Drops of Sunshine - Daily Bread

The adversary knows that God is in control, but his mission is to convince us of the opposite. If we focus on what we see with our natural eyes, it becomes easy to lose sight of that. Take a moment to reset and remind yourself that you are in God's care.

There is a difference in the quality of work that has your undivided attention and work produced while you were distracted. In some lines of work, a moments distraction can be costly or even deadly. That shows the importance of having a mind equipped to focus. That's in our daily living but it grants insight into how vital it is for our spirit as well.

Those on the road to sobriety will sometimes have an accountability partner. As we continue to grow in the faith, building a support network is an effective way of strengthening your ability to maintain your growth and keep your focus. 

Even the most beautiful weeds are still weeds and can be very detrimental to the health of your garden. This is another reason that we need to be continually developing our understanding of all things spiritual.

I've often reminded my loved ones that Satan does not need help from us in causing chaos. That becomes increasingly clear when you look at how practically no populated surface in the world is untouched when it comes to hatred. As children of God, we need to be more intentional about being keepers of peace.

It is absolutely for us to be able to discern the time that we are living in so that we are not deceived. That is more likely to occur if we don't know what signs to look for. That's why spending time studying the scriptures is increasingly crucial. 

Confidence isn't acquired overnight. It's built up over time through our experience. The same is in our confidence and faith in God. Life experience and testimonies reveal a God who doesn't turn his back on us. That's something that becomes instrumental in increasing our confidence in Him.

The beauty in waiting for the Lord is in knowing, with certainty, that he will come through. That can be a faith struggle since what we see doesn't always seem to match his promises. That's why we need to remind ourselves of God's word every single day and trust him even more than we did the day before.

With God on our side, failure is not an option. So any trial you face, lay it before him and trust that he will deliver. But remember that you need to step out of the way and let him do it.

It can be challenging to watch others thrive and appear to prosper, especially when they do so by wicked means. That's why our focus needs to be on God instead of other people. In him only can we trust and continue to expect blessings to reign in our life. By trusting him more each day, we can truly understand the meaning of rest.

As a child, I always found some of the older saints in church a bit fanatical. They stayed ready with a scripture to pull out of their hat for any situation. Now, I understand the necessity of holding on to that encouragement and finding God wherever I go. If I seek after him, I will find him.

 I think that sometimes our prayers have limitations because we get caught up in our own limited thinking. But to recognize the power of God allows us to acknowledge what the verse Isaiah 55:8. God's ways and thoughts encompass all things and will always far exceed our own. So rather than trust confidently in our own words, trust that God will perfect your ask and provide exactly what you need. And, what you aren't asking or don't know how to put in words.

When I look at the breadth of fascinating things on planet Earth, it's a daily reminder of how great God is. If we remind ourselves of such on a daily basis, it can go a long way to encouraging us to keep trust God for the things that seem impossible. It all belongs to him anyway.

It's easy to say a prayer. It's a whole other thing to believe and trust God for the things we pray for when we have yet to see evidence that it will be. Yet, that perfectly defines faith. I may not see it yet, but I believe I will. Therefore, we should hold ourselves in readiness and press onward with expectation.   

I find that creation is always a great reminder of the power of God. Rather than allowing fear of what I see to intimidate me out of faith, those moments can be used to believe even bigger.

 We sometimes fear the unknown. Especially if it has to do with something that is required of us. I admire those that are able to pick up and relocate on a whim because God led them to do so. That is an immeasurable amount of faith. Yet, it's what we should all strive to have. I can do what God sends me to do because he has already equipped me with what will be needed. 

 We've dealt with some pretty high winds the past few weeks in my region. One thing for sure, is that the trees have illustrated the importance of having roots that are deep. It's an illustration that always translates to my spiritual life. If I have deep roots in Christ and I'm firmly planted, it's a lot more difficult for strong winds to uproot me.

When I began teaching bible study lessons, I truly began to understand the meaning of imposter syndrome. Through that experience, I realized the importance of relying on God and his strength instead of my own. Truly, without him, we can't do anything.  

God can use whomever whenever to bless those that love him. That means that we should be careful rejecting beneficial gifts from those we don't ordinarily see eye to eye with. You never know what door God is opening on your behalf. But rejecting it because of the giver is a sure way to miss out on an unexpected blessing.

When we talk about gifts, people instantly list all the tangible things because that is what we associate with that word. But intangible things are just as essential. The saying "evil begets evil" is a reality. If that's not what I want to reap, then I should be careful about what I sow.

One of my favorite bible passages is Matthew 7. One of the verses speaks to the fact that we, in all our imperfections, recognize the value of a good gift. Knowing how much God loves us, we can be assured that he truly has no desire to withhold the good from us. We have to desire the same thing. As we delight in Him, he too in us.