Keep Pressing Forward

Keep Pressing Forward “For he says, in the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” 2nd Corinthians 6:2 Did you know that you are in God's favor, and that He wants to bless you in all that you do. You are special and He loves you. Today, I would like to tell you that no matter what you may be facing, keep pressing forward. Don’t let the challenges of daily life detour you, keep pressing forward. In the midst of the battles you are fighting in your life today, keep pressing forward. One of the big ways Satan neutralizes many Christians is by throwing so much at them each day, and by the end of the day you are just happy you made it, and looking forward to getting some sleep. Satan has you so conditioned to just making it through the day that you start to make that your goal each morning. You wake up and your prayer is, “O Lord, just help me make it through the day.” My friends, we aren’t here to just make it through the day, we are here to make a difference through the day. Each day is a special gift from God. It isn’t promised to us, and if our goal is simply to make it to the end of the day, we are not being good stewards of that wonderful gift. We usually think of stewardship in regard to how we handle our money. I want you to understand that good stewardship also entails how we handle the time God blesses us with. God doesn’t give us a new day to simply make it through another 24 hours. He blesses us with that day, so that we can serve and glorify him, and make an impact with our life for the Kingdom. God will hold you accountable for how faithful you have been with each minute. He gives everyone resources, He gives everyone talent, and He gives everyone time. Be a good steward of your time today, and make God number one in your day and you will be in God’s favor. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven June 30

Making The Right Choices

Making The Right Choices "From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him." Proverbs 12:14 Have you ever been torn between making a choice which you know is wrong and evil, and making a choice which you know is right and good? All throughout the day you are making choices, and each choice is critical because they all carry consequences. Good choices bring forth good consequences, and bad choices bring forth bad consequences. Satan is out in the world tempting you to make choices that will lead you astray, and away from God. He is fearless and persistent in his attacks. In my devotionals I am constantly reminding you just how important your daily walk with God really is, as just a few minutes alone with God each morning, reading your Bible and praying, can help you avoid the temptation to make a bad choice. The closer you are to the Lord, the more you will take on the mind of Christ. The more you think like God, the more Godly your choices will be. So much of the pain and heartache you face in this life stems from your own poor choices. As you make those choices in your life throughout the day, based on what God would want you to do, what would please Him, what would honor Him, after a while making the right choices becomes easier and natural. The more you practice making Godly choices, the easier it becomes to make Godly choices. Today, I want to encourage you to consciously think about the choices you are making, and ask yourself if this is a choice that honors God, and is this a choice that a follower of Jesus would make. If you know Jesus as your Savior, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. To not take advantage of asking the Holy Spirit to guide you and help you make the right choices is foolish. It is God who gives you the ability to make choices, and it is God who will guide you, if you let him. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven June 29

The Brevity Of Life

The Brevity Of Life "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:14 As I read this scripture this morning, I am amazed just how fleeting my life has been. It seems like only yesterday I was young, my wife and I were starting a life together, our children were playing in the house with their toys, we were in the spring of our life, with our life in front of us. However, I now realize that I am nearing the twilight of my life, and these things are but memories of the times that have flown by too fast. I am amazed at the brevity of life, as almost before I knew it, the years have passed, and my life on this earth will soon be over. Thinking back on the years that have passed, I now realize that the brevity of life should challenge us, as if ever we are to live for Christ and share Him with others it must be now. Now is the time to warn others that now is the time and the place to share the fruit of the Spirit with others. Jesus said, "The night is coming when no one can work." John 9:4. But life's brevity should also comfort us, as life may be short, but ahead of us is eternity. When sufferings overwhelm us or difficulties assail us, we know they will soon be over. We can endure the storms that this life brings, by knowing that there will be a rainbow at the end, which is going to appear after our storms are over, and this gives us hope that there is something better awaiting us. There are better things that await us only if we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Paul wrote, "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." 2nd Corinthians 4:16. These are comforting words, as even though our earthly bodies are slowly wasting away, there is a new life awaiting us, a new body that will endure for all eternity, one that will never die. I am looking forward to my future, with no regrets about my past, as my eternity in Heaven is secured. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven June 28

How Do Your Pray

How Do You Pray “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught the disciples.” Luke 11:1 Many people pray only in times of great stress, danger, or uncertainty. During the time I was flying each week to Illinois on a consulting job, when we would encounter bad storms, I found myself surrounded by some people praying for the first times in their lives. It is instinctive for us to pray in times of trouble. It is during these times that we realize our helplessness. We should not pray only in times of distress or trouble, but should be lifting our voices up to Jesus all throughout our day. We should be praying and thanking Him in the good times, as well as the bad times. We need to continually pray and thank God for all the things He gives us daily, such as our health, our jobs, our families, our homes, our material possessions and all the blessings that we receive each and every day. Jesus likes us to thank Him for the things He provides. The disciples had noticed Jesus’ prayer life and they yearned to be in touch with God as Jesus was. The prayer He taught them covers all the bases as far as what we need to pray for in our everyday life. We need to go to God in prayer each and every day as this is the way we can communicate with Him. We need to go to Him in our times of trouble and ask Him to help carry our burdens. We also need to go to Him in the good times, thanking Him for the blessings He bestows upon us. Have you ever said, “Lord, teach me to pray”? Prayer shouldn’t be casual or sporadic, dictated only by the needs of the moment. Prayer should be as much a part of our lives as breathing. With all the things that are happening in our world today, we have never experienced a time where people have a greater need to band together and pray for our country and our leaders. Begin praying to God daily. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven June 27

Are You Ready

Are You Ready "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years." Revelation 20:1-2 Our world is in turmoil and we can see the evidence that we are in the last days, from all the unrest and the threat of wars all around the globe. We are seeing a growing trend towards big government, and less and less power for the people, as our freedoms are slowly being taken away. People are becoming simply pawns of the government who want to control their life and control everything they do, and make them dependent on someone else. The days where people depended upon themselves for food, shelter, clothing and other necessities is slowly disappearing. The governments debts are increasing astronomically, and when the demand for payment comes due, there will be a great economic crisis on a world wide scale. We are seeing trouble in the middle east increase, and nations are coming under the control of those who have great hatred for the Jewish people, and the state of Israel. Chemical weapons are close to being used, and Iran will soon have nuclear capabilities. The world is looking for a savior, and one will come. He will be the Anti-Christ and will have great sway over the nations, and will have favor with all the peoples of the world. As Christians, we have the awesome opportunity to pray and to witness to those who are blinded as to what is going on in the world. We are not wrestling against flesh and blood but against the forces of evil. This should not be news to you however, as the Bible warns us this time is coming. It also tells us that Jesus will also return to claim all that have asked Him into their hearts. We will meet Him in the air, and He will reclaim the earth and all that have accepted Him as their savior. Our task is to be ready. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven June 26 Robert William Brock, Jr. This is one of the 365 devotionals from my book. It is published by Amazon.com and is available at Amazon.com under the book section.

Find The Truth

Find The Truth “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will know them” Matthew 7:15 Someone sent me a story about a man who went into a fried chicken place and bought a couple of chicken dinners for himself and his date to take on a picnic lunch. But instead of chicken, the young woman at the counter inadvertently gave him the proceeds from the day—a whole bag of money. After driving to their picnic site, the two sat down to enjoy their meal. But they discovered a whole lot more than chicken—over $800 in cash was in the bag. The man quickly put the money back in the bag, got in the car, and drove all the way back to the restaurant. The manager was thrilled to death. He said, "this is fantastic, I’m going to have your picture put in the local newspaper. You’re the most honest man I’ve ever met.” The man quickly responded, “Oh no, don’t do that.” Then he leaned closer and whispered, “You see, the woman I’m with is not my wife... she’s somebody else’s.” You probably loved this man up until the last sentence, and now, you probably think he’s the scum of the earth. Isn’t it amazing what can happen to our impressions of people once we know the full story? This is why the Bible warns us to never judge someone as only God can judge, as we never know what is in someone's heart. God, however, knows all about each of us, He knows the good and also knows the bad. Often the people we meet, and think we know, put on a good front for others to see, but so often this hides what is really in their heart. In much the same way, many “spiritual leaders” today look good on the outside, but when you find out what they’re really teaching, you discover they may not be all they proclaim. So be careful what you allow yourself to be taught by others. Find out the truth yourself from God's Word. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven June 25 Robert William Brock, Jr. This is one of the 365 devotionals from my book. It is published by Amazon.com and is available at Amazon.com under the book section.

Forgiveness Is Necessary

Forgiveness Is Necessary “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14 I have written many devotionals about forgiveness, but it is such an important issue that I need to write one more. All of us have had instances where someone has done something that has harmed us in some way, and we have had trouble forgiving them. God is very specific in His instructions as to how we are to handle these types of situations. The scripture above is pretty plain as to how God views us not being able to forgive someone. Forgiving someone is one of the more difficult things to overcome in most of our lives, but if we are not able to overcome this obstacle, it will be difficult for us to have real peace in our life. For our emotional and spiritual health, we must let the past go. It doesn’t do any of us any good to go around hating somebody, nor does it make any sense to stay angry for something somebody did to us in the past. We need to be careful that our bitterness and lack of forgiveness does not contaminate others around us, as they are influenced by the way we handle a bad situation in our lives. If we are going to be happy with ourselves we have to learn to forgive others as Jesus commanded. When we don’t forgive, we’re not hurting the other person and we’re not hurting God. We’re only hurting ourselves. If we want to have the peace and happiness in our lives that God wants us to have, we must forgive. Bitterness and pent up anger for something that has happened to us will keep God from operating in our lives and will keep our prayers from being answered. Once we decide to release the bitterness that we have stored and let it go, we will then be able to reap God’s full blessings for our lives. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven June 24 Robert William Brock, Jr. This is one of the 365 devotionals from my book. It is published by Amazon.com and is available at Amazon.com under the book section.