John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

As a Christian, you may not always have a chance to find out from Jesus what he really has in mind for you at any given moment. His guidance is available some how and some way, just not always how you think it is going to happen. One thing is for sure, though. if you try to live life without Jesus, you know what will happen every time. With him is always better than without him.

Pray for more and more openness to receive from Jesus what he wants to give you.

Luke 2:27
Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. 

This is about Simeon at the time when the newborn Jesus is brought to the Temple for dedication. Simeon is so in tune to God that God sends the Holy Spirit directly to prompt him. Simeon has been waiting for this moment for a long time. He gives his blessing and this is a blessing that comes back to him. He knows this baby is unique.

Pray for senior adults in your life who are faithfully following God’s ways.  

Matthew 23:16
“Woe to you, blind guides!”

A straight careful reading of the Bible informed by good solid scholarship is the source of making decisions about faith and life that are beneficial. When you just take something in the Bible and try to plug it into your life, or when you try to find verses that will back up what you have already decided, there is much room for error. Disciples of Jesus learn the difference.

Pray for God to give you more hunger in reading his Word.

Going to Mexico with 30 high schoolers on a mission trip. Pray. See you Monday.

D

Jeremiah 1:7-8

7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Jeremiah is afraid he is too young to speak God’s truth. God says this is nonsense. If you are a teenager reading this, when you are speaking out of the Word of God, you will be a wise person. Your words will bring blessing. Wisdom has nothing to do with age when it is based on God’s Word. The Word has been around forever.

Pray for a young person in your life to be more open to God’s wisdom.

Obadiah 1

1 This is the vision that the Sovereign Lord revealed to Obadiah concerning the land of Edom.

When God gives a vision to his prophet, the prophet is wise to listen. There are times when God is speaking into your life and you may miss it. Does he have something for you to accomplish that will take his power and all your attention? Seek to discover what he is doing in the world and how he is calling you to join him.

Pray for God to show you what he is accomplishing in your midst.

Isa 42:16

 16 I will lead blind Israel down a new path,
      guiding them along an unfamiliar way.
   I will brighten the darkness before them
      and smooth out the road ahead of them.
   Yes, I will indeed do these things;
      I will not forsake them.

When we try to do things our own way without God’s guidance, it is like walking into a new situation blind. It isn’t about predicting the future, it is about who is with us as the future meets us. With God, even the darkest places shine and the roughest places are smooth sailing, eventually.

Pray for God to show you any blind spots you may be experiencing. 

Isa 30:20-21

 20 Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. 21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say,  “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

This is a fascinating account of the presence of God in our lives. Tough times don’t mean God isn’t there. In fact, tough times are allowed by God. But, rather than keeping our distance from him, when we stick close, connecting through scripture and prayer, it make us so much more receptive to his voice. He has us covered, no matter what.

Pray for someone going through hard times today.

Ps 73:24
 24 You guide me with your counsel,
       and afterward you will take me into glory.

When God guides us and we follow, good always results. To be in God’s glory is to experience his presence so much that others will be effected by what God is doing in our life. Being faithful and open brings more opportunity to shine.

Who has been shining in your life lately? Pray for them.

Ps 67:4
 4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
       for you rule the peoples justly
       and guide the nations of the earth.

God guides all people; those who trust in him and those who don’t. From the laws of physics to the laws of the land, people are being guided by God always. We can reject his guidance and we see this happen in nations, as well as in our own lives. We may not like what God is teaching us but we know it is fair.

Pray for those who govern today that they would see the wisdom of God. 

Psalm 31:3
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, 
       for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

God is solidly behind everything we do that comes from him. There is nothing that can stop God if he wants to accomplish something and he has a willing disciple. This is different than deciding what to do from our own desires and then inviting God to bless what we have decide. God wants in from the beginning.

Pray for God to show you what he is already preparing for you to do.

Job 32:8-9
8 But it is the spirit in a man, 
       the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.
9 It is not only the old who are wise, 
       not only the aged who understand what is right.

It is not experience alone that is a teacher. In business leadership if you have an ineffective 20 year employee they call this, “having one year’s experience 20 years in a row.” This happens if you are experienced in what doesn’t work or if you aren’t applying what you are learning. Staying open to the Holy Spirit affects every area of our life. We are open to wisdom that comes from the source of all wisdom.

Learn something from someone younger than you today.