The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).
RECOMMENDED READING: PROVERBS 9:6-18 “6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.12 If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.13 A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.14 For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,15 To call passengers who go right on their ways:16 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,17 Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.”
COMMENTS: Who do you listen to and believe? In this day of social media, we are bombarded with instant news and videos and gossip and …. Without regard for accuracy or motives or intent of them. Some doing so are very skilled at presenting information in a way to draw many viewers and assume and believe the worst, whether true or not. Lives are quickly damaged or destroyed falsely and without trials of due process without consequence or accountability of the perpetrator. BUT GOD IS STILL IN CHARGE AND WILL HOLD EACH ONE OF US ACCOUNTABLE FOR OUR ACTIONS AND CONDUCT AND EVEN THOUGHTS!! There is no way for us to earn redemption or to cancel offenses or harm done. There is nothing we can do that can cancel or cover past sins. Scripture even warns us that “our sins will find us out” Numbers 32:23
But the wonderful Good News is God made a way Himself and freely provides it to each and everyone to receive and use. Without that way, we have no hope! But with that way, our hope is sure and secure. Every religion and philosophy taught and followed by man teaching redemption by hard word earning redemption, except for Christianity, Christ’s Way. Christ’s Way puts accepting His Way first and then work for Him out of a motivation of gratitude and desire to be more like Him and to help others learn of this Way to redemption too. No other religion uses this concept or motivation or approach. But then again this Way is God’s Way, God’s design and God’s Plan. Jesus came to provide that way in a human form and body but the Same God of creation and history. What human could conceive such a Plan? What human could accomplish or do what Jesus did and continues to do. If Jesus is the imagination of an ancient human author, as many religions teach, what religion option offers anything better? What hope do we have? If Jesus is Real and Who He said HE is and still is, then every other religion and doctrine or philosophy man has or continues to teach offers only lies and an empty hope or promise.
So, is it just a matter of whom or what you believe? Does it make it true just too sincerely believe? Today Islam is the fastest growing religion in many parts of the world and Christianity is on the decline in many of those areas. BUT THE OPPOSITE IS ALSO TRUE IN MANY OTHER AREAS OF THE WORLD! Islam dominated countries where Christians are severely persecuted and the Gospel is suppressed with great passion and effort, Jesus finds other ways to spread His Good News, His Way. He has confronted many sincere Islam followers with visions or dreams where Jesus confronts and gives opportunity to choose Christ and His redemption instead of Islam.
Satan is busy doing all he can to distract, discourage, deceive, deny, doubt, and even defy Jesus as God and the One and Only Way to Heaven. But God is near ready and willing and able to help, encourage, inspire, empower, enlighten, support, rally others, sustain, direct, and …. He doesn’t provide an easy path but the correct path along with a helping hand along the journey.
He asks us to step out in faith trusting Him with follow assurance and Instruction:
- Step Out of My Comfort Zone with our eyes on Him and in His Word 2. Take One Step at a Time keeping our eyes on Him and in His Word 3. Action Lessens Worry by preoccupying us and distracting us. 4. God is with you as you go. We need to expose ourselves often and each step to this reminder and shower out minds with His Word, in Prayer, with other believers all to help and encourage us
Abraham was able to trust God in the not knowing because he believed that God was with him. We also have this assurance because Jesus said, “…be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
If you wish, you can access my blog at “https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com“. There you will find 352 blog posts I have made plus a link to my devotional journal material archives from 2013 to present.
You may also access my Facebook page and request to be my friend and automatically receive my daily journal publications daily. My Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/Dondevotionals/ Many thanks to a pastor and dear brother in Christ in Nepal who set up the above Facebook page to help and encourage and give opportunity for more to explore and use my devotional blog materials.
My hope and prayer are, my blog and devotional materials will become a source of encouragement and tools in ministry for you.
Published by donsdevotions
Don McDaniel - Who am I?
Hello everyone and welcome to my devotional journal blog. In order to get acquainted and help you get to know me a bit better before considering following my blog, let me give you some background. I am a 74-year-old male and a retired engineer. I worked for a major supplier of underground mining equipment for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2012. Arlene and I have been happily married since April 1978 and have two grown – married children, one granddaughter and 2 step grandsons. I joined the local United Methodist church at age 12 after accepting Christ as my Savior at age 10 during revival services in that same church in 1961, so I have been a “Born Again” Christian all my teen years and adult life. Christ has helped and guided me all that time. He guided me in choosing my wife and life’s career. My life journey has included regrets and failures, but God has picked me up and protected and spared me from life threatening consequences and dangers more times than I can recall or count. But many I do recall and encourage and motivate me to trust and follow Christ with more passion than ever.
Christmas 2011 our daughter gave Arlene and I each a devotional journal. Journals were books with devotion for each day and space to give personal impressions and thoughts related to each devotion. Her desire was to have a lasting legacy she could refer back to and share with her children and grandchildren especially after we are gone. I was touched by that gesture. My parents and Arlene’s were devout Christians, so we would have greatly treasured having that from them, so we felt a sense of urgency to honor her request. I finished my journal first and returned it to our daughter the following Christmas. I’m glad I did it then because Parkinson’s has caused my hand writing to deteriorate since then. The exercise was such a blessing for me. Discipline of keeping journal helped me gain a deeper walk with Christ and greater discipline in honoring my time of prayer and devotion with Him each day. So, I decided to continue the practice but since I could not find a paper journal I liked, I decided to create my own. I had already been receiving electronic devotions by email every day from several sources, my favorite being “Turning Point” from Dr. David Jeremiah. What I decided to do was to include devotional scripture but add my own thoughts and comments only so there would be no issue of copyright infringement. Creating and maintaining journal by computer also addressed my deteriorating handwriting ability. I started an electronic devotion journal January 1, 2013 and have been faithful to that practice every day since. I prayed about method and level of distribution. My initial intent was to only share it with my two children by email, but quickly discovered others in my family, my church, and friends from work (both retired and still working) who knew me and wanted to be included in distribution when they learned what I was doing. I now distribute by email my daily journal at the beginning of each month to over 150 friends and relatives. God has richly blessed and encouraged me.
I am concerned with the state of our church and nation, and world for that matter, believing we are living in the end times the prophets of old and Christ have talked about in scripture, so time is short. I desire to be true to my Savior and a witness to help others come to a saving knowledge of Him and equipped to share His Good News too. If my journal can encourage and help others, I believe God wants me to share it. I struggled, for a time at first, because I know many others keep similar journals but only for their own edification and do not want to share them because they are private.
However, Christ has stirred my heart to share it as a witness tool.
Our son and daughter have a long-time friend who grew up with them who we also befriended nearly 25 years ago. He had a lot of family problems, so would gravitate to our family as a refuge and eventually thought of us as his adopted parents and he as our adopted son. We lost contact with him for some time when he grew up and left home. He traveled around the U.S. and eventually ended up in Ukraine where he resided for next 10 years. He had to return to the US to renew his visa and took opportunity to recommend I begin a blog of my devotions and helped me set it up. He is also an active blogger and has been an email subscriber to my journal for several months, so he has been suggesting I expand my distribution by starting a blog to get broader exposure. After reflection and prayer, I concluded God was in this, so he is helping me set up my blog site. This brief autobiography is my first entry.
He returned to Ukraine, then resided there until circumstanced made him decide to move back to US with his young son. This biography was my first post February 29, 2016 .
I have published 600 posts from 2016-2023 automatically sent to all my Facebook friends, published on WordPress to be accessible to anyone curious or seeking a deeper walk with God. I decided to take a sebatical to prepare for a new chapter. In 2014 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease which affects patient ability to walk, drive, do physical work, and eventually talk. By mid 2023 it became evident our home for last 42 years (previously owned by my parents for previous 44 years and by my mother's grandparents for 39 years before that) would eventually not meet my needs so we decided to sell it and move into 1st floor of a duplex we also owned that was the town school from 1855-1913. Likewise, the property was requiring more maintenance that I was no longer able to keep up with. 2023 involved selling our home and moving into apartment next door and then in early 2025 an opportunity to move closer to our daughter and granddaughter in Kentucky which was completed in May 2025. For a number of months I have been seeking direction seeking God's direction and timing to return to blogging as my journey with Parkinson's continues to unfold with God's guiding hand in mine.
I hope and pray my devotions will continue to be a blessing for you. God certainly has become closer and more real to me since started this blog in 2016. I have spent time with Him studying scripture and praying and listening and writing this journal. I will continue seeking God’s help and will welcome your input to make this site as meaningful as I can and true to God, who is motivating me to create and maintain it. I will also welcome input in order to make format more meaningful going forward.
Don & Arlene McDaniel
In His Service,
Email: mcdanieldonald769@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Don1951
If you wish, you can access my blog at “https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com“. There you will find 600+ blog posts I have made plus a link to my devotional journal material archives from 2013 to present (https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/link-to-dons-devotional-journal-entries-2013/ )
You may also access my Facebook page and request to be my friend and automatically receive my daily journal publications daily. My Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/Dondevotionals/ Many thanks to a pastor and dear brother in Christ in Nepal who set up the above Facebook page to help and encourage and give opportunity for more to explore and use my devotional blog materials. View all posts by donsdevotions
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