But Daniel made up his mind (resolved) that he would not defile (taint, dishonor) himself. (Daniel 1:8 AMP) The phrase “draw a line in the sand” means to establish a firm, unyielding limit or boundary that you refuse to cross or allow others to cross. The idiom is tied to historical and physical imagery. One of its most famous associations is the legend of the Alamo, where Commander William Barrett Travis is said to have literally scratched a line in the dirt with his sword, giving his soldiers a choice to either cross it and commit to the fight or stay behind and attempt to escape. Over the last several…

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – Matthew 5:4 The Lord has sent me to bestow on the brokenhearted a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. (Isaiah 61:3) God loves you and wants to reassure you and show you that He has plans for you beyond your disappointment, pain, and suffering.  It’s in our sorrow that God’s promises mean so much to us, and it is then that we experience His comfort, peace, and the hope of eternity with Him.  While the heartaches of this world are temporary,…

Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” (Lamentations 3: 22-24) As I continue on my learning adventure with God, He is making me aware that the enemy of my soul never rests. He is always prowling around looking for opportunities to do his worst. He doesn’t fight fair and always kicks you when you’re down. I can’t describe how much it has helped me to know the fight is inevitable, as mentioned in yesterday’s blog. That may sound strange, but God answered my…

Choose this day whom you will serve. Joshua 24:15 The definition of inevitable is something that is certain to happen and is impossible to avoid, prevent, or escape. The word crossed my mind when I read a paragraph in Experiencing God, Day by Day. “When you first became a Christian, your Master’s instructions were probably fundamental, such as being baptized or changing your lifestyle. But as you learn to trust Him more deeply, He will develop your character to match bigger tests, and with greater tests will come greater love for God and knowledge of His ways. Are you ready for God’s next revelation?” Many times, we hear the saying…

What do you want me to do for you? “Lord, I want to see.” Luke 18:41 Today’s passage was from a conversation Jesus had with a blind man. It may sound strange at first glance because if you were blind and the Savior of the world asked what He could do for you, the obvious request would be to restore your sight. The man responded that he wanted to see. When we pray, we want to see God answer our requests, but we often make those requests of God from a place of blindness. Our prayers are frequently based on our own limited perspective, by our own desires, our own…

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said.  Mark 10:35-38 Have you ever had those moments when your spouse or one of your children is looking in the fridge, and they call out, “Do we have any milk?” and you reply, “Yes, it’s in the fridge.” And they say, “Where is it? I don’t see it.” Or they…

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. – Matthew 5:3 To be poor in spirit means that we recognize our utter spiritual bankruptcy before God.  We understand that we have absolutely nothing of worth to offer Him and that no amount of good works or deeds will be able to save us.  Being poor in spirit is admitting that, because of our sin, we are completely destitute spiritually, and we desperately need a savior. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was teaching that, no matter your status in life, you must recognize your spiritual poverty, your need for redemption, before you can come…

 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.           Matthew 6:31-34 Worry means to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts.  It’s a fear of the unknown and is a tool of the enemy used to tempt us…

I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women. Song of Solomon 2: 1-2 In this world we live in, it is very hard not to compare yourself with others. Social media more often than not portrays images that are so photo-shopped that the real person may be hard to recognize in real life. Games on Facebook allow you to see what you might look like if your hair color were different, if your weight were different, if everything about you were different. And sometimes it doesn’t take social media or the world’s opinions to get us thinking less of…

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 Last week, I was praying for a situation that I have prayed for many times over the years. At the end of my prayer, I very clearly heard the answer, “No. But keep praying.” For a moment, I just sat there stunned at God’s response. What I was praying for was something that would make a person’s life better. It was something that I felt God would definitely approve of and want for that person…