By GARY ANDREWS
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In today’s fast paced society and high tech world, it seems that we can hardly go anywhere without the help of our GPS (Global Positioning System) or cell phone. There used to be a time that we used atlases or road maps to help us find our way. Now all we have to do is punch a few buttons and our directions pop up on a dashboard gadget or our cellphone.
We are all creatures of habit and we use whatever modern marvels that we can get our hands on and there is nothing wrong with this. I use these tools all the time when I am driving and have no clue where I am going or what roads I need to get there. These are great instruments for us to have.
Have you ever thought about the GPS used by the Israelites in Old Testament times? They had one and they used it without hesitation. One good thing about their GPS is you never heard it say “recalculating.”
The Lord provided a cloud cover for Moses and the Israelites to follow on their exodus from Pharaoh and Egypt. When the cloud moved they followed it. When it stopped they stopped. This is told to us in Numbers 9:17; “Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped.”
Our great and mighty God shows His graciousness to us by providing us guidance in our daily lives. All we have to do is seek it and accept it when it comes. Through prayer and reading the Bible, God makes it abundantly clear what we should do every day and what our thoughts are to be.
What about the direction your life is going in? Are you on a path that will get you to heaven when your time on earth is over? Will you spend eternity with Jesus?
Just as the Israelites, we are going to have difficult days and times and wonder why God has forsaken us. We need to understand and learn, just as they did in the Old Testament times, that God never leaves us or forsakes us. It is when we turn our backs on Him that we wander away from His guidance and care. When we face difficult situations we need to pray for wisdom and also talk with mature believers that can pray and seek God’s guidance on our behalf.
God’s GPS for us is a very clear and narrow road. Even when we think He is not listening or caring about us, we need to wait on Him and stay faithful to the Lord. The prophet tells us in Isaiah 48:17; “This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”
Prayer: Thank you Lord God for your Word. Thank you for the opportunity of talking to you each and every day. You are a gracious and loving God and I give you all the praise for the life you have allowed me to have. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Psalm 25:8-15; Monday – Hebrews 11:8-10; Tuesday – 2 Samuel 2:1-4; Wednesday –Ephesians 5:8-21; Thursday – Exodus 23:20-21; Friday – Acts 8:2 6-40; Saturday – Proverbs 8:12-21.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com.

By GARY ANDREWS
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Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see.
To me this is one of the greatest songs ever written and continues to be as popular today as it was when it was penned in 1748 by John Newton. Newton had gone through some serious trials in his early life and it wasn’t until he was captain of his own ship that he realized that God is in control and through His mercy and grace we are saved. Newton had some religious instruction from his mother; however she passed away when he was a child and he became a victim of the world.
Newton is like so many of us today. We may have heard about God when we were at home because our parents taught us this. So many of us leave the nest and many times we leave behind our spiritual teachings plus our ethics, integrity, morals, and many other features needed to survive.
Just as it did in the 1700’s and earlier, the world teaches us to look out for number one and to get above others anyway we can. It doesn’t matter who we step on or hurt when we need to further our own glory. There are many of our leaders in today’s society, and even some preachers that will lower their values to those of the world to get ahead in society. We work really hard at getting people to envy us because we are self-sufficient in our jobs, our families, our homes, and our communities. We have no compassion for others and push them aside to make sure our way is not deterred.
I see in many of our younger generation homes the loss of courtesy, respect, manners, and the teachings of our elders. The world is telling them to move ahead in the careers using any method they can. When we see this in business ethics we will also see it in the homes, especially when two parents are working and our children and grandchildren being raised by others.
Newton observed May 10, 1748, as the day of his conversion, a day of humiliation in which he subjected his will to a higher power. He wrote in his journal that all seemed lost as his ship went through a violent storm and would surely sink, he asked the Lord to have mercy upon him and his crew. He later reflected on what he had asked the Lord and realized the God’s grace had begun to work for him.
He wrote, “Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come, ‘tis grace has bro’t me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” After returning home Newton married, self-educated himself in several languages, then went into the ministry, preaching and writing songs.
How many of us today have gone through these same type tribulations that John Newton went through? How many of us have asked God to help us in our times of need? How many of us have stopped to thank our Lord and Savior for bringing us through difficult times and then turning our lives around to be a disciple for Him?
Scripture that all of us need to remember and hold close to our heart is Psalm 145:8-9; “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” It doesn’t matter what you have done in the past as long as you lay it all out before the Lord and confess your wrongs, then He will forgive you and lead you where He wants you to be.
Prayer: Father God thank you for being with me and leading me in the direction you would have me go. Thank you for your grace and mercy for a sinner such as I. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Psalm 103:8-14; Monday – 4-8; Tuesday – Exodus 34:4-8; Wednesday – Romans 5:15-19; Thursday – Nehemiah 9:16-18; Friday – John 1:15-18; Saturday – 2 Corinthians 6:1-10.).
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com.

By GARY ANDREWS
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Sometimes I find it hard to sleep and get up early in the morning because I have something on my mind. Most of these times of insomnia I have a particular subject on my mind and until I get up and talk with the Lord about it, I cannot ease my mind of these thoughts.
My family and I have been thoroughly blessed and I wonder if I have praised God enough for all the blessings He has given me. I once heard a pastor say to his congregation, “What if we wake up in the morning and all we have is what we have thanked or praised God for?”
A Psalm of David tells us, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Have you ever thought that the word “Bless” also means “Praise”? Everything we have or ever will have is given to us by the Lord God and many of us never take the time to say “Bless you Lord” or “Praise you Lord” or “Thank You Lord”.
Many will tell you that the Lord had nothing to do with their success and that through hard work and dedication on their part they earned what they have. It is a sad day when anyone would think this, especially a child of the Living God, but there are many people in the world today that will tell you this. It is a sad day that when people believe all of their riches came from within them and what they have done to obtain them. They live it up on earth and never realize that when their time comes to an end what is going to happen to all of their riches. They are certainly not going to take it to the grave with them. These riches are going to someone else to squander and use as they see fit or either to someone that will say “Bless you Lord” and use these riches for the kingdom of God.
In verse two of this Psalm we are told, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” What is your definition of benefits? Again, many of us do not think that all we have is a benefit of the Lord. Where would we be without Him and what would we have if the Lord God had not created us and give us a world to live in? Not only has He given us a world to live in but He has given us a Christian nation to live in. We are the most blessed nation in the world and have riches beyond belief compared to others in this world. To the ones of us that complain about what we don’t have should really stop and thank God for what we do have. There are many people in other countries that don’t have the luxuries that we enjoy and complain about.
The Psalmist started his chapter with “Bless the Lord” and ended his chapter with “Bless the Lord.” In everything we do or say we should bless the Lord’s Holy Character. He is a merciful God, a forgiving God, and a gracious God. If it were not for the grace of God where would any of us be? Whether we are His child or not, each one of us will stand before Him on judgment day and give an account of how we spent our life and what we did for Him. Our God wants to be praised and when our time on earth is done and we go to eternity with Him, this is what we are going to be doing. Why should we praise God; because He is God.
Prayer: Father God, I do praise you in everything. You are the light of the world and I give you all the praise for all you have blessed me with. Thank you for loving a sinner such as I. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Psalm 103:1-22; Monday – Nehemiah 9:1-6; Tuesday – Revelation 7:9-17; Wednesday – 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13; Thursday – Daniel 2:19-23; Friday -  Psalm 115:1-3; Saturday – Acts 12:21-24.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com.

By GARY ANDREWS
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When I was a young boy I had the opportunity of being in the Boy Scouts. It is a tremendous organization. I learned about God and Country and the respect and love I am to give to each one. The slogan “Be Prepared” will forever be etched into my mind and how precious this slogan has been to me over the years.
As I became an adult and went through my military training, the “Be Prepared” slogan meant more to me than I ever thought it would, especially going into a combat or hostile environment half-way around the world. Leaving the military and going into the business world, getting married and raising a family has always given me the opportunity of remembering and using this slogan.
I am an advocate of the scouting programs, boys and girls, and the training and lessons these young people receive from them. Neither program seems to be as popular as they once were because the teachings of these organizations challenge what many facets of this sinful world want. Many immoral and unethical values are being pushed on these programs because Satan is having his way with so many people in the world who look to him instead of God.
Not only are the scouting programs being targeted by these ungodly people, so are our public arenas, government, schools, churches and religious organizations. We as Christians need to always “Be Prepared” because Satan is hurling insults and innuendos at us at every possible opportunity. Jesus tells us in Luke 21:8; “Watch out that you are not deceived…”; then in Luke 21:12; “…they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.”
This passage in Luke is when Jesus is speaking with some of His disciples about the signs of the end of time. People, all we have to do is read God’s Word and our future is foretold. We all need to look ar   ound us and see what is happening in the world. We need to understand that our God given rights and freedoms are being taken away and we, as Christians, are standing around and letting this happen.
I feel that it is very important that we continue boys and girls scouts and allow them to be taught about God and Country. We, as a Christian nation, need to adopt the scout motto of “Be Prepared” because at any given time this world can cease being and our time will be gone for us to accept Jesus as our Savior and live with Him throughout eternity. Are you prepared for what will happen to your soul should Jesus come today?
Prayer: Father thank you for your love. Thank you for saving grace that allows sinners such as I to leave this sinful world and live with you for eternity. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Luke 21:1-19; Monday – Hosea 10:12; Tuesday – 1 Peter 1:13-21; Wednesday – Joshua 3:5; Thursday – Ephesians 6:10-18; Friday – Ecclesiastes – 11:1-6; Saturday – Mark 1:2-8.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com.