freedom and confidence/day 10

We have the ability approach God with freedom and confidence. I personally believe that is something that we take for granted. Oftentimes we might feel like we are obligated to approach God and don't have the confidence to do so. 

That usually causes some ruts in our faith. When we feel obligated to do things - we often aren't taking action out of love. Obligations are actions that we take when we feel like we have to do something without a deeper meaning. 

When we don't have confidence, we are often immediately filled with doubt. Think about it this way...Imagine not having any confidence in your ability to learn something each time you open your bible...you'll never learn anything without confidence. 

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 3:12)

My hope for you is to start approaching your walk with Christ in confidence. I promise that you will begin to grow in ways that you never thought were possible when you have confidence. I also encourage you to embrace the freedom that we have through Christ. There are people all over the world who don't have the freedom to practice their religion and in America we have the freedom to do that. Please don't take it for granted. 

Day 10: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for another day! I am especially thankful for your love and for this life you have blessed us with. I pray that you help us embrace the freedom we have to worship you daily. I also pray for our confidence. I pray that we all start to have more confidence in our walks with you. I know that oftentimes that is tough. But you make all things possible. Thank you for loving us unconditionally. 

Day 9

I really don't know if anyone follows these posts closely or not. If you do, you might have noticed that I didn't post yesterday. I made a commitment to pray with you for 21 straight days and it didn't happen. 

But I will be honest - yesterday I didn't completely forgot. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and away from everything. In life we try to make commitments all the time. We try to get on the best diets and workout plans only to be right back where we started most of the time.

The important thing is how you respond. How do you respond when you forgot to do something you were committed to? Do you just give up? Or do you wake up the next day and do it again?

We are not perfect by any means. Your routines aren't going to be perfect. How you try to structure your day isn't going to be perfect. But when you focus on what you can control and get after it each day, that is what will lead to the growth that you really want. 

Day 9: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for another beautiful day and an amazing weekend. I pray that you be with us more than ever this week. It's a start to a new week. I pray for those who often struggle with commitments. I pray that we don't get too down on ourselves and give up. I pray that no matter what we get up each day and try again. It's never about how well we do at something - it's about how hard we try. 

Satruday's/Day 8

Happy Saturday! I feel as if every time Saturday rolls around I enjoy it more. I love waking up on Saturday mornings ready to conquer the day. I know it can be tough sometimes. It's easy to completely turn everything off. But I have found that being able to accomplish things on Saturday mornings make you feel really good. 

I think it would be really awesome for y'all to find something this Saturday to accomplish. Whether it's a workout, starting a new book, trying something new, etc. Don't just use today to relax. Life is too short and too amazing to not be doing things like this.

Day 8: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for a beautiful Saturday morning. I am also thankful for the rain last night. I know a lot of farmers really hoped for that. I pray that today can be awesome for everyone. I pray that people can accomplish something today rather than letting Saturday accomplish it's self. I especially pray for my friend EJ and Mikayla who get married today. I pray that you keep everyone safe at the wedding and that you bless them for all the days of their lives. Thank you for loving us more than we could ever imagine. 

 

A proper response/Day 7

For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God - not by works, so that no one can boast. 

(Ephesians 2:8-9)

When someone gives you a gift, do you say, "That's very nice-how much do I oder you?" No, the appropriate response to a gift is "Thank you." Yet how often Christians, even after they have been given a gift of salvation, feel obligated to try to work their way to God. Because our salvation and even our faith are gifts, we should respond with gratitude, praise and joy.

How many times do you get in a spot where you feel like you have to give something back to God? I know that oftentimes that is a mindset that we have. When we have that mindset we just get in a cycle of never really being able to give something back to God. Honestly, that's because we don't have to and we can't.

The best way to respond to the gifts God has given us is through gratitude, praise and joy.

I encourage you all to start doing that. Praising God rather than trying to figure out how to work our way to God is the easier way if you ask me. Not too many times is the easier way, the way that is right.

Day 7: Dear heavenly Father, I praise you for helping us all make it through another week. I pray that there were people out there who really made a difference this week. I'm so thankful for all the gifts you've given us. I pray that we praise you and be joyful all the time rather than trying to work our way to you. Thank you for loving us more than we could ever imagine.

The head of the church/Day 6

One of my favorite phrases in the bible is this: "And God placed all things under his feet." 

To me me that is the ultimate boss move. It shows God's power over all things. It help me understand the significance up God and the insignificance of so many other things. 

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to the head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. 

(Ephesians 1:22-23)

With God being head over everything, that means he is head over the church. Oftentimes I feel like we let other things dictate that. I think in our minds we all have an idea of what we want church to be like each Sunday. Sometimes we don't like the music. Sometimes the sermon might not be great. Sometimes you might not agree with church leadership, etc. 

I don't really understand why we forget this, but Christ is head over all those things. The church is Christ. It't not God's fault if there is something about our church's that we struggle with.

Fullness refers to Christ filling the church with gifts and blessings. The church should be the full expression of Christ, who himself fills everything. The book of Ephesians was primarily written to the entire church, not just an individual. 

The imagine of the body shows the church's unity. Each member is involved with all the others as they go about doing Christ's work on earth. We should not attempt to work, serve, or worship merely on our own. We need the entire body. 

I encourage you to remember that Christ is the ultimate head of the church and that as a body, we must all work together to go about doing Christ's work.

Day 6: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for a great nights sleep last night! Sleep is an amazing thing. I pray specially today for the church. The church has really had to step up the past couple months and it's been cool to see. I pray that all members of the body continue to work together for the purpose of doing Christ's work. I specifically pray that there is no division in the church either. I pray that we continue to understand that Christ is the head of the church and that God has placed everything under his feet. 

Day 5

Day 5: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for waking me up this morning. That you for providing me with the strength to keep this 21 days of prayer going. Today might have been the most difficult yet. I stayed up late. I am exhausted. I didn't feel like doing this at all. But time and time again - whenever I don't want to do something and do it anyways - that's when I feel the most fulfilled and the closest to you. I pray today for everyone who is trying to become more disciplined and trying to stick to habits. I pray you give us the strength to stick to it. Because it's not easy by any means. But I am sure that anyone who is very disciplined would say, once you get something figured out, there is no stopping you. Thank you for loving us like crazy. 

a little is better than nothing/Day 4

Being regimented like I tend to be, I used to think that if I can't fully do something I am used to doing, there is not point at all.

For example, when I have my Jesus time. I like to spend time reading the word, journaling, and then blogging about it. It doesn't take that long for me to do, but sometimes I just don't have the time. I used to beat myself up over it because when I didn't have time, I wouldn't do any of those three things.

I've came to the realization the past couple months that a little is better than nothing. If I can fit at least one of those three things in my day, it's fulfilling to me. Better to use the time I have to be productive rather than just throwing it all out the window.

This morning all I had time for was writing a blog post. Today you might only have time to get into the word. You might only have time to read a devotional plan on your phone, etc. My point is...I know that we are all extremely busy but there is always time where we can honor God in some sort of fashion. 

My encouragement is not to get down on yourself if you aren't spending time with God on a daily basis. There is always something to work for and that it could be it. Just remember: a little bit is better than nothing at all.

Day 4: Dear heavenly Father, I am so thankful for another day. You didn't have to let me wake up today, but here we are and it's another day to love others and to honor you. I pray for everyone today when it comes to their relationship with you. Sometimes it's hard to find time for you in our busy lives, but I know that deep down everyone longs for the fulfillment and eternal salvation that you bring. I pray that everyone can find something that they do on a daily basis to enhance their relationship with God. Whether it's something that is 5 minutes or an hour. A little is better than nothing.

 

Shine brightly/Day 3

There are many people in this world who try to be stars. We see the stars in Hollywood and the stars on social media and I don't know what gets triggered in side of us but it seems like we often want to become stars as well. 

We have the power to do that. 

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 

(Daniel 12:3)

When we are wise, and commit to God in all the ways we live, that is when we will shine brightly. Too often we try to shine brightly in ways that aren't honoring to God. Sure, you might get noticed and it might feel good, but that is only going to be temporary. 

The greatest impact we could ever have on someone is when it comes to their relationship with Christ. When we can be a light and encourage others, that is when we shine brightly and others will notice. 

I also want to say this, I believe that we can shine like the starts in more ways than one. I don't think we have to be standing on the street corner preaching to shine brightly. That might be what a lot of people do and that will work for them. But we can shine brightly in other ways. We can have a positive attitude. I know that's huge and it's not as common as you would think. Positivity, I believe reflects some pretty genuine fulfillment. Another way is how we love others. There is no better way to shine brightly and to be a good example than showing love towards everyone.

I hope this post encourages you all to be stars. Not so that we get noticed, but so that we lead people to righteousness. 

Day 3: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for such an amazing weekend. I pray that everyone had a fulfilling weekend and that today people are all energized and ready to go back to work. Thank you for the word of God. I pray that as we go into today, we can shine brightly. There are a lot of broken people out there who need Jesus and when we start living in such a way that is honoring to God, people are going to see that and want what you have. I also pray that whoever reads this, feels a sense of fulfillment because they've prayed three days in a row. That might be the longest stretch in a while for some people and I pray that we keep it going. Thank you for loving us so much and I pray that we can continue to shine brightly in a dark world. 

future generations/Day 2

Posterity will serve him;

future generations will be told about the Lord.

They will proclaim him righteous,

declaring to a people yet unborn:

He has done it! 

(Psalm 22:30-31)

Often times, I just view kids as really cute and innocent. Which they are, don't get me wrong. But in reality they are so much more. They are our future generations. The kids that we know now are the ones who are going to keep the chain of God's influence going. Have you thought about that before?

The way that we show love to kids, and they way we react around them is incredibly important. 

Unborn generations are depending on our faithfulness today. As we teach out children about the Lord, so they will teach their children and their children's children. If we fail to tell our children about the Lord, we may well be breaking the chain of God's influence in generations to come. 

We must view our children and all the young people we meet as God's future leaders. If we are faithful in opportunities today, we may well be affecting the future. 

Day 2: Dear heavenly Father. Thank you for another amazing day. Thank you for the word of God. I pray that today, all can rest and relax and step away from how busy life is. I know that we like to be crazy busy, but at the same time we have to make sure we continue to have some time to relax. I pray that we can all start to have a better impact on children. It's really up to them to keep things going. Which is honestly something I haven't thought about a ton. (And that's probably because I obviously don't have any kids yet) Thank you for loving us more than we could ever imagine. 

Patient Prayer/Day 1

Sometimes it just takes time. God has the full capability to answer our prayers right away, but sometimes it just takes time. A belief that I have had for a while now is that our prayers aren't answered right away because there must be something else that God has to teach us. 

I am going to be honest - I simply don't pray enough. I don't have a good excuse. When I do pray - I am often impatient and inconsistent. If God doesn't answer my prayer I start praying for something else...or I just don't keep praying for the same thing over and over again. 

There is a story that I just read in Daniel this morning - where Daniel fasted and prayed for 3 weeks. He had no food or drink, and didn't even put lotion on his body. On the third week he had a vision and his prayer was answered. 

Three weeks is a long time to pray and fast. Imagine how amazing our prayer life would be if we were able to be as consistent as Daniel. It's really motivating to me and I am going to commit to it. I hope you can as well.

Too often, answers to our prayers may be hindered by unseen obstacles. We can't expect God's answers to come too easily or too quickly. Prayer may be challenged by evil forces, so we must pray fervently and pray earnestly.

Then expect God to answer at the right time.

I am really big into building strong and disciplined habits. If I were to write out a prayer at the end of each post for the next 21 days would you be willing to follow along with me? 

Day 1: Dear heavenly Father. Thank you so much for another day where we could wake up, and honor you in all that we say and do. I am so thankful for the word of God and all the stories and lessons that are in there for us to learn about. Thank you for Daniel. He has been one of my favorite characters to read about in the bible because of his commitment to you and his discipline. Thank you for the story this morning in Daniel chapter 10 about how Daniel fasted for three weeks and then you answered his prayer. I know I am not good at praying consistently. I pray that by praying like this at the end of these posts, I start to become more consistent in my prayer life. I also pray for anyone else who feels the same way. Please change our hearts. Thank you for loving us unconditionally and I pray that you continue to fill all of our desires on a daily basis. 

A prayer for victory

A prayer for victory in battle. Such a prayer can help us prepare for any great challenge. When David prayed this prayer, he knew that trust should be placed in the Lord more than in human power. 

Maybe this is a prayer that we should all be praying right now. It seems like everyone is going through something and the best way to get through it is by placing our trust in the Lord's power and not our own.

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from the sanctuary

and grant support from Zion.

May he remember all your sacrifices

and accept your burnt offerings.

May he give you the desire of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy over the victory

and lift up our banners in the name of our God. 

Now this I know;

The Lord gives victory to his anointed.

He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary

with the victorious power of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall,

but we rise up and stand firm.

Lord, give victory to the king! 

Answer us when we call! 

(Psalm 20)

For as long as we have lived, there have been issues that we face almost every day. Right? It's the world we live in. Nothing on earth has ever been perfect and nothing will ever be perfect. Most of the time, these things don't last. People joke around how 2020 has been the worst year ever. It's only June. It's halftime. There will always be something new that keeps coming up, and something old that just goes away. Throughout history, empires and kingdoms have risen to great power only to vanish in the dust. 

The true power we have to rely on is God's. Because God alone can preserve a nation or an individual, be sure your confidence is in God, who gives eternal victory. We can't achieve everything we want to on our own power. What we can control is our habits, our discipline, and the effort we put in to trust God. But what we have on our own, is not enough. 

Who do you trust right now?  

guidelines > chains

I believe that sometimes we misconceive God's laws in our lives. 

How many times in our lives do we perceive God's laws and guidelines as something negative? Like chains slowing us dow and things that keep is from having fun, etc. I would say too often. I know there have been times in my life where I could easily distinguish what God wanted me to do and the route it seemed like God wanted me to take wasn't as fun as the other way. 

What if I told you that God's laws acted as guidelines, not chains? 

The law of the Lord is perfect,

refreshing the soul. 

the statues of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure,

enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm,

and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

then honey from the honeymoon.

By them your servant is warned;

in keeping them there is great reward. 

(Psalm 19:7-11)

When I think of statutes, precepts, and commands, I often think of rules that keep us from having fun. But here we see the opposite - the law the revives us, makes us wise, gives joy to the heart, gives light to the eyes, warns us, and rewards us. 

That's because God's laws and guidelines are lights for our path, rather than chains on our hands and feet. They point at danger and warn us, and then point at success and guide us. 

Next time you view God's guidelines as something negative, I hope you remember this scripture and realize that God's guidelines are everything that we need. 

I love you Lord

I believe that sometimes we put certain aspects of our relationship with Christ before others. I think it's easy, at least for me, when it comes to prayer to always be praying to God about something or for someone. I often forget to express my love for God.

Not complex, just simple is what I hope this post is today.

The beginning of Psalm 18 starts likes this: "I love you, Lord, my strength." (Psalm 18:1)

Then the rest of that chapter is beautifully written. 

Seeing that first verse really made me think. What if we began every prayer like that? Or what if when we talked about God around other people we talked about how much we love him? I feel like our understanding on God loving us vs. why we love him is skewed more in one direction than the other. 

We sing, we worship, and we pray about how God loves us. But what about the other way around? 

My one thing for you toady, is to really think about how much you love God. Then it doesn't stop there, try and figure out ways you can really express your love for God! 

Only God can provide this...

The story of Daniel and the Lions Den is one of my favorite stories in the bible. It happens in Daniel chapter 6 and I would highly suggest you taking a look at it at some point very soon. I feel as if each time I read that story - there is something else that I learn and I can apply to my life. 

This morning when I was reflecting upon what stuck out to me, it was Daniel's devotion to God through prayer. Now when the king issued the decree that anyone who worshipped anything other than the king's gods, Daniel made a commitment that he wasn't going to do that. Even though the consequence was being thrown into the lions den. 

Now when Daniel learned that the decree has been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. (Daniel 6:10)

Daniel made no attempt to hide his daily prayer routine from the government, even though he knew he would be disobeying their new law. Hiding his daily prayers would have been futile because surely the conspirators would have demonstrated that he was afraid of the government officials. Daniel continue to pray because he could not look at the king for the guidance and strength that he needed during this difficult time. Only God could provide what he really needed. 

I challenge you to think about what your response to this is. My response and what I take away is that I need to do a better job at praying. Daniel knew that no matter what he prayed about that God could provide those things for him. I pray, but don't as much as I should. I want to be able to shut out the outside world when I pray because only God can provide what I absolutely need most. 

my 365 day commitment

I believe that one of the best ways to honor a commitment is to build strong and disciplined habits. I feel as if a commitment is flakey unless you don't do something about it on a daily basis.

When I first started dating Rach - I was scared to be 7 hours apart from her for an entire year. I knew she was going to be the one, but I felt like there was something that I had to commit to in order to show her how much I loved her.

Last May (2019) I was mowing my grandparents yard and the whole time I was thinking about Rach because we had just spent the weekend together and I had asked her to be my girlfriend. But while I was mowing, I heard God's voice more clear than I ever have before. I had heard him tell me that if I wrote her 365 letters that I was going to marry her.

I was in.

The only person I told about it was my brother and he thought it seemed pretty legit. So that day, I went home and wrote her letter number 1. Now the original plan was to propose on the day I wrote the 365th letter - but honestly, I couldn't wait that long.

Writing Rach a letter every morning was one of the things that really helped us get through the distance. We were both extremely busy so it wasn't like we got to talk all the time, and some months we only got to see each other for one weekend. To me, writing a letter to Rach was my 10 minute date with her every day.

This morning I wrote her 365th letter. What a ride it has been. I don't think I've ever done anything that helped me truly commit to something more than this. 365 days. Never skipped one. It didn't matter what city I was in, what country, or how tired I was. I wrote every day for a year and it has been one of the greatest decisions I have ever made.

If you are having trouble committing to someone or something, my encouragement for you is to find a way to honor that commitment through your actions and discipline. You don't have to write 365 letters...you don't have to do anything extreme, you just have to find something that works for you. Because I guarantee you. Without that commitment to Rach, our long-distance relationship would've been so much harder than what it actually was.

I'll leave you with this. Make a commitment today. A commitment for your heart and your mind. A selfless commitment. Don't get into this just so you get something in return. We have to make commitments for our own hearts.

Writing Rach for 365 days led me to one of the greatest commitments I have ever made and that is to love her more every day for the rest of my life.

What will you cut off?

Those who walk in pride, he is able to humble. 

Often times in our lives, there are things that help us reach our success and get us to where we want to go. Whether it's something that we are proud of our not. We too often can't let go of that pride and accept who we are. It's like there are parts of us that we are too afraid to cut off.

In Daniel chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about the magnificent empire that he had created. Everything that he had created had resembled a tree that you could see from all the ends of the earth. It was a sign of abundance. The king had cerated one of the most powerful empires in all of the world. 

The king's problem was that he was prideful. He would not give the glory, credit, and honor to God. In his dream, it was interpreted that the king was going to have to cut down the tree. Which meant letting go of the empire that he was created. 

The unique part about what God was saying to him in his dream was that there will still be a base of the tree, and when the time comes, he can start building a new empire while being humbled before God. 

So the king new what he had to do. He cut down the tree just like God had told him and he was humbled. 

Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like claws of a bird. At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High: I honored and glorified him who lives forever. 

(Daniel 4:33-34)

Talk about being humbled...he was basically cast out into the wilderness, ate grass like an ox, his hair was like the feathers of an eagle, and his nails were like claws. All this happened so that God could turn this king's pride into humility. 

I share this story because I believe that there are things that each and every one of us have that we need to cut off. There are parts about our lives that we need to make new. God is the one true king who fulfills us in ways that are unimaginable. 

What has to happen today for you to praise the Most High and the glorify him forever and ever? 

Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego

I am sure that most people have heard of Shedrach, Meshach, Abednego and the burning furnace. This post isn't going to be about the entire story, it's going to be about having incredible faith in God no matter what happens.

Shedrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to him, "King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will delver us from your Majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." 

(Daniel 3:16-18)

What I like about what the three guys say is that whether God delivers them or not from the fiery furnace that they still won't worship the king's gods and the image he set up. No matter what God was going to do in this situation, it was going to be more rewarding than worshipping other gods.

See they trusted God to deliver them, but they were determined to be faithful regardless of the consequences. If God always rescued those who were true to him, Christians would not need faith. Their religion would be a great insurance policy, and there would be lines of selfish people ready to sign up. We should be faithful to serve God whether he intervenes on our behalf or not. Our eternal reward is worth any suffering we may have to endure first.

I think the belief is sometimes that we will believe only when we know that God will help us prevail in whatever situation we are going through. Because we hate to be let down. We fear to fail and not see God answer our prayers.

But imagine having the mindset and the faith in God that no matter how he intervenes in the situation it is greater than consequences. Our situations don't define who we are, our faith in God does that.

My encouragement for you all is to have faith like Shedrach, Meshach, and Abednego. No matter the outcome, our eternal reward is worth any suffering we may have to endure first.

crisis points

Imagine going to see a powerful, temperamental king who has just angrily ordered your death..

That's what Daniel was faced with in Daniel chapter 2. King Nebuchadnezzar was having dreams that nobody was able to interpret and it was starting to drive him crazy. He searched all over Babylon for someone to interpret his dreams and it seemed like nobody could. He even tried having the magicians and the sorcerers take a stab at it.

When Nebuchadnezzar finally hit his breaking point, he issued a degree to have all wise men in Babylon killed. The king sent Arioch, his servant, to look for Daniel. Daniel was the last straw. The king already knew that there was something different about Daniel because of his actions in Daniel chapter 1 when he resolved.

When Arioch found Daniel, he didn't shrink back in fear. However, he confidently believed the God would tell him all that the king wanted to know.

That's the first thing I want to point out in this post. Daniel, and every single wise man's life was on the line in Babylon and he didn't fear. He had confidence in God to tell him everything he needed to know. Imagine handling every crisis point like that.

Calamity and trust seemed to be the name of the game for Daniel. I believe that we should handle our crisis points more like Daniel. Rather than freaking out, imagine being calm, and trusting in God. His trust was deep though. Anybody can say that they trust someone. But Daniel legitimately believed that God was going to help him solve this mystery.

Calamity, trust, and belief.

Something else that sticks out to me about Daniel in the time of this crisis is that he kept his friends in the loop. Before he made any decisions, he wanted to make sure that his three friends were well aware of what was going on.

So Daniel found his three friends and they prayed.

I often think that we try to handle crisis points on our own. We think we can do it without help. We don't want to communicate with anyone what is going on, etc. To be completely honest, I believe that there is a pride factor wrapped up in it as well.

When we find ourselves in tight spots, we need to share our needs with trusted friends who also believe in God's power. Prayer is more effective than panic. Panic confirms your hopelessness, prayer confirms your hope in God. Daniel's trust in God saved himself, his three friends, and all the other wise men of Babylon.

My challenge for you is to ask yourself how you are handling times of crisis in your life. I believe we can learn a lot from Daniel in this passage. He was calm. He trusted God. He believed in God's power. He prayed with his friends. Ask yourself this question and really think about the answer...imagine if we handled all crisis points in this way? 

Resolve

Resolve is a strong word that means to be devoted to principal and to be committed to a course of action.

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission to defile himself this way. 

(Daniel 1:8)

Have you ever had to say no to a group of friends or maybe even some people at work because they were doing something you didn't feel comfortable experiencing? This hasn't been the case with anyone I've ever worked with, but sometimes with friends at certain periods of my life.

There were times were I resolved and times I didn't. I will tell you this, the times I resolved were powerful because I could feel that God was showing his favor.

I think back to a pretty funny story actually...I was a freshmen in high school and it was towards the end of October. There is a scream park about 20 minutes from my hometown called Scream-acres. I had never been there before. I had just heard about it from my friends and upperclassmen I went to school with.

I remember when my mom finally agreed to take me and my friends. I was so excited and felt so grown up. Unfortunately we didn't get there till about 9:30 at night which is fairly late. My mom was very particular about what time we had to be back in the car because she sat and there and waited for us.

After about an hour of waiting in line to go through the haunted house, it seemed like we would never get through the line in time. She had told us that not matter what we were leaving at 11:00. My phone hit 11 and we were about 5 people away from going through.

When she called and and told me it was time to leave, I told my friends it was time and they didn't come with me. After some jokes and being made fun, I resolved not to do what they were doing and decided to obey my mom.

So I went outside and sat in the car with her while all my friends went through the maze.

Do you ever think God is just waiting for you to get it?

See, I understood that my mom was going to love me no matter what decision I made that night. But I wanted to make sure I did what was right and obeyed her. I wanted to make a commitment towards obedience.

God loves us when we make mistakes and when we don't. I think it's time that we start to resolve. It's time to devote ourselves to God's principals and be committed to a course of action.

When Daniel resolved himself, he was being true to a lifelong determination to do what was right and to not give in to the pressures around him. We are to often assaulted by pressures to compromise our standards and live more like the world around us.

Merely waning or preferring God's will and way is not enough to stand against the onslaught of temptation. Like Daniel, we must resolve to obey God.

one single purpose

What is your one single purpose?

I man often asked what I believe my purpose is...and I have given the wrong answer my entire life. A client asked me the other day why I do what I do... I told him that everything I do is for relationships. I love people, I love building up relationships and having an impact on someone's life. That is what brings me fulfillment from my business.

It seemed like a great answer. But the fact of matter is that is wasn't what my answer should've been.

Now all has been heard
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil. 

(Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) 

The single purpose of life isn't the mysteries and apparent contradictions we face. The single purpose is knowing God.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon showed us that we should enjoy life, but that doesn't exempt us from obeying God's commandments. We should search for purpose and meaning in life, but they cannot be found in human endeavors.

We should acknowledge the evil, foolishness, and injustice in life, yet maintain a positive attitude and faith in God.

I encourage you to reshape your one single purpose. It might seem a little weird at first, but when your single purpose is knowing God, I believe that good things will begin to fall in place.