Walk Through
Today's Scripture:
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4, NIV.
Psalm 23:4, NIV.
Today's Word:
Sometimes in life, you’ve got to play in pain. In other words, you’ve got to keep going even when you don’t feel like it. You have to keep pressing forward even when it’s not easy. Every voice will tell you, “You’re done. There’s nothing good in your future.” No, don’t believe those lies. God sees your effort. It’s one thing to do the right thing and make good decisions when everything is going your way. That’s great. God honors that. But when times are tough and nothing is going your way, when you’re hurting, when you should be on the sidelines nursing your wound but instead you’re still in the game; you’re still getting to work on time; you’re still being good to someone, you’re still expecting God to turn it around, that gets God’s attention in a new way.
I believe God has a greater reward for people who are faithful in the tough times. If that’s you today, know that God has His hand on you. He’s walking with you through the valley. He’s preparing streams in the dessert. He’s leading and guiding you in paths of righteousness for His name sake. Keep praising. Keep believing. Keep moving forward knowing that God is with you, and His comfort will guide you to the place of blessing.
Prayer for Today:
Father, thank You for being my Good Shepherd. Thank You for walking with me in the valley, in the tough places. Thank You for restoring my soul and leading me to a place of victory and blessing in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
PS...
“Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26 NIV)
One day, you’ll give an account of your life before God. When you keep that in mind and have that kind of long-term thinking, it’s going to change what you say, what you do, and who you try to impress. It’s the people-pleaser antidote.
When you take that long look and realize you’re going to give an account for every word you say today, you’ll ask yourself, “Do I want God disapproving of what I just said or did, or do I want this person disapproving of what I just said or did?”
I know this because I’ve been interviewed on lots of tv shows. In those broadcasts, they will ask me the toughest questions possible. They want to put me on the spot and, because I believe a certain thing, make me look like a bigot or a fool. They intentionally try to get me to back down off of what the Bible says.
When I’m in those interviews, my human nature wants to be liked, just like yours does. My human nature wants to compromise, divert, punt, and leave out the truth. I’ve actually heard guys being asked those questions on tv and they’ll say, “I just leave that up to God” or “Everybody has to make up their own mind.” There’s a word for that: cop-out! Those are politically correct, people-pleasing cop-outs. Those people are not standing for the truth.
In those moments, when I could say something that would be politically correct and wouldn’t offend but would be a lie, I remember these truths –
First, I remember what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross. He didn’t deny me. He didn’t back down for me. He died for my sins. I owe him my life. He created me. He saved me. He forgave me. He’s taking me to Heaven. I’m not going to deny him.
Second, I remember that one day I’m going to give an account to God. And at that point God’s going to say, “What did you say in that interview? What did you say in that conversation at work? What did you say to your friend at school?” I remember that integrity is more important than popularity. And I’m not going to give up my integrity.
Finally, I tell the truth, and I let the chips fall.
The Bible says in Luke 9:26, “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (NIV).
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