Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Friday!  For some it is the best day of the week.  For others is the worst day of the week.  No matter how you see the day I would like to encourage you with one simple prayer.  It is one that comes from a heart warmed by God and a person who has enjoyed seeking God.  There is more to come for the person who is expecting to spend time from God and enjoy the blessings that He gives and brings. Here is the prayer that His my heart.   Psalm 19:14  NLT   May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. That is good, but there is more to this prayer and more to this chapter in the Bible.  Everything from the heavens declaring the glory of God and the beauty of creation to the impact of Scripture truth on our lives. That same person, David, put meat in the prayer before that verse.  He said: Psalm 19:12-13  NLT   How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?  Cleans...

Do you have the answers?  I mean like all the answers.  I know some things.  But I definitely do not know all things.  Only God holds that right. So, in the middle of the story, or in the middle of life, or in the day to day and in and out of things we have to figure out who we trust.  It is easy to go down the path of least resistance and do what feels best or what is easy.  Yet so many times that is not the right or best way. Let me illustrate through some God thoughts: Proverbs 3:5-6  NLT   Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 12:15  NLT   Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. Proverbs 16:18  NLT   Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. That sets the case pretty well.  Pride will help you fail and fall, not succeed or do well.  Fools th...

Some of my favorite people who have made a difference in my life are coaches.  Not really the athletic coach but the leadership and ministry coaches that I have spent some time with.   Two of these that have impacted my life are Scott Couchenour and Blaine Bartel.  You can find Scott at www.servingstrong.com and Blaine at www.blainebartel.com.  Both have poured in to my life in various ways and challenged me to pursue God more and to lead better. Another coach that I have enjoyed interacting with and learning from is Tom Ziglar.  Tom is the son of the incredible business coach and author Zig Ziglar.  You can find Tom at www.ziglar.com/tom-ziglar/ as well as many of the resources from his dad. It is important to learn from great people and to choose keep yourself around people who will challenge you to be better.  You have heard something like this before…  1 Corinthians 15:33  NASB Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” If th...

We all need to be lifted up at times.  I have battled depression, and those low feelings have put me in a place where I need to be lifted.  Depression is something I have a hard time explaining. What I do understand is that our situations and struggles too often put me in the place where I need to be lifted.  Depression expresses itself in several different ways.  Some times it has been to the point where I don’t have the ability to interact with others, but there are other times when the depression is hidden and very few people see it. That is why I draw your attention, and mine, to what I need from God.  I need to be lifted.  Here are the presuppositions that i am standing on with this devotion: James 4:10  NLT Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. Matthew 18:4  NLT So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 23:12  NLT Bu...

James 4:6-10  NLT And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud   but gives grace to the humble.”  7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.   8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.   9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.   10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. We don’t have to believe it for it to be true.  If you try to be like the ostrich who sticks his head in the sand, you will miss what is going on all around you.  While the ostrich thinks he is missing everything or can’t been, 95% of his body is still out in the open.   Friends, we have to take God a...

There are many things that stand in the way of us hearing what God has to say.  Some of what God shares is general info.  I mean, it is what all of us need to hear, but some of what God is saying is personal.   It is God speaking to you or me personally!   The barriers to hearing God are many, and the barriers change based on our situations or problems or how awake we are or how frustrated we may be and so on.  One of the largest reason we cannot hear God is because of our pride.   Pride could simply say we don’t need God.  Pride could come from a problem you are dealing with.  Pride comes in all shapes and sizes, but the biggest thing that pride does in our lives is put up a barrier to humility.  It also is a barrier to communion with God.   Without humility it is hard to hear or even to understand what God is saying.   Today I simply give you and I some Bible thoughts on the problem of pride.  Read these verses. ...