Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Proverbs 21:31  NLT   The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. I am sure you have had some of these same thoughts.  But how do you deal with failure when all you are looking for is victory? A successful person has most likely gone through lots of failures, struggles and trials.  The more teaching or reaching or searching I do about finding real and lasting success the more I hear about failure.  Why is that? It is because failure breeds success.  Failure leads us to learn the lessons that lead us to success.  Think about the things that have helped you become who you are, what has given you strength and what has left you better in so many ways.  It is most likely tied to lessons from failures. Let’s dig in a little more… “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” ― Winston Churchill That is good.  Look at your failures differently.  Stumble away from failure ...

A friend asked for prayer.  As he shared his request, the other friend began to pray. When he concluded the prayer concluded, he humbly stated, “Please stay on the wall.” He understood the effectiveness of the Christian who tirelessly commits himself to sharing the Gospel of Christ. In that same token, he knew all too well the intense desire of the enemy to deter the Christian from staying on the wall through various means (e.g. discouragement, weariness, etc.). He knew that for people to be reached, including himself, Christians must stay on the wall, instead of climbing down and walking away from a God-called mission. Nehemiah was the man, and the people of Jerusalem needed the wall and city rebuilt.  God called Nehemiah to do just that. Years prior, an urgent need touched the heart of Nehemiah. God used the hardship to move Nehemiah not only to pray, but to action as well. Nehemiah 1:1-4  NLT  “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in...

I have shared for the last few months in what I have been preaching that people are God’s most precious treasure.  That is true, but have you realized that people are difficult? Surely you know what I am talking about and have experienced this reality.  As I close out this week’s devotion I want to remind you to keep you eyes on Jesus.  Don’t let the people around you distract you, discourage you and damage your way with God. Why? First of all, people will mess up and mess you up.  We need each other, but because we live in a world full of sin and pain, people will do things that really are messed up. Romans 3:23  NLT For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Second of all, people will fail you.  Those you put the most trust in.  Those you think will never hurt you or walk away will do just that. Jeremiah 17:5 and 7 NLT This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human stren...

  Take time each day to interact with the things that make you stronger.  There are several of these things that I think are very important.  Make a list.  Mine is pretty simple. Family.  Scripture.  Your purpose.  God. I know there are others, but these are the ones that will help us be better, stronger and even ready to get more done.  That is why I ask you to take some time today to spend with what matters most to you. Our days should could count.  Our time can be used well.  I am not talking about an issue of being lazy or wasting time.  What I am talking is making your life count.   Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter. - Francis Chan That makes a lot of sense to me.  Spend your time with the wrong people or the wrong purpose and you will succeed at the wrong things. In fact if you take some time to think a little more about that spending time with the...

Without failure we would not know success. Proverbs 3:5-6   NASB Trust in the   Lord   with all your heart And do not   lean on your own   understanding .   In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Thinking about success and failure is something that many, many people do.   Especially those that come to great success or who achieve fortunes or who leave huge marks on the world as they chose to live their lives. “Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” - C.S. Lewis These people are the notable such as Mother Teresa, Thomas Edison, Tom Landry and countless others, but they are also the grandmother who only a few people knew or the school teacher that stood in the same classroom year after year or the printer at the back of the shop preparing to lay ink on the page for another Bible or book that will impact many. Failure teaches us that success is possible. ...