"One Day At A Time" Dr. Kenneth Sullivan Jr. (10/26/2025)

Living One Day at a Time: Finding Strength for Today's Journey

In a world that constantly demands we plan for tomorrow, worry about next month, and anxiously project ourselves into the future, there's profound wisdom in learning to live fully in the present moment. The ancient words of Deuteronomy 33:25 offer us a powerful promise: "Your sandals shall be iron and bronze. As your days, so shall your strength be."

This simple yet profound truth reminds us that God provides strength in direct proportion to our daily needs—not for our weeks, not for our years, but for our days. It's an invitation to stop pulling tomorrow's problems into today and to start celebrating the gift of the present moment.

The Danger of Tomorrow's Worries

We live in a season of unprecedented change and transition. From economic uncertainty to social upheaval, from shifting job markets to the removal of programs people have long relied upon, the ground beneath our feet seems constantly in motion. It's tempting to become consumed with anxiety about what tomorrow might bring.

But here's the liberating truth: God doesn't want us to stress. He doesn't want us filled with anxiety or consumed by worry about circumstances beyond our control. Instead, He calls us to trust in His unchanging nature.

While everything around us shifts and changes, God remains immutable—a theological term meaning He cannot change, does not change, and will not change. There is no shadow or hint of turning in Him. He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. When our situations shift, when our resources dry up, when doors close unexpectedly, God remains faithful, reliable, dependable, and predictable.

Think of Old Faithful, the famous geyser at Yellowstone National Park. Every 94 minutes, like clockwork, it erupts and releases water into the atmosphere. People travel from around the world to witness this predictable phenomenon. In the same way, God operates like clockwork in our lives—always providing what we need at the time we need it. It may not always be what we want, but it's always what we need.

God Sustains and Preserves

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years, yet their clothes never wore out and their sandals never developed holes. God preserved them without shopping malls or modern conveniences. He provided manna, water from rocks, and quail when they needed it. For four decades in the desert, they dealt with battles and blight, yet they never starved or died of dehydration.

This historical reality offers us a powerful lesson: if God kept them through forty years in a wilderness, He can certainly bring us through our current challenges into the promises He has for us.

The fact that you're reading these words right now is proof positive that God has preserved you. You've survived dangers seen and unseen. You've made it through seasons that could have broken you. Like a student lifting their hand during attendance check to say "present," your very existence today is testimony to God's sustaining power.

The Power of Remembering

There's something dangerous about forgetting where we've come from. When we lose sight of our history—both personal and collective—we lose sight of God's faithfulness. Our past struggles aren't meant to haunt us; they're meant to encourage us. They show us what God has done before and assure us He can do it again.

Sometimes God allows resources we've relied upon to dry up, not because He's abandoned us, but because He's moving us forward. When one door closes, it's not a sign of deficiency—it's a sign that God has something different, and often better, ahead. The manna may stop, but that's because we're entering the promised land where different provisions await.

Distinguishing Wants from Needs

One of the most liberating spiritual disciplines we can develop is learning to distinguish between our wants and our needs. The Bible doesn't promise that God will supply all our wants—it promises He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory.

We can become so focused on what we don't have that we fail to recognize how abundantly God has already blessed us. We pout about what we want while taking for granted what we have. But gratitude is the key that unlocks more blessing. The more thankfulness we show for what we already have, the more God opens the windows of heaven and pours out blessings we don't even have room to receive.

It's different, but it's not a deficiency. The car may not be what you dreamed of, but it gets you from point A to point B. The house may be smaller than before, but the heat works and you have a bed to rest your head. When we stop complaining and start counting our blessings, we discover that God has done far more than we deserve.

Strength for the Journey

Some days require an added measure of strength. The Bible speaks of "the evil day"—those times when it rains and pours, when everything that could go wrong does go wrong. But even on those days, God promises strength equal to the struggle.

As we mature spiritually, we stop asking God to remove our burdens and start asking Him to give us strength to bear them. We realize that if God allows a challenge in our path, it's because He believes we have the capacity to overcome it. He will never put more on us than we can bear.

This is why we must be careful about envying someone else's position. We see their blessings but not their battles. We see their material success but not their internal struggles. God customizes the strength He gives us according to our unique capacity and calling. Some of us require extra strength for the particular struggles we face, and God provides it in proportion to our need.

The Practice of Pacing

Life is not a sprint; it's a marathon. We need to slow down, breathe deeply, and trust God more fully. Sit down and actually enjoy your meal today. Go outside and notice the changing seasons. Thank God for sunshine and health and relationships.

Don't feel pressured to accept every invitation, engage in every argument, or fight every battle. Conserve and preserve your strength for what truly matters. The journey ahead requires mental stamina, physical fortitude, and spiritual strength.

The race is not given to the swift or the battle to the strong, but to the one who endures until the end. Even young people may faint and grow weary, but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not faint.

The Gift of Today

Every morning brings brand new mercies and fresh grace. Today is the day the Lord has made—we should rejoice and be glad in it. Tomorrow is not promised, but today is a gift. That's why we call it the present.

So let's make a commitment to number our days and gain hearts of wisdom. Let's stop worrying about tomorrow's troubles and start celebrating today's blessings. Let's trust that as our days are, so shall our strength be.

God has given you today. Make the most of it—one day at a time.