Small Steps Daily Devotions for Jan. 30 - Feb. 5

 Monday 

Our Understanding

All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him (2 Samuel 14:14 NLT). 

God's plan for us is eternity with Him. His plan is not to destroy us, but to prosper us. He always has a plan to bring us into or back into His presence. As humans, we can't comprehend the love, mercy, and grace this requires. What we can be sure of is that He has devised a way for us to come to Him and we must choose whether we want a relationship with Him or not. It's our choice, to be in a relationship with Him.

Father, bring us to the realization that you want each of us in your kingdom. Bring us to the knowledge of Your love, mercy, and grace. I ask and pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Tuesday 

His Strength 

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31 NLT). 

For all the problems and even tragedies that we go through in our lives, we can turn to God for His strength which goes beyond human understanding. Not only do we gain His strength, but He promises that we will soar, not grow weary, and walk and not faint. Thank You, Lord!

Dear Lord, I pray for your amazing hand on those who have had terrible loss, sickness, and devastation in this past year. I pray you will raise them to new heights on the wings of the Eagle. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Wednesday 

Which Path 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take (Proverbs 3:5, 6 NLT). 

This is how you know which path to take, in your life. It might be a totally unmarked path, but with God leading the way, you will never be led astray.

Lord, we are so easily led away from your path, we need your help to stay honed to your Word and pointed in the right direction. Lord, please keep your hand on us, as we are weak-minded and weak-willed at times. We ask and pray in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus. Amen. 

Thursday 

Peace Be With You 

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NLT). 

There are many of us who are going through terrible hardships in our lives. In these tough times, we must remain focused on Christ. He is with us, nothing catches Him by surprise. He will bring us through these tough times. Remember to stay focused on Him. Rest on His promises.

Trials will come but they will pass for all those who trust in God!

Thanks be to God, amen!

Friday

Helping Others 

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith (Galatians 6:1-10 NLT). 

In this new year, I hope to task myself with helping others. I hope y'all will join me in this laudable endeavor. I will also task myself with working on my own sins and the correction that I need in my life. I also hope to challenge myself to realize to put God first in all that I do, as it is all about Him and not about me.

Please take the time to read today's Scripture, not only read it but study and dwell in it.

Father God, help us to be your hands and feet. Help us to reach out to others in need. Help us to clean up our own sin and, Lord, correct us as we go through this new year. Lead us and help us to follow you. We ask and pray in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Saturday

Do You Love God?

I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety (Psalms 18:1, 2 NLT). 

Do you love God? Do you know how much He loves you? I know that you need Him, but do you realize how much you need Him?

Without God, we are like a ship at sea, one that has no sail or motor. A ship without a rudder. With God, we are a ship on a plotted course.

We need Him. Period.

Thanks be to God that as bad as we are, He loves us and wants us to be His children.

Lord God, thank you for loving us. We are so undeserving of your love, but you love us anyway. We are unworthy, but You call us worthy. It's only by the fact that you are the all-knowing, all-loving God of the universe. You are our Creator and the one and only God. Thank you, Lord God. Help us to love you more today than ever before. We pray and praise you and thank you for Your amazing love, mercy, and grace. Amen. 

Sunday

Faith 

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life (Romans 1-16-17 NLT). 

Faith is a stumbling block for many people. Having faith in the unseen God causes many to fall into the realm of unbelief or at best, agnostic beliefs. I can't give you faith, you can't give me your faith. Faith for those who are highly educated seems to be a problem as they believe they are too smart to have faith in something unseen.

Faith is to be childlike. We must open our hearts to the amazing power of God working in us, around us, and in the world. It's believing in God, the creator of all things. It's believing that there must be a Creator, as everything around us didn't just happen.

Apologist Frank Turek has a book titled "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist." Think about it. To believe there isn't a God, you must believe that everything came from nothing. Check out his book, it's excellent.

Today folks, let's pray that we all have the childlike faith that God so desires us to have. Pray for our friends and family who do not believe.

Lord God, may we all have child-like faith. May we grow in our faith by reading your Word and exploring your Word to learn more about how great you are. May you touch the hearts of the unbelievers so they might see your amazing love, mercy, and grace. We pray in the mighty name of Jesus, our King, and Savior. Amen.