thoughts by Rev. D. Forster Archives - Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God

Published September 8, 2023

Our Interests and God’s Will

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:3-8, ESV)

How often do we look to our own interest? How often do we look to the best interest of our family, of our church? Is it possible that our interest may not be in the best interest of others, because it may not be in God’s will?

It is easy for us to think that our interests will also be in the best interest of others. We must always keep in mind though, that we will not always see as God sees, or think as God thinks. Paul writes to have a mind which is in Christ Jesus. Jesus only did what the Father wanted Him to do. Did Jesus have any personal interests, and did He follow through on them? Yes, He had them, yet He did not follow through on them unless it was in the will of the Father.

“Then he said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.’ And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’” (Matthew 26:38-39, ESV)

To have a mind in Christ Jesus is to understand that it is not about us. This is a concept that we understand with head knowledge; yet when it comes to our actions and thoughts in our lives, we naturally struggle. I say naturally, for our sin, our flesh, fights always against the will of God.

The only way to have a mind of Christ Jesus, and to double-check ourselves when it comes to our own personal interests, is to seek God and ask Him in prayer. Is this not what Jesus was doing in the scripture above at Gethsemane? He sought God in prayer, for He always sought to do the will of the Father, and not His own.

Father, Let us seek you today Lord. Let us hold all of our interests and wants before You Lord. Let us surrender them to You and see if they are in your will Father. Let us be willing to let them go if they are not in Your will. Lord we trust You, we have faith in You that You know better than we do what our interests should and should not be. Let us humble ourselves before you, and let you be number one in our lives. Take the wheel Lord, and guide us to where you want us to be, we ask this Lord in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Questions: Is your interest lined up with the will of the Father? How do you know for sure?

By Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

Blessed are Those Who See and Hear

“Then turning to the disciples he said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.’” Luke 10:23-24 (ESV)

Truly those who wanted to see and hear were blessed. The question is why did so many not see and not hear? There are many reasons and today we are going to look at two of them.

The first we find in Luke 10: 19-20, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

We love to focus our attention on the big show going on and can often miss the roots of a situation. In biblical times even those who were sent out to cast out demons and spread the Gospel were caught up in the power they possessed in the name of Jesus. They were so focused on this power that they were missing why they had the power and why Jesus had come. Notice Jesus says do not celebrate that you can cast demons out in my name but rather celebrate that your names are written in Heaven.

We see this happening now in our present society. We often celebrate the fireworks and not what we truly have – a relationship with our Father. We can take for granted that the Holy Spirit is living in us, forgetting that for thousands of years, many had dreamed and prayed to experience what we have in our relationship with our Father in Heaven.

The second issue is that many do not believe what they cannot see. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39, ESV)

Jesus goes straight to the core of our humanity – how the love of flesh is greater than our the love of faith. We often love our relationships more than our God. We put stock in what people think and feel more than what our God tells us we should think and feel. We put ourselves or other people first and God second.

When God tells us to take up our cross it means surrendering everything in this life to Him. Only God can be first in every aspect of life. By seeking the cross we do not find death, we find a new life. Blessed are those who see and hear.

Father, we pray today that we may truly see and hear You in our lives. With Your help, let us experience more of You in our lives. Lord, help us not to be distracted by fireworks and people. Forgive us for the things we put before You. I want to be in Your presence all the days of my life. Thank you Jesus. We love you. Let me choose to walk with You today and not on my own. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Is there something in your life that keeps you from seeing and hearing God?
What does it mean to really surrender everything to God?

By Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

Fear of the Unknown

Fear of the unknown, in my opinion, is the most prevalent fear that we as humans face on a daily basis.

Either we are fighting the good fight against our daily fears of the unknown, or we are lying to ourselves in saying that we don’t struggle with this fear. This idea may contradict what many of us have been taught; however, if we really take a deep look at our lives, we will discover we all fight this fight.

Some teach that if you have faith, you will have no fears in your life. This sadly is only a partial truth. It is by faith that we believe, and through our faith that we fight the good fight against our fears; nevertheless, to say we won’t fear because we have faith is like saying we won’t sin because we have surrendered our lives to Christ.

The biggest lie that we can believe is that if we worry, stress, deal with anxiety, suffer from depression, and have fears is that we don’t have enough faith.

The lie wants us to believe that Mrs. Smith across the street has more faith than us because she seems to trust God more. The lie tells us that we are a failure as a Christian; additionally, it tells us we can never be that kind of Christian. These lies are just that…lies. They are designed for one purpose and one purpose only; to get us to turn from God’s Truth. When we begin to believe these lies, we begin to doubt God’s Truth, His Promises, and His Unconditional Love for us. You however, are not alone in doing this; for every human since the beginning of time has done the same things. We all have at one point, or at many points in our lives believed these lies. In fact, there is only One who has never fallen for these lies; and His name is Jesus.

Jesus tells us that all we need is the faith of a mustard seed to tell a mountain to move from here to there (Matthew 17:20). However we also see in other parts of the Bible where Jesus tells his disciples they have little faith (Matthew 14:31). Does Jesus contradict Himself? Absolutely not! When Jesus says to Peter “come” (Matthew 14:29) Peter steps out of the boat and walks on water based on his faith in Jesus. Then Peter, like all the rest of us, gets distracted by the winds and the waves; allowing fear to take the place of his faith. When Jesus tells Peter that he has “little faith” after He rescues him from sinking, it is important to know that it was not a lack in faith that Jesus is refereeing too. Rather He is saying, “Why did you lose confidence in me?” “Why did you let fear take its place in your heart where your faith in Me was?” Jesus is not scolding Peter for a lack of faith, but rather a replacement of that faith. Peter, who walked on water with his faith in Christ, also allowed the fear of the unknown to cause him to sink amongst the winds and waves of life.

The question is not if you have faith or not; on the contrary;

the question should be are you living your life with a heart of faith, or a heart of fear?

By Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

I Give You My Heart, Father

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24, ESV)

There is a popular saying we use often in our society today, “let Jesus into your heart”. Now while on the surface there is nothing wrong with this saying, in our modern society this saying has taken on a different meaning than what it was once intended to mean.

We hear this saying today and imply it that we can let Jesus into our hearts conforming Jesus to us. It is as if God fits into our lives – we find a place for Him in our hearts along with everything else. We have great intentions with this line of thinking however; we can’t fully experience Father when we seek Him this way. We become frustrated.

I speak from personal experience on this issue. I spent fifteen years wandering from church to church all the while never fully experiencing Father in my life and still wondering what Jesus meant to me. Fifteen years of fellowship, sermons, small groups, and worship and I was still as lost as the day I thought I let Jesus into my heart.

The Lord never gave up on me and in my weakest moment of my life, I really found Him. In that moment I reversed the script and gave Jesus my heart, my baggage, my life and in doing so, found myself with my Father, my Creator, my God, my Savior.

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:

‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’ (Isaiah 43:1-3, ESV)

Lord I pray today that all who walk with you will want to walk in you. I pray today that all who have let you in their hearts will give their hearts to you. Touch and move on them as you did me Father, let them experience your love and mercy as you showed upon me. Lord we know we can’t manage or handle this world on our own, we need you, and we want you. Help us to understand your love, as we give back everything you have given to us, back to you Father. In Jesus name, Amen.

Question: Have you invited Jesus into your life?
http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/4laws/law0.html

by Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

Grace, Peace and Mercy

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2 (ESV)

Our faith brings peace with God. What a powerful statement, yet there is more to this sentence. The verse goes on to say, “through our Lord Jesus Christ”. Our peace comes from God, by our faith, through our Lord Jesus Christ. If it weren’t for Jesus, you would not be receiving the peace from God by your faith. It is all about Jesus. The second verse points to this. “Through Him” we gain access by our faith in His grace. Our faith leads us to Jesus Christ, which leads us to His grace, which was given to us on the cross.

What is grace? Some say it is a church word. It is actually a real word used to describe the love God showers upon us. The definition of grace is “to receive something you do not deserve”. If we look at God’s word, it is clear to see that we do not deserve His love. In fact, we most often deserve His punishment for how we treat Him and others around us. This “not getting the thing we deserve” is defined as mercy.

Verse 2 says, “by our faith into this grace in which we stand”. Our faith leads us to discover a love we don’t deserve. And yet God gives this love to us. This grace comes in the form of God himself taking on human form. This grace and mercy comes in a form of Jesus taking our punishment for us by dying for us on the cross. By our faith we stand in God’s grace as free beings, free from sin, free from punishment.

We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We praise God for what He has done for us. How could we not rejoice? We live now in victory – victory over sin, and victory over physical and spiritual death.

By our faith we have peace from God given by His grace. Shout to the lord and rejoice! Walk out your door today and let the world see His peace and joy in you. Raise that chin up, for you have victory today, and every day, for all eternity through our Lord Jesus Christ.

“The cross is the lightning rod of grace that short-circuits God’s wrath to Christ so that only the light of His love remains for believers.” ~ A. W. Tozer

Father, I pray today that many will come to discover the grace that You give us, and many will come to be reminded of the grace that You give us. Lord I pray we do not walk around the world angry and defeated. Lord I pray we walk in Your grace, full of Your love, mercy, and compassion. Lord, let us walk with You so our lives look more like You. Help us with our unbelief, and turn our hearts and minds anew to You Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Question: How does God’s grace bring peace in your life? Does His grace show in your life?

by Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

True Love

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11 (NKJV)

A woman recently decided that life was not worth living anymore. She walked onto a highway overpass, determined to jump into the rush hour traffic. As she stood on the edge, traffic just drove past her; people walked by without a word. Love was nowhere to be found. But then a bus driver saw her. Filled with God’s Love, he pulled over, wrapped his loving arms around her, and pulled her to safety.

This is a picture of true love for one another. True love, unlike the love we often produce, has no strings attached. True love is forever faithful and is never ending. This is the sacrificial love that God has for us: “…God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8, NLT)

Only His love enables us to love one another, for we cannot produce such charity on our own: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11 NKJV). How sacrificial is the love you are offering others?

Heavenly Father, please open the floodgates of heaven and let Your love flow through us. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, grace and compassion so we may love one another as You have loved us. Amen.

Spend a few minutes meditating on the love described in 1 Corinthians 13:1-7. Then humbly confess how your love has fallen short.

Ask God: “Who do You want me to go out of my way to show love to today?”

Spend a few minutes listening for the answer.

by Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

The Path of Most Resistance

“I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16 (NLT)

Walking down an unfamiliar path can be exiting, as well as uncomfortable and scary. At the age of 37, God called me to go back to college. This was an incredibly unpleasant concept for me, as I had failed at school several times in my twenties.

God Calls Us to a New Path

When God calls us to a new path, especially a path that will lead us to sharing His word and His gospel, it is normal to feel uncomfortable because we may fear rejection, humiliation, and failure. God knows that some of these things may indeed happen to us; that’s one reason He allowed His own son to experience rejection on the cross. Jesus is our forerunner down this uncomfortable path: “I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead.”

God wants us to step onto these new and challenging paths, for on them we take part in fulfilling His Great Commission to share His gospel of grace and mercy with others. I followed His leading back to school where I did experience some failure and humiliation; however, I have also experienced the joy of successfully sharing the gospel with many I would not have encountered had I chosen a different path. To reach others, we must let God lead. He will show us the paths to walk, even the uncomfortable ones, All He asks is that we step out in humble faith and follow Him.

Father, forgive us for when we doubt, fear or hesitate to walk down the paths You set before us. Let us find Peace in You and walk by faith. Lead us to share and speak boldly to others about You for Your glory, in Jesus mighty name, Amen.

Do you feel like God is calling you to take a new risk or path in life? Take a minute right now to carefully consider this prayer. If you’re ready to get a little uncomfortable and say “yes” to the new adventure God has for you, pray this audacious prayer.

“Dear Jesus, I want you at this center of my life, and commit through your power, to serve and obey you, anytime, anywhere, at any cost, to do anything. Amen”

By Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

Yearning for Justice

“Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 (HCSB)

The word justice is thrown around so often today, it’s like a beach ball at a rock concert. But the amazing thing that we often forget is that the ultimate justice for the world has already been met. It has been satisfied! Christ is our justice, and in Him is our righteousness.

When I first gave my life to the Lord back in 2009 I understood this; sadly though, I lost my first love for a time. I thought I was justice, because justice lived in me. I tried so hard to accomplish a “successful” Christian life by following the rules, by adhering to all the Do’s and Dont’s.

But in walking along this path, I lost sight of what was truly important; I blurred the lines of justice. To act justly, to love, and to walk humbly is all accomplished by abiding in our Savior.

It is only in my intimate walk with Jesus when I see how much of a sinner I am. When I experience His grace and mercy in my life, I understand how justice has been met. The price of our sins has been paid for, and justice has been fulfilled. After all, this was His plan from the very beginning.

Father let us yearn for You and only You Lord. Let us humbly come to You as Your children. We want to always be in Your presence, just like when You walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. Let us remember Your justice, and never forget what You have done for us. Amen.

Thought: Do you take justice into your own hands, or do you rely on the One who is the definition of justice? Keep a tally of how many times throughout the week you have attempted to apply justice on your own terms rather than on His terms. Sit down at the end of the week with a repentant heart and lay these things before God. Ask for guidance and wisdom in how you can let Him be the justice in your life.

By Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

An Overflowing Cup

No matter what trial you are facing in your life today; God is there overfilling your cup with His Mercy and His Grace.

“You set a table for me right in front of my enemies. You bathe my head in oil; my cup is so full it spills over! Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the LORD’s house as long as I live”. Psalm 23:5-6 (CEB)

So many today struggle with day to day life. If it’s not the events taking place all around the world, or in our own backyard that’s not wearing us down; it’s our jobs, finances and our health. If all we see when we wake up, and when we lay our heads to rest is our circumstances and surroundings; we fail to live as Christ has intended for us to live.

David was aware of this, and sought to live that Spirit filled life. God had repetitively shown David throughout his life that He was faithful, He was to be trusted, and His Love was stronger than anything else in this world. David drew upon these experiences as he put them into song; praising God for who He is, who He was, and who He is to come.

No matter what trial you are facing in your life today; God is there overfilling your cup with His Mercy and His Grace. He has anointed you as His son, or daughter. He will not forsake you, and He can be trusted. God pursues us no matter our successes or failures, and He seeks us to dwell within Him. Take your eyes off the world, off your circumstances, and off your pain; instead, set your eyes, your heart, and your mind upon Him and His Living Word.

By Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

Unfailing Love

“But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.” Psalm 13:5-6 (NLT)

It is human nature to doubt God’s unfailing Love. Love in its natural form is not unfailing, but quite fallible. We are often let down by the love of others and left with scars. Therefore, we can think of the love of God along the same lines, expecting that His Love will at some point fail us, as others have failed us.

This line of thinking, however, is far from the truth. His love is not only unfailing, it is forever faithful. Our actions, sins, and poor choices will never change the love God has for us. What greater Love is there than this—that the Creator of life itself would sacrifice Himself for His creation? It is the actions of God that declare His Love for us, not ours. His love is based on His character, not ours. He has paid way more than we could ever pay for our debt of sins. He sacrificed his own life in our place.

It is this demonstration of unfailing love that enables us to overcome our own dysfunctional view of love and be transformed, so we can love like He does, even forgiving those who do not love us in return. Because of His love, we sing along with David: “The Lord is good to me.”

Lord, we thank You and praise You for the unconditional Love You have shown us and continue to shower us with. Help us Lord to truly see this love and to allow it to transform our lives. Help us love others as You have Loved us, so they may see and know You. Amen.

Thought: What is holding you back from trusting completely in God’s love? If any doubts or scars come to mind, bring those to God in prayer and ask for help to grow in trust. Take time to reflect on His love today.

by Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

Comments: If you don’t see our response form, please go to https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/d-forster_unfailing-love/

Growing In Our Trials

Step outside your trials and ask God to give you a new perspective on it…His perspective.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4 (NLT)

Our faith will be tested; this is just a fact of life. How we deal with these times, is what is most important.

Often when trials come our way, or things don’t go our way; we quickly pray to God for the trial to end, or pray for the circumstance to go our way instead. Not that there is anything wrong in praying this way. However, if we only pray this way and fail to see the other side of the coin, we could be missing out on a blessing in disguise.

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:5-6 (NLT)

Sometimes we are led into trials or difficult circumstances in order so that we may grow. It is not that God has forsaken us, nor that He is not with us; in fact, it is quite the opposite. His promise to us is that He is forever faithful, and that He is always there with us. When we truly believe this, we allow ourselves to see these trials differently.

We allow ourselves to say to God…”OK, this stinks, but I am going to trust in You Lord and rely on You as we go through this. How can I grow from this Lord? Are you moving me into a new season? What is your purpose and plan in this Lord?”

I recently heard a testimony from a woman that is living this scripture completely in her life. She is battling cancer, and she thanks God for the cancer. Why would anyone say this, you may ask? She will gladly tell you it is because this trial in her life has allowed her to share His Good News with so many people that she would never have encountered in her life otherwise. Now this is a woman who has complete faith and trust in God when it comes to her life.

Take a moment to step back from your trial. Step outside of it and ask God to give you a new perspective on it…His perspective. When we see things in how God sees things, we grow, and we are continually transformed by His Grace.

“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NLT)

by Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

How Distractions May Lead Us to a Slow Fade

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 ( ESV)

I decided to take a bit of a sabbatical from writing last month. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and I felt that I was not spending enough time with God, and for me to properly write these devotions or do anything in life…that time with God is essential. An interesting thing happened though as I began my sabbatical, you might say I came under physical and spiritual attack. If anything could go wrong, it did.

I find it very odd that when we feel miserable it is so difficult for us to seek God and feel His presence. It is almost as if our flesh puts up a giant wall. I realized how short and mechanical my prayers had become. I also realized how hard it was to pray for others, because I was so focused on my own misery.

I also physically had trouble reading, so I stopped turning to His Word as my life raft. I will admit, it took me a day or two to fully realize what was happening here. With all the distractions – physically, mentally, and spiritually – I was starting a slow fade.

Mark Hall, front man for the band Casting Crowns, said that a slow fade marks the regression that happens when Christians aren’t living intentionally. He explained it this way:

People don’t crumble in a day. You don’t fall; you fade. In your mind, there’s that pride that says ‘I’d never do that’… but you don’t just do it, it’s a slow, series of compromises, little ones that go there eventually, until you’re sitting in a place you’d never go, doing something you’d’ never do… and yet the way you’re living totally makes sense to you somehow because you’re so numb.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 ( ESV)

The distractions in our lives will lead us away from the one thing we need more than anything else in this world – Our God. We can all fall victim to our distractions and not realize that we are slipping from God’s presence. We must keep talking, and walking with our God. We must keep praying, even when we can’t muster the energy or it feels forced. We must open our hearts and humbly come before our Lord, our God.

“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” 1 Corinthians 10:12-14 (ESV)

Heavenly Father, We lift ourselves up to You today. Lord You are our Savior. You are everything. Help us oh Lord. Help our souls, our hearts and our minds stay on You. You are our first love Lord God. Help us to see the distractions in our lives and help us to come back to You. Lord we just want to be in Your presence all the days of our lives. Help us to keep from the slow fade Lord, open our eyes and our hearts to where we stand, so that it may always be with You in your temple. Father we ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

By Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

Christmas Abundance

“A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” John 10:10 (HCSB)

I will never forget my first Christmas as a follower of Christ. I was thousands of miles from home, grieving my mother’s passing, battling my addictions, flat broke, and almost out of hope. My life seemed bleak and I couldn’t understand why. Desperate for understanding, I sought out my pastor and he read today’s verse to me.

We have a God of hope, faith and love. He comes to offer life in our darkest hours, while the thief seeks to kill and destroy. God doesn’t offer us a bed of roses; in fact, our situation can sometimes feel like a bed of thorns. His abundance is not found in our circumstances or material possessions. Rather, it’s found deep within our hearts.

When Paul and Silas were arrested in Philippi, their circumstances could not have been much worse; they’d been beaten, whipped and thrown in jail. If they’d focused on their circumstances, they would have lost their joy and hope, but turning to God in songs of praise, abundance came alive in them. The Holy Spirit filled them with hope, faith, and joy.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (HCSB)

If your Christmas is looking less-than-ideal or is even painful, remember that God hasn’t forgotten you. He wants to fill you till overflowing with His hope, peace, and joy. Press in to His abundance by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Heavenly Father, help us to press into Your hope and Your faithfulness Lord. Help me rest in Your promise of an abundant life and know that our circumstances are just temporal. Amen.

By Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

Learning To Fail and Succeed in God

What fears are holding you back from boldly stepping into the abundant life God has for you?

God gives us the choice of how we wish to see the obstacles and mistakes that fill our lives. Like the other choices He allows us to make, we can either listen to the world and let failure consume us, or we can listen to Him and learn to succeed through Him.

“And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ (Matthew 14:28-31 ESV)

Like Peter, when we try to succeed in something, we often start out strong. As believers we know we should seek Jesus, so with our eyes on Him, we step out in faith looking to succeed in what He has called us to do. Then, just like Peter, we usually run into an obstacle or two and become distracted. We are manipulated, lied to, or hurt; something in the world causes us to take our eyes off of our Lord and Savior.

If this has happened to you, you are not alone. Peter experienced distraction too and his life turned out remarkably. We know from Scripture that Jesus will always be there to grab hold of us and rescue us. We also know that there comes a bit of conviction from our Lord when we fail and take our eyes off of Him. What we sometimes forget is that His conviction is for our own good. It is a gesture of love, designed to bring us to repentance, which brings us closer to Him.

Each time we fail, we can grow closer to God as He teaches us how to succeed in Him and through Him. We have a choice: accept our failures and throw in the towel, or repent and turn our eyes back onto Jesus, learning to succeed in the will of our Father.

Many believers are afraid to even step out of the boat; fear of distraction or failure holds them back. Saints, failure is part of our growth process, and by God’s grace, it even brings healing.

Do not let the world put fear in you that keeps you from stepping out in faith and walking in the will of God. Let us cast away these fears and continue to walk in faith, knowing that His nail-scarred hand is right there to grab us when we fail.

Let us believe confidently that His grace and mercy is showering down on us to bring us closer to Him. Let us step out off the boat each and every day, letting our light shine in the dark places of this world. May our faithful steps glorify Him and His mighty name, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Lord, please give me the faith to trust You fully and obey You without reservation. Help me to see every failure as a chance to run to you so I can experience the life of Jesus living through me more and more each day. I choose to step out of the boat today. Amen

What fears are holding you back from boldly stepping into the abundant life God has for you? How could you overcome those fears through Christ?

by Daniel Forster
used by Permission

Follow Us On:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest

Share this on:

Thoughts by Men thoughts by Rev. D. Forster

Microwave or Slow Cooked?

Psalm27:14 Devotional - Be Thankful for 3 Things

Published July 13, 2018

Microwave or Slow Cooked?

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” Psalm 27:13-14 (NKJV)

In our society and culture today, we like to have it “our way”, and we like to have it “now”. I often think of the T.V. commercials for cash settlements, in which everyone is shouting “I want my money now”. Whether we mean to or not, we often take this mentality when it comes to our faith. We look for God to answer immediately and on the spot. We want to know today in which way to go, and not wait until tomorrow.

I often fall into this routine myself, and I call it microwave faith. If I’m hungry, and short on time (as I often am) I love to throw something into the microwave, eat, and run. When I ask God where He wants me to go and what He wants me to do, I tend to expect the same results. Pray, questions answered, and then off I go to the next task on my list for the day. The problem with this mentality is that we lose heart if we don’t get our answers right away. When we lose heart, we tend to pray on it less and less; to the point where in my experience, I will make a decision from my flesh, and not in the Spirit. God sometimes responds immediately, yet often He is the God who enjoys a good slow cooking. Let’s be honest…if given the choice of a microwave burrito, or a slow cooked pulled pork sandwich; which would you choose? God wants to transform our minds to see things His way, and to think as He thinks. To do this, it sometimes takes a slow cooking process.

Let us then wait upon our Lord, and wait with patience and endurance…”His” that is, and not our own. Let us continue to seek His presence and call upon Him to help us with all of life’s decisions. Let us not rush our Lord, but let Him guide us on His time…for His ways are perfect and righteous, as He is perfect and righteous. Let us not lose heart, yet lean on Him more and more each and every day.

Lord, help me to not look for the instant and the now, but to wait upon you, abiding in you, soaking in your Spirit as you transform and guide me in this life. Let me humbly serve you Lord and not myself. Let my thoughts, my actions, and my words glorify you God; as others may see you and not me.

What are the instant microwave moments in your life?

by Rev. Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

Comments: If you don’t see our response form, please go to https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/daniel-forster_slow-cooked/

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: http://thoughts-about-god.com/four-laws/

Subscribe to Daily Devotionals by Email

Share this on:

Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Rev. D. Forster

Our Interests and God’s Will

Further Reading

Blessed are Those Who See and Hear

Further Reading

Fear of the Unknown

Fear of the unknown, in my opinion, is the most prevalent fear that we as humans face on a daily basis.

The biggest lie that we can believe is that if we worry, stress, deal with anxiety, suffer from depression, and have fears is that we don’t have enough faith.

the question should be are you living your life with a heart of faith, or a heart of fear?

Further Reading

I Give You My Heart, Father

Further Reading

Grace, Peace and Mercy

Further Reading

True Love

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11 (NKJV)

Ask God: “Who do You want me to go out of my way to show love to today?”

Further Reading

The Path of Most Resistance

God Calls Us to a New Path

Further Reading

Yearning for Justice

Further Reading

An Overflowing Cup

No matter what trial you are facing in your life today; God is there overfilling your cup with His Mercy and His Grace.

Further Reading

Unfailing Love

Further Reading

Growing In Our Trials

Step outside your trials and ask God to give you a new perspective on it…His perspective.

Further Reading

How Distractions May Lead Us to a Slow Fade

Further Reading

Christmas Abundance

“A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” John 10:10 (HCSB)

Further Reading

Learning To Fail and Succeed in God

What fears are holding you back from boldly stepping into the abundant life God has for you?

Further Reading

Follow Us On:

Microwave or Slow Cooked?

Category: <span>thoughts by Rev. D. Forster</span>

Further Reading

Further Reading

Fear of the unknown, in my opinion, is the most prevalent fear that we as humans face on a daily basis.

The biggest lie that we can believe is that if we worry, stress, deal with anxiety, suffer from depression, and have fears is that we don’t have enough faith.

the question should be are you living your life with a heart of faith, or a heart of fear?

Further Reading

Further Reading

Further Reading

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11 (NKJV)

Ask God: “Who do You want me to go out of my way to show love to today?”

Further Reading

God Calls Us to a New Path

Further Reading

Further Reading

No matter what trial you are facing in your life today; God is there overfilling your cup with His Mercy and His Grace.

Further Reading

Further Reading

Step outside your trials and ask God to give you a new perspective on it…His perspective.

Further Reading

Further Reading

“A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” John 10:10 (HCSB)

Further Reading

What fears are holding you back from boldly stepping into the abundant life God has for you?

Further Reading

Follow Us On: