September 5: Mark 9:30-32
 
Key Verse: Mark 9:32
But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
 
Devotion:
Has this sort of thing ever happened to you? A friend says something which has happened or is about to happen and you just don't want to believe it can be true! I know this has happened a few times to me – something I don't wish on anyone. How you handle the situation and what you do can shape your life...
 
If we try to put this thing out of our minds and move on without it affecting us, we may well have to continue dealing with this for a long time to come. We go back to this time in our lives and we think about how we could have handled it differently – how we could have done things better. If we are not careful we allow those thoughts to affect our lives – sometimes for the worse.
 
God wants us to live our lives. Sometimes that is going to be by accepting the things we cannot change and sometimes it is going to be by changing the things we do not like. Whichever way, we should be doing this with God and listening to Him for our daily guidance; this way we can at least know we are being pushed in the best direction and not into a trap which will stick with us forever.
 
Sometimes when we don't understand something, or we don't want to accept something, the best way forward is going to be to talk about it with someone else – someone whom we trust. If you have a friend who fits that bill, then go to them and start talking. If you don't think much of the people around us, then go to God and start talking... and listening... He will guide you towards the right person at the right time.
 
Points to Ponder:
Who do you go to when things go wrong?
 
Will you trust Christ a bit more today?