Stepping Stones: What Is On Every Street Corner of Your Life?

Transformational Thought

A Starbucks on every corner. At least it seems like. More accurately, if you take into account Dunkin Donuts, WaWa, local Starbuck wannabees specialty coffee shops, favorite breakfast spots, different energy drinks, and church lobby’s, the real slogan is, “Caffeine on every corner.” Caffeine is harmful in many ways. When you can’t stop it because it gives you a headache, that’s got to send you a serious message.

You see, we are incredibly needy people and the world is a very needy place. Getting your boost, energy, or life from this world, well that road ends in loneliness, frustration, and insecurity. All this world provides are temporary band-aids at best…not meant to be long term solutions. Even when these temporary fixes are good and are provided by God, we often start to use them as primary solutions and forget these just point to the real solution – God.

Learn to go to your Lord and depend on Him first. When you turn to Him, your weakness will be replaced with His power. Find completeness in God. Then He will provide for and speak to you directly or lead you to other people or things of this world to show His love and direction.

When you depend on God first, you can then help other people without using them for your own needs. By letting God’s light shine brightly in you, God will shine through you to help others.

Today, what do you look to first to meet your needs? Yourself such as your intellect, looks, or a personality trait… your feelings like anger, self-pity, anxiety, or arrogance)….maybe other people, their skills or opinions. Sometimes it’s material things sex, food, money, things, drugs, even caffeine. Try a detox period from your “drug” you use to soothe yourself and instead, “suffer well” by going to God’s Word and see how He will speak to you.

Prayer
Dear Father God, I confess that I often turn to the world for my needs, and many times what I take from the world keeps me separated from You. The merry-go-round of life seems to be spinning faster and faster, things seem out of control. Yet I know by Your Word and by my faith that there is a calm at the center of the storms in my life. This calm is only found through a union with You. Thank You, my Father. Help me return to this center of calm…this soothing center more often, for this is where I will find completeness, Love, Joy and Peace. I pray in the name of my sustaining life-force, Jesus Christ; and all God’s children say - AMEN!

The Truth
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 9:9-10

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.
Psalm 16:1-4

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.,
Galatians 5:22

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:12