Today Reminder – 31 January 2014 (Day 23 – A New Horizon)

A reminder for today

Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.  (Psalm 26:1)

Today is the last day of January and the end of the first month of 2014. The year started with a bang and time is running away with us. Before you know it we will be half way through this year by the way everything rushes now. Our new horizon was once a distant shore and now we are firmly on the ground and heading towards our goals. 

By the end of this year these words of David is something that we should have in our hearts. We should look to the Lord and say that we acted with integrity and that we trusted the Lord without wavering. There are so many bad and evil things in this world and we are constantly exposed to things that are designed by the enemy to create distance between us and the Lord.

In this Psalm David point out a few things and I just wish to share them with you, because in our journey on this new horizon we will need to be strong and courageous so that we will not fall into the traps that the enemy has laid for us. 

For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth.

 

I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites.

I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.

I always say that if you spend time with negative people you will eventually become negative. So let us run form the wrong crowd and seek the light of Jesus. Let us refuse to be influenced by the wicked and turn away from the gatherings of those who do evil. Stay away from liars and hypocrites and stand firm against their influences.

When you accept Jesus as your saviour and you turn away from your old life to the new life that you now have in Jesus, you stand on solid ground, and you can publicly praise the LORD. He is your rock, your refuge and your strength. Nothing can take that away and nothing can move you when you are rooted in His solid ground. So all I say is come 2014, do your worst. I am rooted in Jesus and I see a bright new horizon for us where we will see many amazing miracles and do even more amazing things, because our God has no limitations and we should not live a limited life.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder – 30 January 2014 (Day 22 – A New Horizon)

A reminder for today

Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all! (Psalm 25:16-17)

The burden of life and bad choices can weigh heavy on our lives. When your problems start to slam against you like waves hitting a ship in the midst of a storm, you can feel how every bid of energy is drained from your body. You are plagued by physical and emotional exhaustion and sometimes we hit rock bottom as we sink due to the continuous amount of problems that stuns our world.

David cries out to the Lord to have mercy and save him. He feels alone in deep distress and his problems seem to escalate. Then David writes in verse 20: Protect me! Rescue my life from them! Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge.

The Lord is our refuge in the storms of life. He will be our shelter when we feel alone and our problems seem endless. I wrote to you once that we should not tell God how big our problems are, but we should tell our problems how big our God is.

When you feel that you cannot go on anymore, get down on your knees and fight this battle like a man. God will renew your strength and lift you out of this pit of despair. He will calm the storms and dry away the rain. He will warm you soul with His light and break the chains of life that hampers your progress.

He is God and there is no other. I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced. (Verse 1-3)

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder – 29 January 2014 (Day 21 – A New Horizon)

A reminder for today

Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the LORD's blessing and have a right relationship with God their saviour. (Psalm 24:3-5)

In our new horizons we are often tested by the enemy and lured into bad choices by people around us. We sometimes make a mistake, because everybody else does it. 

Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? David answers by pointing out three characteristics which we must strive for. 1) Those with a pure heart 2) Those who do not worship idols and 3) Those who never tell lies.

These important characteristics seem so basic and easy to do, but how easily do we idolise our worldly possessions when we do what other do. How quickly do we lie to the traffic officer when we were speeding or how easily do we adjust the truth to suit our needs. We see it on TV so it seems ok, because that is what everyone else does. How easily do we use the Lord’s name in vein, because that is how we talk?

We try and justify our wrongs by allowing society to influence our choices and form our values. We listen to people and follow their example, because that is the way of the world.

Our way is not the way of the world. Our way is God’s way and our values are clearly stipulated in the Word of God. We don’t follow the stream and end up at a waterfall. We follow Jesus and streams of living water will flow from us. We do not let ourselves be influenced by people, we let the Holy Spirit influence us and our ways should influence those around us. 

The world should not dictate our direction.  The world should follow our direction. Jesus is our direction and our blueprint. We should strive to be more and more like Him.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder – 28 January 2014 (Day 20 – A New Horizon)

A reminder for today

The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to his name. (Psalm 23:1-3)

The new horizon that lies ahead of us is filled with many paths. Each one of these paths leads us to a new destination and a new challenge. Sometimes we choose the path and sometimes we stumble upon it and sometimes we are taken to this path by God. 

Some paths are nice and easy to walk and some of them are rugged and difficult and sometimes they lead through a windy and rainy mountain pass. For some paths we are prepared and we know what to expect, but on other we are completely unprepared and we have no idea what to expect.

Sometimes we slip and fall and we injure ourselves and sometimes we get stuck on a path and we seem to travel in circles. Sometimes we use a GPS and sometimes we get lost and sometimes we need to stop and ask for directions. For some paths we have the correct shoes and for other we don’t even have shoes. Sometimes we need to cross a bridge and sometimes there is no bridge at all and we need to cross the river with faith.

No matter what your path looks like that you find yourself on, God will guide you bringing honour to His name. He will give you rest when the road is hard and He will renew your strength when you are tired. God will always make sure that you have all you need when you journey on your path. You will always have the correct directions and the correct shoes to walk on your path. There are many different paths in our lives, but each one of them has a special purpose. Do not let rough and difficult terrains make you stumble and give up before you reach the end, because in each end lies a great victory.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. (Verse 6)

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder – 27 January 2014 (Day 19 – A New Horizon)

A reminder for today

The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. (Psalm 22:26-27)

As I walk up to see the new horizon that lies ahead I am quiet for a moment waiting to hear the voice of my Lord. The dawn opens the day lighting up the horizon and revealing every detail of the horizon that awaits me. I feel the weight of the challenges that the weekend brought still heavily on my shoulders and the scars of a battle almost lost still burns deep within my flesh. 

I look up at the blue skies and the glow of the sun seems to touch every part of it. The warm ray of a rising sun touches my face and my soul is filled with His glory and I am satisfied. I will seek the Lord and praise Him and He will show me everlasting joy. I will acknowledge the Lord and live a life that will return people to Him. My burden is lightened by His grace and my weariness fades at His presence. I step into this awaiting horizon with renewed strength and unequalled determination.

All the families of the nations will bow down before Him. And as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers