Living Light Daily Devotional Guided Steps By Touching Lives with Dr. James Merritt “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” – Jeremiah 10:23 If you Google this question: “What should I do?” you will get more than 64 million results. Advice experts have exploded all over the country. Everywhere from apps, to videos, to live chats, to newspaper columns, to blogs, and to podcasts, people are asking questions about career, love, family, worry, and finances. I can say as a Pastor that 95% of the counseling I have done in my ministry has dealt with this question: “What decision should I make?” Some of the most frustrating, agonizing, and nerve-wracking times in our lives are when we have to admit, “I don’t know what to do.” Believers and non-believers alike face these times. Rich and poor people face them. Old and young face them. If you are alive, there will be times when you simply do not know what you should do. But, God has promised He will guide us in these times. Somebody once said, “If you want to hear God laugh tell Him your plans.” Someone else followed that up with, “If you want to hear Him laugh even louder tell Him what you know.” No matter how smart you are, how good at something you are, how many degrees or awards you have, there will come a time when you do not know what decision to make. But here is the good news: You are not alone and you are not on your own. One of the greatest, most life-changing discoveries you will ever make is the realization that God wants to direct your steps. God wants to lead you down the right path. You have not been put here on this earth like a blind man, blindfolded in a dark room, trying to figure out your way around to keep from falling flat on your face. God has given us His Word, which is like a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (Psalm 119:105). He has also given us the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. The Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13). The God that gave you life wants to guide you in this life. The God that loves you wants to lead you. The God who gave His Son to die for you now wants to give you His wisdom to direct you. Proverbs 6:9 says this: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Application: Who is directing your steps? Read in browser » A Fair Wage By Touching Lives with Dr. James Merritt “For the wages of sin is death…” – Romans 6:23 What is a wage? A wage is what you earned. It is what you deserve. A wage is what you work for. In Bible times, the word for “wages” referred to the daily food ration that was given to a Roman soldier for his service at the end of every day. It was his pay for simply doing his job. Romans 6:23 teaches, “The wages of sin is death.” Death, then, is not a physical problem, but a spiritual one. This silent killer is called, “sin.” We are all sinners. We have all done wrong. Sin is like a poison that kills all of us. Many people have a problem with this truth because they think, “Wait a minute, but we are not all equally sinners. There are really bad sinners, and ‘good people’ who are sinners.” However, it is not the amount of sin that kills, but the fact of sin that kills. We are all sinners. Therefore we all die whether we are a good or bad person. No one truly dies of natural causes. Rather, we all die of one supernatural cause – sin. Sin’s death is multi-faceted. Sin kills physically in that our earthly bodies die. Sin also kills relationally. Sin kills marriages, friendships, and even peace between nations. The greatest way sin kills, however, is spiritually. Sin kills your relationship with God. God is in the light, but sin puts you in the dark. God is life, but sin puts you to death. The physical death separates the soul from the body, but spiritual death separates the soul from God. When you read the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2-3, you see that God warned them that if they ate the forbidden fruit they would die that very day. They ate the fruit, but they didn’t die that day. Or did they? God doesn’t lie. They did die. They died immediately in their spirit. They died spiritually. Ultimately, like all people, their spiritual death led to physical death. What this word really refers to is “eternal” death. We are separated from God by our sins. Therefore, if we die in our sins, we will die eternally separated from God. Spiritual death can be reversed by a personal relationship with God. Physical death will be reversed by the resurrection of those who believe in God when we receive a new body that will never die. Application: Are you separated from God by your sins, or have you placed your faith in Christ and been forgiven and given eternal life? Read in browser » Recent Articles: GPS Affirming His Promise Accomplishing His Purpose Achieving His Plan Only God Share Your Faith Boldly Learn a simple, straight-forward method for effectively sharing the Good News of Jesus with others. This three-week online course features a downloadable workbook along with training videos from Dr. James Merritt. Enroll today and learn how to effectively and confidently share your faith! ENROLL NOW Prayer Request Email TL Staff Donate Now Share Tweet Forward This email was sent to hopkinsanthony33@gmail.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Touching Lives, Inc. · 1800 Satellite Blvd · Duluth, GA 30097 · USA