that describes me – forgive me.
You open your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Lord, I know You have a grander purpose for me and new loves, new desires that please You.
The Lord is near to all who call to him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.
Hear my cry, Father- Rescue me from my own idols, thoughts and intentions; give me new loves and new desires. I am ready to face a brighter day with the hope that only You can give. ~ Your Daughter, Diane
Where do you find yourself today?
Sometimes we race from one thing to the next, carrying the burden of our negative thoughts or feelings of self-pity having not taken the time to sit at Jesus’ feet to tarry in the Word. Spending time in the Word, conversing with God, realigns our thoughts with His thoughts so we think His thoughts after Him.
A few years ago on December 31st, Bill Welte posted this prayer on Facebook:
Father, we surrender this past year and give it up to you. We give you our failures, our regrets, and our disappointments, for we have no use for them.
Make us a new people, forgetting what lies behind and pressing on toward that which lies ahead of us.
As we stand on the threshold of another year, encourage us by our successes of the past, challenge us by the power of Your Word, and guide us by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Amen
From Our Daily Bread –Great is Thy Faithfulness
How about you? Do you need a sit-down with God today?
Written by Diane Hunt: Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and is the Executive Director & CEO of Changed Choices, a Christian non-profit in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.
Think About This: “Christian liberty is freedom from sin, not freedom to sin.” – Aiden Wilson Tozer
The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 76, Isaiah 40-42. You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize:“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. “ Hebrews 4:16