My Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day. I thank You Lord for being in charge and for blessing me so. You continue to amaze me, stretch me, and encourage me to grow, to step out in faith, and see You perform miracles in every area of my life. I Love You so much and I know that You Love me so much that You gave Your one and only Son so that I could be reconciled to You. I lift up this day as a day of praise and worship and will do all I do in reverence of who You are and what You do. I praise You and worship You, in Jesus' name. Amen.

My Devotional: (from www.TodayGodIsFirst.com)

Going Against the Flow

by Os Hillman

But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. - Numbers 14:10a

Have you ever had to stand up against the majority for a cause that wasn't popular? God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and promised He would lead them into a land of milk and honey. The process of moving out of Egypt was difficult. They could no longer do things the old way, for the old ways didn't work in the desert. God provided for them during this journey. But there came a point in which the people forgot what God had said. Their discomfort changed their belief about God.

Whenever God is slow to answer our prayers, what we believe about God is revealed. Do we change our plans and move in a different direction when pressure mounts? Or do we continue on the path God has directed for us? Four men believed what God said and were willing to stand; however, the crowd wanted to stone them.

Then Moses and Aaron fell face down in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites (Numbers 14:5-10).

Notice Joshua and Caleb's response to the situation. They had spied the land. They believed God. They challenged the crowd. They seemed to know that if the Lord was not pleased with them they would not enter into the Promised Land. Those who grumbled did not enter the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb and a new generation saw the fulfillment of God's promise.

Has God called you to stand for a cause bigger than yourself? You will have opposition to His call; sometimes it even comes from those in your own camp. But if God has called you, then you can be sure He will make a way. He has already opened the way before you. But you must walk in faith, joined with Him to take the land.

...Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).

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©2004 - 2007 Marketplace Leaders - All Rights Reserved.

My Bible Reading (Amplified version from www.BibleGateway.com)

Daniel 3

2Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, the governors, the judges and chief stargazers, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs and lawyers, and all the chief officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had [caused to be] set up.

3Then the satraps, the deputies, the governors, the judges and chief stargazers, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs and lawyers, and all the chief officials of the provinces were gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4Then the herald cried aloud, You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,

5That when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer or bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

6And whoever does not fall down and worship shall that very hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

7Therefore, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, dulcimer or bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

8Therefore at that time certain men of Chaldean descent came near and brought [malicious] accusations against the Jews.

9They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever!

10You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer or bagpipe, and every kind of music shall fall down and worship the golden image,

11And that whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12There are certain Jews whom you have appointed and set over the affairs of the province of Babylon--Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.

13Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; and these men were brought before the king.

14[Then] Nebuchadnezzar said to them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up?

15Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer or bagpipe, and every kind of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, very good. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast at once into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, and who is that god who can deliver you out of my hands?

16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, it is not necessary for us to answer you on this point.

17If our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

18But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up!^(A)

19Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury and his facial expression was changed [to antagonism] against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he commanded that the furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was usually heated.

20And he commanded the strongest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

21Then these [three] men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics or undergarments, their turbans, and their other clothing, and they were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame and sparks from the fire killed those men who handled Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the burning fiery furnace.

24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king [saw and] was astounded, and he jumped up and said to his counselors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered, True, O king.

25He answered, Behold, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods!^(B)

26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the midst of the fire.

27And the satraps, the deputies, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered around together and saw these men--that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed; neither were their garments scorched or changed in color or condition, nor had even the smell of smoke clung to them.

28Then Nebuchadnezzar said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who believed in, trusted in, and relied on Him! And they set aside the king's command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

29Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, and language that speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses be made a dunghill, for there is no other God who can deliver in this way!

30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 4

2It seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed toward me.

3How great are His signs! And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.^(C)

4I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house and prospering in my palace.

5I had a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts and imaginations and the visions of my head as I was lying upon my bed troubled and agitated me.

6Therefore I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.

7Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me the interpretation of it.

8But at last Daniel came in before me--he who was named Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God--and I told the dream before him, saying,

9O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you and no secret mystery is a burden or troubles you, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen and the interpretation of it.

10The visions of my head [as I lay] on my bed were these: I saw, and behold, [there was] a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.

11The tree grew and was strong and its height reached to the heavens, and the sight of it reached to the end of the whole earth.

12Its leaves were fair and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The living creatures of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches; and all flesh was fed from it.

13I saw in the visions of my head [as I lay] on my bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven.

14He cried aloud [with might] and said, Cut down the tree and cut off its branches; shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the living creatures flee from under it and the fowls from its branches.

15Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the midst of the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of the heavens, and let him share the lot of the living creatures in the grass of the earth.

16Let his nature and understanding be changed from a man's and let a beast's nature and understanding be given him, and let seven times [or years] pass over him.

17This sentence is by the decree of the [heavenly] watchers and the decision is by the word of the holy ones, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High [God] rules the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whomever He will and sets over it the humblest and lowliest of men.^(D)

18This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. And you, O Belteshazzar [Daniel], declare now its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.

19Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished and dismayed and stricken dumb for a while [concerned about the king's destiny], and his thoughts troubled, agitated, and alarmed him. The king said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream or its interpretation trouble or alarm you. Belteshazzar answered, My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its message for your enemies.

20The tree that you saw, which grew [great] and was strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which was visible to all the earth,

21Whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, on which was food for all, under which the living creatures of the field dwelt, and on whose branches the birds of the sky had their nests--

22It is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; your greatness has increased and it reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.

23And whereas the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, Cut the tree down and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth with a band of iron and bronze around it, in the tender grass of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of the heavens, and let his portion be with the living creatures of the field until seven times [or years] pass over him--

24This is the interpretation, O king: It is the decree of the Most High [God] which has come upon my lord the king:

25You shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; you shall be made to eat grass as do the oxen and you shall be wet with the dew of the heavens; and seven times [or years] shall pass over you until you learn and know and recognize that the Most High [God] rules the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whomever He will.

26And in that it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be sure to you after you have learned and know that [the God of] heaven rules.

27Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you; break off your sins and show the reality of your repentance by righteousness (right standing with God and moral and spiritual rectitude and rightness in every area and relation) and liberate yourself from your iniquities by showing mercy and loving-kindness to the poor and oppressed, that [if the king will repent] there may possibly be a continuance and lengthening of your peace and tranquility and a healing of your error.

28All this was fulfilled and came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.

29At the end of twelve months he was walking in the royal palace of Babylon.

30The king said, Is not this the great Babylon that I have built as the royal residence and seat of government by the might of my power and for the honor and glory of my majesty?

31While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,

32And you shall be driven from among men and your dwelling will be with the living creatures of the field. You will be made to eat grass like the oxen, and seven times [or years] shall pass over you until you have learned and know that the Most High [God] rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He will.

33That very hour the thing was [in process of] being fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and did eat grass like oxen [as Daniel had said he would], and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens until his hair grew like eagles' [feathers] and his nails [were] like birds' [claws].

34And at the end of the days [seven years], I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding and the right use of my mind returned to me; and I blessed the Most High [God] and I praised and honored and glorified Him Who lives forever, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion; and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

35And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say to Him, What are You doing?

36Now at the same time my reason and understanding returned to me; and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me, and my counselors and my lords sought me out; I was reestablished in my kingdom, and still more greatness [than before] was added to me.

37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, Whose works are all faithful and right and Whose ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to abase and humble.

Cross references:

1. Daniel 3:18 : Job 13:15; Acts 4:19, 20
2. Daniel 3:25 : Phil 2:5-8
3. Daniel 4:3 : Dan 7:13, 14; Luke 1:31-33
4. Daniel 4:17 : Dan 2:21; 5:21

My Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

I thank You for this new day and for what it represents. Each day is filled with new MERCY and GRACE for me to be able to learn and to grow. Each day is filled with JOY for this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. As I look to what the year ahead will be, I look in faith to YOU my Lord. I look to You for BIG things. I will step out in FAITH believing that You will lead me and guide my every step. Help me Lord to plan like it all depends on me and to pray like it all depends on You. Give me a vision to pursue. Give me wisdom to be able to discern what things to do, what things to delegate, and what things should not be done. Give me the strength to be able to walk through each task, each challenge, each trial in a way that is glorifying to You. Help me to see how You would want me to take a situation that looks like it was meant for evil and turn it around and use it for good. And Lord, I ask for COURAGE, the courage to do the big things that You call me to do, the courage to step out of my comfort zones in order to grow and develop my character so as to become more like You. And Lord throughout this year, I will continue to press in to You in order to grow and bring praise and glory to Your Name through everything I do, think, and say, in Jesus' name. I pray. Amen.

Today's Devotional: (from www.TodayGodIsFirst.com)

Motivations to Call

by Os Hillman

..."Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." - Mark 10:49

Do you recall the circumstances when God first called you into relationship with Him? Were you in need of something? Were you in a crisis situation? Every day God calls someone into relationship with Him through different circumstances. More often than not, the circumstances relate to a need in their life that only God can meet.

Bartimaeus had the need to see again. He was a poor blind beggar, who had heard about Jesus and the miracles He had done. The crowds rebuked him for seeking Jesus, yet he continued to cry out. "Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!'...Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus" (Mk. 10:48,50). That day, Bartimaeus saw for the first time. But more than that, he saw with spiritual eyes for the first time.

Each workday, we rub shoulders with someone who has not met this Jesus we know personally. God uses needs to draw us to Himself. What need has He placed in a coworker that only Christ can meet? Perhaps you are the instrument He wants to use to introduce that person to Himself. It requires availability and a willingness to look for people with needs, then point them to Christ to meet their needs. Pray for divine appointments today.

©2004 - 2007 Marketplace Leaders - All Rights Reserved.

Today's Reading: (from www.Biblegateway.com)

Daniel 1

2And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with a part of the vessels of the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar [Babylonia] to the house of his god and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.^(A)

3And the [Babylonian] king told Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring in some of the children of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility--^(B)

4Youths without blemish, well-favored in appearance and skillful in all wisdom, discernment, and understanding, apt in learning knowledge, competent to stand and serve in the king's palace--and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

5And the king assigned for them a daily portion of his own rich and dainty food and of the wine which he drank. They were to be so educated and so nourished for three years that at the end of that time they might stand before the king.

6Among these were of the children of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

7The chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar [the king's attendant], Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

8But Daniel determined in his heart that he would not defile himself by [eating his portion of] the king's rich and dainty food or by [drinking] the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might [be allowed] not to defile himself.^(C)

9Now God made Daniel to find favor, compassion, and loving-kindness with the chief of the eunuchs.

10And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear, lest my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink, should see your faces worse looking or more sad than the other youths of your age. Then you would endanger my head with the king.

11Then said Daniel to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

12Prove your servants, I beseech you, for ten days and let us be given a vegetable diet and water to drink.

13Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat of the king's [rich] dainties be observed and compared by you, and deal with us your servants according to what you see.

14So [the man] consented to them in this matter and proved them ten days.

15And at the end of ten days it was seen that they were looking better and had taken on more flesh than all the youths who ate of the king's rich dainties.

16So the steward took away their [rich] dainties and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.

17As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all [kinds of] visions and dreams.^(D)

18Now at the end of the time which the king had set for bringing [all the young men in], the chief of the eunuchs brought them before Nebuchadnezzar.

19And the king conversed with them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they were assigned to stand before the king.

20And in all matters of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king asked them, he found them ten times better than all the [learned] magicians and enchanters who were in his whole realm.

21And Daniel continued there even to the first year of King Cyrus [at the close of the seventy years' exile of Judah in Babylonia, which Jeremiah had foretold].^(E)

Daniel 2

2Then the king commanded to call the magicians, the enchanters or soothsayers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans [diviners], to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

3And the king said to them, I had a dream and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.

4Then said the Chaldeans [diviners] to the king in Aramaic [the Syrian language], O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.

5The king answered the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me! And the decree goes forth from me and I say it with all emphasis: if you do not make known to me the dream with its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces and your houses shall be made a dunghill!

6But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So show me the dream and the interpretation of it.

7They answered again, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.

8The king answered, I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see the thing is gone from me and because you see that my word [against you] is sure:

9If you will not make known to me the dream, there is but one sentence for you; for you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me [hoping to delay your execution] until the time is changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I will know that you can tell me the interpretation of it.

10The Chaldeans [diviners] answered before the king and said, There is not a man on earth who can show the king this matter, for no king, lord, or ruler has [ever] asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.

11A rare and weighty thing indeed the king requires! None except the gods can reveal it to the king, and their dwelling is not with [human] flesh.

12For this cause the king was angry and very furious and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.

13So the decree went forth that the wise men were to be killed, and [the officers] sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.

14Then Daniel returned an answer which was full of prudence and wisdom to Arioch the captain or executioner of the king's guard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon.

15He said to Arioch, the king's captain, Why is the decree so urgent and hasty from the king? Then Arioch explained the matter to Daniel.

16And Daniel went in and desired of the king that he would set a date and give him time, and he would show the king the interpretation.

17Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,

18So that they would desire and request mercy of the God of heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20Daniel answered, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever! For wisdom and might are His!

21He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding!^(F)

22He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him!^(G)

23I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers, Who has given me wisdom and might and has made known to me now what we desired of You, for You have made known to us the solution to the king's problem.

24Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus to him: Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me in before the king, and I will show to the king the interpretation.

25Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: I have found a man of the captives of Judah who will make known to the king the interpretation [of his dream].

26The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and the interpretation of it?

27Daniel answered the king, The [mysterious] secret which the king has demanded neither the wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor astrologers can show the king,

28But there is a God in heaven Who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what it is that shall be in the latter days (at the end of days). Your dream and the visions in your head upon your bed are these:

29As for you, O king, as you were lying upon your bed thoughts came into your mind about what should come to pass hereafter, and He Who reveals secrets was making known to you what shall come to pass.

30But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than anyone else living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king and that you may know the thoughts of your heart and mind.

31You, O king, saw, and behold, [there was] a great image. This image which was mighty and of exceedingly great brightness stood before you, and the appearance of it was frightening and terrible.

32As for this ^[a]image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze,

33Its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay [the baked clay of the potter].

34As you looked, a ^[b]Stone was cut out without human hands, which smote the image on its feet of iron and [baked] clay [of the potter] and broke them to pieces.^(H)

35Then the iron, the [baked] clay [of the potter], the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken and crushed together and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them could be found. And the Stone that smote the image became a great mountain or rock and filled the whole earth.

36This was the dream, and we will tell the interpretation of it to the king.

37You, O king, are king of the [earthly] kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory.^(I)

38And wherever the children of men dwell, and the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens--He has given them into your hand and has made you to rule over them all. You [king of Babylon] are the head of gold.

39And after you shall arise another kingdom [the Medo-Persian], inferior to you, and still a third kingdom of bronze [Greece under Alexander the Great] which shall bear rule over all the earth.

40And the fourth kingdom [Rome] shall be strong as iron, since iron breaks to pieces and subdues all things; and like iron which crushes, it shall break and crush all these.^(J)

41And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of [baked] clay [of the potter] and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it some of the firmness and strength of iron, just as you saw the iron mixed with miry [earthen] clay.

42And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of [baked] clay [of the potter], so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle and broken.

43And as you saw the iron mixed with miry and earthen clay, so they shall mingle themselves in the seed of men [in marriage bonds]; but they will not hold together [for two such elements or ideologies can never harmonize], even as iron does not mingle itself with clay.

44And in the days of these [final ten] kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people; but it shall break and crush and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever.^(K)

45Just as you saw that the Stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. The dream is certain and the interpretation of it is sure.

46Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and paid homage to Daniel [as a great prophet of the highest God] and ordered that an offering and incense should be offered up to him [in honor of his God].

47The king answered Daniel, Of a truth your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a Revealer of secret mysteries, seeing that you could reveal this secret mystery!^(L)

48Then the king made Daniel great and gave him many great gifts, and he made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.

49And Daniel requested of the king and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained in the gate of the king [at the king's court].

Footnotes:

1. Daniel 2:32 Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream outlines the further history of Gentile world power. The four metals of which the image was made represented four successive empires, each with the power to possess the whole inhabited earth--though each stopped short of that. They were: (1) Babylon (Jer. 51:7) (2) Medo-Persia (3) Greece under Alexander (4) Rome. The latter power was divided first into the two legs, corresponding to the eastern and western Roman empires, and then (after a very long time apparently) into the ten toes, a confederacy made up largely of European nations (Dan. 7:24-27).
2. Daniel 2:34 The eternal kingdom of God, the Messianic kingdom, will extend over "the whole earth," and all who reject Jesus, the Messiah, the Stone, will be crushed. See also Ps. 118:22-23; Isa. 8:14; Matt. 21:44; Luke 2:34; 20:18; I Pet. 2:3-8.

1. Daniel 1:2 : II Chron 36:5-7; Jer 27:19, 20; Dan 5:1-3
2. Daniel 1:3 : II Kings 20:17, 18
3. Daniel 1:8 : Num 6:1-4; I Cor 10:21
4. Daniel 1:17 : Luke 21:15; James 1:5-7
5. Daniel 1:21 : Ezra 1:1-3; Jer 25:11, 12; 29:10
6. Daniel 2:21 : Dan 4:35
7. Daniel 2:22 : Job 15:8; Ps 25:14; Matt 6:6
8. Daniel 2:34 : I Pet 2:3-8
9. Daniel 2:37 : Jer 25:9; 27:6; 28:14
10. Daniel 2:40 : Dan 7:7, 23
11. Daniel 2:44 : Dan 7:14-17; Luke 1:31-33; Rev 11:15
12. Daniel 2:47 : Prov 3:32; Rev 19:16

My Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
I thank You Lord for this new day and ask Lord that You bring a peace and a confidence to me throughout the day. Thank You for my family. Thank You for my church. Thank You for my Job. Thank You for the blessings and provision You have brought into my life. Lord today, I look to You in awe, just amazed as how You orchestrate, You prepare in advance, You lead my steps, You know my every need before I even ask. But Lord, I ask because Your Word says that I have not because I ask not. It is the action of my faith that I believe that You care enough about my life that I can come with the confidence of knowing that I have Jesus as my intercessor for my requests. Help me today I pray to be prepared for my meetings and presentations. Help me today to be ready for the questions. Lord give me the wisdom I pray that is required for every situation You have before me today. Lord, please let the windshield guy come in the morning today to fix it. And I ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

 My Devotional Reading: (from www.TodayGodIsFirst.com)

God's Recruitment Strategy for Leaders

by Os Hillman

Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. - Acts 9:8a
When God calls one of His servants into service, there is often much travail. There are many examples where God makes His presence known through circumstances that tax the individual to his very soul.
Consider Paul, who was stricken blind on the Damascus road.
Consider Peter; when he denied Jesus after the crucifixion, he was in total despair.
Consider Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were thrown into the fiery furnace.
Consider Daniel, who was thrown into the lions' den.
Consider David, who was forced to flee his former employer for many years and lived as a fugitive.
It may seem strange to us that God uses such incredible adversity to prepare His servants for greater service, but this is God's way. God knows that the human heart is incapable of voluntarily stepping into situations that take us beyond our comfort zone. He intentionally brings us into hard places to prove us and to drive us deeper into the soil of His grace.
In arid regions of the world, trees cannot survive unless their roots grow deeper to where the water table can be found. Once they reach the water, these trees become stronger than any tree that can be found in tropical climates. Their root systems ensure that they can withstand any storm. In the same way, God brings us into extremely difficult situations in order to prove His power and drive our spiritual roots deeper.
Friend, God may take you through times when you will question His love for you. In such times, you must cling to His coattail so that you see His purposes in it. Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him" (Hebrews 10:36-38).

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My Reading from God's Word - The Bible (from www.BibleGateway.com)

Ecclesiastes 9-12 (Amplified Bible)

Ecclesiastes 9

2All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the clean and to the unclean; to him who sacrifices and to him who does not sacrifice. As is the good man, so is the sinner; and he who swears is as he who fears and shuns an oath.

3This evil is in all that is done under the sun: one fate comes to all. Also the hearts of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

4[There is no exemption] but he who is joined to all the living has hope--for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; and they have no more reward [here], for the memory of them is forgotten.

6Their love and their hatred and their envy have already perished; neither have they any more a share in anything that is done under the sun.

7Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart [if you are righteous, wise, and in the hands of God], for God has already accepted your works.

8Let your garments be always white [with purity], and let your head not lack [the] oil [of gladness].

9Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun--all the days of futility. For that is your portion in this life and in your work at which you toil under the sun.

10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the place of the dead), where you are going.

11I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, neither is bread to the wise nor riches to men of intelligence and understanding nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.^(A)

12For man also knows not his time [of death]: as the fishes are taken in an evil net, and as the birds are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when [calamity] falls suddenly upon them.

13This [illustration of] wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great to me:

14There was a little city with few men in it. And a great king came against it and besieged it and built great bulwarks against it.

15But there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no man [seriously] remembered that poor man.

16But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heeded.

17The words of wise men heard in quiet are better than the shouts of him who rules among fools.

18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

Ecclesiastes 10

2A wise man's heart turns him toward his right hand, but a fool's heart toward his left.^(B)

3Even when he who is a fool walks along the road, his heart and understanding fail him, and he says of everyone and to everyone that he is a fool.

4If the temper of the ruler rises up against you, do not leave your place [or show a resisting spirit]; for gentleness and calmness prevent or put a stop to great offenses.

5There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which proceeds from the ruler:

6Folly is set in great dignity and in high places, and the rich sit in low places.

7I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking like slaves on the earth.

8He who digs a pit [for others] will fall into it, and whoever breaks through a fence or a [stone] wall, a serpent will bite him.^(C)

9Whoever removes [landmark] stones or hews out [new ones with similar intent] will be hurt with them, and he who fells trees will be endangered by them.^(D)

10If the ax is dull and the man does not whet the edge, he must put forth more strength; but wisdom helps him to succeed.

11If the serpent bites before it is charmed, then it is no use to call a charmer [and the slanderer is no better than the uncharmed snake].

12The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious and win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him.

13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is wicked madness.

14A fool also multiplies words, though no man can tell what will be--and what will happen after he is gone, who can tell him?

15The labor of fools wearies every one of them, because [he is so ignorant of the ordinary matters that] he does not even know how to get to town.

16Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child or a servant and when your officials feast in the morning!

17Happy (fortunate and to be envied) are you, O land, when your king is a free man and of noble birth and character and when your officials feast at the proper time--for strength and not for drunkenness!^(E)

18Through indolence the rafters [of state affairs] decay and the roof sinks in, and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.

19[Instead of repairing the breaches, the officials] make a feast for laughter, serve wine to cheer life, and [depend on tax] money to answer for all of it.

20Curse not the king, no, not even in your thoughts, and curse not the rich in your bedchamber, for a bird of the air will carry the voice, and a winged creature will tell the matter.^(F)

Ecclesiastes 11

2Give a portion to seven, yes, even [divide it] to eight, for you know not what evil may come upon the earth.

3If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.

4He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

5As you know not what is the way of the wind, or how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you know not the work of God, Who does all.

6In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening withhold not your hands, for you know not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

7Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.

8Yes, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all; yet let him [seriously] remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. All that comes is vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility)!

9Rejoice, O young man, in your adolescence, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your [full-grown] youth. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

10Therefore remove [the lusts that end in] sorrow and vexation from your heart and mind and put away evil from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity [transitory, idle, empty, and devoid of truth].^(G)

Ecclesiastes 12

2Before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened [sight is impaired], and the clouds [of depression] return after the rain [of tears];

3In the day when the keepers of the house [the hands and the arms] tremble, and the strong men [the feet and the knees] bow themselves, and the grinders [the molar teeth] cease because they are few, and those who look out of the windows [the eyes] are darkened;

4When the doors [the lips] are shut in the streets and the sound of the grinding [of the teeth] is low, and one rises up at the voice of a bird and the crowing of a cock, and all the daughters of music [the voice and the ear] are brought low;

5Also when [the old] are afraid of danger from that which is high, and fears are in the way, and the almond tree [their white hair] blooms, and the grasshopper [a little thing] is a burden, and desire and appetite fail, because man goes to his everlasting home and the mourners go about the streets or marketplaces.^(I)

6[Remember your Creator earnestly now] before the silver cord [of life] is snapped apart, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern [and the whole circulatory system of the blood ceases to function];

7Then shall the dust [out of which God made man's body] return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it.

8Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities, says the Preacher. All is futility (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and transitoriness)!

9And furthermore, because the Preacher was wise, he [Solomon] still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.

10The Preacher sought acceptable words, even to write down rightly words of truth or correct sentiment.

11The words of the wise are like prodding goads, and firmly fixed [in the mind] like nails are the collected sayings which are given [as proceeding] from one Shepherd.^(J)

12But about going further [than the words given by one Shepherd], my son, be warned. Of making many books there is no end [so do not believe everything you read], and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

13All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God's providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man.

14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good or evil.^(K)

Cross references:

1. Ecclesiastes 9:11 : Ps 33:16-19; Rom 9:16
2. Ecclesiastes 10:2 : Matt 25:31-41
3. Ecclesiastes 10:8 : Ps 57:6
4. Ecclesiastes 10:9 : Prov 26:27
5. Ecclesiastes 10:17 : Isa 32:8
6. Ecclesiastes 10:20 : Exod 22:28
7. Ecclesiastes 11:10 : II Cor 7:1; II Tim 2:22
8. Ecclesiastes 12:1 : II Sam 19:35
9. Ecclesiastes 12:5 : Job 17:13
10. Ecclesiastes 12:11 : Ezek 37:24
11. Ecclesiastes 12:14 : Matt 12:36; Acts 17:30, 31; Rom 2:16; I Cor 4:5

My Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
As I look to today and think about today, I look to You for wisdom. I need wisdom to be able to know when to say "Yes" and when to say "No". Yesterday, I said I was going to do a few things, however, I wasn't able to meet those commitments or statements. Stuff got in the way of me being able to stop by people's offices to discuss what they had to discuss. The stuff happened to be more important, however, I didn't show up. Lord, give me wisdom today to know when to say Yes and when to say No, and Lord, I pray You will give me the courage to say it. Lord, let me walk as a changed man today. Lord, help me to be punctual. Lord, help me to keep from doing or saying things that would reduce or remove the opportunity to have others praise and glorify You. Help me to keep my eyes on You. Help me to not be stirred or be disturbed by the storms, the waves, the wind that come by, but remained focused. Lord, I need Your focus, I need pin point precision type focus. Today, I turn to You and ask for this type of focus. Lord, I also as for faith and courage to step out. I pray that You will give me the courage to step out when You call me. I pray that You will give me the opportunity to step out and speak life, hope, joy into the life of those around me through prayer, listening, and conversation. Help me to be a speaker of truth that people can't refute, because it is based on the WORDS of GOD - Your Holy Bible.

Lord, I pray also for a humble heart. I thank You for the confidence that I have in You and the pride and hope I have in You, but help me to walk in humility for others and for You today, in Jesus' name I pray.

I ask all this today in Jesus' name, for Your Word says that we have not because we ask not, Your Word says that You will never leave me nor forsake me, Your Word says that all things will submit to the name of Jesus and pray that my life will submit the power of almighty God so that I may walk by faith and not by sight, I may walk with the courage of David as he walked to face the giant, knowing that he would be victorious, not because of who he was, but because he knew who his God was, and that I may stop and listen before making decisions so that the Holy Spirit can guide my every thought, word, and deed. And I will give You all the praise, all the glory, all the honor in Jesus' name. Amen.

 Today's Readings: (from TGIF - http://www.TodayGodIsFirst.com)

The Art of Waiting

by Os Hillman

By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them.... - Exodus 13:21
How are you at waiting on God? How do you determine if God is giving you the green light to move forward? Many workplace believers make the mistake of adding up all the pluses and then concluding that God has given them the green light. Several factors go into making a decision from the Lord.
It is important to do three things before you make a decision on a matter. First, you should gather facts. Fact gathering allows you to determine all the realities of a given situation. However, this does not ultimately drive your decision, but it can put a stop to it. For instance, if you were planning to build a shopping center and you knew the only way to lease the space was to rent to a porn shop, your decision would be made. God would not lead you to enter into unrighteous ventures.
Second, is the Holy Spirit guiding you in your decision? "If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm" (Ps. 37:23). George Mueller cites that the steps are also "by the Lord." God puts hedges around us, but many times we bull our way through the hedges under the guise of tenacity and perseverance. This too is unrighteousness. One wise workplace believer stated that the greatest success one can have in business is to know when it is time to pull the plug rather than keep forcing a situation. Not all businesses last forever.
Third, has your decision been confirmed? God has placed others around us to be used as instruments in our lives to confirm decisions and keep us from the deceit of our own heart. "Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses" (2 Cor. 13:1b). This is God's way of keeping us within the hedge of His protection.
"Write your plans in pencil and give God the eraser."

Ecclesiastes 5-8 - (Amplified Translation - http://www.BibleGateway.com)

Ecclesiastes 5

2Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.

3For a dream comes with much business and painful effort, and a fool's voice with many words.

4When you vow a vow or make a pledge to God, do not put off paying it; for God has no pleasure in fools (those who witlessly mock Him). Pay what you vow.^(B)

5It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.^(C)

6Do not allow your mouth to cause your body to sin, and do not say before the messenger [the priest] that it was an error or mistake. Why should God be [made] angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?^(D)

7For in a multitude of dreams there is futility and worthlessness, and ruin in a flood of words. But [reverently] fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is].

8If you see the oppression of the poor and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in the state or province, do not marvel at the matter. [Be sure that there are those who will attend to it] for a higher [official] than the high is observing, and higher ones are over them.

9Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all; the king himself is served by the field and in all, a king is an advantage to a land with cultivated fields.

10He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance with gain. This also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!

11When goods increase, they who eat them increase also. And what gain is there to their owner except to see them with his eyes?

12The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the fullness of the rich will not let him sleep.

13There is a serious and severe evil which I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt.

14But those riches are lost in a bad venture; and he becomes the father of a son, and there is nothing in his hand [with which to support the child].

15As [the man] came forth from his mother's womb, so he will go again, naked as he came; and he will take away nothing for all his labor which he can carry in his hand.

16And this also is a serious and severe evil--that in all points as he came, so shall he go; and what gain has he who labors for the wind?^(E)

17All his days also he eats in darkness [cheerlessly, with no sweetness and light in them], and much sorrow and sickness and wrath are his.

18Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is for one to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun all the days which God gives him--for this is his [allotted] part.^(F)

19Also, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, and the power to enjoy them and to accept his appointed lot and to rejoice in his toil--this is the gift of God [to him].

20For he shall not much remember [seriously] the days of his life, because God [Himself] answers and corresponds to the joy of his heart [the tranquillity of God is mirrored in him].

Ecclesiastes 6

2A man to whom God has given riches, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he might desire, yet God does not give him the power or capacity to enjoy them [things which are gifts from God], but a stranger [in whom he has no interest succeeds him and] consumes and enjoys them. This is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility); it is a sore affliction!^(G)

3If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years so that the days of his years are many, but his life is not filled with good, and also he is given no burial [honors nor is laid to rest in the sepulcher of his fathers], I say that [he who had] an untimely birth [resulting in death] is better off than he,^(H)

4For [the untimely one] comes in futility and goes into darkness, and in darkness his name is covered.

5Moreover, he has not seen the sun nor had any knowledge, yet he [the stillborn child] has rest rather than he [who is aware of all that he has missed and all that he would not have had to suffer].

6Even though he lives a thousand years twice over and yet has seen no good and experienced no enjoyment--do not all go to one place [the place of the dead]?

7All the labor of man is for his mouth [for self-preservation and enjoyment], and yet his desire is not satisfied.^(I)

8For what advantage has the wise man over the fool [being worldly-wise is not the secret to happiness]? What advantage has the poor man who has learned how to walk before the living [publicly, with men's eyes upon him; being poor is not the secret to happiness either]?

9Better is the sight of the eyes [the enjoyment of what is available to one] than the cravings of wandering desire. This is also vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility) and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it!

10Whatever [man] is, he has been named that long ago, and it is known that it is man ^[a][Adam]; nor can he contend with Him who is mightier than he [whether God or death].

11Seeing that there are [all these and] many other things and words that increase the emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility [of living], what profit and what outcome is there for man?

12For who [^[b]limited to human wisdom] knows what is good for man in his life, all the days of his vain life which he spends as a shadow [going through the motions but accomplishing nothing]? For who can tell a man what will happen [to his work, his treasure, his plans] under the sun after he is gone?

Ecclesiastes 7

2It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to heart.

3Sorrow is better than laughter, for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better and gains gladness.^(J)

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth and sensual joy.

5It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.

6For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!

7Surely oppression and extortion make a wise man foolish, and a bribe destroys the understanding and judgment.

8Better is the end of a thing than the beginning of it, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9Do not be quick in spirit to be angry or vexed, for anger and vexation lodge in the bosom of fools.^(K)

10Do not say, Why were the old days better than these? For it is not wise or because of wisdom that you ask this.

11Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, yes, more excellent it is for those [the living] who see the sun.

12For wisdom is a defense even as money is a defense, but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom shields and preserves the life of him who has it.

13Consider the work of God: who can make straight what He has made crooked?

14In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider that God has made the one side by side with the other, so that man may not find out anything that shall be after him.

15I have seen everything in the days of my vanity (my emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility): there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in [spite of] his evildoing.

16Be not [morbidly exacting and externally] righteous overmuch, neither strive to make yourself [pretentiously appear] overwise--why should you [get puffed up and] destroy yourself [with presumptuous self-sufficiency]?

17[Although all have sinned] be not wicked overmuch or willfully, neither be foolish--why should you die before your time?

18It is good that you should take hold of this and from that withdraw not your hand; for he who [reverently] fears and worships God will come forth from them all.

19[True] wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers or valiant generals who are in the city.^(L)

20Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth who does good and never sins.^(M)

21Do not give heed to everything that is said, lest you hear your servant cursing you--

22For often your own heart knows that you have likewise cursed others.

23All this have I tried and proved by wisdom. I said, I will be wise [independently of God]--but it was far from me.

24That which is is far off, and that which is deep is very deep--who can find it out [true wisdom independent of the fear of God]?^(N)

25I turned about [penitent] and my heart was set to know and to search out and to seek [true] wisdom and the reason of things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness [and what had led me into such wickedness and madness].

26And I found that [of all sinful follies none has been so ruinous in seducing one away from God as idolatrous women] more bitter than death is the woman whose heart is snares and nets and whose hands are bands. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her.

27Behold, this I have found, says the Preacher, while weighing one thing after another to find out the right estimate [and the reason]--

28Which I am still seeking but have not found--one upright man among a thousand have I found, but an upright woman among all those [one thousand in my harem] have I not found.^(O)

29Behold, this is the only [reason for it that] I have found: God made man upright, but they [men and women] have sought out many devices [for evil].

Ecclesiastes 8

2I counsel you to keep the king's command, and that in regard to the oath of God [by which you swore to him loyalty].^(P)

3Be not panic-stricken and hasty to get out of his presence. Persist not in an evil thing, for he does whatever he pleases.

4For the word of a king is authority and power, and who can say to him, What are you doing?

5Whoever observes the [king's] command will experience no harm, and a wise man's mind will know both when and what to do.

6For every purpose and matter has its [right] time and judgment, although the misery and wickedness of man lies heavily upon him [who rebels against the king].

7For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how and when it will be?

8There is no man who has power over the spirit to retain the breath of life, neither has he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in battle [against death], neither will wickedness deliver those who are its possessors and given to it.

9All this have I seen while applying my mind to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has power over another to his own hurt or to the other man's.

10And so I saw the wicked buried--those who had come and gone out of the holy place [but did not thereby escape their doom], and they are [praised and] forgotten in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility)!

11Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, the hearts of the sons of men are fully set to do evil.

12Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days [seemingly] are prolonged [in his wickedness], yet surely I know that it will be well with those who [reverently] fear God, who revere and worship Him, realizing His continual presence.^(Q)

13But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not [reverently] fear and worship God.^(R)

14Here also is a futility that goes on upon the earth: there are righteous men who fare as though they were wicked, and wicked men who fare as though they were righteous. I say that this also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!

15Then I commended enjoyment, because a man has no better thing under the sun [without God] than to eat and to drink and to be joyful, for that will remain with him in his toil through the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

16When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to see the business activity and the painful effort that take place upon the earth--how neither day nor night some men's eyes sleep--

17Then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun--because however much a man may toil in seeking, yet he will not find it out; yes, more than that, though a wise man thinks and claims he knows, yet will he not be able to find it out.^(S)

Footnotes:

1. Ecclesiastes 6:10 The Hebrew "Adam" means man, of the ground. The very name witnesses to his frailty.
2. Ecclesiastes 6:12 How impressive throughout Ecclesiastes is the evidence that, while Solomon is doing his utmost to prove that life is futile and not worth living, the Holy Spirit is using him to show that these conclusions are the tragic effect of living "under the sun"--ignoring the Lord, dwelling away from God the Father, oblivious of the Holy Spirit--and yet face to face with the mysteries of life and nature!

1. Ecclesiastes 5:1 : Gen 35:1-4; Exod 3:5
2. Ecclesiastes 5:4 : Ps 50:14; 66:13, 14; 76:11
3. Ecclesiastes 5:5 : Prov 20:25; Acts 5:4
4. Ecclesiastes 5:6 : Mal 2:7
5. Ecclesiastes 5:16 : I Tim 6:6
6. Ecclesiastes 5:18 : I Tim 6:17
7. Ecclesiastes 6:2 : Luke 12:20
8. Ecclesiastes 6:3 : Job 3:16
9. Ecclesiastes 6:7 : Prov 16:26
10. Ecclesiastes 7:3 : II Cor 7:10
11. Ecclesiastes 7:9 : James 1:19, 20
12. Ecclesiastes 7:19 : Ps 127:1; II Tim 3:15
13. Ecclesiastes 7:20 : Isa 53:6; Rom 3:23
14. Ecclesiastes 7:24 : Job 28:12-28; I Cor 2:9-16
15. Ecclesiastes 7:28 : I Kings 11:3
16. Ecclesiastes 8:2 : II Sam 21:7
17. Ecclesiastes 8:12 : Ps 37:11, 18, 19; Isa 3:10, 11; Matt 25:34
18. Ecclesiastes 8:13 : Matt 25:41
19. Ecclesiastes 8:17 : Deut 29:29; Rom 11:33

From today's reading:

53They [thought they had] destroyed my life in the dungeon (pit) and cast a stone [over it] above me.^(A)

54The waters ran down on my head; I said, I am gone.

55I called upon Your name, O Lord, out of the depths [of the mire] of the dungeon.^(B)

56You heard my voice [then]: [Oh] hide not Your ear [now] at my prayer for relief.

57You drew near on the day I called to You; You said, Fear not.^(C)

58O Lord, You have pleaded the causes of my soul [You have managed my affairs and You have protected my person and my rights]; You have rescued and redeemed my life!

My Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
You are so good to me. When I am healthy, You are here. When I am sick, You are here. You have restored me and redeemed me and today I am feeling better. It is by the stripes of Jesus Christ, that I am healed of the pain and sickness of the past few days, and I am grateful. Thanks be to God. Today, I lift You up in praise. Today, I will work as unto the Lord, for it is You oh Lord who will direct my every step, it is You oh Lord, who will help me to be a positive encouragement for those around me. Help me Lord to remove any bitter roots that may start or try to grab onto me. Help me Lord to see where the enemy may be laying a snare in order to get a stronghold into my life. For I need Your eyes to see, Your ears to hear, Your wisdom to know, Your discernment to understand, and Your strength the press in and press on. Give me strength today Lord, to take back what is rightfully Yours. Show me someone who I can make a difference in their lives today by what I say or do and help me to step up. And Lord, I will give You the praise and the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Job 40

2Shall he who would find fault with the Almighty contend with Him? He who disputes with God, let him answer it.

3Then Job replied to the Lord:

4Behold, I am of small account and vile! What shall I answer You? I lay my hand upon my mouth.^(A)

5I have spoken once, but I will not reply again--indeed, twice [have I answered], but I will proceed no further.

6Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, saying,

7Gird up your loins now like a man; I will demand of you, and you answer Me.

8Will you also annul (set aside and render void) My judgment? Will you condemn Me [your God], that you may [appear] righteous and justified?

9Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?

10[Since you question the manner of the Almighty's rule] deck yourself now with the excellency and dignity [of the Supreme Ruler, and yourself undertake the government of the world if you are so wise], and array yourself with honor and majesty.

11Pour forth the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him;

12Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low, and tread down the wicked where they stand [if you are so able, Job].

13[Bury and] hide them all in the dust together; [and] shut them up [in the prison house of death].

14[If you can do all this, Job, proving yourself of divine might] then will I [God] praise you also [and acknowledge that] your own right hand can save you.

15Behold now the behemoth (the hippopotamus), which I created as I did you; he eats grass like an ox.

16See now, his strength is in his loins, and his power is in the sinews of his belly.

17He moves his tail like a cedar tree; the tendons of his thighs are twisted together [like a rope].

18His bones are like tubes of bronze; his limbs [or ribs] are like bars of iron.

19[The hippopotamus] is the first [in magnitude and power] of the works of God [in animal life]; [only] He Who made him provides him with his [swordlike tusks, or only God Who made him can bring near His sword to master him].

20Surely the mountains bring him food, where all the wild animals play.

21He lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reeds in the marsh.

22The lotus trees cover him with their shade; the willows of the brook compass him about.

23Behold, if a river is violent and overflows, he does not tremble; he is confident, though the Jordan [River] swells and rushes against his mouth.

24Can any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare?

Job 41

2Can you put a rope into his nose? Or pierce his jaw through with a hook or a spike?

3Will he make many supplications to you [begging to be spared]? Will he speak soft words to you [to coax you to treat him kindly]?

4Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant forever?

5Will you play with [the crocodile] as with a bird? Or will you put him on a leash for your maidens?

6Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants?

7Can you fill his skin with harpoons? Or his head with fishing spears?

8Lay your hand upon him! Remember your battle with him; you will not do [such an ill-advised thing] again!

9Behold, the hope of [his assailant] is disappointed; one is cast down even at the sight of him!

10No one is so fierce [and foolhardy] that he dares to stir up [the crocodile]; who then is he who can stand before Me [the beast's Creator, or dares to contend with Me]?

11Who has first given to Me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heavens is Mine. [Therefore, who can have a claim against God, God Who made the unmastered crocodile?]^(B)

12I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame.

13Who can strip off [the crocodile's] outer garment? [Who can penetrate his double coat of mail?] Who shall come within his jaws?

14Who can open the doors of his [lipless] mouth? His [extended jaws and bare] teeth are terrible round about.

15His scales are [the crocodile's] pride, [for his back is made of rows of shields] shut up together [as with] a tight seal;

16One is so near to another that no air can come between them.

17They are joined one to another; they stick together so that they cannot be separated.

18His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the [reddish] eyelids of the dawn.

19Out of his mouth go burning torches, [and] sparks of fire leap out.

20Out of his nostrils goes forth smoke, as out of a seething pot over a fire of rushes.

21His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes forth from his mouth.

22In [the crocodile's] neck abides strength, and terror dances before him.

23The folds of his flesh cleave together; they are firm upon him, and they cannot shake [when he moves].

24His heart is as firm as a stone, indeed, as solid as a nether millstone.

25When [the crocodile] raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; because of terror and the crashing they are beside themselves.

26Even if one strikes at him with the sword, it cannot get any hold, nor does the spear, the dart, or the javelin.

27He counts iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood.

28The arrow cannot make [the crocodile] flee; slingstones are treated by him as stubble.

29Clubs [also] are counted as stubble; he laughs at the rushing and the rattling of the javelin.

30His underparts are like sharp pieces of broken pottery; he spreads [grooves like] a threshing sledge upon the mire.

31He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a [foaming] pot of ointment.

32[His swift darting] makes a shining track behind him; one would think the deep to be hoary [with foam].

33Upon earth there is not [the crocodile's] equal, a creature made without fear and he behaves fearlessly.

34He looks all mighty [beasts of prey] in the face [without terror]; he is monarch over all the sons of pride. [And now, Job, ^[a]who are you who dares not arouse the unmastered crocodile, yet who dares resist Me, the beast's Creator, to My face? Everything under the heavens is Mine; therefore, who can have a claim against God?]

Job 42

2I know that You can do all things, and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted.

3[You said to me] Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge? Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.^(C)

4[I had virtually said to You what You have said to me:] Hear, I beseech You, and I will speak; I will demand of You, and You declare to me.

5I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, but now my [spiritual] eye sees You.

6Therefore I loathe [my words] and abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.

7After the Lord had spoken the previous words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.

8Now therefore take seven bullocks and seven rams and go to My servant Job and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept [his prayer] that I deal not with you after your folly, in that you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.

9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; and the Lord accepted [Job's prayer].

10And the Lord turned the captivity of Job and restored his fortunes, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.^(D)

11Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they sympathized with him and comforted him over all the [distressing] calamities that the Lord had brought upon him. Every man also gave him a piece of money, and every man an earring of gold.

12And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.^(E)

13He had also seven sons and three daughters.

14And he called the name of the first Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch.

15And in all the land there were no women so fair as the daughters of Job, and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers.

16After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his sons' sons, even to four generations.

17So Job died, an old man and full of days.^(F)

Footnotes:

1. Job 41:34 This repeats the thought of verses ten and eleven of this chapter, which is the key and climax to God's argument with Job.

1. Job 40:4 : Ezra 9:6; Ps 51:4
2. Job 41:11 : Rom 11:35
3. Job 42:3 : Job 38:2
4. Job 42:10 : Deut 30:1-3; Ps 126:1, 2
5. Job 42:12 : Job 1:3
6. Job 42:17 : James 5:11

Teach me what I do not see [in regard to how I have sinned]; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more? - Job 34:32

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. - Job 42:3b

Heavenly Father,

I thank You for this new day. I thank You for the incredible blessings and love that You pour into my life. Though I go through times of trial and challenge, I know that You are perfecting me. I know that I am to consider it all joy. Help me Lord not to step back nor to fall back, but press in and press on. Your Word says in James 1:

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Those who doubt should not think they will receive anything from the Lord; 8 they are double-minded and unstable in all they do. 9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation--since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. 12 Blessed are those who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Lord, how I look to the day when I am perfected in Your sight. Lord, how I pursue after You wanting and choosing to change and learn and develop into the man of God You have called me to be. Help me Lord to walk my life with humility and not in pride, help me to share Your love with those You have brought into my life. They were brought into my life that they may feel and learn about the love that You have for them. A love that is greater and larger that what we could have ever imagined. Thank You for this day and I look to You for wisdom and grace for others as You have done for me. I thank you and praise you giving you all the honor and all the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day. I thank You for the counsel of the godly. I thank You that by Your wisdom they speak life, hope, encouragement, and truth into our lives. I thank You that through Your Word, we are taught to love -- first, Love God with all our hearts, all our minds, all our souls, and all our strength -- second, Love our neighbors as ourselves. Lord, I thank You that You stepped in, I thank You that You helped me to realize that I was not to pull away from You or Your people, but was to stay connected. Lord, You took my sorrow and my shame and returned to me joy. You took my sickness and my pain and returned to me joy. Lord, there may be pressure in life that will strengthen and perfect us, but Your Word says that we will not be crushed, that you will never leave us nor forsake us, and that we are blessed. Thank You Lord. I give You all the praise and all the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.

As I read Job today and see all the he is going through and all that he is enduring, it is amazing that he is able to keep focus on what is true and what is real. And through all that he then says in Proverbs 19:23-29:

23Oh, that the words I now speak were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book [carved on a tablet of stone]!

24That with an iron pen and [molten] lead they were graven in the rock forever!

25For I know that my Redeemer and Vindicator lives, and at last He [the Last One] will stand upon the earth.^(D)

26And after my skin, even this body, has been destroyed, then from my flesh or without it I shall see God,

27Whom I, even I, shall see for myself and on my side! And my eyes shall behold Him, and not as a stranger! My heart pines away and is consumed within me.

28If you say, How we will pursue him! [and continue to persecute me with the claim] that the root [cause] of all these [afflictions] is found in me,

29Then beware and be afraid of the sword [of divine vengeance], for wrathful are the punishments of that sword, that you may know there is a judgment.

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and for this time with You. I pray that You will give us wisdom and discernment today into where we can be of most use and how we can make the greatest impact for You in the things we say and do. Lord, I lift up this day and pray that all I do, all I say, all I think (taking every thought under control and making it submit to Jesus) be glorifying to You. Lord, today I may be the only thing or the closes thing that some people have ever come to knowing You or even about You. Help me to live my life in a way that they will see You. Help me to be a shelter to those around me who are in a place where they are needing help, needing direction, or needing hope. Lord, may You be glorified today in all I do and I will give You all the praise and all the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Job 1-5

 Has there been a day when you started to think, when it rains it pours? Has there been a time when you considered how you would respond if the day didn't go exactly as you had expected?

Would you turn to the ultimate power and authority who can strengthen and encourage you? Would you praise God or would you blame God? Would You talk to God and tell Him what You think or would you just turn your back on God and end the relationship? In relationships we need to express and communicate what and how we are feeling. That is no different in our relationship with God. We need to Worship God in the good and the bad, and it could be a time where we are asking God "why?".

Are You a part of a small group? a fellowship time with other believers? a group who will talk, encourage, and pray for one another? a group who will keep each other accountable?

Such a group will step in to help encourage you and speak life and hope for you. They will pray with you and for you. They may even question you in regards to life matters in order to try and hold you accountable for what you have done. We need this type of fellowship as they can be a great encouragement although there are times when it may be painful for you to hear what they have to say. Because of the group relationship, they speak out of love and when we realize this, we are able to respond and reply in love and not in running from nor lashing out in anger.

God, You helped me to setup a few small groups, but Lord, the enemy is lashing out and I need Your help in building them up. What can I do? What should I do? How should I change them to encourage more people to come? Where should I move it to so that it is easier for others to attend? Lord, I thank You for the opportunity and pray over all those who have joined. May many come to know You through Your children. And I will give You the praise and the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and for this past weekend and this week that is beginning. Lord, You have shown me grace in saving me, You have shown me grace through the undeserved gifts. I could never do enough to deserve the incredible blessings You have shed upon me. Lord, as I look at my life and praise and worship You, I ask that You give me the courage to do what Your Spirit directs me to do. I ask that You give me wisdom to be able to evaluate my situation and respond accordingly. I ask that You give me discernment so that I can make right decisions when faced with things to do and needing to either let things go or delegate. Help me today I pray that others will see and hear from You when I speak. Give me the opportunity to share Your grace, Your mercy, Your love, Your hope, Your Word with those around me. I dedicate this day to You and pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit You will receive all the praise and all the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for this new day and I ask You to help me to know what I am to do. Help me I pray to decide what it is You want me to do as I know that based on the priorities You call out, You are first, my marriage is second, and my family is third. It is the balancing of the other stuff that I need help with so that I can make sure that the right stuff is getting accomplished. Help me to know I pray. I will give You the praise and the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Proverbs 31:

10A capable, intelligent, and ^[b]virtuous woman--who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.^(K)

11The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of [honest] gain or need of [dishonest] spoil.

12She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her.

13She seeks out wool and flax and works with willing hands [to develop it].

14She is like the merchant ships loaded with foodstuffs; she brings her household's food from a far [country].

15She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.^(L)

16She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard. [S. of Sol. 8:12.]

17She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.

18She tastes and sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good; her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust].

19She lays her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

20She opens her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind, or spirit].

21She fears not the snow for her family, for all her household are doubly clothed in scarlet.^(M)

22She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, and rugs of tapestry. Her clothing is of linen, pure and fine, and of purple [such as that of which the clothing of the priests and the hallowed cloths of the temple were made].^(N)

23Her husband is known in the [city's] gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.^(O)

24She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them; she delivers to the merchants girdles [or sashes that free one up for service].

25Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]!

26She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction].

27She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat.^(P)

28Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying],

29^[c]Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.

30Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!

31Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates [of the city]!^(Q)

^{Who has God placed in Your life to complete you?}

We are tempted to envy those that grow rich, and raise their estates and families, by such unjust courses as our consciences will by no means suffer us to use. But, to set aside that temptation, Solomon here shows that a man, with prudent management, may raise his estate and family by lawful and honest means, with a good conscience, and a good name, and the blessing of God upon his industry; and, if the other be raised a little sooner, yet these will last a great deal longer. 1. That which is here recommended to us as having the best influence upon our outward prosperity is wisdom, and understanding, and knowledge; that is, both piety towards God (for that is true wisdom) and prudence in the management of our outward affairs. We must govern ourselves in every thing by the rules of religion first and then of discretion. Some that are truly pious do not thrive in the world, for want of prudence; and some that are prudent enough, yet do not prosper, because they lean to their own understanding and do not acknowledge God in their ways; therefore both must go together to complete a wise man. 2. That which is here set before us as the advantage of true wisdom is that it will make men’s outward affairs prosperous and successful. (1.) it will build a house and establish it, v. 3. Men may by unrighteous practices build their houses, but they cannot establish them, for the foundation is rotten (Hab. 2:9, 10); whereas what is honestly got will wear like steel and be an inheritance to children’s children. (2.) It will enrich a house and furnish it, v. 4. Those that manage their affairs with wisdom and equity, that are diligent in the use of lawful means for increasing what they have that spare from luxury and spend in charity, are in a fair way to have their shops, their warehouses, their chambers, filled with all precious and pleasant riches—precious because got by honest labour, and the substance of a diligent man is precious—pleasant because enjoyed with holy cheerfulness. Some think this is to be understood chiefly of spiritual riches. By knowledge the chambers of the soul are filled with the graces and comforts of the Spirit, those precious and pleasant riches; for the Spirit, by enlightening the understanding, performs all his other operations on the soul. (3.) It will fortify a house and turn it into a castle: Wisdom is better than weapons of war, offensive or defensive. A wise man is in strength, is in a strong-hold, yea, a man of knowledge strengthens might, that is, increases it, v. 5. As we grow in knowledge we grow in all grace, 2 Pt. 3:18. Those that increase in wisdom are strengthened with all might, Col. 1:9, 11. A wise man will compass that by his wisdom which a strong man cannot effect by force of arms. The spirit is strengthened both for the spiritual work and the spiritual warfare by true wisdom. (4.) It will govern a house and a kingdom too, and the affairs of both, v. 6. Wisdom will erect a college, or council of state. Wisdom will be of use, [1.] For the managing of the public quarrels, so as not to engage in them but for an honest cause and with some probability of success, and, when they are engaged in, to manage them well, and so as to make either an advantageous peace or an honourable retreat: By wise counsel thou shalt make war, which is a thing that may prove of ill consequence if not done by wise counsel. [2.] For the securing of the public peace: In the multitude of counsellors there is safety, for one may foresee the danger, and discern the advantages, which another cannot. In our spiritual conflicts we need wisdom, for our enemy is subtle.  (Reference)

Heavenly Father,
I see that You helping me to learn and to teach. I see that You are using my experiences and our experiences as a way for me to share Your truths with others. Lord, I know that You are with me, for I have seen how You have brought me through trials and challenges before, and the incredible blessings and glory to You on the other side. My hope and my trust is in You. You are the light that shines and guides my every step. Help me Lord to be an encouragement to others. Help me Lord to not discourage nor to be one whose words tear down. Help me Lord to encourage and build up. Lord, I know that there will be great accomplishments and great miracles that will take place in and through my life as we walk through this challenge and I look forward to them so that we can give You all the praise and all the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.

My son, eat honey, because it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. So shall you know skillful and godly Wisdom to be thus to your life; if you find it, then shall there be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off. - Proverbs 24:13-14

We are here quickened to the study of wisdom by the consideration both of the pleasure and the profit of it. 1. It will be very pleasant. We eat honey because it is sweet to the taste, and upon that account we call it good, especially that which runs first from the honey-comb. Canaan was said to flow with milk and honey, and honey was the common food of the country (Lu. 24:41, 42), even for children, Isa. 7:15. Thus should we feed upon wisdom, and relish the good instructions of it. Those that have tasted honey need no further proof that it is sweet, nor can they by any argument be convinced of the contrary; so those that have experienced the power of truth and godliness are abundantly satisfied of the pleasure of both; they have tasted the sweetness of them, and all the atheists in the world with their sophistry, and the profane with their banter, cannot alter their sentiments. 2. It will be very profitable. Honey may be sweet to the taste and yet not wholesome, but wisdom has a future recompence attending it, as well as a present sweetness in it. "Thou art permitted to eat honey, and the agreeableness of it to thy taste invites thee to it; but thou hast much more reason to relish and digest the precepts of wisdom, for when thou hast found that, there shall be a reward; thou shalt be paid for thy pleasure, while the servants of sin pay dearly for their pains. Wisdom does indeed set thee to work, but there shall be a reward; it does indeed raise great expectations in thee, but as thy labour, so thy hope, shall not be in vain; thy expectation shall not be cut off (ch. 23:18), nay, it shall be infinitely outdone.’’ (Reference)

Heavenly Father,

I thank You for wisdom and for revelation. I pray that You will continue to give me wisdom and discernment on what and how to respond. I thank You for opening my eyes to the fact that it is passion and emotion that are the cause of the situations I have seen and experienced. I thank You for the wisdom from my brother in Christ. Help me to bring true power through Jesus Christ my Lord to the meetings. Help me to be able to calm the sees and storms that I find myself in the middle of. Help me to be able to keep my focus on You and not allow myself to be distracted from the purpose for which You have put me in the meeting. Help me to bring my experiences and maturity to the situations so that we can all grow stronger and closer -- may UNITY arise through the power and promises of God in and through my life. Help me to be a good and pleasing vessel that You can use for greater things than this. Help me to learn so that I can share and develop others. Lord, You are so great and so awesome. I love You and praise You, honor and worship You, and will continue to do so in the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. - Proverbs 11:24-25

Desire without knowledge is not good, and to be overhasty is to sin and miss the mark. - Proverbs 19:2

He who gains Wisdom loves his own life; he who keeps understanding shall prosper and find good. - Proverbs 19:8

Good sense makes a man restrain his anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression or an offense. - Proverbs 19:11

House and riches are the inheritance from fathers, but a wise, understanding, and prudent wife is from the Lord. - Proverbs 19:14

Slothfulness casts one into a deep sleep, and the idle person shall suffer hunger. - Proverbs 19:15

He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and that which he has given He will repay to him. - Proverbs 19:17

Discipline your son while there is hope, but do not [indulge your angry resentments by undue chastisements and] set yourself to his ruin. - Proverbs 19:18

Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come. - Proverbs 19:20

Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand. - Proverbs 19:21

That which is desired in a man is loyalty and kindness [and his glory and delight are his giving], but a poor man is better than a liar. - Proverbs 19:22

WINE IS a mocker, strong drink a riotous brawler; and whoever errs or reels because of it is not wise. - Proverbs 20:1

Counsel in the heart of man is like water in a deep well, but a man of understanding draws it out. - Proverbs 20:5

The words of a [discreet and wise] man's mouth are like deep waters [plenteous and difficult to fathom], and the fountain of skillful and godly Wisdom is like a gushing stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving]. - Proverbs 18:4

The righteous man walks in his integrity; blessed (happy, fortunate, enviable) are his children after him. - Proverbs 20:7

There is gold, and a multitude of pearls, but the lips of knowledge are a vase of preciousness [the most precious of all]. - Proverbs 20:15

Do not say, I will repay evil; wait [expectantly] for the Lord, and He will rescue you. - Proverbs 20:22

The glory of young men is their strength, and the beauty of old men is their gray head [suggesting wisdom and experience]. - Proverbs 20:29

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. - Proverbs 21:3