Daily Bible Reading - Thursday August 27th

As we read Job today we see he is still complaining about what he is going through.  He’s asking why the rich sinner can get away with what he does while the homeless lay out naked because they have no clothes and they have no shelter.  After all the complaining and questions Job has he ends what he is saying that no matter what he goes through it will not change how he feels about God.  The devil was certainly wrong when he told God that Job would fold under all the pressure, that he’d curse God.  Again there is such a lesson to learn in the book of Job.  In the devotional it talks about how God wants to increase us, he’s the God of increase.  He wants to increase us in every area of our lives.  It says one of the main things we have to do in order to keep ourselves on the right path is watch what comes out of our mouth.  It’s so right when it says that our words are seeds that will produce a harvest for our future.  If go around speaking words of defeat and negativity then that’s what we will harvest in the future.  The good thing is, if words of encouragement and words of being positive that’s what we’ll harvest when our seed gets ripe.

 

Today’s Reading

Job 23:1-27:23
2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11
Psalm 41:1-13
Proverbs 22:5-6

 

Daily Devotional

The God of Increase

God wants to increase us in every area of our lives. He wants to give us more wisdom, stronger relationships, more peace and joy, promotion, and health. Sometimes we don’t see it as quickly as we would like. It can be easy to get discouraged when we don’t experience the breaks we hoped for or when it seems that everyone else is rising higher while we are standing still. During these times, it’s especially important to stay focused on God’s Word knowing that He is for us, that He wants to increase us; and when we follow His principles, we get His results.

 

One of the most important things we can do to keep ourselves moving in the right direction is to carefully guard what we say. Remember, your words are seeds that produce the harvest of your future. If you go around speaking negative words of doubt and defeat, you are uprooting your harvest of blessing. You are literally speaking against what God wants for your life! But if you’ll stay in agreement with the God of increase, if you’ll declare His Word over your future, then you are setting yourself up to receive the victory and blessing He has in store for you.

 

Here are some of God’s promises to you to help keep your thoughts and words in agreement with Him:

 

For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep His commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in His ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy (Deuteronomy 30:16, NLT).

 

There will be joy and songs of thanksgiving, and I will multiply my people, not diminish them; I will honor them, not despise them (Jeremiah 30:19, NLT).

 

I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number (Hebrews 6:14, NLT).

 

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence (Jeremiah 17:7, NLT).

 

You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said (Luke 1:45, NLT).

 

Be encouraged today because the God of increase is on your side! As you stay in agreement with Him, you’ll see His blessing, honor, and increase in every area of your life!

 

the devotional today really spoke to me and had me on my knees before God begging for forgiveness of some of the words i have been speaking, I never speak against God so i wish the devil would leave me alone . he should know by now that i will never turn against God ever. but i guess he doesnt need to have me do that when with speaking negativelly against my own blessings to come i do a good enough job for him....my mouth has always been my downfall all my life , i have had to pray and pray about a lot of things that use to come out of it. like i use to have a horrible temper , really i did but with the Lords blessing and after years of praying i have been delivered from that, i still sometimes say things that shouldnt really be said and thank 'God most of my friends know that is just Jan telling it like it is . but i pray about things like that all the time never ever thinking that the woe is me speaches that you say for yourself ,when stuff is happening that shouldnt be.is just as bad so this morning i gave that toGod too, while out pulling weeds and watering . I feel so much better and feel ready to fight the good fight again

Good Evening Andy...

Boy am I late getting this posted tonight but wanted to at least write this verse as it has been on my mind all day... need to strive that these words could be said of me....

"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold..." there is a song to this effect and I remember it being very beautiful!

It goes on to say... "My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.  I have not departed from the commands of his lips;  I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread."

Then these words continues to give reason to strive...

"...as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostril's, my lips will not speak wickedness, an my tongue will utter no deceit.... I will never deny my integrity.  I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it."

Then in the NT this verse goes right along with this theme... In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever."  Isn't that verse encouraging!

Job refused to let the naysayers dissuade him from what he believed.  I want to have that kind of stamina... with the things I deal with... not become discouraged and complain about my situation... I want to be a person of "hope" as we have read about recently. 

Mimi ~ I find my self having to go back and re~establish my stand of things every so often and get myself in line with what I "know to be the truth"....  a constant work in progress!  You hang in there, I am praying for you and Michele.

Bec