Devotionals of Recovery: Day 20: Genesis 1:20

Devotionals of Recovery:
Day 20: Genesis 1:20
February 22, 2009
Written by Shonda Ponder
All Bible verses taken from the KJV of the Open Bible


Genesis 1:20 -- And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

The fish and the birds were created in the same day. The fish can't breathe in the open air, and the birds can't breathe in the water; but, both are equally important to God, or He wouldn't have created them.

When God created the birds, He foresaw a time when the birds would feed the Israelites as they wondered for 40 years in the wilderness. When He created the fish, He knew one day He would have to use a great fish to swallow Jonah, so that Jonah would be convinced to do as God willed. Know this: everything God creates is at God's disposal. What you are going through right now will one day be solved by God's great creation, if you seek to honor Him.

Does this mean you won't make mistakes? No. Jonah made a big mistake when he ran from God's will in his life. The same creation that God uses to help you can envelope and chastise you as you look upon it. What God does, however, is out of pure love for you and the rest of His creation.

There is as much a purpose for you today as there was yesterday, and the day before. There is a place for you in God's creation, just as the birds have the air and the fish have the water. No one else can fulfill the purpose for which you were made.

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began... (2nd Timothy 1:8,9)

God can will that you go through some pretty uncomfortable times in order for His plan to work. Jonah wasn't happy with the task that God commanded of him, but it didn't stop him from getting the message that God wasn't going to let up until he did it. When you choose to follow God, you choose to let Him use you as He wills. You will never be comfortable outside of the will of God.

Just remember, Jesus taught that He had come to give us life, and to give it more abundantly:

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

He also taught that:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (Luke 9:24)

You may not see the logic in God's will for your life, but if you learn to let go and let God, you will enjoy life so much better in the end, because the will of God will strengthen you, and you will be called blessed.

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Introducing: The Stuff Gazette

I've started a new blog on blogspot to log some interesting information on the internet. It's called "The Stuff Gazette". This site is merely for the sole purpose of helping people find products and services they can use on the internet for all sorts of purposes.

I hope you will visit my new blog. You can get there by clicking here: The Stuff Gazette
Shonda Ponder

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Devotionals of Recovery: Day 19: Genesis 1:19

Devotionals of Recovery:
Day 19: Genesis 1:19
February 13, 2009
Written by Shonda Ponder
All Bible verses taken from the KJV of the Open Bible

Genesis 1:19: And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

There is always another day. When you mess up, repent and move forward. Each day is a first day. Keep that in your mind as you go about your daily tasks. God will lead you where you need to be when you need to be there.

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

There is always something new to learn each day about the world, and about ourselves. When we think we know all, we are failures of the worst kind because we don't allow ourselves the opportunity to learn from our mistakes.

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)

You will never have a day where there isn't a potential to make mistakes. But, if you follow God's lead, you may have a day that glorifies God in the end.

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Devotionals of Recovery: 31 Days to Transformation

Are you recovering from a big blow in your life that has left you depressed, in doubt about your own sense of judgment, or on the road to destruction? Are you addicted to something that you are trying to break free from? Do you need a word from the Lord to help you along?

I have written Devotionals of Recovery to help you, as I have sought to help myself. I used the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, because in seeking to rebuild your own life, you must allow God to create a new creature through you. If you are a Bible believing Christian, then you know that when you come to know Christ as Saviour and Lord, you are a new creature in Christ. The old man has passed away. Each time you backslide and end up in a place you don't want to be, God uses that to teach you how to be the creature He created you to be.

I hope that these devotionals will help to guide you back onto the road that God wishes for you to take in your life.

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26, Day 27, Day 28, Day 29, Day 30, Day 31

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Devotionals of Recovery: Day 18: Genesis 1:18

Devotionals of Recovery:
Day 18: Genesis 1:18
January 18, 2009
Written by Shonda Ponder
All Bible verses taken from the KJV of the Open Bible

Genesis 1:18 -- And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

The light rules. There are two great lights. One is lesser, one is greater. Which one will you live in? Which one will you let rule your life? God gave us a choice when He created two. He created the greater and the lesser. His plan includes both. What God creates, God can destroy.

The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. (1 Samuel 2:7)

He did this so He could give man free will. Man has no free will if he cannot choose his own path.

God didn't just give man free will, though. He told man which path he should follow, not which path he could follow. He laid out basic instructions to man in the Bible that would lead to long life and contentment.

Which path will you follow?

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Devotionals of Recovery: Day 17: Genesis 1:17

Devotionals of Recovery:
Day 17: Genesis 1:17
January 18, 2009
Written by Shonda Ponder
All Bible verses taken from the KJV of the Open Bible

Genesis 1:17 -- And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light on the earth,

God doesn't take a light and hide it where no one can see it. He sets it high so it can light the way for all who are around. We are called to be children of the light.

While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. (John 12:36)

When you focus on anything but God, you are not living in the light. Your everyday problems stay problems that you can't get out of. Jesus is the light that we need to see by.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:19)

You may think that no one understands you, at times. This is true when you live among children of the night. You must remember that it is not them that you need to look for your answers to.

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:5)

The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out. (Proverbs 13:9)

Stay the course. Keep walking in the light, and even your dark days will seem to be like a firefly in the night: small, quick, and easily swatted.

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Devotionals of Recovery: Day 16: Genesis 1:16

Devotionals of Recovery:
Day 16: Genesis 1:16
January 14, 2009
Written by Shonda Ponder
All Bible verses taken from the KJV of the Open Bible

Genesis 1:16 -- And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
The light of day will always outshine the light of night. When good things happen in your life, it has more influence than the bad things that happen in your life. The good things that happen in your life will direct the paths that you take from there on out, unless you choose to stay in the dark.

Many times, we tend to spitefully sit where we are at under a dark sky. The negative emotions we experience envelope us and cause us to angrily fight going anywhere else. Jonah experienced this after he was sent to Ninevah to do God's work there. There is no record of him after that in the Bible. Job also experienced this, when he lay on his bed in depression, and his concerned friends came to stay with him. Job finally got off his bed, and the life God blessed him with was much better than the life God took away from him.

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. (Psalm 27:14)

Sometimes when we are in the darkness of our lives, it is better to wait for the Lord to lead us. We must always look forward to the light, even when we are angry about the dark.

Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. (Micah 7: 7-9)

Micah says that he has sinned against God. When we are in darkness, it is usually because the choices we have made in life has led us there. We have sinned. And, because we sin, we have to bear the punishment. (I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him).

When you show God that you are willing to accept the punishment, you are showing Him that you are willing to change. Being willing to change means that you go through the doors that He will eventually open to you. But, you must wait for those doors to open, and when they do, you must accept that He wants to bless you, and not punish you any longer. It may be that He uses the experience to bless you further, if you are sincere.

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Devotionals of Recovery: Day 15: Genesis 1:15

Devotionals of Recovery:
Day 15: Genesis 1:15
January 10, 2009
Written by Shonda Ponder
All Bible verses taken from the KJV of the Open Bible

Genesis 1:15 -- And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

God wants you to live in the light. He doesn't like darkness of any kind. When you are confused, or unsure, you may say that you are "in the dark" about something. When you find yourself in the dark, it is always good to ask the Father for light. He will give you what you ask for, if it is done with a sincere heart.

Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. (Psalm 112:4)

God allows the darkness because He wants you to choose the light. He wants you to ask Him to lead you into the light. If you choose to remain in the darkness, the problems you are facing cannot be solved.

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Devotionals of Recovery: Day 14: Genesis 1:14

Devotionals of Recovery:
Day 14: Genesis 1:14
January 8, 2009
Written by Shonda Ponder
All Bible verses taken from the KJV of the Open Bible

Genesis 1:14 -- And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

God created the day and the night. God doesn't abandon what He creates. He has a purpose for all that He creates. If it is not useful, it is not there.

Some days seem pointless to you as a mere human being. But, we must remember that those days were not created for you; but, rather, were created for God. If you are walking with God, those days would have purpose. If you are centering your thoughts and desires on yourself, those days seem pointless, because you are not in concert with the purpose in which those days were created.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

When you experience one of these days that seem to have no purpose, try a little soul-searching. Ask yourself what you can do to please God by being there for someone else. No matter how insignificant an activity might be, the person you are there for may see it as a great blessing. In the end, God works His purpose through you.

Every small thing you do can be used to God's glory. God does not discount the little things you do. God doesn't take them for granted.

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