Day 5 Devotion: Prayer "Whispers with God"

Day 5: Prayer

I begin the new year with reading the Power of a Praying Women by Stormie Omartian and I’m simply reminded more each time how God wants our first thought to be communication through prayer. He created communication for our relationships, they are based upon talking to one another and as I read through this book every year my heart craves talking with Him in the most simplest ways, but as the year went on I used to fall back into a boring selfish routine of coffee and social media or mindless activities, but this year I made it a point to have endless devotions and scripture right with me that I could read and dive into before the kids would wake up and sometimes they cuddle next to me, as I read and I have seen a difference when I spend my time with Jesus and when I simply put Him aside when I awake. Prayer is the most intimate and personal way in which we have to communicate with our God, there is a direct line of communication that we take for granted in our day to day activities. My children and I do the ACTS prayer in the car A-adoration C-confession T-thanksgiving S-supplication and although they choose crazy things or sometimes all the same things it gets Jesus real in their life and in our day. Think about ways you can make Jesus real in your life today through prayer not just over food, a big decision or at bedtime, but over a tough car ride, traffic, bills, vacations parties etc.in all things bring Him along in your everyday life, don’t allow the devotion or bible to close without inviting Him to join you in your ongoing life.

Verse: Evening and morning and at noon I will pray; and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice Psalm 55:16

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we come to you today in Adoration for you alone are worthy of all of our praise, We Confess we get busy our minds get filled with nonessential thoughts and day to day struggles that we think we must handle on our own and we forget about you and your promises. We Thank you for never walking away from us, for your protection, steadfast love and your forgiveness. Lastly Lord, We bring our Supplications before you, asking that you guide us from day to day, that we learn to seek your will and purpose for our lives and in so doing we shine a light into this dark world that would be a representation of your Great Love. Thank you Lord for your word that we can read it, study it, and rely on it to bring us closer to you, Amen.

Joy Bracero: Daily Devotions for Women- Aligning Your Everyday Life According to His Plan and Design

Day 4 Devotions: Emotions

Day 4: Emotions

I can’t tell you how many times my emotions have truly ruined an event or occasion for me. The first one out of many that just came to mind was a few years back we were in the mountains with my entire immediate family which totals about 22 or more at any given family birthday and we keep adding. Anyway, in the mountains on a tree farm, a little remaining snow on the grounds, coffee in my hand and the sun was shining, acre upon acre of trees a very Hallmark movie scene and what makes choosing the perfect Christmas tree very hard with 3 little children helping you. Well, we chose one for the kids tree and that was our plan for the day a small tree to bring home, but here I found myself being guided off to find our family tree, we found a beautiful big round one, in which I knew was too big to fit on our roof top and drive home, but I allowed all the other voices tell us it was the “perfect” tree for us. As it was being chopped down I knew it wasn't the right tree, I knew I was once again talked into something I didn't want and I was angry, I was angry with myself that as a grown woman I’m still being led astray, first by others and then by my emotions. As everyone laughed at the size, the inability to get it bundled and as I watch all of theirs load nicely onto their rooftops my emotions were boiling. I walked away crying I wanted to pay for the tree and drive away, I was mad and the more I showed it the more they laughed and told me to get over it, something I’m not good at. Once again I let my families opinions and suggestions ruin my day it actually stung me hard for a few months, yes it was a beautiful tree and my dad made sure it made it safely to our home but they try to jab it at me if given a chance. I worked so hard in my adult years to control my Irish temper and my emotions that I get upset when I let it get out of control over others or my lack of self control. I’m always working on it but I look back at events and it makes me sad to think I should have cast it all on Him, He would have taken my pain even as trivial as a silly Christmas tree.

Verse: 1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Prayer: Lord, Thank you that you don’t let us stay stuck in our emotions, that you have offered us a way to let go, to truly give it to you and leave it there. We praise you for giving us emotions and feelings but help us control, express and use them for your good, help us to learn to humble ourselves more to you each day and find both forgiveness and peace knowing you care for each one of us even in our silliest more unrefined moments. I pray that I learn to bring it to you before I allow my emotions to ruin another event or memory. Amen

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven...

A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted...

A time to break down, And a time to build up;

A time to weep, And a time to laugh.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

 

 

Joy Bracero: Daily Devotions for Women- Aligning Your Everyday Life According to His Plan and Design

Day 3 Devotions: Blessings...count them one by one:

Day 3: Blessings...count them one by one:

Stop right now and consider the blessings you have just today (share your thoughts or your list) but stop and think, sometimes it’s so hard to remember the blessings as we go about living in this crazy world we live in, the negative headlines, the sickness, the accidents and the list can go on, but let’s stop and start counting our blessings. Naming them one by one - each child, each laugh, your daily food, your senses in which to take in His great beauty, even as I write this my heart is overwhelmed with His great love for me. I hope you have that feeling the LOVE HE HAS FOR YOU! Don’t let the trivial things keep you from the joy’s of the Lord, we have so much to be thankful for that I want you to refuse to fall into the trap of having a “bad day” many people in the bible had “bad days” we’ve all had those days too. The lesson we need to learn is how they seeked wisdom and clung to God’s promises while proclaiming His holiness and faithfulness. Job is one I think speaks to me he had horrible days of losing everything  mostly testing of his faith, but because he was faithful throughout it all God blessed him more than ever and he did lose everything: is family, wealth, his friends he lost everything but his breath and faith in God.

Verse: Psalm 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Isaiah 25:1

Proverbs 10:22

Job 5:17

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I’ll be the first to say Thank you for blessing my life even when I know I don’t deserve any of it, thank you for the love you show each of us, may we see it and feel you close to use in good times and bad and help us to always keep our eyes on your blessings given to us. We ask that you guide us in using our blessings to bring glory and honor to you. We pray that we choose to live wholeheartedly for you and your kingdom. Amen

Joy Bracero: Daily Devotions for Women- Aligning Your Everyday Life According to His Plan and Design

Day 1 Devotion: PRIDE is it good or bad?

Day 1 - PRIDE is it good or bad?

Strange how a word such as pride can have 2 very different definitions or connotations, what was the first thing that came to your mind? I often think of the pride comes before the fall, but there is another kind of pride, the pride that we can take in our motivations, self-respect and dignity, the pride that can motivate us to take care of our health and appreciate of our personal talents and strengths. Then there is the flipside the pride that I know I often think about first, the pride that leads to our fault, containing self-centeredness and boasting in ourselves, rather than building us up we tend to pave a path of destruction for ourselves with arrogance, egotism and conceit.

I”ll remind you of another word that has 2 connotations in our daily life and that is diet, do you see diet as a restriction of food or simply the daily food you put into your body. This word controls so many individuals and much like pride you can choose to see the word diet for what it is; fueling your body with nutritious food or you can choose to allow diet to guilt you into feeling bad about yourself and your food choices. Much like pride depending on the way to use it, sometimes diets build up your health and others diets tear it down. Diets can lead to your downfall and rob you of true happiness.

Verse: 2 Chronicle 26:16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall

Focus: What do you take a healthy pride in? your job, children, abilities and talents? turning our feelings of pride into feelings of being truly humble is going to be our focus today, how do we cultivate the right kind of pride in our lives? similar to deciding to choose a healthy diet and the right balance of food, we must choose to look for ways to choose humility with the right relationship with God. We must choose to see the wonderful gifts He has given us, we must choose to cultivate healthy pride not in ourselves but in Him who has given them to us.

Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. 2. Corinthians 10:17

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for allowing us to dig into your word daily and draw closer to you. I ask that you bring each women here into your arms of comfort and peace today. Please help us seek your will with the talents and blessings you have given us. Guide each women here to choose to be humble and only boast in your name. I also pray for our earthly bodies that we learn to use our words and choices wisely and would honor you with our diets, our activities and our words so we can humbly come to you more energized, more focused and ready to be filled each day with your word and blessings,. Amen.

Joy Bracero: Daily Devotions for Women- Aligning Your Everyday Life According to His Plan and Design