Dear Ones,
Hope you wake up with an open heart to what the Lord has for your day.
I am meeting a farmer at 6:15 a.m.to get hamburger and I can bet I am his first customer of the day. Al is going to men’s group, and I plan to make Finnish Pasty and cookies while he is gone. Today is donut day here Emojiand Bible study this afternoon.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  God is a creative God and does things in a myriad of ways. We must be alert and listen carefully to get His plan for the present and not assume we know how He will do something similar as before.  He is full of variety and surprises!

I was reading today about Kind David when the Philistines were after him, and his first response was to ask God what he should do. (I Chron.14). He didn’t go off half-cocked but sought the Lord’s plan and guidance for the battle. He was told what to do and defeated his enemy and burned their idols. But the next time the Philistines were going to make a raid, David didn’t assume God’s plan was the same as before, but inquired of God who gave him a new strategy.  This time he was to go around them, opposite of the balsam trees, and when he heard the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees he was to go out to battle. He did just what God directed and wiped out the enemy. This was a different strategy and it worked. How thankful David must have been that he inquired of the Lord first and then obeyed. We are to go to God first, and listen and follow His plans.
When we see God’s power at work, sometimes we make a formula out of it. Well, if you do this, you can expect God to do that. Some churches hear what God is doing in a nearby church where renewal is happening, and we think, our church should do it too. Not necessarily, we must check with the Lord if it is His plan and timing. Or we can listen to someone who was healed by following a certain regiment and it may not work for us at all. Our God is an intimate God who wants to guide us individually. It says in Ps. 32:8, “I will instruct and teach you in the way you should go, I will guide you with my eye upon you.” It is the Lord’s instruction we need to seek and to follow for He will give us insight into what He has for our lives. But if we resist, we are like a horse or mule who must be curbed with bit and bridle to stay near the Lord. Let us not be stubborn but let God guide us in the best pathway for our lives.

  Challenge for today: Before taking action, check with the Lord and then seek to follow His plan for you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy