I love that verse. Yes, it reminds me that He is with me in good times and bad. But it also reminds me that the presence of Daddy with me and in my life is not based on my performance. It's not about me. It's about His faithfulness and love. When I am doing well and spiritually minded, He is with me. But when I am not thinking of Him at all, even when I choose not to deny self and choose wrong, literally make my bed in hell, He is faithful and still with me. That isn't about me or up to me.
What is up to me is that conscious contact, the awareness of His presence. His presence is of most benefit when we remember it, acknowledge it, and pursue that awareness. Americans on average spend 4-5 hours a day checking and using our phones. We often grab our phones first thing in the morning and check one last time as the last thing before going to bed. I am grateful for the pocket computer I call a phone but rarely use it as such, and I am not saying they are bad things. We use them to connect, to get information and direction, and escape from the day with games and distraction. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. But what would it do in our spirit if we spent as much time and were as thoughtful of escaping stress and pressure, of connecting and getting direction and information by reaching for Daddy? What if before we reach for our phone to check notifications we checked in with Daddy? Lord, I know you are with me, no matter what happens today, I will not be alone because You are faithful, and I am grateful for that. What if the last thing we do is to acknowledge that He has been with us?
Keeping an awareness of the truth that He is with us, regardless of our feelings, is a great way to increase our awareness of that presence. It helps us to remember that when we make our bed in hell, we take Him with us. Lord, I don't want to drag You into the muck so help me to walk free of the miry places. Keeping in mind that He is with us helps us to look for evidence of His presence and love. Thank You Lord for that butterfly and for the breeze on this hot day. Thank You that even though I am in pain, You are with me and I am not going through this alone. We are promised that if we seek Him, we will find Him. Prayer and meditation is important, but an attitude of prayerful remembrance that we are not walking through our day alone and checking our connection with Him throughout the day will keep our awareness of His presence fresh and alive. And with the awareness of His presence comes an awareness of His love.
This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.
Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.
No comments:
Post a Comment