DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 30th

As we soberly begin to prepare our hearts and minds for yet another year that the Lord has blessed us with, let’s not forget the mindset and demeanor that the Word of God encourages us to have as we come to Him for mercy, grace and/or direction about any matter. Like a curious toddler saunters over to their mom or dad at least 50x a day to ask them whatever question pops into their head - God expects that level of boldness. We are to come to Him with the upmost respect but with an equal confidence in the fact that He loves us and that our well being is held in very high esteem in His eyes.

Just as fear and love cannot co-habitate in our hearts (1 John 4:18), neither can faith and fear. We must become like children (Matthew 18:2), trusting once and for all that our Father God cannot and will not lie to us. He cares about you and desires to meet you at the point of your need. Those TRUTHS will never change (Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 13:8; Jeremiah 29:11). So as you continue to trust Him for direction moving into this New Year and possibly new season in your life, trust that He will provide for you every step of the way (you don’t need to try to make anything happen). Your heart, emotions, spirit and physical well-being are all safe with Him, so rest IN Him.

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 26th

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].” -1 Peter 5:6-7 AMP

It’s important that we daily exercise humility and examine whether we’ve truly submitted our will and desires to God. Once we do this, we position ourselves not only to be honored by God, but for Him to save the time that we often waste trying to figure out our own lives and purpose as well as the fruitless efforts spent attempting to bear the cares of this world. God wants us to put our confidence in Him and trust that He is more than able to handle any burdensome emotions or concerns that have tried to come against our minds. He cares about each and every detail of your life. So give them to Him once and for all. He’s consistent even when others and even our own emotions are not (Hebrews 13:8); and His affection towards you won’t change. Rest in that fact today. YOU. ARE. LOVED.