What's on the Inside?

Several children in a park watched a man release helium-filled balloons. The man let go of a white balloon, which floated up into the sky. Then he released yellow and red balloons, which also flew up and away. An African-American boy asked him, "Mister, if you let go of a black balloon, will it go up?" The man replied, "Son, the color on the outside has nothing to do with it. It's what's on the inside that makes it go up."

Do you lack confidence or feel discouraged? Remember that it's what's on the inside that makes you go up. Quit looking at yourself, or your circumstances, which can easily drag you down, and look to the One who can lift your spirit up. If you are a Christian, you have the Spirit of the Living God inside you! "The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you" (Rom. 8:11). God is "able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us" (Eph. 3:20).

If you are deflated, ask the Lord to fill you with the Holy Spirit. He will lift up your spirit on the inside and give you the encouragement that you need (See Rom. 15:5).

Keep looking up!

Kent

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Previous devotionals can be found at http://www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com/ in the archive.

Be Content With What You Have

A dog carrying a bone in its mouth was crossing over a bridge. He looked into the water and saw a dog with a bone that looked a lot more desirable than his own. Not realizing he was looking at his own reflection, he let go of his bone to grab for the other dog's bone... and ended up with neither.

Many people have made the same mistake as that dog. They've given up what they had to get something that they thought would make them happier. Unfortunately, the dream for something better turned out to be only an illusion, and then they couldn't get back what they gave up.

The key to happiness is to "be content with what you have" (Heb. 13:5). Contentment isn't having everything you want, but wanting everything you have. Has it ever occurred to you that the things you now have were once things that you were desperately trying to get? But somehow you lost your appreciation for those things because you took them for granted.

Make no bones about it, you can be happy in your current situation. If you will start thanking God from your heart for each and every item in your possession, your appreciation will increase and you will find the contentment that you've been looking for.

Keep looking up!

Kent

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Previous devotionals can be found at http://www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com/ in the archive.

The Astronaut's Space Suit

Do you see the astronaut on your left? No, you don't. You're actually looking at the astronaut's space suit, and the astronaut is the person living inside that suit. The space suit allows him to live a little while on the moon, and then he will return to earth.

Just as an astronaut needs a suit to live in space, your earthly body is your "space suit" that allows you to live on this planet. Through your "space suit" you breathe oxygen, drink water, and eat food. But one day you'll shed the outfit, which is the day you'll die.

Even if you live to be 100, your time on earth is extremely brief compared to eternity. "You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). At the moment of death, your spirit will be released from your body and you'll leave your space suit behind for everyone to view at the funeral. Meanwhile, if you're a Christian, your spirit will be immediately ushered into the presence of the Lord, where you'll live forever (See 2 Cor. 5:8).

You can prepare for that day if you will receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you would like more information about knowing God in a personal way, please contact me. http://www.kentcrockett.com/contact.html

Keep looking up!

Kent

Two Heads Aren't Better Than One

Scientists studied a two-headed snake and discovered that each head had a mind of its own. One moment it would crawl one way, then the other mind would take over and it would slither in a completely different direction. Both heads were competing to control the body.

Like that two-headed snake, we can be double-minded when we listen to voices other than God, which makes us unstable in all our ways (James 1:8). A marriage is double-minded when the husband and wife constantly fight, each wanting their own way. A church is double-minded when it's divided over issues, each side struggling to be in control. Christ is not divided, so at least one group isn't listening to God.

The cure for double-mindedness is to humbly surrender ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, "Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose" (Phil. 2:2). When married couples, churches, and confused individuals seek the please the Lord above all else, they will be of one mind. But everyone must decide for themselves if they want God to take control of their lives, or if they want to keep slithering their own way.

Keep looking up!

Kent

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Previous devotionals can be found at http://www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com/ in the archive.

God's Waiting Room

Have you been asking God for something but the answer hasn't come? Please take a seat in God's Waiting Room. "Waiting on the Lord" is the gap in time between our prayer request and when God's answer arrives. During the delay, our faith is being tested simply because we don't know how long we'll have to wait.

King David must have been squirming in his waiting room chair when he wrote, "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?" (Ps. 13:1-2)

While we're seated in the Waiting Room, nothing appears to be happening. We have no evidence that God is at work outside the four walls. We're kept totally in the dark about what's going on. Everyone who has ever walked with God has spent time in the Waiting Room because it's during this time He stretches our faith and patience to new levels. What should we do while waiting?

1. Continue to pray. Although it seems like God's not listening, He is still hearing your prayers. Remember, you are going through a test.

2. Don't complain. The longer we wait, the more tempted we are to start complaining, and the waiting room turns into the whining room. Find ways to thank God even though you don't know what's going on.

3. Remove the deadline. Trust the Lord to bring the answer whenever He wants. Most of the time, the delay simply means that the timing isn't right. Not everything is in place yet. When all the pieces of the puzzle come together, God will make it happen. "He has made everything appropriate in its time" (Eccl. 3:11).

Keep looking up!

Kent

Feel free to forward this email to your friends.

Previous devotionals can be found at http://www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com/ in the archive.