Battlefield of the Mind DevotionalSample

D.V.

He told me that he and his wife were missionaries to Chad, Africa, and then he said, "We plan to return in January, D.V."

I didn't know what D.V. meant, but I didn't say anything.

As he described his evangelism program for the interior of the country, he kept saying, "D.V."

Finally, I asked, "What does D.V. mean?"

"It's a Latin phrase I learned in school, and it means a great deal to me," he said. "It stands for 'Deo volente,' which means 'God willing.'"

As we talked, I realized how seriously he meant D.V. He said he had great ideas about things he wanted to see in Chad, but more than that, he wanted to be sure his ideas were in line with God's. "When I say D.V., that's a reminder to me--it's my way of saying, 'This is what I'd like. Is it okay with You, Lord?'"

There are a lot of boasting people out there--they decide what they want and expect everything to run smoothly. That can be a trick of Satan. If he can get them to focus on tomorrow or next year, they don't have to deal with the problems in their lives right now. They can live in a world of only good things that will take place in the future. Isn't that like driving a car down the highway and ignoring what's right in front of us because we're focused on the traffic signal five blocks ahead? We're setting ourselves up for a wreck.

Jesus promised us a life of abundance (see John 10:10). But we can't enter into that abundance if we're not giving our lives fully to Him. Don't spend today planning tomorrow and avoiding the issues that confront you now.

Pray: My heavenly Father, please help me live today. Whether I actually say the words D.V. or not, remind me that Your will is more important than anything in my life. Help me not to allow Satan to get me thinking so much about tomorrow that I fail to live today in a way that pleases You. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

From the book Battlefield of the Mind Devotional by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2005 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.