Daily Devotional for Thursday May 8, 2014

Are You Ready to Have a Great Day

(Matthew 6:25; Job 9:25; James 4:14)

***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, how do we know what God has called us to do, especially if our God given talents are creative and not social. I always have thought the best talent God can give a person is the ability to speak and communicate with other people.

ANSWER: Everyone has been given different gifts and talents. We usually know what our gifts are because they are things we do well and enjoy. Often, over our life we may use many different gifts and talents. Just as we give of our treasure, equally important is giving the Lord those gifts and talents He has blessed us with to serve Him and for His glory!

I don't know about you, but I get EXCITED to wake up and see what God has in store for the day. For me, every day is like Christmas. Virtually every day I have a very packed and tight schedule and am required to be at certain places at certain times. So I pretty much know going into each day what I will be doing each hour. Despite that rigid structure, I still get charged up since I know as the day unfolds God is with me each moment and that He is in control of everything that happens. Even when things don't go exactly as I would hope or plan, I have great peace in knowing that God is still on His throne and still in control. I also know that during each day, He is going to bless me in ways I had not even considered or thought of. I don't know about you, but I enjoy God's blessings and can't wait to see what they will be that day.

I realize that the first thought many of you had as you read the opening line, "Are you ready to have a GREAT day," is "is this guy crazy?" You are thinking, how can I have a great day when I am in such a financial mess? You are thinking, how can I have a great day when my body is ravaged with pain and sickness? You are thinking, how can I have a great day when I am mourning the loss of someone I loved so much. You are thinking, how can I have a great day when my marriage is on the verge of divorce. You are thinking, how can I have a great day when I am enslaved to drugs, alcohol, gambling, food, shopping, illicit sex, or whatever bondage you may be in.

You are thinking, how can I have a great day when my children are living in rebellion to God and in trouble. You are thinking, how can I have a great day when I can't find a good job. You are thinking, how can I have a great day when I am failing in school You are thinking, how can I have a great day when my car is broken and I have no way to get around. You are thinking, how can I have a great day when I have to go to court to fight some legal battle. You are thinking, how can I have a great day when _____ (you fill in the blank) is going on in my life.

MY FRIEND, HEAR ME CLEARLY TODAY. YOU CAN STILL HAVE A GREAT DAY REGARDLESS OF THE BATTLES YOU ARE FIGHTING, REGARDLESS OF THE CHALLENGES YOU ARE FACING, REGARDLESS OF WHATEVER LIFE HAS THROWN YOUR WAY BECAUSE WHETHER YOU REALIZE IT OR NOT GOD IS STILL ON HIS THRONE, STILL IN CONTROL OF ALL THINGS, AND STILL LOVES YOU SO MUCH AND WANTS TO BLESS YOU TODAY!!!

My word for you today is to not let the day-to-day challenges of life burden you to the point you stop looking forward to each day. The Bible tells us that tomorrow is promised to NONE OF US, and that each day is literally a gift from God. We need to embrace the day for what it is, a gift from God, and be thankful for it despite whatever challenges the day may bring our way. We live in a sin-filled and evil world. Because of that, we will always have trials and tribulations, always have battles and challenges, but we can still have peace and joy because we know that God will help us be victorious over those trials and tribulations, those battles and challenges!

You, and nobody else controls how you view each day. You can either allow the problems of your life to overwhelm you and consume you to the point you dread every minute, or, you can find your strength in the Lord to rise above those problems and look forward to each moment. It is YOUR CHOICE to either walk in defeat or victory. Listen to me very carefully, this is one of those Holy Ghost moments so don't miss it. YOU DICTATE WHETHER YOU WALK IN VICTORY OR DEFEAT, NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. This is heavy so pay close attention. YOU DICTATE WHETHER YOU WALK IN VICTORY OR DEFEAT, NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES!

Christ already won the victory 2000 years ago. If you have asked Him into your heart and life by faith, then you have the ability to live your life in HIS VICTORY if you choose to. Living in that victory is not dictated by the circumstances of your life, living in that victory is dictated by you choosing to trust God with your problems knowing that He is able to help you solve each one. God will give you the strength, and wisdom, and favor, and direction in handling the problems you will encounter throughout each day. Fighting through the problems of the day is simply part of life. Don't let your problems keep you from having a GREAT DAY!!!!

I love you and care about you so much. Don't let anything or anyone stop you from having a GREAT DAY today. I will be praying for you to start getting excited about each day as you wake up. Remember, it is a day like none other. Once it is over, you can't get it back, so enjoy every moment and make each momentt count! I know many of you are fighting great battles today, you have many problems. But never forget the Bible tells us that "the battle is the Lord's." God will fight for you. So cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you. He promised to carry your burdens so let Him. He loves you and WANTS TO BLESS YOU TODAY! So get ready and HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller