Friday, January 10, 2014

Cruise Directors, Parents, and God

Cruise Directors, Parents, and God by Keith Cook

"And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Exodus 33:14

Recently several couples and our friends joined my wife and I on a spectacular cruise around the Caribbean Islands. It was such a joy to relax and rest with good Christian friends.

We did not have to worry about anything. Joan could lounge by the pool onboard soaking up sun rays and I could work out in the health spa trying to work off the many calories I was ingesting each day by being able to eat as often and as much as I wanted.

The cruise director had games planned for each hour. There were special theme meals and nights, parades on board, concerts by famous musician and comedians, as well as fun shore excursions.

I loved having everything paid for in advance and not having to think about anything. It sort of reminded me of my childhood. No worries, no stress, no pressure. Everything was taken care of by my parents. Parents and cruise directors have almost the same task. They both want you to be happy, have fun, be safe, and get the most out of each day.

Your personal relationship with Jesus Christ should almost be the same way. He too wants you to be happy, have fun, be safe, and get the most out of each day. Why not follow His direction today and everyday. He wants to lead you and protect you. He also wants to challenge and inspire you in your walk with Him.

Take a cruise on the Gospel Ship and let Jesus be your guide!

Daily Prayer Focus: Lord help me today to rest in You. Help me to take time to be still and know that You are God.

On The Go Prayer Focus: On The Go's GoKids Clubs. The focus of GoKids Clubs is to present a clear Gospel message to young children in our festivals, missions, and local neighborhoods. Pray for On The Go as we minister to boys and girls and share with them the love of Jesus Christ.

Thank you for taking the time to pray for this important division of On The Go Ministries. For more information on any our ministries here at On The Go, you may send your questions to info@onthego.org.

On The Go Daily Devotion for January 10, 2014
Brought to you each day by On The Go / Keith Cook Team

Copyright (c) 2003, 2014 Keith Cook - On The Go
Permission is granted to "forward" this devotional to friends and acquaintances. All other rights reserved.

On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team
P.O. Box 963, Springfield, TN 37172, (615) 299-0222, www.onthego.org
E-zine Editor, Laurie McTier, laurie@onthego.org
Send E-zine questions or comments to: ezines@onthego.org
______________________________________________

Subscribing - If you're reading a pass-along copy of this "On The Go" devotional e-zine and want to receive your own subscription, free of charge, simply fill out the online form at http://onthego.org/ezine_newsletters.php .

After registering online you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription request, and you simply reply to that e-mail. Thank you and God bless.

Jellyfish

Jellyfish by Keith Cook

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil."  1 Thessalonians 5:21, 22

One night while sitting in my room onboard a cruise ship, one of my friends called me and with an excited voice said, "Go quick to your balcony and look out at the ocean. There are jellyfish everywhere!"

So I quickly ran to the door, and rushed out onto the balcony and peered over into the vast ocean below. I was riding on the largest cruise ship in the world so I had to look close to actually see the creatures in the ocean. But sure enough there were thousands of them. Every ripple made by our ship stirred up hundreds in our wake. It was fascinating to see so many of them. They looked so beautiful and peaceful.

Just looking at these sea creatures from above the water poses no threat, but as I was standing there my body shivered at the thought of falling in and being caught in the middle of such dangerous creatures. I have been stung by jellyfish while swimming in the ocean and their sting can really hurt.

Many of the things of this world look harmless from a distance and their beauty often attracts many to dive in and participate. But once the leap has been made the sting of the habit or the consequences of the action hits hard.

Be ware of the dangers of life. Look carefully before leaping into unknown situations.

Daily Prayer Focus: Pray that God will protect you from the dangers of the deep and the stings of sin.

On The Go Prayer Focus: The "On The Go Daily” 2 Minute Radio & Podcast Program. This is a daily program airing across the United States, and World via the internet and radio stations. “On The Go Daily” is used to encourage, challenge, and motivate Christians in their daily walk. Pray for Keith, Joan, the On The Go Staff, and special guests as they share on these 2 minute broadcasts. You can hear these programs via our website if it is not available in your area.

Thank you for taking the time to pray for this important division of On The Go Ministries. For more information on any our ministries here at On The Go, you may send your questions to info@onthego.org.

On The Go Daily Devotion for January 9, 2014
Brought to you each day by On The Go / Keith Cook Team

Copyright (c) 2003, 2014 On The Go / Keith Cook Team
Permission is granted to "forward" this devotional to friends and acquaintances. All other rights reserved.

On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team
P.O. Box 963, Springfield, TN 37172, (615) 299-0222, www.onthego.org
E-zine Editor, Laurie McTier, laurie@onthego.org
Send E-zine questions or comments to: ezines@onthego.org
______________________________________________

Subscribing - If you're reading a pass-along copy of this "On The Go" devotional e-zine and want to receive your own subscription, free of charge, simply fill out the online form at http://onthego.org/ezine_newsletters.php .

After registering online you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription request, and you simply reply to that e-mail. Thank you and God bless.

Stingray City

Stingray City by Keith Cook

"Beware of the Devil" "He sneaks around...looking for those he can devour."  I Peter 5:8

Recently I was in the Grand Caymans scuba diving in just 12 feet of water. I am use to diving down to 100 feet and beyond, so the dive should have been safe and worry free.

The setting was beautiful. I knew the dive was going to be very exciting because I was with 39 of my friends and we were going to be surrounded by stingrays. Stingrays are wonderful sea creatures. While they have a fierce reputation, experienced divers can navigate quite safely underwater with them.

On the dive boat just before the dive the Dive Master gave us detailed instructions about diving with the stingrays. He said, "Be careful when feeding them." "Feed the rays but watch for smaller fish that may come in and try to steal the food."

When I finally could jump in the water I landed on top of a 10 foot Eel. I quickly said hello and put as much distance between it and myself as possible.

Once I was on the bottom of the ocean I was able to feed the stingrays. I was so excited. They were all around me. I was caught up in the moment. There was one stingray feeding out of my hand, one gliding under my feet and one at each side of me. It was scuba diving heaven.

Then out of nowhere a small Snapper Fish swam in and stole the food I had for the stingrays. It happened so fast. I was amazed. The fish actually bit my hand in order to get me to drop the bait and then snapped up the food.

In a spiritual sense this is just like the Devil, who hits us hard in one area of our lives in order to get us to drop our guard and then he sneaks into another area of our lives almost unnoticed. He then waits and looks for another opportunity to rob us of our joy or steal a blessing from us.

Daily Prayer Focus: Put on the Armor of God and pray that you will be aware of Satan's tricks. Pray that you will stand firmly in Christ.

On The Go Prayer Focus: On The Go's "Adopt An Evangelist" program. This program provides funding and support for various missions and evangelists around the world.

Thank you for taking the time to pray for this important division of On The Go Ministries. For more information on any our ministries here at On The Go, you may send your questions to info@onthego.org.

On The Go Daily Devotion for January 8, 2014
Brought to you each day by On The Go / Keith Cook Team

Copyright (c) 2003, 2014 On The Go / Keith Cook Team
Permission is granted to "forward" this devotional to friends and acquaintances. All other rights reserved.

On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team
P.O. Box 963, Springfield, TN 37172, (615) 299-0222, www.onthego.org
E-zine Editor, Laurie McTier, laurie@onthego.org
Send E-zine questions or comments to: ezines@onthego.org
______________________________________________

Subscribing - If you're reading a pass-along copy of this "On The Go" devotional e-zine and want to receive your own subscription, free of charge, simply fill out the online form at http://onthego.org/ezine_newsletters.php .

After registering online you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription request, and you simply reply to that e-mail. Thank you and God bless.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Live On The Highest Plain

Live On The Highest Plain by Keith Cook

"Let every valley be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low and let the rough ground become a plain" Isaiah 40:4

Every Christian is called by Christ to submit to his leading each and every day and live to their fullest potential. This year God wants you to excel in every area of your life. Mentally keep the pressure on yourself to live up to all that God is calling you to do, stop, start, try, dream, and explore.

Many people take the easy way out and quickly fall behind all their New Year's resolutions. They give into their lowest expectations for their lives and live by a possible lifestyle and neglect Christ's impossible challenges. The supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is neglected and replaced by probable thinking and reactionary living.

Decide today to live up to God's expectation of what you should be doing this year. It will provide a great view. A view from the "Highest Plain!"

Daily Prayer Focus; Pray that you will live up to God's expectations for this new year, 2014.

On The Go Prayer Focus: On The GoAudio Podcasts and Radio Ministries. Currently we are producing various programs which go over the internet and international airwaves. Pray that God will continue to bless the On The GoAudio Podcasts and that He will expand the listening base. Visit OnTheGo.org to hear past broadcasts.

Thank you for taking the time to pray for this important division of On The Go Ministries. For more information on any our ministries here at On The Go, you may send your questions to info@onthego.org.

On The Go Daily Devotion for January 7, 2014
Brought to you each day by On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team

Copyright (c) 2003, 2014 On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team
Permission is granted to "forward" this devotional to friends and acquaintances. All other rights reserved.

On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team
P.O. Box 963, Springfield, TN 37172, (615) 299-0222, www.onthego.org
E-zine Editor, Laurie McTier, laurie@onthego.org
Send E-zine questions or comments to: ezines@onthego.org
______________________________________________

Subscribing - If you're reading a pass-along copy of this "On The Go" devotional e-zine and want to receive your own subscription, free of charge, simply fill out the online form at http://onthego.org/ezine_newsletters.php .

After registering online you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription request, and you simply reply to that e-mail. Thank you and God bless.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Out of Control

Out of Control by Joan Cook

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."  1 Peter 5:8

Have you ever felt like you were out of control?  It's not a good feeling to have. 

When you are out of control, you are giving in to your feelings and choosing not to trust God.  We feel out of control when we are in a situation that doesn't go our way or the way we think it should. We may also feel out of control when we feel there is nothing we can do about a situation. 

Having self-control does not mean that we are saying WE are in control - just the opposite - it's saying that God is in control of my life, therefore I will submit to the way He wants me to live and act. I will trust Him to handle things the way He sees fit. 

Sometimes, we may be out of control in our emotions. It's hard not to live by our feelings.  But we can not let our feelings and emotions dictate our mood and our actions.  We should not let our emotions dictate our mood or how we act or respond to others.  How many times how you ever said, "I don't feel like it"  or "Leave me alone, I'm in a bad mood"?  We all have times when we don't feel like doing things, but it's when we make it a pattern that is becomes a problem. 

When we do this, we're choosing to let our emotions rule.  We can never base our actions on how we feel - feelings come from our depravity, our sinful nature -We must die to self and walk in the spirit.

"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22

Sometimes we may be out of control in our speech. It's hard sometimes to use self-control when there is something we really want to say, even if it may be negative about someone else. 

Our words are the main way we convey to others how we feel!  Our words and our body language scream what we like and don't like; what we think or what we know! We have to have self control in our speech! 

The tongue "is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." James 3:8

Are you spewing poison?  We can either make others sick by spewing poison or we can help make others healthier by spewing blessings.  Are you spewing poison or blessings on your spouse?  Do you encourage or complain, uplift or put down, be joyful or mad and angry?

"Make the most of your chances to tell others the Good News, be wise in all your contacts with them.  Let your conversation be gracious, as well as sensible, for then you will have the right answer for everyone." Colossians 4:5,6

As you learn self-control, you will practice discipline in every area of your life, especially your time spent with God. Are you having a quiet time with God every day?  This is a time that you spend talking to God and listening to Him speak to you.  Nothing should get in the way of this precious time every day.  Many things will try to encroach upon this time, but as you practice discipline, you will make time for the communion with your Father. Make it happen as if your life depends on it!  Because it does!

Daily Prayer: Give God complete control of your life and submit to the way He wants you to live your life.

On The Go Prayer Focus: The Development Ministries of On The Go. This ministry team helps On The Go stay on the go! Many individuals want to make an investment in eternity through On The Go Ministries. Through their wills, trusts, monthly electronic funds transfers, donations of stocks, and planned giving they do just that. If you are interested in helping On The Go take the Gospel around the world through your giving and financial support please let them know. Visit OnTheGo.org for details.

Thank you for taking the time to pray for this important division of On The Go Ministries. For more information on any our ministries here at On The Go, you may send your questions to info@onthego.org.

On The Go Daily Devotion for January 6, 2014
Brought to you each day by On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team

Copyright (c) 2008, 2014 On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team
Permission is granted to "forward" this devotional to friends and acquaintances. All other rights reserved.

On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team
P.O. Box 963, Springfield, TN 37172, (615) 299-0222, www.onthego.org
E-zine Editor, Laurie McTier, laurie@onthego.org
Send E-zine questions or comments to: ezines@onthego.org
______________________________________________

Subscribing - If you're reading a pass-along copy of this "On The Go" devotional e-zine and want to receive your own subscription, free of charge, simply fill out the online form at http://onthego.org/ezine_newsletters.php .

After registering online you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription request, and you simply reply to that e-mail. Thank you and God bless.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Good Morning God

Good Morning God by Keith Cook

"Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD." Genesis 19:27

When I was just starting out in ministry I read several books by Norman Grubb. He wrote great mission biographies and books on the faith life. His retelling of the lives of great women and men of God inspired me and motivated me to trust God and daily live by faith.

Down through the years he and I talked on the phone and through letters about deep theological matters. He really was a transparent and very spiritual man. I miss him - but his legacy lives on in what he taught me about Christ. I want to pass on some of his insight and wisdom today.

Mr. Grubb had a practice of reciting a simple prayer every morning and he said it changed the way he lived his life. It also changed my life when I first heard it and started praying it myself.

Here is the prayer:

Good Morning God.

What are you up to today?

I want to be a part of it.

May I?

Thank you!

Now I am sure you know why his life and insights inspired me so. Today I think it would be wise and prudent for all of us to pray this simple prayer ourselves. Why not begin to include this simple prayer in your devotional times with God. Of course you can alter it or add to it, but this is a good place to start focusing in on talking with God about the great and small things in your daily life.

May God richly bless you as you find out what God is up to today and join him!

Daily Prayer Focus: Good Morning God. What are you up to today? I want to be a part of it. May I? Thank you!

On The Go Prayer Focus: Joan Cook's "Women On The Go" Ministries. Joan's "Women On The Go" programs are implemented at women's conferences, local churches, retreats, and separate stand-alone events. God has given her a burden to minister to and encourage women in their walk with the Lord. Pray for Joan as she ministers and shares from her heart and as she presents motivational, evangelistic programs, materials, and leadership to and for women that will challenge and motivate them to a deeper walk with the Lord.

Thank you for taking the time to pray for this important division of On The Go Ministries. For more information on any our ministries here at On The Go, you may send your questions to info@onthego.org.

On The Go Daily Devotion for January 5, 2014
Brought to you each day by On The Go / Keith Cook Team

Copyright (c) 2008, 2014 On The Go / Keith Cook Team
Permission is granted to "forward" this devotional to friends and acquaintances. All other rights reserved.

On The Go / Keith Cook Team
P.O. Box 963, Springfield, TN 37172, (615) 299-0222, www.onthego.org
Founder/Director - Keith Cook, keithcook@onthego.org
E-zine Editor, Laurie McTier, laurie@onthego.org
Send E-zine questions or comments to: ezines@onthego.org
______________________________________________

Subscribing - If you're reading a pass-along copy of this "On The Go" devotional e-zine and want to receive your own subscription, free of charge, simply fill out the online form at  http://onthego.org/ezine_newsletters.php .

After registering online you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription request, and you simply reply to that e-mail. Thank you and God bless.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

What Is Going On

What Is Going On by Keith Cook

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Living in this world is getting really complicated. Countries are arming for war. Tourists are being targeted by terrorists. The news everyday has some sad and depressing story about a parent or authority figure being caught doing something immoral and shameful.

Who can you trust? Who can you rely on? There is only one sure and definite reply, Jesus.

God commands each of us to be strong and have courage. No matter what you face in your life or what you have been through He can be there for you.

He commands us not to be terrified by our culture or society and not to let the things of this world discourage us from living right and doing what we know we should be doing.

Your God and Savior, Jesus Christ will be with you in all your situations. Do not panic. No matter what is going on around you Jesus is right in the middle of it to provide a way out, a way through, or comfort in the midst of the situation. Rejoice in Him today.

Daily Prayer Focus: Pray for those around you who may not have the peace you have to face all that is going on in their lives. Be there for them. Offer the hope you have in Christ.

On The Go Prayer Focus: On The Go's GoCare ministry. This is our acts of kindness and benevolence ministry department. The focus of our GoCare ministry is to reach out to physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of hurting individuals and to build bridges between churches and their communities.

Thank you for taking the time to pray for this important division of On The Go Ministries. For more information on any our ministries here at On The Go, you may send your questions to info@onthego.org.

On The Go Daily Devotion for January 4, 2014
Brought to you each day by On The Go / Keith Cook Team

Copyright (c) 2003, 2014 On The Go / Keith Cook Team
Permission is granted to "forward" this devotional to friends and acquaintances. All other rights reserved.

On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team
P.O. Box 963, Springfield, TN 37172, (615) 299-0222, www.onthego.org
E-zine Editor, Laurie McTier, laurie@onthego.org
Send E-zine questions or comments to: ezines@onthego.org
______________________________________________

Subscribing - If you're reading a pass-along copy of this "On The Go" devotional e-zine and want to receive your own subscription, free of charge, simply fill out the online form at http://onthego.org/ezine_newsletters.php .

After registering online you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription request, and you simply reply to that e-mail. Thank you and God bless.