Daily Dose with Denise

Distractions come to everyone and they can lead to destruction, disappointment, and even death. We must be aware and fight to keep our focus. In this series we will take a look at four people in the Bible who were distracted by desire, duty, deceit, and lust. This first episode looks at Samson.

Are you quiet about your identity in Christ? Does anyone know you belong to God? Are you afraid of what others will think of you because you identity with Christ? God wants us to own our identity and not to be ashamed of it. Jesus said if we are ashamed to acknowledge Him before men, He will be ashamed to own us before His Father. We do not want that. It is time to own your identity.

Every person in the world has an identity. Often we define our identity by the things we think about ourselves or the conditions / circumstances in our lives, or by the current culture. If you are in Christ you have a new life and with this new life comes new associations, especially a new identity. The new identity will not be attained without your participation, though. You must be active in pursuing the new you.

Effective communication begins with listening. It is difficult to understand and follow through with instruction if one has not heard what is expected of them. God wants us to listen to Him and in order to do that we must quiet ourselves so that we can pay attention and obey His command.

Sometimes we need to be reminded that God IS still in control. This episode seeks to encourage the listener to continue to trust God is still able to do!

It's time to decide. Whose side are you on? Will you stand with God or will you stand against Him? The decision is yours but note there will either be reward or punishment for your decision. We will look at an occasion Moses asked this question and how it relates to us today.

What is worship? Are we truly worshipping God in the manner He desires? I had this question after reading the very first mention of worship in the Bible. Based on what transpired, I must reevaluate and get in the right mode. What about you?

It is good to praise the Lord! We need to acknowledge the righteous acts God does in our lives through words and acts of praise. Sometimes, though, we forget to praise when things become difficult or a little challenging. Even in those moments we must find and keep praise on our lips while resisting the temptation to complain. Today's episode shows how the Israelites experienced great blessings from God and when faced with obstacles they complained.

The word of God becomes a turning point in the life of believers when the word is seriously considered. This episode takes a look at Psalm 119:59 when the author considers his ways in relation to the word of God. He realizes that his ways do not align with the Word and decides to do something about it. We should be the same. When reading the word we decide to do what it says and not follow our own way.

It's not always easy for us to celebrate the joys of others especially when we are experiencing difficulties in our lives. The bible tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice. We must find it within ourselves to do so.