Daily Devotional

Word of the Day

What Will I Accept?

Though the Lord has led us into the valley of the shadow of death, He won't leave us there. We aren't going to die here if we will trust in Him. What have you done to prepare yourself for that? The green pastures and the still waters precede the valley of the shadow. There are no green pastures in that valley of the shadow of death. You have to choose them in the times that you are not at war. Refresh yourself now when you have strength and the ability. Don't consume it upon yourself, but prepare yourself because this day is coming.

"Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling" (Ps. 91:9-10). Teach that to your children. Just like Israel was sustained in Goshen, we need to believe God for that grace to sustain us in this generation. It doesn't have to come nigh our dwelling. I shared this so much with our kids growing up. Every so many years the cicadas come, so we went out into the yard and prayed, "No plague shall come nigh our dwelling." Though everybody around us was going to have them, we weren't having them, bless God! You might wonder what happened. We didn't have them in our yard; 42 Thrush Road didn't experience the plague. Star came running over, saying, "Dad, Dad, I saw one!"

I said, "Where?"

He said, "Over there."

"What direction was he headed?"

"Out."

He might still be on the property, but he's headed out, praise God! Are we going to live that way supernaturally?

"What's the big deal whether the cicadas come on your property or not?"

The big deal to me is Psalm 91. If I will accept that, what else will I accept? Doesn't that sound a little extreme? The God I serve is very extreme. Does it make me a better Christian? No, but He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. What kind of a testimony do you want to leave for the next generation? Do you want them to believe that there is a God that can keep the plagues from coming nigh their dwelling? What about when the plague is no longer cicadas but tuberculosis or Ebola? We want a generation raised up that says, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want."

Our steps are ordered. Father has us right where He wants us. Some of us are being purified, purged and refined, while others are in that time of refreshing at the still waters. If you are at the still waters, don't think you're going to spend your life there; there's a valley of the shadow coming. If you're in the valley of the shadow, don't think you're going to stay there forever; there is deliverance coming. Just rest and cease from your own labors, as Hebrews tells us, that we might enter His rest. It's not about us getting to heaven. It's about us glorifying God while we are here so that others could see and glorify our Father. We are the light, we are the salt, we are the epistles being read. How much glory is your life bringing to God as people are reading your daily decisions?

Thank You, Lord, for Your love and Your mercy to us. Give us grace and strength to glorify You, to hear Your voice, to start the day without any control of our lives. Not as lords, not as experts, not as the experienced, but as sheep being led by a Shepherd we look to You to order each step that You might be glorified. Father, it's our heart's desire, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Previous Devotional | Next Devotional

• Subscribe to the Daily Devotional
• Unsubscribe from the Daily Devotional