God is Watching Over You - August 26, 2013

Psalms 23:6
6 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.

Romans 8:28
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Even in the middle of your hurts, habits, and hang-up, God is watching over you.

"Surely your goodness will pursue me ." - King David is not saying, "Surely only good things are going to happen to me!' He knew as well as anyone that bad things happen to good people.

David's point is that only God's goodness will follow after, or pursue, him. No matter how bad, or evil, or difficult something seems, God will work it out for good.

It's one of God's great promises that he's given to believers: We know all that happens to us is working for our good - if we love God and are fitting into his plans (Romans 8:28). If you're a believer, the Bible says all things are working together for good -- not that all things are good -- but working together for good.

There is no difficulty, dilemma, defeat, or disaster in the life of a believer that God can't ultimately turn toward his purpose.

Things happen in life and they are all part of God's purpose. Those things may not be good things but they are all part of God's plan for you.

This is something we MUST always remind ourselves because when something bad happens or something doesn't go according to plan you cannot only be thinking of the bad thing. Look further ahead and see that this is part of God's purpose. We must have faith in God and believe that whatever happens, it is part of God's plan so than we will be less depressed because we know that it will get better and it is a process we must go through to reach the end destination

"There is no difficulty, dilemma, defeat, or disaster in the life of a believer that God can't ultimately turn toward his purpose."
God can turn anything around and we ALWAYS remember this as this can help us dramatically when we are struggling or dealing with problems.

As bad things happen to good people, God lays an plan that we probably won't understand at that instance. It's there for a reason, and for us to make the correct decisions to live God-fearing lives. He bends and pushes us in our lives, allowing us to be stronger and wiser. He makes us lie in green pastures but he never forces us to eat, that's up to us. He leads us and watches over us like a hawk, cheering us on to make the right choice. As corny as it is, He's our number one fan. But sometimes, we'll snap and break, and a drastic action would be needed in order for us to keep pursuing a life with Christ. For me, I feel as if God challenges me and see how far I could go in my faith, putting me in certain situations in which I struggle in. He knows our weaknesses and strengths and He uses it to shape us and to glorify His kingdom as well.

I think this devo is a good reminder for us now that the gr.12s are leaving!
With Esther, Joseph and Kevin gone it's going to be a lot harder for this team and ultimately it's up to us to keep everything in order.
But I think that having a disaster or some type of dilemma once in awhile is good because it's like God is testing us to see how faithful we'll stay! Plus, I think it's the end result that matters the most when in bad situations because then it'll reflect what we did and how hard we worked to get there.

While reading the devo I thought of James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I believe that when we struggle it will ultimately make us better, which is why James says to consider it pure joy when you face difficulties. In order to be strong physically, your body has to undergo many trials or hardships, getting stronger after every one. I think that the same idea goes with our faith. Without hardships, how could we ever become strong?

But, as previously mentioned, sometimes we don't understand how it could possibly work together for good. That's the time to remember that although things that seem bad to us happen, as this devo says, God is watching over you.

First of all, I think it's great that we're back on devos. I remember hating doing devos, idk, but I think I've hit a turning point in terms of wanting to do them instead of having to do them. siiickkk.

This devo reminds me of way back in a sermon that explained that God never lets go of us, instead, it is us who distances ourselves from God. If God is the goodness that pursues us, then without God, there is an absence of goodness. But I think that's why we need to constantly seek God. Even the toughest situations can be overcome with God's help, provided we put in our own fair share of effort. I think that hard times are God's way of shaping us into better people. Being forged in the fire requires (metaphorically) that we go through some sort of fire, but in the end, we come out hardened and moulded. So in the end, look to God through trouble because he will use it according to his will.

It's sometimes difficult to feel God's presence in our lives, especially when we go through rough times. But we can always trust that God's hold on us is always stronger than our hold on Him.
God's always working in our lives, even though it may not seem like it, particularly if you're suffering or going through a frustrating time.
We may never understand God's plan, but we can trust in Him, that he's working in our lives through every moment, regardless if it's good or bad.
If we say yes to God's plan and will for us, I think we will be shown how God is working in our lives, and how much He cares for us and loves us.
I think it's easy to get frustrated or infuriated with our lives and maybe even with God, because so many bad things are taking place in our lives. However, we have to trust that God lets everything happen for a reason and that things are done according to His will.
God is working in our lives, in every moment, we just need to have faith.