Doyle Smith Daily

Zechariah 1:14 (God's Word) Originally published 08/05/2013 Jealousy is when a person is concerned about a competitor's influence over a loved one. Zechariah told God's people: "The angel who was speaking with me said, ‘Announce: This is what the LORD of Armies says: 'I'm very jealous about Jerusalem and Zion,..’" Zechariah 1:14 (God's Word). If a person gives their life to God's control, then it really matters to God what influences that person's decisions and behavior. Lord, I don't want to ever give you a reason to be jealous, so alert me when my own desires or any person or thing has more influence over my choices or decisions than you.

Haggai 2: 4-5 (God Word) Originally published 08/03/2013 Israel was in captivity, but the king sent them back after 40 years to rebuild the city and temple. They were so excited and enthused when they started, but the job required more resources than they had, and they got discouraged and quit. "Everyone in the land be strong," declares the LORD, 'Work, because I am with you,' declares the LORD of Armies. 'This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains with you. Don't be afraid '" Haggai 2:4-5 (God's Word). Lord, when I look at the issues that I face and things I need to do, and then I look at my wisdom, strength, and time, I get overwhelmed. In those moments remind me this is your life, and it is to be lived by your wisdom, power, and your provision.

Haggai 1:2-7 (God's Word) Originally published 08/02/2013 One of the ways God deals with our disobedience is to let us do things without his help. "'This is what the LORD of Armies says: These people say it's not the right time to rebuild the house of the LORD.' Then the LORD spoke his word through the prophet Haggai. He said, 'Is it time for you to live in our paneled houses while his house lies in ruins? Now, this is what the LORD of Armies says: Carefully consider your ways! You planted a lot, but you harvested little. You eat, but you're never full. You drink, but you're still thirsty. You wear clothing, but you never have enough to keep you warm. You spend money as fast as you earn it. This is what the LORD of Armies says: Carefully consider your ways!" Haggai 1:2-7 (God's Word). Lord, alert me when I need to be more obedient rather than work harder.

Zephaniah 3:1-2 (God's Word) Originally published 08/01/2013 Rejecting God's authority over our lives shapes a community, church, or family. "How horrible it will be for that rebellious and corrupt place, the city of violence. It obeys no one. It does not accept correction. It does not trust the LORD. It does not draw close to its God" Zephaniah 3:1-2 (God's Word). Lord, please give me a passion to remove every rebellious thought from my mind. Live in me the life you want to live.

Zephaniah 2:3 (God's Word) Originally published 07/31/2013 In Romans chapter 4 Paul makes it clear that salvation has always been based on grace through faith and is not earned. What the Old Testament shows us is the lifestyle of the person who is guided by God. "Search for the LORD, all you humble people in the land who carry out his justice. Search for what is right. Search for humility. Maybe you will find shelter on the day of the LORD'S anger" Zephaniah 2:3 (God's Word). To us "justice" is a legal word, which makes us think it does not involve us since we are not judges. But in the Old Testament justice consistently refers to treating people the way they should be treated, which means we, in humility, treat people as God treats them. Lord, help me to treat every person I meet today exactly as you are treating them.

Zephaniah 1:6 (God's Word) Originally published 07/30/2013 God is very clear about the basis on which he judges people. "I will remove those who have turned away from following the LORD and those who no longer seek the LORD or ask him for help" Zephaniah 1:6 (God's Word). God is the owner and ruler of this world, and everyone who refuses to acknowledge this and refuses to ask for his direction when making decisions is rejecting this reality. They are in rebellion against God and trying to take his place. He must remove them since there cannot be two rulers of the world. Lord, I realize that I will fulfill my purpose on earth only if you rule my life and guide my decisions. Show me how to live and direct my life.

Habakkuk 3:12-15  (God's Word) Originally published 07/28/2013 I am reminded of the great power of God. "You march through the earth with fury. You trample the nations in anger. You go out to save your people, to save your anointed. You crush the leader of the wicked household, stripping him bare from head to toe. You pierce the leader of his gang with his own arrows. His soldiers come like a violent storm to scatter me. They are arrogant like those who secretly eat up the poor. You march with your horses into the sea, into the mighty raging waters" Habakkuk 3:12-15 (God's Word). Lord, sometimes I see situations that seem beyond any solution, and I get discouraged. Keep reminding me of who you are and that you can do anything that you choose to do

Habakkuk 1:17-2:4 Originally published 07/27/2013 Habakkuk was distressed because the powerful nations like Babylon seemed to do whatever they wanted. He asked God: "Will they keep on emptying their nets and always kill nations without mercy? Then the LORD answered me, 'Write the vision. Make it clear on tablets so that anyone can read it quickly. The vision will still happen at the appointed time. It hurries toward its goal. It won't lie. If it's delayed, wait for it. It will certainly happen. It won't be late. Look at the proud person. He is not right in himself. But the righteous person will live because of his faithfulness" Habakkuk 1:17-2:4 (God's Word). God's judgment is always on target and timely, but sometimes it is unseen by us. A person may appear to be very successful, but on the inside a failure; however, the righteous person will always have all that life has to offer. Lord, remind me when it seems evil people appear to prosper, that I ca...

Habakkuk 1:2 (God's Word) Originally published 07/26/2013 The prophet Habakkuk was upset. "How long, O LORD, am I to cry for help, but you will not listen? I cry out to you, 'There's violence!' yet you will not come to the rescue" Habakkuk 1:2 (God's Word). Like Habakkuk we are usually upset about God's patience with the sins of others, but we are then filled with praise for God's patience with our own sins. It is a great comfort to know that God always knows what needs to be done and when the time is right. Lord, when I get impatient with the sin of others, remind me of my own.

Nahum 3: 14-15 (God's Word) Originally published 07/25/2013 The people of Nineveh thought they were safe. They had all the food and water they needed. They had strong defenses built up behind strong walls. Who could possibly hurt them? Because of their rebellion against him the LORD said: "Store water for the siege! Strengthen your defenses! Step into the claypits and trample the clay! Grab the brick mold! Fire will consume you there. A sword will cut you down. It will consume you like locusts" Nahum 3:14-15 (God's Word). Lord, sometimes evil seems so strong and people so resistant to you, it looks like it is winning. Forgive me for forgetting your great power, and always remind me that you will win.

Nahum 2:13 (God's Word) Originally published 07/24/2013 Nineveh was a huge city that took three days to walk across, and it was a powerful city, politically, militarily, and economically. When Jonah went to tell it of God's judgment, the city repented, and God withheld his judgment, but it went back to its ways of rebellion against God, and God told Nahum to announce his judgment on this city. God said: "’I am against you, Nineveh,’ declares the LORD of Armies. 'I will send your chariots up in smoke, and a sword will kill your young lions. I will remove your prey from the earth, and no one will ever hear the voice of your messengers again’" Nahum 2:13 (God's Word). God's judgment is final; this world’s power is gone. Lord, I want to acknowledge you as the ruler of my life and help others to serve you.

Nahum 1: 2-3 (God's Word) Originally published 07/23/2013 The Bible begins with the most important and critical reality. God made the world, he owns it, and he alone controls it. To think and act as if that were not true is to deny this reality and to try to take God's place, which is an attack on the creator and owner of the world. This behavior is destroying the world God intended to make, and that is why he is so angry about it. Nahum told us: "God does not tolerate rivals. The LORD takes revenge. The LORD takes revenge and is full of anger. The LORD takes revenge against his enemies and holds a grudge against his foes. The LORD is patient and has great strength. The LORD will never let the guilty go unpunished" Nahum 1:2-3 (God's Word). Lord, never let me forget that you are in complete control of this world.

Micah 7:7 (God's Word) Originally published 07/22/2013 Micah saw dishonesty, rebellion of children against parents, and all kinds of immorality all around him. He said: "I will look to the LORD. I will wait for God to save me. I will wait for my God to listen to me" Micah 7:7 (God's Word). Usually God is the last resort after we consult our friends, then the experts, and then God. Lord, remind me when problems arise to come to you first and to be patient and persistent until you respond.

Micah 6:13-15 (God's Word) Originally published 07/20/2013 Sometimes God's judgment is not a disaster, but the emptiness of one’s efforts and life. "I have begun to strike you with heavy blows and to ruin you because of your sins. You will eat, but you won't be full. So you will always be hungry. You will put things away, but you won't save them. Anything you save I will destroy. You will plant, but you won't harvest. You will crush olives, but you won't rub the oil on your skin. You will make new wine, but you won't drink it" Micah 6:13-5 (God's Word). God says that without obedience to him there will never be contentment in life. Lord, instead of my working harder, teach me to be more dependent and obedient and trust you for the accomplishment.

Micah 5: 2-5 (God's Word) Originally published 07/19/2013 God made his plan. “You Bethlehem Ephrathah, are too small to be included among Judah's cities. Yet, from you Israel's future ruler will come for me. His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago. That is why the LORD will abandon Israel until the time a mother has a child. The rest of the LORD's people will return to the people of Israel. The child will become the shepherd of his flock. He will lead them with the strength of the LORD, with the majestic name of the LORD his God. They will live in safety because his greatness will reach the ends of the earth. This man will be their peace" Micah 5:2-5 (God's Word). And God made his plan work in Jesus. Lord, this gives me the confidence that whatever your plan is for me, it will happen. You are the ruler of the world.

Micah 3:8 (God's Word) Originally published 07/18/2013 The spokesman for God is sometimes in a difficult spot. We want to hear something that is encouraging and that we like, but God does not always have something pleasant to tell us. Beware if the message is always nice. "But I am filled with the power of the LORD'S Spirit, with justice, and with strength. So, I will tell the descendants of Jacob about their crimes and the nation of Israel about its sins" Micah 3:8 (God's Word). Who would choose a doctor because every time they went to see him, he told them that they were doing great, even if it were not true? Lord, give me a spirit of humility that desires the truth even when it is not pleasant.

Micah 1:3-5 (God's Word) Originally published 07/17/2013 God told Micah to announce that his judgment was coming. "The LORD is going to come from his place. He is going to come down and step on the worship places of the earth. Mountains will melt under him like wax near a fire. Valleys will split apart like water pouring down a steep hill. All this is because of Jacob's crime and Israel's sin. What is Jacob's crime? Isn't it Samaria? What is Judah's worship place? Isn't it Jerusalem? Micah 1:3-5 (God's Word). Samaria and Jerusalem were the places Israel worshiped. Nothing makes God more angry than his people who pray and sing that God is their master and then live without obeying him. He calls this a crime and sin. Lord, show me if my life does not match my prayers and my songs to you

Jonah 4:1-4 (God's Word) Originally published 07/16/2013 When Jonah told the people of Nineveh of God's coming judgment, they turned from disobedience to God to obey him, and he called off his judgment. "Jonah was very upset about this, and he became angry...The LORD asked, 'What right do you have to become angry?’" Jonah 4:1,4 (God's Word). Who does have the right to anger? Anger usually comes to me when people or equipment do not respond or act as I want. It is a sort of God complex. The world must obey me. God was really asking Jonah "Who made you God?" Anger can be a kind of idolatry, where I think the world ought to serve me. Lord, help me to be angry only about the things that anger you.

Jonah 3:1-5 (God's Word) Originally published 07/15/2013 Jonah refused to obey God and tell God's warning of judgment, but after being in the fish and spit out he was ready to listen to God. "Then the LORD spoke his word to Jonah a second time. He said, 'Leave at once for the important city, Nineveh. Announce to the people the message I have given you.' Jonah immediately went to Nineveh as the LORD told him. Nineveh was a very large city. It took three days to walk through it. Jonah entered the city and walked about a day. Then he said, 'In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed.' The people of Nineveh believed God. They decided to fast, and everyone from the most important to the least put on sackcloth" Jonah 3:1-5 (God's Word). God had prepared the whole city to be ready to turn to him, but all he needed was a messenger. It was nothing dramatic, just the message of God spoken, and the whole city was rescued. Lord, when you put it in my mind to spea...

Jonah 2:2-9 (God's Word) Originally published 07/13/2013 Jonah knew that it was God's judgment on him for disobedience that he was thrown into the ocean. He knew that he deserved this, but God's punishment was not to destroy Jonah, but to give him an obedient spirit so that he would complete his mission. Now "Jonah prayed: 'I called to the LORD in my distress and he answered me. From the depths of my watery grave I cried for help, and you heard my cry...I will keep my vow. Victory belongs to the LORD! Then the LORD spoke to the fish, and it spit Jonah out onto the shore" Jonah 2:2,9 (God's Word). Lord, I can see that the secret to all this is an obedient spirit, but it is frustrating to not be able to submit consistently

Jonah 1:1-2 (God's Word) Originally published 07/12/2013 "The LORD spoke his word to Jonah, son of Amittai. He said, 'Leave at once for the important city, Nineveh. Announce to the people that I can no longer overlook the wicked things they have done.' Jonah immediately tried to run away from the LORD by going to Tarshish" Jonah 1:1-3 (God's Word). Stupid, we know how THIS turns out. But most church members do the very same thing when they read or hear "Go make disciples." God has not changed and still expects obedience. Lord, show me someone today to whom I can be a witness.

Obadiah 3-4 (God's Word) Originally published 07/11/2013 God announced his plans to destroy Edom, and one of the reasons was: "Your arrogance has deceived you. You live on rocky cliffs. You make your home up high. You say to yourself, 'No one can bring me down to earth.' Even though you fly high like an eagle and build your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there,' declares the LORD" Obadiah 3-4 (God's Word). One common thread that I see with people whose lives are one disaster after another is that they do not regularly read the Bible, do not ask God to guide their decisions, and do not regularly gather with his people to acknowledge his authority over them and do the work of his Kingdom. Lord, don't let arrogance slip into my life, but give me a humble spirit. 

Amos 9:1 (God's Word) Originally published 07/10/2013 God cannot tolerate those who reject his authority over their lives. "I saw the LORD standing by the altar, and he said: Strike the tops of the pillars so that the foundations shake. Cut off everyone's head. I will kill with a sword all who are left. None of them will be able to get away. None of them will be able to escape" Amos 9:1 (God's Word). But he was not through. When he destroyed the rebels, he said: "I will restore my people Israel. They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink the wine from them. They will plant gardens and eat their fruit" Amos 9:14 (God's Word). God's judgment is not to destroy, but to prune and purify. Lord, remind me that everything you bring into my life is for good, even when it does not look like it, and everything Satan brings into my life you can even bring good from that.

Amos 8: 4, 6 (God's Word) Originally published 07/09/2013 After trying everything that he could to get them to obey him God finally decided to completely destroy his church. The people would go into captivity and be taken from their homes that God had given them. He explains why such a drastic action was required. One reason was how those who had money treated the poor. "Listen to this, those who trample the needy and ruin those who are oppressed in the world." They say, "We can buy the poor with money and the needy for a pair of sandals. We can sell the husks mixed in with the wheat" Amos 8:4,6 (God's Word). God will not tolerate his people taking advantage of those who are financially vulnerable. Lord, give me a generous spirit with those in the service industry.