In biblical times they did not have Sat-Nav or Google Maps. They used what was available to them to help them complete their journey. During the day they used the sun and formations of shadows, during the night they used the stars to help guide them in the right direction. The brightest star guided the three wise men to Jesus, the king's humble birthplace (Matt 9:11). 

God’s divine presence was with the Israelites, He provided a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire to light the way at night so the Israelites could travel day or night (Exodus 13:21). The pillar was always with them, it would show the path they were to take and when and where to set up at the end of the day, only lifting when it was time to move on. He never left them, the pillar of cloud and fire always went before His people, He never abandoned them (Nehemiah 9:19).

Just as in Biblical times God gives us the navigational tools to travel through life’s journey. He has given His word, the Bible as map for us and prayer as compass to show us if we are heading in the right direction. He also gives us the Holy Spirit as our guide to show us the way we should take by imparting us with wisdom and discernment to follow His lead. Just like with the Israelites, He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deut 31:6). Which way is God guiding you? Let Him light up your path. 

Isaiah 58:11 (NLT) 
The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.

- Zhen Ang

I have some herbs growing along my kitchen window. Every week or so, I have to rotate my pots around, just because my herbs try their best to bend their leaves and stems towards to window to get as much light as possible. Just like my herbs, we were created with a need for God's love. Without it, we don't grow to our full potential. Our joy may shrivel up, hope wither and our love for others may be dry. 

In John 15, we are instructed to remain in God's love. To remain in His love is as simple as turning or bending towards him. When we cultivate thankfulness in our lives, we are turning our attentions from our situations towards God and recognizing His work in our lives. 

We can turn to God by spending time getting to know Him personally through His Word in the Bible. His Word reveals to us that He loves us unconditionally, not based on our performance, or our best behavior or even our worst! His Word shows us that He is like a Father eagerly awaiting a long-lost child to return home. His Word shows us that nothing in heaven or on Earth can ever separate us from His love!

As we bend towards God and remain in His love, we have joy, hope and love which far surpasses what this world can ever offer us!

John 15:9-11 
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love... I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Titus 3:4-7 
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy... so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 

Romans 8:35, 37 
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

-Jo Voon-

Jesus did not say, “Dream about your Father who is in the secret place,” but He said, “. . . pray to your Father who is in the secret place. . .”

Prayer is an effort of the will. After we have entered our secret place and shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray. We cannot seem to get our minds into good working order, and the first thing we have to fight is wandering thoughts.

The great battle in private prayer is overcoming this problem of our idle and wandering thinking. We have to learn to discipline our minds and concentrate on willful, deliberate prayer. We must have a specially selected place for prayer, but once we get there this plague of wandering thoughts begins, as we begin to think to ourselves, “This needs to be done, and I have to do that today.” Jesus says to “shut your door.” Having a secret stillness before God means deliberately shutting the door on our emotions and remembering Him.

Enter into “the secret place,” and you will find that God was right in the middle of your everyday circumstances all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything.

Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

- Anonymous

Delight in the Lord (v. 4). The word translated "delight" comes from a root that means "to be brought up in luxury, to be pampered." It speaks of the abundance of the blessings we have in the Lord Himself, totally apart from what He gives us. To enjoy the blessings and ignore the Blesser is to practice idolatry.

In Jesus Christ, we have all God's treasures, and we need no other. If we truly delight in the Lord, then the chief desire of our heart will be to know Him better so we can delight in Him even more, and the Lord will satisfy that desire! This is not a promise for people who want "things," but for those who want more of God in their lives. (from The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.)

How do you delight in the Lord? Do you specifically set aside a time for Him and ponder on His majesty? Do you take walks and delight in all He has made? Or do you sing songs of worship? Why wouldn't you love the Lord of the Universe when He gives you instructions like these!? To me, Psalm 37:4 is such an awesome scripture. In turn for worshiping and delighting ourselves in the Lord, we get our hearts desires in return. We get blessed as a result making God our true delight.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

-Sandra Iliev

There are many Christian doctrines nowadays. Many speak out of theories but many speak out of their own revelation as well.

In our calm and steady mind, most of us would be able to discern whether what we read on books or what we hear is of worthy nature but let’s not deny that there will be times in our lives where we may swallow every information without discerning them. Those times would be the times where we enter a place of desperation and utter frustration and we frantically look for guidance and wisdom just so we could rise from own muddy pit.

“I have been in this pit for too long, is there anything I’m doing wrong? Is there anything else I could do?” You try to find answers, you read, you seek and you ask. There is nothing wrong in that, God sees your heart desire to rise out of your own circumstances.

Don’t run to erroneous doctrines and swallow them word by word. Everything needs to be tested. If you are frustrated and anxious, question your motives because the Holy Spirit operates in peace even in amidst of trials and the turmoil of confusion. Are you trying to make things happen by your own strength and within your own time?

Seek a personal revelation with God; let Him reveal the right answer for you.  Discernment that comes from God is truthful and reliable. He will lead the Holy Spirit within us to guide us to the path He has planned for us. Wait on Him and seek your personal revelation. He will not show up late as He understands the urgency of your pleas.

1 Thessalonians 5:21
but test them all; hold on to what is good

- Irene Soon

Someone who is faithful is somewho who we can rely on, someone who we can trust, confide and have faith in. They are loyal and because of this we can be confident that they will be there for us. Through different times in our lives we have people that come in and out. Some stick aroud and show their faithfulness but others just pass by and do not display that character. 

As humans we do have the opportunity to be faithful but we can still let people down and hurt them. God's faithfulness, however, is never ending. David experienced times when his life was threatened but he had a revelation of God's faithfulness. He sang of the depths and the heights of Gods love. He was always delivered out of the situation.

​In our darkest times we need to dig into the word and reflect on psalms like these. God's faithfulness and love for us is incomparable to any love in the face of the earth. No matter how horrible or barren your situation looks, God is a faithful God who loves you too much to keep you in the situation you are in.
​
​Psalms 36:5
​Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
​
- Sandra Iliev

Have you ever gone without a meal or a day without a drink? I have to admit that I love food and probably my chief hobby has to be eating. I know without a snack or a meal, I can get grumpy and irritated.

So much of the world we see revolves around food. How different would life be without Maccas, Masterchef, chocolate and supermarkets!

If so we feed our bodies, how often do we feed our spirits? We may not have that tempting chicken nugget or boost juice ad to remind us, but our spirits too need to be nourished with God's word every day!

Without nourishment, starvation, worry, confusion, negativity and small-thinking set in. But when we daily digest God's word, we are supernaturally strengthened, refreshed, grown and we are led by His Spirit more and more each day!

Job 23:12
I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. 

Psalm 119:28 
My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. 

-Jo Voon-

Joseph was a famous dreamer. His brothers hated him for it. He was so excited to tell his brothers about his dream. “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” (Genesis 37:6-7) 

His brothers were so jealous and full of hatred that they sold him into slavery. What Joseph’s brothers meant for harm actually was used for the glory of God. Had he not been sold to slavery, Joseph never would have become second in command after the king. He and his brothers, Egypt and the surrounding nations would have fallen into even tougher times if not for the Godly insight given to Joseph about the impending famine.

People will try and put you down for your dreams and tell you that it can never happen, that the odds are against you. However, if it is a God given dream He will make a way. Follow the dreams that God has instilled in your heart, He put them there for a reason, for a purpose. He loves you and created you just the way that you are. 

Walk by faith knowing that God is with you every step of the way.

Proverbs 16:9 
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. 

- Zhen Ang

Shortly before Jesus was crucified, a woman named Mary poured a bottle of expensive perfume on His feet. Then, in what may have been an even more daring act, she wiped His feet with her hair. Not only did Mary sacrifice what may have been her life’s savings, she also sacrificed her reputation.

In first-century Middle Eastern culture, respectable women never let down their hair in public. But true worship is not concerned about what others think of us. To worship Jesus, Mary was willing to be thought of as immodest, perhaps even immoral.

Some of us may feel pressured to be perfect when we go to church so people may think well of us. Metaphorically speaking, we work hard to ensure we have every hair in place. But a healthy church is a place where we could let down our hair and not hide our flaws behind the facade of perfection. In church, we should be able to reveal our weaknesses to find strength rather than conceal our faults to appear strong.

Worship does not involve behaving as if nothing is wrong;  it is making sure everything is right – right with God and with each other.

John 12:3
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

- Julie Ackerman Link 
Our Daily Bread, ‘Letting down your hair’ February 25 2012.