What Are You Looking For?

Have you heard the expression, "deep calls to deep"? I read that as deep love calls to deep need! In other words, God and His deep love for us calls us to Himself, so that He can meet our deep needs.

What are you looking for, is it hope? Maybe it's guidance, direction, answers, help, purpose, or love? Whatever it is we all have deep needs that can only be fully met in Christ. Sometimes it appears as if these things can be found in other things or even other people. Sometimes we go to things and other people because that seems to be the easiest way to get our needs met. Going to other things and people can become, like the Staples commercial demonstrates, our 'easy buttons'. However, it is only in a relationship with Jesus Christ that whatever we are looking for can truly be found.

God has already sent the answer to whatever it is we are looking for, and it is found in the reality of the Christmas message. God knew our need and out of His great love He sent His only Son. Through a relationship with Jesus we can find everything we might need; hope, guidance, direction, answers, help, purpose and great love! He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us (John 3:16).

Read more:
Luke 2:1-20
Prayer:
Thank You Father for the gift of Your Son. I know that like any other relationship, a relationship with Jesus takes some work. Father, help me to seek Him with all my heart.

Plan of Action:
Set aside time to pray everyday.

Are you suffering?

In Exodus 4:31 we see that God is concerned about every part of our lives and He sees our anguish. My Utmost for His Highest, on May 15th says, "God is the master designer, and He allows adversities into our lives..." (Chambers, O. 1963. My Utmost for His Highest.) He is not just a good designer, but a master designer, so that every adversity has a purpose, Romans 8:28.

When we are suffering and greiving perhaps at times like these God sits with us in silence, like Job's friends did with him in Job 2:11-13. Know that in the middle of your pain God hears and answers prayers. My pastor recently gave a message entitled, "There is no limit to what God can do." During difficult times that can be hard to remember, but through faith know that Jesus has the answers, that He is the answer because He is the Truth, and His ways are right. The devotional book, Streams In the Dessert, on Nov. 9th says, "Seek communion with Christ and you will receive strength...for God has promised, I will strengthen you. Isaiah 41:10" (Cowman, L.B. 1997, Streams In the Dessert.)

Read More:
Exodus 33:14, Psalms 46:1, 2 Cor. 1:3-4
Prayer:
Thank You Lord that You are with me even when I can't percieve it.
Plan of Action (James 1:22 & James 1:25):
Be still in prayer, take heart, and breathe.

Be Brave!

2 Samuel 23:16 "He would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord."

Recently at work I saw a bumper sticker that read, "Don't believe everything you think!" I don't know about you, but I can think of something that I am anxious about and then I end up dwelling on it trying to figure out the best way to handle it. Then I feel even more anxious. Usually what I am anxious about doesn't turn out like I expected anyway!

We all have something to 'pour out' before the Lord. It may be anxiety, rage/anger, pornography, alcohol, loneliness, depression or some other thorn in our side. Choosing not to do something, or dwell on something we have been giving ourselves over to is difficult. First, pour it out to the Lord, telling Him everything about the issue. Why does this issue/struggle seem to draw us in? What is it about this that captures us? Why haven't we stopped prior to this? Why are we trying to deal with this issue now? What do we want the outcome to be? What do we believe the Lord wants the outcome to be? Answering these questions as truthfully as we can while praying can ease our burden (Matt. 11:28).

Begin deciding not to give in to it, or start making the decision to stop doing whatever it is that has become an issue. Sometimes we may feel like we can't stop or we may feel like whatever it is, has the power to control us. Is it possible it could be an addiction? Whatever it is that needs to be 'poured out before the Lord' will be a journey to overcome. Memorizing God's Word to combat it is a great comfort and encouragement. When those bothersome thoughts surface again instead of dwelling on them and giving them power give God the glory by dwelling on His Word, the Truth, and choose to fill your cup with praise. As Hebrews 13:15 states, 'offer a sacrifice of praise'. Believe by faith God is saying, "Be brave, things aren't as they appear. Trust Me, not your feelings or even your own thoughts."

Read More:
Isaiah 43:1-4, Isaiah 43:7, & Isaiah 43:18-19

Prayer:
Father help me choose to obey you by dwelling on Your Word and not on my feelings about the issue. Thank You that You are with me every step of the way.

Plan of Action (James 1:22 & James 1:25):
Memorize one or more of the verses from Isaiah 43:1-4, 7, 18-19.

Dodge Ball

Verse: 1Peter 2:9-10
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

I have never been a good athlete therefore, I never liked P.E. in school. I hated when team captains were chosen and then they chose people for their team because I was always one of the last ones picked. Maybe you were one of the athletically gifted and this was not an issue, but for me it was a cause for dread.

In contrast, God has chosen us for His 'team'. God has looked down from His heavenly throne at all of His creation and chosen Us! He views us so differently from how the world views us and it is more positive than we realize. He knows what is in our heart, and that we are sinful, and yet He still wants to use us for His glory.

The word Elect, according to Vine's Concise Dictionary of the Bible p. 112 means, "picked out, a vessel of God." Elect conjures up images of an election, ballots, and debates for me. It is as if God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit got together and unanimously decided that they wanted us on their side. Look how much they wanted us, read the following verses:
John 15:16
John 17:6
Eph. 2:10
2 Thess. 2:13

God has thought about us from the beginning and wants us for Himself. Futhermore, our belief in His Word and His Son is credited back to us as righteousness Gen. 15:6. We believe and our lives are blessed, and then He calls us righteous on top of that!

'the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.' Is.28:5

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for choosing me and help me to choose You even when it's difficult.

Read More:
Ephesians 1:4-6

Plan of Action (James 1:22 & James 1:25):
Choose Him by having a prayer time every morning.

Distant

Verse: Luke 15:13
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”

“The younger son…set off for a distant country…’ (Luke 15:13). When we choose not to follow or obey God we will end up far fro Him like the verse; ‘a distant country.” As a result our fellowship/relationship with Him will suffer. Our disobedient living will separate us from Him every time. When we distance ourselves from God, by not attending church or Sunday School, or by not studying or reading His word, or by not praying regularly, it will be hard to hear from Him. Just as being distant, far away, or physically separated from someone will cause us not to be able to hear them. Yet, when we realize the error of our ways and truly repent like the prodigal son did in verse 18, God will have compassion on us (vs.20). He will meet us where we are, even if we are still far off, but desperately wanting to return. Then He will walk with us back to our rightful place without condemnation. In fact, instead of condemnation He is filled with compassion and love for us (vs. 20). Just as the father in this parable met his son and threw his arms around him and kissed him, so our Heavenly Father greets us with love and compassion when we repent. He does not meet us with anger and condemnation asking us where we have been and what we were thinking? He does not react in that manner because He is love, 1 John 4:8. And, there’s more. He is willing to take us further on ahead, into a deeper more intimate relationship with Him. He is always waiting for us to return to Him.

May your blessing be on your people. Psalms 3:8

Prayer:

Father thank you for your compassion and love towards me even while I am working on returning to You. Help me return to You with my whole heart.

Read More:
Luke 15:11-31

Action Plan (James 1:22 & James 1:25):
Decide to start each day with prayer, even if it is just for 5 minutes.

Abiding in Him continued

This Sunday in church our pastor was away and Rev. Carl Butcher spoke. He said something that I thought was really good and I wanted to share it. One point he mentioned, was that we never drift toward God. That is so true, it takes our effort to draw close, or closer, to God. Rev. Butcher said we need to make prayer, and reading the Bible a priority, because we will never 'accidentally' get closer to God.

In Matthew 22:37 and Mark 12:30 it states that we are to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. To love God with all of our heart means with all of our emotions. Our soul means in the core of our being, our mind means in our thoughts, and our strength means in our actions. Rev. Butcher said loving God is a decision with action and commitment. Sometimes, because life can be tough, it is a decision we have to make over and over again in one week. Life happens therefore, self indulgence and sin happens. When it does, just make that decision again to pray or to return to the Word. It is human nature to drfit, just make the decision to return back to God through prayer. Don't give up! Galatians 6:9

Abiding in Him.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Recently I was thinking about the prevalence and accessibility of worldly messages and it made me consider how often I make an effort to take in Godly messages. How much am I listening, paying attention to or taking in the things of God? How many times did I attend church this week? How many times did I open my bible to read His Word this week? How often this week did I have a prayer time? When I did pray, how many of my prayers were for others? Yet, how much T.V. did I watch this week? How many advertisements did I see? How many things came across my path that were disrespectful, or hurtful to others? How many crude jokes or inappropriate images did I see?

Worldly messages are prevalent throughout our culture and they are contrary to the Word of God. We are steadily hearing worldly messages all around us. To counter the messages we hear daily knowing the heart of God is crucial, and the heart of God is complex and profound. Therefore, it is important to realize that attending one hour of worship on Sunday is not enough to get to know God and hear His voice. Likewise, watching religious T.V. programs a couple of times a week is certainly not enough. Abiding with God daily is how we hear His word for us (John 15:5). If we don’t dwell with God more than one or two hours on Sunday morning it will be hard to recognize His voice. We can not have a relationship with Him, abide in Him, without reading the Bible, praying and attending church.

When we regularly listen to, or take in what is on the Internet, T.V., and radio that is what we are abiding in, whether or not it is a conscious choice on our part. It is so easy to ‘take in’ messages from the world around us. In the time it takes to watch one T.V. program or one movie we have seen and heard worldly messages repeatedly, but it takes our effort to take in God’s messages for us.

God doesn’t want us just to obey or abide with Him because He is God and He says so. He wants us to obey and abide with Him so He can bless us and so that our joy can be full (John 15:11)!

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. Ps. 18:30

Read More:
John 15:4-11

Plan of Action:
Find a devotional book that praises God and begin to have a short quiet time with Him as often as possible.

Prayer:
Father, thank you that you always reward our obedience with blessings!

A quick encouragement for today!

I was just having some prayer time about some difficult circumstances that may be coming my way and I wanted to share something that God showed me. Maybe it will encourage you today as well.

God showed me that He often allows obstacles in our lives to give us the opportunity to work on, improve, and learn from weaknesses that we all have within ourselves. He loves us so much that He doesn't want us to remain captive to our weaknesses and insecurities. It is because He loves us and wants more and better things for us, and from us, that these obstacles appear.

In the 'Streams in the Desert' devotional for today it states, "We encounter giants only when we are serving God and following Him. It was when Israel was going forward that the giants appeared, for when they turned back into the wilderness, they found none" (June 29th, page 253).

The bible says we can ask for His help when we lack the knowledge of how to deal with a situation. (James 1:5) So, when we put it all together it means that, when we encounter obstacles we can thank Him that they are there, because that means He is helping us resolve something in ourselves. We can thank Him that we are on the right track, because it is only when we move forward with Him that we encounter these issues. And, we can thank Him that He will give us the knowledge and wisdom about how to handle these issues if we bring them to Him in prayer! Wow, God is good!

Great Value!

"So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:31

Throughout the Bible God isn’t just saying I Love You, He is also saying I Value You. According to Vine's Concise Dictionary of the Bible value means, ‘to excel, to differ from, & honor’(p. 399). God is saying as His children we are set apart from people who don’t believe in Him. He also says that because we do believe in Him, and His only Son Jesus, we are honored in His sight (Isaiah 43:4). Sometimes it is a battle to believe that God values us because we have a hard time valuing ourselves. However, it is important to know that we are important to Him and He does value us because we are His children (Romans 8:15-16), and we are precious to Him. He will never abandon us. He cannot. That would be against His nature (2 Timothy 2:13).

The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Is. 60:19

Read More:
Luke 12:6-7

Prayer:
Father, I know that a battle involves perseverance. Help me choose to believe your Word again and again, even when I don’t feel it.

Plan of Action (James 1:22-25):
Choose to believe God loves and values you. Memorize Matthew 10:31 or Luke 12:7.

Fickle

Verse: Acts 10:34-35
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

It is funny how we can be in a person’s favor one minute then seemingly in the very next minute we can find ourselves very much our of their favor, even becoming and outcast. Jesus himself is well acquainted with this phenomenon. The people of His time were praising Him and waving palm branches one minute, then a short while later were yelling for His crucifixion.
Losing someone’s favor hurts, yet to be completely truthful it would be dishonest and even unhealthy to try to remain in someone’s favor at all times. Remaining in someone’s favor would mean extraordinary efforts on our part, never knowing if those effort were going to be good enough; or on the other person’s part undeserved and untruthful praise and adoration. The eventual outcome of both sides of this fence are a big let down and all the emotions that go with that; depression, self-doubt, and feelings of worthlessness. The only way to recover from the turmoil that the fickleness of others inflicts is to recognize the character of God. He is loving, patient, kind, merciful, and truthful, but He is never fickle. Therefore, we never risk losing His love.

It is helpful to know what God says and thinks about us. He says, we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27), we are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), and we are precious and honored in His sight(Isaiah 43:4). We never risk losing His love!

Your love stands firm forever!

Prayer: Lord, help me forsake the praise of others in favor of praise from you.

Action Plan (James 1:22-25):
Review Genesis 1:27, 1 Peter 2:9, or Isaiah 43:4. Pick one of these verses and memorize it.

Read More:
Galatians 1:10 & Romans 2:11

We've been passed over, but it's a good thing!

I have heard people say again and again, 'God's timing is perfect' and I have always agreed to it without much thought. This Palm Sunday it really hit me just how perfect His timing really is.

A while back I had an opportunity to participate in Beth Moore's study of Esther. This is a wonderful study which I highly recommend. In the Bible, Esther (who is Jewish) becomes queen and finds out that the King and an enemy named Haman, have established a new law that will annihilate all of the Jews. In the study Beth Moore points out the timing of the decree that goes out to all of the provinces in this kingdom. She states that the decree to kill all of the Jews goes out on Passover (Esther, It's Tough Being a Woman, p. 73). So, here we see that God's timing is perfect because through His timing He is saying this law has been passed, but the total destruction intended by the law will not be carried out. The total destruction of the Jews will be 'passed over.'

So, this Sunday I was thinking about Jesus being crucified during the Jewish celebration of Passover (see Matthew 26-27). As you recall, the celebration of Passover was because the Jewish people put lamb's blood on the door posts of their houses so that the death angel would pass over their home and not take their first born sons (see Exodus 12) during the plagues of Egypt. So, the first Passover means that the Jewish people were exempt from God's wrath and punishment. Now consider that Jesus was crucified during Passover. This means through our belief in Jesus as God's son, God was providing a way for all of us to escape His wrath. Our punishment can be 'passed over' if we believe in Jesus' sacrifice (and that He died for our sins), and God was emphasizing His willingness to 'pass over' our punishment by Jesus' death on the cross during the festival of Passover. Hallelujah! Our God is a complex and amazing God, and His timing is indeed perfect.

Special thanks to Angie, Chris, and Hazel for helping me clarify this point.

So good I had to share!

I was reading 'The Word for you Today' for April 12th and thought this devotion was so good I wanted to share part of it with you. The verse was Romans 12:2.

"As you agree with God, believing what He says is true, change automatically happens. You start to think differently, talk differently, and act differently. Be patient with yourself; it's a process that develops in stages. Would you think there was something wrong with your child because they couldn't walk perfectly on the first few tries? No, you're delighted each time they take a step. When they fall you pick them up. When they mess up you clean them up and encourage them to try again. You never stop working with them! And God does the same with us. He's not angry because you haven't 'arrived,' He's pleased that you're pressing on, endeavoring to stay on the path." (The Word For You Today, April 12th, p. 26)

Sometimes I become frustrated with myself because I try to make, or add, godly changes to my life and I can do those things for a while, but I usually end up struggling to continue those changes. Then, I find myself feeling fearful that He is going to give up on me and that lie makes me give up on Him. I give up on Him, thinking, ‘oh well, since I am no longer of any use, or value to Him I guess I can quit trying.' I could not be more wrong. He has NOT given up on us and He WON’T give up on us because He cannot! (2 Timothy 2:13) It is in His nature to continue seeking us out.

Don’t Give up or Give in!

Thoughts & Desires

1 John 5:21 ‘Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.’

It can be difficult to identify when we are engaging in idolatry. Whenever we are consumed with thoughts of something else, or someone else, we have participated in idolatry. It is not necessarily the act of bowing down to some kind of object. That is just the behavior that follows the thought. We can bow down mentally to anything and most people would never know we are worshipping something other than God. More often than not, we don’t realize when we are worshipping something other than God. This sin is subtle and can be anything on which we spend our time, energy, or thoughts.

The notes in my Bible say, ‘that idolatry is making anything more important than God' (Life Application Bible, NIV p. 206-207). Therefore, simple everyday possessions and pleasures can become idols. The T.V., the computer, video games, food, hobbies, vehicles, work, money, clothes, ourselves, the Easter Bunny; really anything. The list is endless. Vine’s Concise Dictionary of the Bible states that idolatry is traced to a lack of acknowledgement and gratitude to God. It further states that an idolater is a slave to the depraved ideas his idols represent, and thus, to numerous lusts. (p. 189). Eventually, whatever we concentrate or dwell on will influence our behavior and speech (Luke 6:45 ).

As I was writing this I looked up for a brief second at the T.V. and a real estate program was on. The woman on the show had both arms outstretched hugging an island in the kitchen of a house. She had to 'bow down' to hug the island. Hmmm, God's timing is interesting.

'For You, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.'

Prayer: Father, help me to identify the things and thoughts that I have allowed to become my idols.

Plan of Action(James 1:22 & 25): Take a moment to consider the many blessings God has given you, then express sincere gratitude to Him.

Read More: 1 Samuel 7:3

The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of the Parts

Verse: 2 Cor. 12:9
But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.'

While looking into the mirror recently I was focusing on the areas of myself I didn’t like one area after another. Finally, God had had enough and He broke through my negativity and gently said, ‘You are more than the parts of yourself you don’t like.’

We are so much more than those parts of ourselves we don’t like. We are also so much more than the struggles and challenges we face. We are more than the addition we struggle with, more than the learning challenges we have, more than the scar, more than the guilt, more than the disability, more than the number (age or weight), and more than our past mistakes. Our worth is not based on how much or how little we know. Out of our frustration and desire to change we may think, ‘I wish I was ______,' fill in the blank with an adjective of your choosing; smarter, thinner, prettier, more successful etc. The list could go on and on. Occasionally on bad days it does, but no matter how we feel about ourselves God loves us and values us just as we are. Satan will try to keep us thinking negatively because in that negativity is defeat. However, it is helpful to remember that, God made us in His own image (Genesis 1:27) therefore; we are made to succeed (Philippians 4:13 and Romans 8:29 & 31 ). We are loved by our Creator. Don’t give up or give in.

I will praise you, O Lord.

Prayer:
Father, thank you that I am made in your image and that you value me even when I am not able to value myself.

Plan of Action (James 1:22-25):
Begin to write out some encouraging bible verses, then when the negative and intrusive thoughts come say those verses out loud until the verses are memorized. Also, forward this to someone that may need to hear this.

Read More:

Psalm 139:13-15 & Luke 12:6-7

Sacrifice a.k.a. consideration continued

Earlier this week I was reading in a devotional book called, 'The Word For You Today' - Wednesday, February 23rd and I came accross the following and it seemed to fit in with the sacrifice/consideration subject for this month. The verse was Psalm 100:2 which reads, 'Serve the Lord with gladness...' Further along in the devotion it states, "When you come to believe, really believe that service is God working through you..." There is more to that sentence, but that portion of it really struck me. I did not realize that our service we are offering to God now, is God working through us. I was thinking that as we serve; God would use us occasionally to impact someone around us as we worked. I did not realize that our service/sacrifice is God using us now. I guess I was thinking that our usefulness was measured by the outcomes, or the reactions of the people around us. However, I realized that we are to do our part and serve God, how others respond or don't respond is between that person and God.

As I was mulling that over I was flipping through the Bible and I came accross Proverbs 1:19. This verse says, "When you grab all you can get, that's what happens: the more you get, the less you are." (The Message Bible) I thought, wow how true that is. The more we hold back and don't sacrifice for others, the more we become dissatisfied with ourselves, and even discontented and disappointed in ourselves. 'The less we are.' So God has arranged for us to receive a double blessing. As we serve/sacrifice for others we get the additional blessing of contentment. Wow! God is good!

Sacrifice a.k.a. Consideration

Matthew 22:39
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

Dictionary.com defines sacrifice as, “the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.” Sacrifice can be such an intimidating word. It implies deprivation, and pain. Jesus’ goal may be to get us to a place where we can be sold out, 100% for Him, but that is an ongoing journey, not a place where most Christians start. Instead we can begin by being considerate, in other words making small sacrifices for someone else.

Matthew 22:39 states that we are to love our neighbors. A simple definition of ‘our neighbors’ is someone other than ourselves, not just the people who live next door. In a biblical sense neighbors are people who are near to us, the people we interact with on a daily basis. Instead of deprivation God may want us to do without for a short time. Instead of experiencing pain God may want us to forsake our wants for the benefit of others. While doing without and forsaking our wants are temporarily not pleasant experiences yet these sacrifices can have eternal rewards. This can be a good way to love the people around us. So a practical definition of sacrifice can be; doing something we don’t want to do for someone else’s benefit.

A couple of examples of the consideration Jesus showed others is when Jesus cooked breakfast for His disciples (John 21:9-13), and turned water into wine as His Mother requested (John 2:3-10). Jesus wants us to follow the examples He set by being considerate and sacrificing our time and energy for others.

Read More:
John 21:9-17

Prayer:
Lord help me to make my considerations for others a sacrifice to You, so that if no one recognizes my efforts I won’t be angry or hurt.

Action Plan:
Decide to make small sacrifices for others without expecting anything in return.

Freedom not Abandonment

Romans 8:9
"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."

Freedom involves choice. Choosing to spend time with someone is love because that means we are choosing them instead of other things we could be doing. God has given us complete freedom. He has choosen us (Matthew 11:27-28), yet at any time we can choose to walk away from Him, and He will let us go. His love for us us so great that He will let us turn from Him.

Turning from Him often means turning into dangerous territory. A co-worker of mine says like telling an alcoholic he can have a little beer, but not whiskey or wine. Our human nature is drawn to sin. When we choose to turn away from Him we are choosing to sin. Eventhough, it doesn't appear that way to us at the moment. It is wise to remember that Satan has a goal and purpose in enticing us to commit little sins. His purpose is to ensnare us and lead us away from God to destroy us (John 10:10).

Since turning away from God is harmful, it would seem that God should do more to make us stay, or compel us to linger with Him. It would seem that would be how He could demonstrate His love for us. Therefore, it is easy for us to misinterpret our freedom as His disinterest. When we are contemplating turning from God and we don't feel like He is pursuing us, we may feel like we are not worth His time, or that He is not interested in us. However, by faith (Hebrews 11:1) we can know that He never leaves us or forsakes us. If we turn back to Him we will find Him standing in the same place where we left Him. He is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13), always waiting for us to return. He is secure, He is steady, He is unmoveable, a Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4, ), the Chief Cornerstone (Psalm 118:22).

Like the hymn says:
"On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand."

Hallelujah!

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for our freedom. Give me the strength to choose You and turn from sin.

Read More:
John 8:34-36

Action Plan(James 1:22 & 25):

Decide to have prayer time everyday. If you miss a day, make another decision to start again. Don't give up!