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There are going to be days when we just don’t feel like being thankful – we wake up and don’t seem able to praise. We know we should “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4); we’re trying to learn “the secret of being content in any and every situation” (Philippians 4:12); and we want to believe that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28). But sometimes it’s just difficult.

There are many reasons for days like this. We sometimes may lose the eternal perspective of our life and our surroundings. We take our eyes off Jesus and begin to look at the gathering storm (Matthew 14:30). We may become entangled in the weeds and get choked by “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth” (Matthew 13:22). Or we may simply become tired and weary.

Days like this are to be expected. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33a) – and our trouble will sometimes strain our relationship with God. But even in the midst of our trouble, we are all being “transformed into His image” (2 Corinthians 3:18). When we place our life in His hands, He begins the process of transformation – a process which WILL continue; “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6). Even though we may sometimes struggle and find ourselves in a dry desert, we are still progressing from what we once were to what we will yet become. God will use these difficult seasons to mold our heart if we will simply continue to trust, love, and praise.

We must NEVER forget that Jesus also said of our troubles; “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b). We must continue to grow in our relationship with God until He is so near that we can truly see how He has overcome; and praise Him all day and every day. He desires our praise, and He is, without a doubt, deserving of our praise!

Psalms 113:3
“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”

The Psalm writer is stating a simple fact: The Lord IS to be praised! Jesus affirmed this truth when He was riding into Jerusalem and made it clear that He will receive praise with or without our participation. Crowds had begun to praise Him and some of the religious leaders told Jesus to make them stop. But Jesus responded; “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40). Either we offer up our praise to the Creator of the Universe, or the rocks will begin to sing!

No matter what our situation is today, let’s remember He is worthy of our praise! He has picked us up, cleaned us off, and adopted us into His Family. It is sad and a terrible shame, but we often forget how many reasons we have for being thankful. Let’s rise up and use this and every other moment of the day to rejoice with thanksgiving in our heart. Let’s not miss another opportunity to praise.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Did God Really Say” we saw how the devil began his deception by causing Eve to doubt what God said; “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat…’?” (Genesis 3:1). He then said God had lied and was actually keeping Eve from something beneficial; “God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).

The devil convinced Eve that disobeying God (in just this one instance) would be the right thing to do. After all, she would become more like God…and that MUST be the proper path to follow.

Genesis 3:6
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.”

Eve had seen the fruit before this encounter with the devil, and she already knew it looked good. But God had established a boundary line which, until now, she had never crossed. However, when the devil presented his twisted version of the truth, this line began to shift. Eve became unsure about absolute right and wrong and saw the line as something she could control. She adjusted God’s path to aligned with her own desires and, in the process, she violated God’s command.

God has shown each of us the boundary line between right and wrong – we KNOW the truth. God’s line is not subject to our control, and we are not given the freedom to cross the line depending on our circumstances or perceived benefit.

We are often deceived by simple justifications: “I know this is wrong, but my increased wisdom from this experience will eventually be used to help others.” Or, “I know this is wrong, but what else can I do? God surely wants me to eat and pay my bills.” Or the common sexual deception; “I know this is wrong, but we really love each other.”

It’s God’s desire that we trust Him with all our heart and follow His path each and every day, without ANY shortcuts or deviations. As we follow His leading, we will face many decisions – many places where the path divides – and we must decide which direction to turn. Fortunately, we can depend on God to NEVER direct us into sin. If a path contains sin, we can be sure it’s NOT God’s path – not the path we ought to follow!

Let’s trust Him to absolutely direct our every step. Let’s draw so close to our Heavenly Father that all deception is exposed. Let’s walk His path without compromise and refuse to shift, or cross over, His boundary line of truth.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “More Than Grasshoppers” we considered the spies who were sent into the promised land to evaluate the enemy. We saw that without a proper understanding of God and how we fit into His plan, the enemies in our life will always appear as undefeatable giants.

This sense of walking among the giants causes many of us to struggle with insecurities, low self esteem, and general feelings of inadequacy. While it’s true we are called to, “in humility consider others better than ourselves” (Philippians 2:3), we also must walk with a sense of identity, purpose, and worth. And while it’s true that in the context of eternity we are “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14), this seemingly insignificant “mist” is dearly loved by the Creator of the Universe.

Our real sense of identity, purpose, and worth, will only be realized as we understand that our value is never attained through the things of this world which all pass away. Our value comes only from our Heavenly Father who has adopted us as His child and made us an heir of His Kingdom!

Romans 8:15-17
“You received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”

The eternal inheritance we receive through this adoption makes everything of the world seem extremely insignificant. We are a child of God! This is our identity. While we walk on this earth, we are being “conformed into the likeness of His Son” (Romans 8:29). This is our purpose. And in our adoption, we are made “co-heirs with Christ.” This is our worth!

As this world tries to pull us down, let’s remember our Father owns ALL; “Every animal of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10). He owns it all, created it all, and nothing is beyond His reach. As others try to continually show us our faults and put us down, let’s remember that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us – one day we will be made perfect and walk down streets of “pure gold, like transparent glass” (Revelation 21:21).

Let’s pull these truths together into a victorious Christian life. Let’s hold on very loosely to anything of the world which artificially determines our worth and passionately cling to our worth in Christ; “For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Let’s live our life as a “vanishing mist” while remembering we are co-heirs with Jesus in the Kingdom of God. Let’s always remember that we are indeed a highly valued mist.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

A life lived by fully trusting God begins with a simple faith in the forgiveness offered through Jesus. But this simple faith will grow as we apply it to the varied and difficult circumstances which inevitably come our way. Not many of us begin with the faith of Peter; “Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28). Rather, we cautiously test the water by trusting God in small areas of our life. But as we see His promises hold true and witness the blessings of walking in obedience, we ought to begin to step with greater confidence and trust Him more and more.

Prior to crossing into the promised land, Moses told the people of Israel: “Do not be afraid, for the Lord goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). This is one of the many promises which remain with us today. As we walk with God into the land of promise – the land of contentment and peace – we must learn to truly apply these promises and consistently live by them. He is RIGHT THERE! And He wants us to live with the contentment of knowing He is in control.

But full trust is difficult! Every day we are bombarded with things which attempt to pull us away from God and steal our joy. Though He is walking right beside us, and absolutely nothing catches Him by surprise, we seldom even think of Him during our day. This should not be! If we are truly His child, we are being called to trust Him with ALL and allow Him to live in and through us – this is the life He desires for us to live.

We must continually believe the truth of His Word and allow our faith to mature by taking steps which lead us closer to God – even if our steps of faith seem small. With each new step, we will more clearly see the truth of God’s promises. We will begin to see past the visible garbage of this world and begin to gaze with wonder on “Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). The life of contentment and peace is the life of total commitment and surrender.

Psalm 31:5
“Into Your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.”

What part of our life are we holding back from God? If we really believe He created the Universe and sent His Son to die for the forgiveness of our sin so we can spend eternity with Him, isn’t it foolish for us to think we can do a better job of controlling ANYTHING? If we trust Him for our eternal destiny, shouldn’t we trust Him for the much more common matters of our daily life? Our God is VERY capable and He CAN be trusted!

Though it may not seem as dramatic a step as Peter’s, we are all being called out of the boat. We are being called to believe and trust with all our heart. Let’s not allow another day to go by without fully committing our body, soul, mind and spirit, our absolute all and EVERY area of our life, into His hands.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Cords of Encouragement” we saw the importance – even the necessity – of encouraging one another. We have been joined together as the Body of Christ; and for this Body to function properly, we must all be encouraged to draw closer to God, to trust Him more and love Him with all our heart. One of the ways we encourage is in sharing with one another how God’s mighty hand has worked in our life. We have so much to be thankful for, but sadly we often simply forget.

In the book of 1 Samuel, we read of young David and the Philistine “Giant” named Goliath. Goliath was much larger than other people of his day; “he was over nine feet tall” (1 Samuel 17:4). For forty days he tormented the Israelites by challenging them to a battle, but no one would accept his challenge.

David was not a soldier but his father sent him to the Israelite camp to deliver bread to his older brothers. When David heard the challenge by Goliath, he told King Saul; “Your servant will go and fight him” (1 Samuel 17:32).

Though David had never been in this type of battle, he had still witnessed the mighty power of God. As a shepherd, David defended the flock when a lion and a bear had come to carry away his sheep. David rescued the sheep by killing the lion and the bear. By witnessing God’s hand in these past battles, David gained the necessary confidence to go into battle against Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:36-37
“Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear – this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

As we find ourselves battling our own Goliaths, we must remember how God has defended us in the past. And as members together in the Family of God, we must share past victories with one another. God is faithful, and we need to remind one another of this simple truth. Our “Giant” circumstances may seem impossible to resolve, but the God who stood by our side during past battles (and stood by the side of many others) is the same God who stands with us today: “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid'” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

God wants to draw us near and walk with us through each and every battle. This means we must trust He’s working all things together for good…even when we can’t see the good or understand His timing. Let’s be encouraged by God’s victories in our past and look for opportunities to share these victories as an encouragement to others. As each of us face our Goliaths today, let’s go out with a thankful and trusting heart and always remember the defeated lions and bears.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

Malachi served as a prophet to Israel about four hundred years before the birth of Jesus. He brought a message from God which reminded the people of His love, and rebuked them for their disrespectful worship. But through Malachi, God ended the Old Testament with a prophesy about future restoration.

Malachi 4:5-6
“I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Just over four hundred years later, John the Baptist, “the Elijah who was to come” (Matthew 11:14), began to preach a message of repentance. The purpose of John’s ministry was to prepare hearts for the coming of Jesus; “Prepare the way for the Lord” (Matthew 3:3). But according to Malachi, John would also cause the hearts of fathers and children to turn toward one another.

When the spiritual fellowship between man and God was broken, a basic void was formed in man’s heart which led to a breakdown in his earthly relationships. The moment we lost the ability to walk in perfect harmony with God, we also became filled with self-importance and pride, and lost the ability to truly love one another; “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have {true} fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7). Walking close to God, through faith in Jesus, allows us to walk close with others; “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

God created us to be in fellowship with other people – even imperfect, hard to love people. Our quiet and peaceful times of study and prayer are essential for our Christian walk, but some of God’s most important truths can only be learned as we stumble through difficult situations with others. Only there can we learn the difficulty of true grace and forgiveness; only there can some of our own deep sin (like pride, jealousy, and anger) be revealed.

Many relationships are filled with past pain – particularly the relationships between husband and wife, and parent and child – but God’s Word still stands as truth. He has provided the path to restoration; a path which begins with repentance, requires the cleansing of sinful pride, and leads to true love and forgiveness.

Who do we need to reconcile with today? Full restoration requires the cooperation of both parties; but as a child of God, we can now cross the desert and begin to mend what is broken. Jesus died as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins in order that we may be reconciled with our Heavenly Father. He crossed ALL the way and completely mended our shattered heart! Let’s walk in the light of His love and take the necessary steps to cross over and humbly reconcile with one another.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries