God Is Aways There

God Is Always There “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2 As we read the Psalms of David, we find him either rejoicing and praising God for a victory over his enemies, or we find him down in the dumps and asking God to protect him and provide him guidance. Every one of us also goes through these times in our lives. We are either happy and overjoyed when something good happens in our lives and when our plans suddenly fall into place. We also go through times when we are discouraged, have financial issues, relationship issues and have the blues. Usually when we have our bad times we turn our eyes toward heaven, and ask God for guidance and for help. So often however when things are going good in our lives we forget to also thank God for the good times He is providing us. There are three steps I believe each of us should follow each day during both our bad and good times to keep ourselves focused on God and His power in our lives. (1) We should always go to God in prayer for everything. (2) Read the Word of God each day. Let His scriptures challenge and transform our mind and our actions. (3) Obey and follow God’s commandments and do His will. God’s will for you is to worship and serve Him. God can be our refuge and give us strength to face our blues if we put our trust in Him. David depended upon God to help him during his times of trouble, but also did not forget Him in the happy times. We won’t stumble in the darkness if we walk in the light of God’s word. David knew who to turn to when he faced trouble, as he knew that God was always there for him. He also knew that God provided the times of happiness and joy and always thanked God for them. My Daily Devotional Volume Six August 16 Robert William Brock, Jr.

God Is all Around You

Good Morning to all my friends. This is another day that God has given us, let us be glad and rejoice in it. My prayer for you is that God will bless each of you today and give you His peace and His comfort in all that you do. Today's Challenge-------------------- God Is All Around You “See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Songs 2:11-12 Do you experience God in your daily life? Today, I want to encourage you to look for God all around you. One of my favorite hobbies is working in my garden, and as I spend many hours planting, pruning and weeding my flowers, I see God all around me as I gaze on the beauty of what He has created before me. I believe God desires to be a part of our everyday lives, in this manner. He shows us His majesty in all the beauty that surrounds us, if we will only look for it. Recently I discovered the above scripture during my Bible study, and it really jumped off the page at me, as it is one of the most beautiful scriptures I had discovered in some time. Since I found this scripture every time I go out in my yard, I now think about this verse. It reminds me of God, and the beauty He has created all around me. After the rain and the storms comes the rainbow, and the beauty of the flowers that He has surrounded me with. It is now a time for singing, as the birds fill the air with their joyful sounds. Since I asked Jesus into my heart, I can see Him and feel Him throughout my day, in all different ways such as this, which I had never experienced before. I believe Jesus wants us to experience Him in this way in our everyday lives. It is through these kinds of moments, that we realize just how amazing God really is, when we hear the birds singing in the trees, and see the wind gently blowing through the trees These are now special times for me, as I can see God, and feel His presence all around me. My Daily Devotional Volume Four June 15 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Be An Example

Be An Example “In everything set them an example by doing what is good.” Titus 2:7 It is so important in today’s world to set an example for our young people. They are growing up with so much temptation all around them, that is having lasting influences on their lives. All people need models to follow, especially our youth. Watching our parent’s model correct behavior by the way they live their lives, is the best form of influence our children can have. I have heard and read many books which indicate that as much as 89% of our learning is by watching others, and is visual. Only about 10% comes from what we hear, and only 1% comes from our other senses. We all learn best through a model, and imitating them. How many times in our lives have we been influenced by someone that has stood out from the crowd, by their actions and behavior? We all have had a school teacher, a Sunday School teacher, a boss, or maybe a friend or a family member that we tried to pattern ourselves after. I know in my situation I would love to be the man my grandfather was, and to leave a legacy that he left for his family. Our actions can influence others, everywhere we go and in anything we do. Christians need to be careful in all situations in their lives, to set the example for others to follow. We can influence so many people we come into contact with on a daily basis. Even our youth can influence people around them. We can all be influencers everywhere we go. When we follow the commands of God, and obey his will for our lives, we will become a witness for God, and our influence can be far reaching in the world around us. At all times our actions and our lives must be centered around God, and if it is, he will direct and lead us to be a witness for him wherever we go. My Daily Devotional Volume Six August 14 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Time Is Short

Time Is Short “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.” Psalm 103:15-16 We are here for only a season, but during this time we have the opportunity to choose a life that is filled with God’s presence—one that is overflowing with his blessings, and one that will be fruitful. So many people however choose to spend their life mired in a world of trouble, unhappiness, sin and one that produces no fruit. We have not been placed here accidentally to serve no purpose. God has placed us here for a reason. We may never understand the overall plan of God, and our part in his great puzzle, but we are here for a reason. So many falsely conclude that it’s my life to live as I please, it’s my money to spend on what I want, it’s mine, I earned it and can do whatever I choose with my material possessions. This is such a fallacy as everything we have is due to God letting us have it. We have to guard our lives to make sure we do not become caught up in fulfilling our own needs, our own desires, and thinking only about ourselves. God promises that he will provide all our needs when we obey His commands and serve Him and do His will. Although we are only on this earth for a short time, God has promised us that we are also immortal. One thousand years from this day you will be more alive than you are at this moment. The Bible teaches us that life does not end at the cemetery. There is a future life with God in Heaven for those who put their trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jeremiah knew this when he prayed, Jeremiah 10:23 “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” My Daily Devotional Volume Six August 13 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Don't Worry Be Happy

Don't Worry Be Happy “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” Matthew 6:25 In today’s society one of the things that touch so many Christians, and cause them to not fully accomplish what God wants them to accomplish, is worry. Most families spend a good part of their day trying to figure out how to pay their bills, dealing with problems with their children, handling pressures with their jobs and dealing with relationships with their spouses. There is little time left in their day. This is not the way God intends for a Christian family to spend their waking hours, just getting by and worrying about their problems. We cannot be a productive witness for God if we have our minds occupied upon our own needs. We need to get our minds off our daily difficulties and turn them over to God. He can handle our burdens and provide for us. All we have to do is trust and have faith, and He will protect and provide all our needs. Many of the difficulties people face are related to things that happened in the past. We can all look back in our lives and see things that we would have done differently, but the Bible says to make the most of each day. Yesterday is gone; tomorrow may never come. You must live for today. You can’t do anything about yesterday, but you can do a great deal about tomorrow. When we have God at the center of our lives he will care for us, he will protect us and provide all our needs. Our limited days on this earth should be happy and peaceful ones. They should be days that our thoughts should be on being a witness for God, and doing and obeying his commands, and His will for our lives. When God is at the center of your life, you will have a productive life, free from worry. My Daily Devotional Volume Six August 12 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Wise Words

Wise Words “The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction Proverbs 16:21 Once our words are said, they can never really be taken back. This can be a frightening thought, as so many people say things they really don’t mean, which can have catastrophic ramifications on other people. We must consider both the right words, and the right timing, especially when speaking words of correction to our children. We must always be thinking about building others up instead of tearing them down. We have tried to communicate our values to our children throughout our lives, and I believe we have successfully done this, as they are living their lives with the values we have taught them, and are passing these values on down to their children. Our parents were able to communicate with us, and pass what their parents had passed down through them, and we in turn have been successful in passing this down to our children. Our homes are the most intimate places on earth, and need to be greenhouses of beauty and growth for us and our families, but this will only become a reality when we follow the instructions of God. When we’re tempted to treat each other harshly, we need to consider God’s model of forgiveness, and choose to be tender toward each other. Learning to communicate with your spouse and your children is a process which can take time, and I know that sometimes it may seem like we are speaking different languages. But over time, and with enough effort, we must learn to understand each other. It is so important to make our homes a haven of peace for our families and our children. The way we communicate with each other, and the use of our words is so essential in this process. Always choose your words carefully. My Daily Devotional Volume Six August 11 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Are Your Plans God's Plans

Are Your Plans God's Plans “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 During our lives we all make big plans as to what we want to do in our profession, the kind of person we want to marry, the school we want to go to, the kind of house we want to build; the list goes on and on. So many of us make these plans with the expectations that if we work for them, they will come to fruition, and we will obtain from life everything we desire. So many of us leave out one big factor in making our plans, and that is that we leave out the will of God in our lives. God tells us in the above scripture that if we commit to the Lord whatever we do, our plans will succeed. There have been so many times in my life where I had big plans, and knew just how I was going to accomplish them, and could just see these plans becoming realities. I would spend much time plotting all the steps, but then due to some unforeseen circumstances many of these plans never came to fruition. It has only been during these past 10 years or so that I realized that one thing was usually missing in my big plans; and that was that God had not been included. I now know that if we are going to succeed in anything we do, we need to include God in our plans, and know that what we are doing is also his will for our lives. If we do this I believe He will let our plans succeed. It is so easy to let pride stand in the way, as we think that we have the answers to the problems in life. We think that we can do all things by ourselves, and that we are in control. Until we determine just how little control we have, and how much our plans depend on God's will, we will wander aimlessly through life But there are no plans that we have that are impossible to accomplish if it is in God's will and plans for us. My Daily Devotional Volume Six August 10 Robert William Brock, Jr.