Dear Ones, 
Hope you are having a peace-filled day.  We are busy packing and cleaning and soon Al will lead our Bible study here. We hope to get in a nice walk outside today too. TOmorrow we plan to leave about 4 am to go to our son’s family in Kansas and would appreciate prayers for a safe journey. I will e-mail once we get there.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Help I’ve been robbed! How often that is happening today as people are accosted in broad day light, their purses snatched away, or their car dismantled? Robberies are happening every minute and people are left sad and disillusioned. Now as grievous as these experiences are, there are many things that are far worse that are being stolen right out from under us by the enemy of our souls.
How many times do we listen to the enemy’s voice, though it is often disguised, and we give credence to his message that we are worthless and won’t amount to anything? Or when he knows we are doing something important for God’s kingdom, and he gets us distracted and bombarded with doing many other busy things. He is usually subtle at first and tells us half-truths so we will gradually swallow his lies and get off track. We also see how he allures people with the desire to get rich, and when they amass great wealth, they realize that it leaves them empty.
Let us guard ourselves against the enemy’s tactics. We don’t have to feel helpless and go along with his counterfeits but we can ask the Lord for His help, His truth, and His strength to stand up against anything the enemy sends to rob us.
It’s important that we believe that God has our best in mind, and even when we don’t understand His ways, He is working things out for our ultimate good. We can believe everything He says and we have His Word to turn to each day to receive our spiritual nurturance.  When we are unsure of what to do, we can pause and ask for His wisdom and he will grant it. We can trust Him for He will not lie, or lead us down wrong paths. He will speak truth to our hearts and He is worthy of our trust.
Let us not fear or doubt but stand against the enemy in the power of the Lord. God wants to be first in our lives, and as it says in Matt. 6:33 (Amplified), “But seek (aim at an strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”  God wants to be our number #one priority and we can count on Him to help us recognize when it is not His voice and to stand against the enemy.
Challenge for today: Put God first and ask Him to make you strong in the power of His might and to recognize and stand against the devil’s schemes.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy