Life with God is positive and exciting! In Him, we have security and deeply rooted joy. Because of this, God wants his children to wake up each day excited about life and what the day will bring; with a spirit of expectancy. The definition of expectancy is: the state of thinking or hoping that something, especially something pleasant, will happen or be the case.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3)

Devotion: Seeking God Early In The Morning 

By seeking God at the beginning of each day, we actually allow God to dictate our plans for the day. It’s true: quiet time in the Lord’s presence at the beginning of every day, will always fill us with new revelation for the day! New revelation brings about a change in your actions, thoughts, and perspective.

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14)

The Lord desires quiet moments with us in the morning, so why not get creative in finding ways to seek and experience God each day? Trying something different each morning to keep things from feeling too “routine” or boring. Some examples include prayer, listening to worship music, quietly sitting in His presence, singing, and simply confessing His word.

Time with our God is always a privilege! When we take part in it, we are filled with more joy, even more adoration for Him, and more hope for the future.

Additional Verses to Further Study Seeking God Early in the Morning:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” (Proverbs 8:17)

‘But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.” (Psalm 59:16)

Prayer Starter:

“God, Your presence is all I need! I seek you for guidance for the day ahead. Lord, I know that You will always go before me and Your plans are good for me! My life is in Your hands.” 

Wishing you all a great week!

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Being willing to seek the Lord with your whole heart brings not only renewal to your strength, but it clears the path for you to see clearly. This includes spending time seeking God and just being still in His presence. Praying and listening to the Lord’s direction brings peace and stability to the life of Believers.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” (Psalm 105:4)

Seeking the Lord with your whole heart requires discipline – a certain “hunger and thirst.” This may mean waking up a little earlier to spend time with Him or making other necessary adjustments and accommodations to your daily schedule. This isn’t always easy, but a relentless pursuit of the Lord is not only pleasing to Him, but also brings us great reward in doing so! Ears become more alert to what God is saying and our senses become more sensitive to what God is doing. Those once dark places will begin to have light as His healing presence and peace flood your heart.

Through God, we have wisdom on ways that we can manage our daily lives in a Godly way. He teaches us balance, self-control, and how to live in a way that is positive and that has a positive impact on other people. God’s word is powerful and causes change! It also brings us knowledge, encouragement, and empowerment.

With feet firmly planted in the word of God, we get support, strength, and direction for our lives. Our faith is always made stronger in the presence of the Lord!

Additional Verses To Further Study Relentlessly Seeking God:

“She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. ^[Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:39-42)

“When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.” (Psalm 94:18)

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2)

Prayer Starter:

“Lord, Your name is beautiful! You are my Saviour and I want to stay tuned to Your voice. I will seek you with my whole heart. You are nourishment to my soul.”

Wishing you all a great week!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

We are on the verge of a new year! As the new year quickly approaches, we reflect on and re-evaluate certain aspects of life. The verse above is perfect to meditate on as we prepare our hearts and minds for starting a brand new year. It fills us with hope and anticipation. We know that God desires for us to enjoy life as we live in His will. Our loving God has nothing but good plans for us. Therefore, cutting back on certain things, as well as doing more of other things, are both at the top of everyone’s list.

We have been given authority over our lives: our time, our thoughts and mindsets, and what we allow in. Cutting back on those things that cause stress, that make us tired, and cause us to worry can be beneficial to our spiritual lives in many ways.  When we are tired, worn-out, and preoccupied with just being “busy” – especially doing things that we are not called to do (or are no longer called to do) – our spiritual life is negatively affected.

Going through the motions of being “busy”, we are not helpful to God’s kingdom. This is because an incredibly busy life can be a major distraction! It causes us to have no time to pray, to seek God, and makes us desensitized to the needs of others, making it so that we are not able to hear from God. Wisdom and proper time management allows us to include only things that bring benefit to our lives and the lives of other people. This should be the goal as you re-focus your mind, body, and spirit on God for the new year ahead.

Reflecting on the past year opens our eyes to see what things we want to include more of for the upcoming year. More of God is always a good idea for anyone! Think about it: More of Him brings us more peace, more joy, and ample grace to our lives. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t benefit from more of all that the Lord can provide. Every moment may not always be pleasant and comfortable to our flesh, but He is always there to lead us on the right path and to give us strength to endure.

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:5)

As we head into 2018, we all can benefit by spending some time in honest reflection and prayer while leaning on God’s truth, as well as His promises. Ask God to clearly reveal what His desires are for you for this year. Talk to Him about what things you are in need of, because He cares. Take a brave step and begin to cut back on what things you need to so that you can clearly hear God this year.  Do more of what things that God is calling you to do. It’s time to enjoy your life and take the proper God-given authority over it!

We don’t know all this new year will bring our way, but what we do know for sure is that the Lord will be with us through it all.

Wishing you all a great start to 2018!

Happy Christmas Eve, friends! I hope that you all are enjoying time with the ones you love while celebrating the true beauty of Christmas this holiday season. If you didn’t catch last weeks special Christmas devotion, be sure to check it out! For today’s post, I’m sharing a few meaningful Bible verses for Christmas. These are wonderful to use to guide your thoughts for prayer, use during times of reflection and thankfulness, and to share with others. Enjoy!

Bible Verses To Read on Christmas

“Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” (Luke 2:10)

“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” (Matthew 2:10)

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 1:23)

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men! ” (Luke 2:14)

“if you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10: 9-10)

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

The Christmas season is a time of reflection, joy, and a time of celebration for Jesus being born. Jesus is the ultimate gift to humanity!

Jesus came so that we would experience life the way God intends us to, in a mighty way! Joy, peace, and love are ours because of Jesus! Without Him, the world is lost. He is light in the darkness. Keeping Jesus at the center of each Christmas season is one way that we experience the wonder of Jesus’ amazing love for us.

The Most Special Gift: A Christmas Devotion 

Yes, Christmas is a great time to enjoy exchanging gifts with family and friends. But, In order to stay focused on what the true meaning of Christmas is, we must guard our hearts and minds, choosing to focus on the birth of Jesus over all of the material things as we celebrate with family and friends this holiday season.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9: 6-7)

One of the names of God is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” He’s the ultimate gift. He’s the gift of love, peace, joy, and salvation! With a love that never fails us, Jesus is always there; with us no matter where life takes us. The message of Christmas is a very special one: You are loved.

Let’s make every effort to honor and reverence our Savior as we celebrate this Christmas. Jesus’ birth is the true meaning of Christmas.

Additional Verses to Further Study The Most Special Gift:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)