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A divided heart brings defeat in life.

Solomon gave this advice to his son:

My son, pay attention to my words;

listen closely to my sayings.

Don't lose sight of them;

keep them within your heart.

For they are life to those who find them,

and health to one's whole body.

Guard your heart above all else,

for it is the source of life.

-Proverbs 4:20-23 CSB

We must focus all of our energy on one thing -- knowing God; and that comes from spending time in his Word. Learning it, memorizing it, and following it carefully. It's easy for us to get distracted from the main thing as problems pop up during the day. Or, maybe we begin to drift away by thinking if I just had this job, this house, this relationship then I would be happy. So we chase after those things and we fail to get them or when we do get them they fail to deliver to happiness we hoped for. That's the we get defeated and feel like our world has turned upside down. There is not a need in your life that God cannot and will not meet better than you can on your own. So forget about those things right now and just focus on him, then "all these things will be provided for you" (Matt 6:33).

Prayer: Heaven Father, I drifted away from loving you with all my heart. Help me to get to back to that place where I desire you more than anything else and I seek your will before I do anything else. In Jesus' name, amen.

I encourage you to make it a habit of reading at least one chapter in Proverbs a day. Over the course of many years you will build up a storehouse of God's wisdom and it will transform your life. Here are just a few of the the benefits:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not rely on your own understanding;

in all your ways know him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Don’t be wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

This will be healing for your body

and strengthening for your bones.

Honor the Lord with your possessions

and with the first produce of your entire harvest;

then your barns will be completely filled,

and your vats will overflow with new wine.

and...

Happy is a man who finds wisdom

and who acquires understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver,

and her revenue is better than gold.

She is more precious than jewels;

nothing you desire can equal her.

Long life is in her right hand;

in her left, riches and honor.

Her ways are pleasant,

and all her paths, peaceful.

She is a tree of life to those who embrace her,

and those who hold on to her are happy.

Proverbs 3:5-10,13-16 CSB

Wow! Now, personalize these verses and pray them back to God. Why? Because, "This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (1 John 5:15). The Word of God reveals the Will of God for our lives. So pray the Word!!!

Prayer: God, I will trust in you, and not in my limited understanding. Lord, I will honor you with my possessions. Lord, I will seek your wisdom and acquire understanding so that I may live that way you intended me to live. Lord, help me find wisdom so that I may walk closely with you today and experience the life, peace, happiness, riches and honor you have in store for those who do. In Jesus' name, amen.

For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger. - Proverbs 1:32-33 CSB

If you're trying to decide which path to take in life (career, relationships, health issues) then turn to God for help. He will show you the best way forward from the Scriptures. God's Spirit uses God's Word to show us the Way! David wrote, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me from all my fears" (Ps 34:4). That's why it's so important to read Scripture, study it, and meditate on it everyday. Then, you'll be able to see God's perfect will for your life (Jeremiah 29:11) as His Word shines light on the best path for you to take. God's plans for your life will always result in you having love, joy, peace, and contentment to the fullest. Those things are not found anywhere else and they don't come from having more money.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I need your wisdom to face the challenges I'm going through today. I ask for your Holy Spirit to enlighten my understanding of Scripture so that I can clearly see what you want me to do. I know that your love for me is unconditional. I know you're watching over me every moment and that your plans for me are wonderful. There is nothing average about being a person made in your image. So help me God to never settle for anything less than "your best" in this life.

The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:5-7 CSB

What an amazing promise! God. Is. Near. Therefore, we have nothing to worry about. If there's anything that kept you awake last night, then tell God about it, ask for his help, and relax knowing that God will strengthen you and he sustain you. God is never controlled by fear or worry and neither are those who trust in him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, your love for me is deeper than I can understand, and your power is greater than I can comprehend. Teach me to trust in and to stay close to you today. In Jesus' name, amen.

So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

- 2 Corinthians 5:6-10

These are powerful words. Find a quiet place and just meditate on them right now. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand and obey them.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I desire nothing more than to be close with you and experience your presence, love, and glory today. In Jesus' name, amen.

"This is the Lord's declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word." - Isaiah 66:2 CSB

We all desire God's favor and blessing, but we don't all strive to pursue holiness, humility, and submissiveness to God. As a result, we just end up discouraged and frustrated. Humility doesn't come naturally for us. Our nature is to be self-centered, but we need to become Christ-centered. That's when we experience God's favor because the righteousness of Jesus becomes our own (1 Corinthians 1:30).

How important is God Word to you? It seems that many people view God's commands as nothing more than religious restrictions that limit our enjoyment of life rather than requirements that make our life flourish. God rewards obedience that is motivated by love. He blesses those who are humble, submissive to his will, and have deep desire to learn his Word. Those are things that we cannot fake. But the bottom line is this...when we truly understand the greatness of the salvation that God has provided for us in Christ Jesus, then we quickly realize that our main purpose in life is to live for him and we intentionally make that our number one priority everyday.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please teach me how to be humble, submissive, and create in me a heart that loves your Word. I want your favor, even more I want you! "Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found" (Psalm 119:35 NLT). In Jesus' name, amen.

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the of glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. - Romans 5:1-5 CSB

Wait...what? We rejoice in our afflictions? I'll explain.

There's sooo much packed in here these verses. But for right now, I just want to focus one thing Paul mentions, but sometimes get's often overlooked, "hope".

Yesterday, we introduced the reality of the coming millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. For one thousand years we'll get to live and reign on earth with Christ. Jesus will accomplish everything he started to do and promised to do in the beginning of time (Genesis 1-3). God's ultimate redemptive plan is our HOPE. It's what we've been longing for. When the whole world will someday be fully restored to God's original design. Paul writes about this hope. He explains that it is a hope that will not leave us disappointed. In other words, God's coming kingdom is going to be so awesome that no amount of difficultly, pain, or affliction in our lives today can be compared to how wonderful it is going to be to finally live and reign on earth with Christ as Lord off all (2 Timothy 2:12)!

"To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ -- to him be the glory forever! Amen." (Romans 16:27) By the way...this hope we have in God's future restoration of all things also makes it possible for us to live supernaturally above our circumstances and problems today.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to see and understand everything that you make available to me in Jesus Christ. I am forever grateful, beyond words, that you sent him to pay the penalty for my sins so that I could be made dead to sin, no longer live just for myself, and be made alive to you, God, and to live for you will. I look forward to the day when you return, Jesus! Amen.

"The path of the righteous is level; you clear a straight path for the righteous." - Isaiah 26:7 CSB

Life is challenging. We all need God's help to navigate our way through life decisions and challenges. But God cannot help us if we're not intentionl walking with Him daily and seeking His guidance. Don't worry if you've walked away from the Lord, then He's waiting for you to come back and He'll loving lead you the rest of the way to the promise land.

God loves you and He wants nothing but the best for you. He created you to be loved, to receive His blessings, and love Him in return. Look at the following verses. "Yes, Lord, we wait for you in the path of your judgements. Our desire is for your name and renown. I long for you in the night; yes, my spirit within me diligently seeks you" (8-9).

Prayer: Father, I desire nothing more than to be with you today. Lead me. Guide my thoughts, actions, and emotions. Holy Spirit, give me to power to stay focused on God today no matter what the day brings. Help to hear His voice, trust in His wisdom, and to be obey Him. In Jesus' name, amen.

Don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it. Otherwise, you complete only the foundation before running out of money, and the everyone would laugh at you...Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can't, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. - Luke 14:28-29,31-33 (NLT)

One problem many Christians struggle with is that they want God's blessing on every area of their life, but they are not willing to surrender every area of their life to God.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are the Almighty Creator of the universe. You love me more than I can even understand. Your plan for my life is perfect. You will guide me to the best place I can be. I trust you. I surrender my whole life, every part of my life, for the rest of my life to you alone. Lead me according to you will and wisdom. In the name of Jesus, amen.