Preachify Daily Devotional

Psalm 37:11-20

Psalm 37.6-10

Psalm 37

THEME: WHAT IF GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING?”
DAY 5: WHAT IF GOD SAYS “FORGIVE”?
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
Ephesians 4:32

THEME: WHAT IF GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING?”
DAY 4: WHAT IF GOD SAYS “GO”?
“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid.”
Joshua 1:9
There are moments in life when we know what we should do, but fear tells us to stay where we are.
We want to move forward, but we are afraid of failing. We want to take the opportunity, but we are afraid it will not work out. We want to obey God, but we are worried about what people will say.
And sometimes, in the middle of all that fear, God says simply:
“Go.”
Joshua must have understood that feeling.
Moses, the great leader of Israel, was dead. Joshua had been chosen to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, but the responsibility before him was enormous. There were battles ahead, enemies to face, and an entire nation depending on his leadership.
God knew Joshua was afraid, so He told him, “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).
God did not promise Joshua that there would be no challenges. He promised something greater:
“I will be with you.”
Sometimes we think courage means having no fear. It does not. Courage is moving forward even when you are afraid, because you trust the One who is leading you.
Perhaps God is telling you to take a step today.
Maybe you need to apply for that opportunity. Maybe you need to start that work. Maybe you need to have that difficult conversation. Maybe you need to leave something that is damaging your spiritual life. Maybe you need to step forward and serve God in a way you have been avoiding.
Fear may tell you, “You cannot do it.”
But faith says, “God is with me.”
Peter experienced something similar when he saw Jesus walking on the water. Jesus told him, “Come.” Peter stepped out of the boat. For a moment, he walked on water because his eyes were on Jesus. But when he began to focus on the wind and the waves, fear took over and he began to sink (Matthew 14:28–31).
The waves were real, but so was Jesus.
Your challenges may be real. Your fears may be real. But God is greater than both.
Sometimes we are waiting for God to remove every obstacle before we move. But God may be saying, “Move, and trust Me as you go.”
Faith does not always mean knowing exactly what will happen next. Sometimes faith simply means taking the next step because you know Who is leading you.
There is also a “Go” that every Christian must take seriously. Jesus commanded His disciples, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The gospel is not something we are meant to keep to ourselves. There are people around us who need to hear about Christ.
Perhaps God is saying, “Go and tell someone.”
And if you have never obeyed the gospel, perhaps God is saying something even more personal:
“Come.”
Come to Christ. Leave your sins behind. Believe the gospel. Repent, confess your faith, and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16).
Do not let fear keep you from obeying God.
One day, we may discover that the greatest opportunities we missed were not because we lacked ability, but because we allowed fear to keep us from taking the first step.
So, what if God says “Go” today?
Do not wait until you feel completely ready.
Do not wait until every question has been answered.
Do not wait until you know exactly how everything will work out.
If God has made His will clear, take the step.
You may not know what is waiting on the other side of your obedience, but you can know Who is going with you.
God told Joshua, “The LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
And that same truth should give us courage today.
Go forward.
Go with faith.
Go with courage.
Go with obedience.
And most importantly, go with God.

THEME: WHAT IF GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING?”
DAY 3: WHAT IF GOD SAYS “LET IT GO”?
“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.”
Hebrews 12:1
Sometimes the hardest thing God asks us to do is not to take something up, but to let something go.
We often pray, “Lord, give me more.” Give me more opportunities. More blessings. More success. More happiness. But there are moments when God wants to give us something new, yet we are still holding tightly to something old.
It could be a sinful habit, bitterness, an unhealthy relationship, pride, guilt, fear, or even a past failure. We know it is hurting us, but we have become comfortable carrying it.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
Notice that the writer mentions both sin and weight. Not everything that weighs us down is necessarily sinful, but it may still be preventing us from becoming what God wants us to be.
Imagine trying to run a race while carrying a heavy bag. You may be able to move, but you cannot run effectively. You may even wonder why your progress is so slow. The problem may not be the road ahead. The problem may be what you are carrying.
Perhaps that is where you are today.
You keep asking God to move you forward, but God may be saying, “Let it go.”
Let go of the bitterness.
Let go of the guilt.
Let go of the pride.
Let go of the sinful habit.
Let go of the relationship that keeps pulling you away from God.
Let go of the past that God has already given you the grace to move beyond.
Sometimes we want God to change our lives without asking Him to change what we are holding onto.
Paul said in Philippians 3:13–14, “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark.”
You cannot reach forward effectively while constantly holding onto what is behind you.
Perhaps you have failed before. Perhaps someone hurt you. Perhaps you made decisions you regret. But your past does not have to become your permanent address.
If you have repented, learn from it and move forward.
If someone has hurt you, forgive and move forward.
If there is sin in your life, repent and let it go.
Do not allow yesterday to steal what God wants to do with you today.
But there is one thing we must never let go of: Christ.
Hebrews 12:2 tells us to look “unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” When we let go of the things that weigh us down, we must hold more firmly to Christ.
And perhaps God is calling someone today to let go of sin and obey the gospel. Jesus calls us to repentance. Peter preached, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). Christ commanded belief and baptism for salvation (Mark 16:16), and those who accepted the gospel on Pentecost were commanded to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).
Maybe the reason you are struggling to move forward is because you are still holding onto something God is asking you to release.
So ask yourself this morning:
What am I carrying that God is asking me to let go of?
Whatever it is, surrender it to Him.
You cannot change yesterday, but you can decide what you will carry into tomorrow.
Let it go.
Let go of what is pulling you backwards, and hold onto the One who is leading you forward.

THEME: WHAT IF GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING?”
DAY 2: WHAT IF GOD SAYS WAIT?
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.”
Psalm 27:14
Waiting is one of the hardest things to do, especially when you have prayed for something for a long time and nothing seems to change. You prayed, you believed, you hoped, and you waited, but the answer did not come. Perhaps you have asked God for a job, healing, direction, a spouse, a breakthrough, or an opportunity. After praying again and again, you may begin to wonder, “God, have You forgotten me?”
Maybe God has not forgotten you. Maybe His answer is simply, “Wait.”
Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.” Notice that the Psalmist repeats the word wait. Perhaps he understood how difficult waiting can be. We often want God to change our situation immediately, but sometimes God chooses to change us while we wait.
Abraham waited for the promised son. Joseph endured betrayal and imprisonment before seeing his dreams fulfilled. David was anointed king, but he had to wait before sitting on the throne. The promise was given, but the waiting came in between.
Maybe you are currently living in that “in between.” You know what you have prayed for, but you cannot yet see the answer. Please do not allow the waiting season to make you abandon your faith. Waiting does not mean God is doing nothing.
While you wait, God may be preparing you, strengthening you, protecting you, or preparing something you cannot yet see. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.” So while you wait, keep praying. Keep serving. Keep trusting. Keep doing what is right.
Do not compromise your faith because you are tired of waiting. Do not take the wrong path simply because God's path seems slow. And do not become so focused on what God has not given you that you forget what He has already given you. Sometimes we ask God for tomorrow while He is asking us to be faithful today.
However, there is something we must not wait for. If you have heard the gospel and know that you need to obey Christ, do not wait. The Bible says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16), and Peter commanded those who believed to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).
There are things we may need to wait for, but obedience to God should never be postponed.
So, if God is saying “wait” concerning something you have prayed for, trust Him. His delay is not necessarily His denial. But if God is saying “obey,” do not wait.
Perhaps you are tired this morning. Perhaps you have been waiting so long that you are tempted to give up. Hold on. God has not forgotten you. Continue to pray. Continue to serve. Continue to trust.
Wait on the Lord.
Sometimes the greatest work God does in our lives happens while we are waiting for Him to answer.

THEME: WHAT IF GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING?”
Topic 1: WHAT IF GOD IS CALLING YOU?
“Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.”
1 Samuel 3:1–10
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if God called your name? In 1 Samuel 3, Samuel was sleeping when he heard his name: “Samuel!” He immediately got up and went to Eli, thinking Eli had called him. This happened three times before Eli realised that it was God calling the young Samuel. Eli then instructed him, “Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.”
When God called again, Samuel responded, “Speak; for thy servant heareth.”
That simple response gives us a powerful lesson for today. What if God is calling you?
God may not call us audibly as He called Samuel, but He speaks to us through His Word. Hebrews 1:1–2 tells us that God has spoken to us through His Son. The challenge is that we live in a world filled with competing voices. Friends speak. Culture speaks. Social media speaks. Our desires speak. Sometimes, our own opinions speak louder than God's Word.
The question is therefore not simply, “Is God speaking?” The question is, “Am I listening?”
James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.” We can hear God's Word every Sunday, read the Bible regularly, and still fail to obey what we have heard. Samuel did not merely hear God. He responded.
Maybe God is calling you to change something in your life. Maybe there is a sin you have been excusing, an attitude that needs correction, or a habit you know you must abandon. Acts 3:19 says, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.”
Maybe God is calling you to forgive someone, serve someone, encourage someone, or take your faith more seriously. You may think, “Someone else can do it.” But what if God is calling you?
Samuel was young and inexperienced, yet God had a purpose for him. God does not always require people who feel ready. He looks for people who are willing.
There is also a danger in repeatedly hearing God's Word without responding. We can become so familiar with sermons, Bible classes, and invitations that they no longer move us. We keep saying, “I will do it tomorrow.” But tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Perhaps the most important question today is whether God is calling you to salvation.
Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). When the people heard the gospel on Pentecost and asked what they should do, Peter answered, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).
The New Testament teaches us to hear the gospel, believe in Christ, repent of our sins, confess our faith, and be baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
If you have never obeyed the gospel, perhaps this is more than another devotional. Perhaps God is calling you. Do not allow fear, pride, people, or procrastination to keep you from responding.
And if you have obeyed the gospel but have wandered away, perhaps God is calling you back.
So, as you begin this day, ask yourself:
“What has God been telling me that I have been refusing to hear?”
Whatever the answer may be, do not ignore His voice.
Let your prayer today be the prayer of Samuel:
“Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.”
And when God speaks, may we have the humility to listen, the courage to obey, and the faith to follow.

God's Providence is Him at work in our lives even when we don't expect it (1 Kings 17:4)

Romans 12:1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.