Our personal guide

And the Lord replied, "I will personally go with you, Moses. I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you."

Exodus 33:14 NLT

Never, never, never, never, never give up.
Winston Churchill


Staying the course

The Christian race is not a competitive event to see who comes in first but an endurance run to see who finishes faithfully.

It's like the experience of Bill Broadhurst, who entered the Pepsi Challenge 10,000-meter road race in Omaha, Nebraska. Ten years earlier, surgery for an aneurysm in his brain had left him paralyzed on his left side. Now, on a misty July morning in 1981, he stands with 1,200 lithe-looking men and women at the starting line.

The gun cracks! The crowd surges forward. Bill throws his stiff left leg forward and pivots on it as his right foot hits the ground. His slow plop-plop-plop rhythm seems to mock him as the pack fades into the distance. Sweat rolls down his face, pain pierces his ankle, but he keeps going.

Six miles and two hours and twenty-nine minutes later, Bill reaches the finish line. A man approaches from a small group of bystanders. Bill recognizes him from pictures in the newspaper. He's Bill Rodgers, the famous marathon runner. "Here," says Rodgers, putting his newly won gold medal around Bill's neck. "You've worked harder for this than I have." Broadhurst is a winner too.

God's guidance


I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
I know the Lord is always with me, I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

Psalm 16:7-8 NLT
The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of this lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord hold them by the hand.
Psalm 37:23-24


Giving thanks that God is near

Sometimes we try to "ride out the storms" in our lives—doing this the best we can. We think, If I can just hang on and be strong, I can get through this. David knew he couldn't make it on his own. In the past, he had found help in the Lord God. And in this prayer, David again sought the Lord's protection: "Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge" (v. 1). He rejoiced in the guidance and assistance the Lord had given him. Though his enemies were trying to shake and topple him, David stood firm because God was "right beside" him.

In prayer today, acknowledge that God is right beside you—upholding and guiding you. Thank him that he helps you and does not leave you to struggle on your own.

A pray for today…

Dear Lord, I will not be shaken, for you are right beside me…

Power source


I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

Philippians 4:12 NLT

Man is never so tall as when he kneels before God—never so great as when he humbles himself before God. And the man who kneels to God can stand up to anything.
Louis H. Evans1
Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT


Hang in there

Like most folks, the apostle Paul had his share of financial ups and downs. He speaks openly of his experience in the last few paragraphs of his letter to the church at Philippi. His comments are wise and helpful for anyone facing hard times, fiscal or otherwise.

He acknowledges having "plenty" on certain occasions and "almost nothing" in the way of financial resources at other times (Philippians 4:12) But notice that even in his bleakest moments, when his stomach was literally empty and growling, Paul's spirit was full (v. 11). Paul experienced genuine contentment in difficult times. How did he do this?

Paul relied on the strength of Christ to get him through. The verb translated "gives me…strength" means to infuse needed power into our souls. God's strength is a persevering kind of divine energy that can sustain you through economic difficulties or troubles of any kind.

Praying God's Promise:
I need help, Lord, and you have promised to infuse me with your infinite power. Without divine assistance I cannot press on. With your help and strength, I can do whatever you ask of me. Give me a second wind. I look to you in trust because I know you are faithful.2

What do people read in your life?


Your lives are a letter written in our hearts, and everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you.

2 Corinthians 3:2 NLT


My Utmost for His Highest

Oswald Chambers was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1874, the son of a Baptist minister.

Chambers and his wife Gertrude, known to all as Biddy, were dedicated to a life of ministry. When World War I broke out, they were sent by the YMCA to minister to English and Australian troops stationed in Egypt. They set up "study huts", places where soldiers could come and relax—and hear teaching from the Bible. In Zeitoun, up to 400 packed in each night to hear him and hundreds came to Christ. In 1916 the YMCA planned evangelistic crusades throughout all of the Egyptian military camps with Chambers as evangelist.

On October 17, 1917, Chambers returned from a Wednesday night prayer meeting feeling ill. Within two weeks, his appendix had been removed. Chambers began to recover, but on November 4 he developed a blood clot, and on November 15, 1917, he died.

Chambers had written just one book before he died, Baffled to Fight Better, but he kept a journal. Biddy was a trained stenographer and had taken down word for word many of his hundreds of messages.

Several years after Oswald's death, Biddy began editing his material into 365 daily reading and named it My Utmost for His Highest. She completed it in 1927 and it remains among the top-ten Christian titles sold annually. Biddy edited twelve more books from Oswald's material and published them under his name, never once mentioning her own.

God's "protective shade"


The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.

Psalm 121:5 NLT


Secure with the keeper

It was dark and cold that November morning when the Livingstone family woke up to say farewell to their son David. He was leaving Scotland for the heart of Africa. Mrs. Livingstone made coffee; Mr. Livingstone dressed warmly to walk his son to Glasgow. David got the family Bible and read the comforting words of Psalm 121 with the family.

A dozen years later, Dr. Livingstone was contemplating a trip deeper into the unexplored interior of Africa along with his wife and children. Just before he left, he received a letter from his mother-in-law, Mary Moffat, who was also a missionary. "My dear Livingstone," she began. "Hitherto I have kept up my spirits and have been enabled to believe that our Great Master may yet bring you out in safety." She said that she was clinging to the promises of Psalm 121 and Psalm 91. "Unceasing prayer is made for you." Then she added, "Every petition, however fervent, must be with submission to his will."

Protected? Yes. Submissive to his will? That, too.

Jesus guaranteed us that in this world we will have trouble (John 16:33). But no matter what happens, we can never be separated from God's love or God's purposes. He promises to preserve us from evil but not to pave over every pothole in life's road.

He who began will not quit

And I am sure that God, who began a good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

Philippians 1:6 NLT

Let this encourage God's holy people to endure persecution patiently and remain firm to the end, obeying his commands and trusting in Jesus.

Revelation 14:12 NLT




God's promise to continue working in our lives requires perseverance on our part.

Whether you are an athlete undergoing grueling physical conditioning, an employee struggling under a mountain of work, or a Christian suffering persecution, the key to perseverance is a clear vision of the goal.

While the goal of an athlete is to win the race and goal of the employee is a job well done, the goal of the believer is nothing less than eternity in the presence of the Lord.

The writer of Revelation encourages Christians to keep their eyes on Jesus, who will reward the faithful, and to obey his Word to the end. When you feel like giving up, remember the glory that awaits you as a child of God.

Where do you turn when threatened?


Send your light and your truth; let them guide me

Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.

There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy.

I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!

Why am I discouraged? Why so sad?

I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!

Psalm 43:3-5 NLT


An appeal for guidance

Being lost in the darkness can be a very frightening situation. But imagine if your were also being pursued by people who were out to kill you!

This was the psalmist's urgent dilemma, and he didn't know which way to turn. But he did know to whom he would cry out for help. He asked God to show him the way, to guide him in the truth, and to to lead him to the Lord's presence.

Pray that God will guide your steps.

Set your sights on your final destination—God's dwelling place—and encourage yourself with the prospect of living joyfully in the Lord's presence.

A pray for today…

Dear God, guide me with your light and truth…

Choosing whom to serve


As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15 NLT


A momentous document

the place was the Mayflower, anchored off the coast of Cape Cod. One hundred and two passengers, including 34 children had spent seven weeks crossing the ocean from England. Among them were 27 adults and 14 children who were Pilgrims, separatists who had fled England for Holland, yet wished to retain their English heritage. They made arrangements with the Virginia Company to settle just south of the Hudson River within the northernmost boundary of the Virginia Charter. However, fierce winds blew them off course to the north—to the shores of Cape Cod.

They realized they would be on their own since they had no agreement with the New England Company. On board the ship some of the non-Pilgrim bonded servants and those hired by contract greeted the decision to settle in Cape Cod as an opportunity for rebellion. The Pilgrim leadership saw that they must act quickly to prevent a mutiny.

The result came to be known as the Mayflower Compact, the first time in recorded history in which free men covenanted together to form a civil government with the authority to enact laws that the people promised to obey.

Before leaving the Netherlands, the Pilgrims had knelt on the dock to ask God's blessing on their voyage. After the first winter on Cape Cod, 47 people died, leaving only three families intact. These humble Christian men and women were to be the seeds of what would become the United States of America.

Responding to those who attack you


"Lord, have mercy on me. See how I suffer at the hands of those who hate me. Snatch me back from the jaws of death.

Save me, so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem's gates, so I can rejoice that you have rescued me…

Arise, O Lord! Do not let mere mortals defy you! Let the nations be judged in your presence.
Make them tremble in fear, O Lord. Let them know they are merely human.

Psalm 9:13-14, 19-20 NLT
"


Asking God to relieve our suffering

Life is difficult enough without people seeking to attack us in one way or another. But as David quickly learned when he became king, the more responsibility and power we are given, the more enemies oppose us.

When we are being attacked by our enemies, we instinctively fight back. But as this prayer shows, our first response to opposition should be to bring the situation to God in prayer. Instead of plotting how he could destroy his enemies, David identified how his current predicament could bring glory and honor to God.

What difficult and troublesome situations have you gone through? Submit those situations to God, and ask him to save you so that you may rejoice in him.

A prayer for today…

Dear Lord, you know how I am suffering. Please save me so I can rejoice in you…

Would you ever renounce your faith?


Arise, O Lord! Do not let mere mortals defy you! Let the nations be judged in your presence.
Make them tremble in fear, O Lord. Let them know they are merely human.

Psalm 9:19-20 NLT


Forty matryrs

"History knows them as the 40 martyrs of Sebaste. They were soldiers in the famed Twelfth Legion of Rome's imperial army, around A.D. 320. One day the captain informed his troops that Emperor Licinius had sent down an edict commanding all soldiers to offer a sacrifice to his pagan god. Forty of the soldiers were followers of Christ, and they refused.

The emperor decided to make an example of the soldiers, so he marched them onto a frozen lake and stripped them of their clothes. "Renounce your God and you will be spared from death," he told them. Not one man came forward. Throughout the night the men stayed together, singing their song of victory: "Forty Martyrs for Christ."

When morning came, 39 of the men had frozen to death. The one survivor recanted his confession of faith. The officer in charge that night had been so moved by the scene that during his watch he'd come to Jesus, so he broke rank and walked out onto the ice. Stripping his clothes he openly confessed his faith in Christ. He refused to renounce his new faith. When the ordeal was over, the Roman soldiers carried 40 frozen men off of the ice.

In comparison, my life is like a long night on a soft mattress. I may one day be faced with serious consequences for my faith. You may, too. Will we have the strength of character and heart and faith to stand strong just the same?