“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht   

“Homily Grits Devotional”   http://www.homilygrits.com/ 

Deuteronomy 34:4… Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”  (NKJV)

This opening scripture is written right at the end of Moses’ life, just before Moses dies…and just before Joshua takes his place as the leader for the Israelites, who are about ready to across the Jordan River, into the Promised Land of Canaan… 

I wrote the other day (2/21/13) about living God’s way…and explained what Moses had done that was so bad, that the Lord kept him from ever crossing over into the Promised Land, along with God’s chosen people… You can go back and read about this if you are interested…by going to www.Godsmanforever.Wordpress.com and scrolling back a couple of days on the right hand side… 

There is common grace that God gives to all humans…  God is in charge of everyone’s life (Proverbs 16:1-4)…His children, as well as those who are still living in the world of sin and shame with Satan as their father (the unredeemed sinners)…John 8:44…  But God’s richest blessings are reserved for His obedient, Spirit filled children (Ephesians 5:18-20), who consistently do their best to walk in sweet fellowship with the Lord…

I wrote about this yesterday; explaining why I believe some Christians mature in their spiritual walk with the Lord, and why some don’t…  I explained that by putting on God’s complete 6 piece set of spiritual armor (for external protection from Satan…Ephesians 6:10-20), along with total submission to God (for internal protection of the heart, mind, and soul…James 4:7-8)…will have Satan fleeing, as he looks for an easier target…

This combination of God’s armor and total submission to God in my own life, has led me to start a book titled… “God’s Armor or Satan’s Chains”…  I see more and more evidence of Christians, who I believe are true children of God…but for a number of reasons, just haven’t decided to fully commit to living their lives totally for the Lord…

I am reminded of this scripture written by David, in…Psalm 34:8… Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!  (NKJV)

Here is the link for the entire short Psalm… http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ps34&version=NKJV

The problem with Christian’s being able to taste and see that the Lord is good…and deciding to put their full faith and trust in Him all of the time (as they seek to walk in His will and His ways)…is much like the food samples we get when we go to a food center like Sam’s Club to shop…  They hand out samples for us to taste test, in hope of us buying a particular product we enjoy tasting…  There is usually a line behind the woman handing out some kind of fat laden dessert… Who doesn’t like something that satisfies their sweet tooth !!  Then there is the woman (or man), handing out this food that is really good for us, but without much in the way of a satisfying flavor…  Even if we taste it, we probably won’t buy it…

It will only be the wise person who looks to their future and after buying and using this food which is really good for them, by benefiting them with better health… who will continue to use this nutritionally good food which has changed their life…

Christians that are enjoying all the pleasurable stuff that the world uses to keep them from tasting the goodness of the Lord, will have a hard time understanding the long term benefits of the multiple blessings God wants to reward His children with, who diligently seek Him…  Hebrews 11:6…  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  (NKJV)

Christians have a hard time leaving the instant gratification and pleasures of the material world…until they venture out in faith, and experience first hand, the richest blessings the Lord promises to His obedient children who look to Him for everything…  For me this is a no brainer decision…  Submit to God…  Allow the Holy Spirit to control your life, by frequently confessing and turning from your sins, in reverent prayer (1 John 1:9)…  Stay well protected from Satan’s barrage of fiery darts (Ephesians 6:16), with God’s whole set of spiritual armor…  And reap the rewards of God’s richest blessings…

But 20/20 hindsight makes it easy for me to see the progression of the first 7+ years of my life as a Christian…  God uses our trials in life, and our mistakes when we fall for Satan’s pitfalls…to build us up, and mold us into the Christian He can be proud of…  I guess I am trying to share my blessings and the experience of my own mistakes…with those still struggling with Satan and his web of sin and deception…Titus 2:1-8… 

Heavenly Father, I thank You and praise You for who You are…  Help all of us Lord, in whatever state of spirituality we find ourselves in…to continue to seek counsel from those who are older and wiser; with experiences that might help us bypass some of the pitfalls of life that Satan uses to hold us back…  I pray for humility…and a heart,a mind, and a soul that is open to change for all of us…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills