Weekly Devotion from Jesse

Sunday, July 18     This Week
Week of:    Jul 11, 2010, Jul 4, 2010, Jun 27, 2010, Jun 20, 2010
Topics: GETTING CLOSER TO GOD, GROWING IN YOUR FAITH, FINDING GOD'S TRUTH, TRIALS

MOVING PAST YOUR HURDLES

Passage Of the Day:

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways.”

Haggai 1:7 (New King James Version)

Insight - Application & Encouragement

Insight:

The Israelites were returning from exile in Babylon. They started rebuilding the temple for God because it had been destroyed by the Babylonians. They began their work but then were stalled for 16 years. Instead of serving God, they became overfocused on themselves. They were stuck spiritually and needed to get beyond some of their hurdles.

Three Hurdles:

We all have obstacles that are preventing us from growing spiritually. We can get discouraged and also continue in patterns of rebellion, but God has better plans for us. God wants to give us a vision of what life can look like beyond our hurdles. He lovingly and firmly guides the Israelites past their obstacles and restores the people.
Here are three major hurdles that God helped them overcome:

1) Your Past: If we focus on our past failures, we can beat ourselves up unnecessarily in ways that God never wants. The results can be miserable. God wants us to receive His forgiveness through Jesus and move forward with His grace. If your past was outstanding, be careful of envying it. Ecclesiastes 7:10 says it’s okay to remember the past but the past can sabotage the future. We can miss our current blessings because we are fixated on the past.

2) Your Procrastination: Have you ever noticed how easy it is to procrastinate? I remember as a student not getting my assignments done at the right time or frequently waiting until the last second instead of doing it during a calmer time. ‘Hard work’ is ‘easy work’ not done at the right time. The Israelites knew what they were supposed to do in building the temple but they kept thinking ‘we’ll do it tomorrow’ until 16 years had passed.

3) Your Priorities: Our priorities won’t stay hidden. They will emerge in our prayers, how we spend our money/bank account, how we spend our time/schedule, and with our family or people close to us. The Israelites had a ‘me-first’ attitude. They wanted to take care of their own houses first, then they would think about God or other people in the community. They were apathetic spiritually because deep down they were selfish.

Application:

Read The Book Of Haggai- it’s one of the shortest books in the Bible and will only take you about 5-10 minutes. Write down examples of these three hurdles. Also, write down how they were able to overcome these common hurdles with God’s help.

Questions:

1) Why is procrastination so easy to do?
2) What helps you get stuff done at the right time?
3) What is an example of priorities that are not in order?
4) How can God use your past to bless you?
5) Is forgiveness hard for you to give or to accept?
6) When has God given you a positive vision of your potential?
7) What role does God’s grace play in your future plans?

Prayer:

Father God, Thanks you for giving me hope to recover from any situation. And for helping me to see the obstacles that are blocking me spiritually. I want to overcome them with Your help. I believe in Your wisdom and Your power. May Your Holy Spirit fill me now, make me whole, and stir me up in places that have been stalled. I pray this in Your name Jesus. Amen.

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