Trusting God Day by Day

[Aeliana]

November 26

Follow God’s Plan for Your Life

A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.
PROVERBS 16:9

I was pondering just this morning the future of our ministry. We have been in ministry since 1976, and many things have changed during those years. I realize that things will not be the same ten years from now, but I don’t know exactly how they will be. Dave and I are getting a bit older, and we realize that we will not always be able to maintain the heavy travel schedule that we have now.

When I try to look into the future with my thoughts, I must admit I don’t really see anything definite. I intend to keep doing what I am doing and prayerfully helping more and more people. And I believe whatever God does with our ministry, it will be good.

I believe it is important for many of our readers to realize that even ministers and authors, like myself, don’t always have exact direction from the Lord; we walk by faith just like everyone else.

Having faith means that we don’t see or have any natural proof of what tomorrow may hold. We believe for good things, we expect good things, and we wait on God. We may be disappointed occasionally, but in Christ we can shake off the disappointment or discouragement and move on with what God is doing—not with what we wish He did.

I trust that God will always take care of us, that He will always do the right thing. God does not make mistakes—people do. Often we make ours from excessive personal planning that becomes so important to us we miss what God wants to do.

God’s plan is always better than ours, so we should be careful about making too many of our own. I always say, “Make a plan and follow your plan, but be ready to let it go quickly if God shows you something else.” God should always have the right-of-way and the right to interfere with our plans at any time.

Trust in Him How much mental time do you spend planning what you will do tomorrow, or even the rest of your life? Try spending more time trusting the Lord’s will, and asking Him to make His plans come to pass for you, then reap the benefits of your faith.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

November 27

Trust Is Better Than Knowledge

In Him all the treasures of [divine] wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God) and [all the riches of spiritual] knowledge and enlightenment are stored up and lie hidden.
COLOSSIANS 2:3

Sometimes we think we would like to know the future; yet in many cases if we did know all the future holds, we would be miserable and even afraid to go forward. Trusting God enables us to handle life one day at a time. God gives us what we need. We do not have everything we need right now for our future, because that time is not here yet, so if we did know the future—without having the tools we need to succeed—we would all feel overwhelmed.

I have discovered that I can lose a lot of peace by too much knowledge. Knowing is not all it is cracked up to be. Some things are better left alone. For example, I don’t want to know if someone doesn’t like me and has been talking unkindly about me; all that knowledge does is make me unhappy. Sometimes we are quite peaceful and then we receive some information, and suddenly we lose our peace over what we just learned.

I would love to know all the wonderful, exciting things that are going to happen in my future, but I don’t want to know the difficult or disappointing ones. However, I realize both will be in my future. Just like everyone else, I will have good and bad times. I really believe I can handle whatever comes if I take it one day at a time, but knowing it all now would be too much. This is why God withholds information from us and tells us simply to trust Him.

Trust really is better than knowledge. Trust ministers peace, and that is very important. I suppose we can ask ourselves this question: “Do I want peace or knowledge?” I choose peace. How about you?

Trust in Him Do you want peace or knowledge? God has a reason for not giving you knowledge about your future. Trust God, and you can handle all of life’s blessings and disappointments, one day at a time, in His peace.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

November 28

Take Responsibility for Your Happiness

Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame!
HOSEA 4:4

We all have personal standards that we expect other people to meet, and we are disappointed when people fail to act the way we hoped. But is it really what they do that hurts us, or is it our own unrealistic expectations that set us up for the pain we feel when they don’t perform to our standards?

For example, my joy is not my husband’s responsibility—although I thought it was for many years. If he was not doing what made me happy, I became angry. I thought he should be more concerned about my happiness and do things differently. But it was what I thought that caused the problem, not what he did.

Dave and I have very few arguments now that I know my personal joy is my own responsibility, and not his. Dave should do some things for me that make me happy, just as I should try to please him, but there were many years in my life when it would have been practically impossible for anyone to keep me happy. My problems were in me; they were the result of abusive treatment in my childhood. Yet I was placing responsibility on Dave to make up for pain he had not caused.
Over time, I noticed that no matter had badly I acted, Dave remained happy. It irritated me, but also served as an example. I eventually became very hungry for the peace and joy I saw in his life, which were not dependent on any of his circumstances. In other words, he never made me responsible for his joy. If he had been dependent on me to make him happy, he would have never enjoyed life, because much of the time I gave him no reason to rejoice.

Are you possibly trying to make someone else responsible for things that only you can do something about? Let us take responsibility and stop expecting people to do for us what we should, in reality, be doing for ourselves or trusting God to do.

Trust in Him Put your trust in God and take responsibility for your attitudes and actions, and stop blaming others. If you are not happy, I suggest you look inward before you look around you to find something or someone to blame.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

November 29

Be Self-Aware and Do Right

Therefore you have no excuse or defense or justification, O man, whoever you are who judges and condemns another. For in posing as judge and passing sentence on another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge are habitually practicing the very same things [that you censure and denounce].
ROMANS 2:1

Self-deception is one of the biggest problems we have as human beings. We easily and quickly see what is wrong with others but rarely, if ever, see what is wrong with us. We judge others, and the Lord tells us there is no justification for this.

Why would we judge someone else for the same thing we are doing? Because we look at others through a magnifying glass but see ourselves through rose-colored glasses, a tinted glass that makes everything look lovely whether it is or not. In our thinking, there is absolutely no justification for the wrong behavior of others, but for us there always is. We always seem to have some valid reason why we have behaved badly that excuses us from being responsible.

For example, someone might be short-tempered with us, and we feel it was inexcusable for him or her to treat us that way. We might have treated someone the same way on another day, but we justified it because we felt ill or had a bad day at work. In reality, we should honestly judge our own behavior rather than others because the Word tells us we will not be asked to give an account of their lives, but of our own (see Rom. 14:10).

When God admonishes me for my behavior in a relationship, it is particularly difficult for me if I feel the other person does the same thing that God is asking me to change. I have told God more than once, “This is not fair. What about the other person?” He always reminds me that how and when He corrects another is His business. Our responsibility is to follow God and obey Him, not to find fault with other people or how they are living their lives.

Trust in Him
Let’s be as forgiving of others as we are of ourselves. Don’t worry about the faults of others, but trust God to correct their behavior in His own way and timing and listen when He chooses to correct yours.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

November 30

God Meets You Where You Are

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.
ROMANS 14:22

I try to eat reasonably healthy meals, and I have studied nutrition and its effects on the body. Consequently, I have strong opinions about how we should take care of ourselves. I do eat sweets, but only small amounts, and I am usually concerned when I see anyone regularly consuming large amounts of sweets and other foods that I know to be unhealthy.

I have tried to inform people when I see them eating poorly, and they have not received my advice well, to say the least. I even had one person say, “If we are going to spend time together, I don’t want you telling me what to eat all the time and making me feel guilty when I eat something you don’t approve of.”

The person went on to say, “I know I don’t eat right, but I am just not at the place yet in my life where I am ready to do anything about it. I have lots of things wrong with me that I feel are more urgent than my appetite. So I am concentrating on what I feel God is dealing with me about, and I have no time to also pay attention to what you are dealing with me about.”

We all tend to put our convictions on others; we think if they are priorities for us, they must be priorities for everyone.

Romans 14 shares examples of how people were in a quandary about whether or not they should eat meat that had been offered to idols. Some thought it would be a sin, and others said the idols were nothing anyway and therefore could not harm the meat. Some could not eat because of their weak faith, and others ate because of their strong faith. Paul told them to each be convinced in their own hearts, and not try to force their personal convictions on others.

God seems to meet each of us right where we are in our faith. He begins with us at that point and helps us grow gradually and continually. Be led by the Holy Spirit yourself, and let others do the same thing.

Trust in Him Accept where you are right now, just as God does. Trust God to take you to a new level of living that is right for you and not for someone else.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

December 1

What Causes Content?

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.
ROMANS 15:13

In my search for content, I have discovered four things we must eliminate from our lives in order to be content.

The number one problem that leads to feelings of discontent is greed. Have you ever known someone who just could not be content no matter how much they had? I was once like this myself. Of course, I didn’t think of it at the time as being greedy; I just always wanted more than I had. We must learn to enjoy where we are in each area of life, while we are on the way to where we are going. This means we can find our satisfaction in Him while we are on our way to the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams. I also believe fear causes many of us to be unhappy and discontent. We are afraid we will not get what we desire, and this causes us to be impatient.

Over time, I have learned that I could do the things God wanted me to do, and I could trust in and wait on His perfect timing to bring to me those things that He knew were best for me. Once we learn to trust God and step out even though we’re afraid, God will provide the courage and boldness we need to overcome our fear.

Lack of trust in God is another cause of discontent, but simply trusting in God brings us into a place of rest, joy, and peace. Looking for contentment in all the wrong places is my fourth reason for discontent. Don’t make the mistake of looking for contentment in things. If you do, the result will be that you will never find it. You will never be truly satisfied.

The answer to our frustration comes when we receive revelation that our satisfaction must be in Jesus and in His will and timing for our lives. When we are in a hurry to find contentment, it doesn’t make God hurry. He has a plan, and only trusting Him will allow us to enjoy it.

Trust in Him Are you content? Trust God and find satisfaction in Him, and you will be content and have peace.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

December 2

Please Don’t Make Me Wait!

I wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I hope.
PSALM 130:5

Waiting! It’s a big part of our everyday lives, and most of us don’t particularly enjoy it… or have time for it. Especially busy people who usually have way more to do in a day than they can possibly accomplish! But I can tell you from experience that our attitude about waiting can make all the difference in the world.

Like the Israelites who spent forty years making an eleven-day trip, I was stuck in a modern-day wilderness of my own. I had many wrong attitudes that contributed to the prevention of my progress, but one of the major roadblocks for me was an impatient attitude that made me want to scream: “Please don’t make me wait for anything. I deserve everything immediately!” I had a long and interesting journey before I learned that waiting is part of our walk with God. We will wait—that is a given—but it is how we wait that determines how difficult the wait will be.

When you arrive for an appointment with your doctor or dentist, you have to wait your turn. The first thing the receptionist tells you is, “Please have a seat while you’re waiting.” Being seated indicates that a person is resting, and that’s exactly what we should do, both in the doctor’s office and in the wilderness experiences of our lives. While we’re waiting for God to do the things that we asked for Him to do, we should rest in Him.

Another attitude that prevented me from making progress was “I will do it my way or not at all.” This stubborn attitude is one that many people have to deal with. If it is not dealt with, the Promised-Land living becomes a blurry image and never a reality—something we see off in the future but never experience.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. When we are serious about making some changes in our attitudes and allow the Holy Spirit to help us, we can take a shortcut through the wilderness instead of going the long way around!

Trust in Him Having a good attitude in a trying situation is at least 90 percent of the battle. There will always be trials in life, but as we trust God and continue to do what He is showing us to do, we will always come out victorious.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

December 3

Don’t Leave God Out of the Loop

I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!
PSALM 91:2

When we are frustrated, it is often because we are trying to do something in our own strength, instead of putting our faith in God and receiving His grace and help. Let us learn to pray for what we would like to be changed, and then cast our care on God. If He leads you to take some kind of action, then do it; but if He doesn’t, then wait with peace.

I had to practice trusting God for a lot of things, but particularly finances. At one point in the beginning of my ministry, God asked me to trust Him to provide for my family financially without my working outside the home. I knew that I needed time to prepare for the ministry He had called me to. And working full-time in addition to being a wife and mother to three small children didn’t leave much time to prepare to be an international Bible teacher.

As an act of faith, and with my husband’s consent, I quit my job and began learning to trust God to provide for us. Dave had a good job, but his salary was forty dollars a month less than our bills. This meant we had to have a miracle from God every month.

I remember what a struggle it was to not go back to work—after all, I was a responsible woman and wanted to do my part. But I knew that God was asking me to keep preparing for the ministry He was calling me to and to trust Him for provision. Each month, He provided for our financial needs, and seeing His faithfulness was exciting, but I was accustomed to taking care of myself—all this “walking by faith” was crucifying my flesh big time.

Trusting God for the forty dollars a month we needed to pay our bills and for anything extra we needed was often difficult, but it helped us gain a strong foundation of faith that has helped us throughout our lives. I strongly encourage you to obey God and trust Him in every area of life. Each victory you have will increase your faith for the next challenge you face.

Trust in Him Little faith can become great faith when we see the faithfulness of God as He meets our needs. You can become a person who enjoys great peace by trusting God.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions