Trust in God

“... in all things God works for the good of those who love him,...”

Romans 8:28

“God works in “all things”- not just isolated incidents - for our good.  Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long range good.  Trust in God, learn to accept, not resent, pain and persecution because God is with us.”

~ Life Application Study Bible

The Lord Is My Light

“The Lord is my light, and my salvation -

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life-

of whom shall I be afraid?”

“Fear is a dark shadow that envelopes us and ultimately imprisons us within ourselves.  Everyone has been a prisoner of fear at one time or another - fear of rejection, misunderstanding, uncertainty, sickness, or even death.  But we can conquer fear by trusting in the Lord who brings salvation.  If we want to dispel the darkness of fear, let us remember with the psalm writer that “the Lord is my light and my salvation.”

~ Life Application Study Bible

Words

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and

 slow to become angry...”

James 1:19

“ These verses 19 and 20 speak of anger that erupts when our egos are bruised - “I am hurt”; “My opinions are not being heard.”  When injustice and sin occur, we should become angry because others are being hurt.  But we should not become angry when we fail to win arguments or when we feel offended or neglected.  Selfish anger never helps anybody.”

~ Life Application Study Bible

What Would Jesus Do?

“... the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”

Romans 8:6

“Once we have said yes to Jesus, we will want to continue following him, because his way brings peace and life.  Daily we must consciously choose to center our lives on God.  Use the Bible to discover God’s guidelines, and then follow them.  In every perplexing situation ask yourself, “What would Jesus want me to do?”

~Life Application Study Bible

How to Hear God's Voice When Making a Decision

1. Be Still

God often does not shout above the noise in our lives. When we fill our days with busy schedules, distracted hearts and occupied minds, we push out any opportunity to listen to God. I have faced the most loneliness and discontent at the end of a busy day, a busy week, a busy season. It is only when we slow down, that we open our hearts to hear God’s voice.

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. -1 Kings 19:11-12

Satan wants us distracted with the fires and earthquakes in our lives. He wants us busy and burdened so that we are unable to hear the gentle whisper. I want to encourage you to set a specific time aside to be still for the Lord. Choose a day, or a specific time during the day that you can sit quietly before God and meditate on Scripture, pray and be still. When you do this, you will see past the noise and hear God’s voice.

2. Don’t Listen to Fear and Guilt

How often do you act based on fear or guilt? Avoiding a conversation, changing your decision, not stepping up. I have done so many things in my life because of fear or guilt. And often, when I face a decision, these two things are on the forefront. Whether I’m afraid I’m not good enough, or afraid of the unknown, or weighed down and timid because of guilt, I have found myself facing immense guilt and fear when it comes to some major decisions. I have wrestled with the doubt that the fear I feel is a sign to stop and turn around. But God does not direct us from a place of fear or guilt.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. -2 Timothy 1:7

3. Keep Moving

One of the greatest ways that Satan can work in a time of decision and discernment is to paralyze us with doubt. There are so many crossroads as we grow in our faith and move forward in our lives. We will face decisions of all different sizes. It may be as small as who to sit with or as big as leaving a job for ministry and everything in between. Decisions and discernment are a part of life. And we cannot let that stop us from our true calling. It is important to seek God’s will in every decision you make. However, do not let the process of discernment keep you from moving forward.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. -Matthew 28:19

When you face a time of discernment, be sure to ask yourself this: Are you loving others and serving the Lord? So long as you are doing this, you will be walking in God’s will. Don’t let Satan paralyze you when you face a decision.

Peace I Give You

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you; I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

I wonder how many Christians have really come to understand the great fact that peace is our inheritance. Peace is what Jesus has left us. It is fundamental and cannot be taken away from us by any circumstance. That is what He means by, I do not give to you as the world gives.

How does the world give peace? If you were troubled and you went to a doctor who was not a Christian and asked him, What can I do to gain peace? what would he tell you?

Take a trip. Go to Hawaii. Get away from it all. In other words, Change your circumstances. Go to a place where nothing bothers you, where everything is peaceful around you. Then you can be at peace.

But Jesus says, I give peace right in the midst of trouble, right in the midst of distress and turmoil and heartache and pressure. I can impart peace to your heart right there, and not as the world gives.Why? Because we can return to that basic relationship we have--You in Me, and I in you. Out of that comes the guarantee that He is working out His purposes. He will bring us to the end of the trouble. He will still the storm and quiet the waves. We rest in the boat, content, knowing, No water can swallow the ship, where lies the Master of ocean and earth and sky. That is peace.

Peace I leave with you. [Therefore], the Lord adds, do not let your hearts be troubled. That is addressed to you! It means you do not have to be upset and anxious, weary and worried. Do not let your hearts be troubled. How? By returning to that place of rest. Return to the phone booth and rest there in the confidence that Superman is within and will work the situation out for you and will accomplish His purpose through you.

By Ray Stedman

Love Each Other

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

John 15:12

Question: "Why is loving others often so difficult?"

Answer: Loving others can be extremely difficult at times. A common phrase to refer to those people that we consistently find ourselves challenged to love is “extra grace required” people. But even people we generally like can sometimes be difficult to love. The main reason we run into difficulties in loving others is sin, both ours and that of those we try to love. Humans are fallen creatures. Apart from God and His power, we are selfish, and loving ourselves comes much more naturally than loving others. But love is not selfish; it seeks the best for others (1 Corinthians 13:5; Philippians 2:3). Battling both our own selfishness and sin tendencies and dealing with the selfishness and sin tendencies of others can make love a chore.

Another reason it can be difficult for us to love others is that we sometimes misunderstand what true love is. We tend to think of love as primarily an emotional response. The problem is that we cannot always control our emotions. We can certainly control what we do because of the emotions, but too often the emotions themselves just happen. But the kind of love God calls us to have for others is the same kind that He has for us. It is agape love, the essence of which is sacrifice. God’s love for us is a sacrificial love, the kind that sent Him to the cross for our sins. He didn’t save us because we were lovable; He saved us because His love caused Him to sacrifice Himself for us. Do we love others enough to sacrifice for them, even when they are not lovable? Loving others is a matter of the will and the volition, not the emotions.

Part of the difficulty of loving others is that we often try to do it on our own, whipping up feelings of love where none exist. This can lead to hypocrisy and “play acting” the part of the loving person, when our hearts are really cold toward him or her. We must understand that we cannot love apart from God. It is when we remain in Jesus (John 15) and the Holy Spirit remains in us that we are able to bear the fruit of love (Galatians 5:22–23). We are told that God is love and that our love for one another is both enabled by God and a response to His love in us (1 John 4:7–12). It can be difficult for us to rely on God and to give ourselves to Him, but He also allows this difficulty so that His glory can be seen all the more. When we love difficult people or choose to love even when we do not feel like it, we demonstrate our reliance on God and allow His power to be displayed in and through us.

Loving others is difficult because they are human and we are human. But in this difficulty we come to better appreciate the quality of God’s love for us. And when we love others in spite of their lack of lovability, God’s Spirit shines through, He is glorified, others are edified, and the world sees Christ in us.

~ gotquestions.org

Be Courageous

"...Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go..." (Joshua 1:9, NIV)

Be Courageous

God says not to tremble or be dismayed by anything because He is with you wherever you may go. That is such an encouragement, and it's absolutely true! You should be walking around in life without even the slightest amount of fear because that is not the nature God gave you. You should refuse to be defeated by the things around you, even if they seem insurmountable. Perhaps one definition of courage might be staying strong and moving forward even when most would give up and even surrender their ground to fear. Be strong and courageous for God today, and do not allow yourself to be defeated by fear or the unknown!

A Prayer for Today

"God, I want to live and serve You boldly without being crippled by fear. Make me strong and courageous in Your power to do what You want me to do." ~ Joel Osteen Devotional

Feeling Inadequate

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

"Whenever the Lord puts a burden on our heart, He will open a door for us to accomplish His will.  How do you respond when you sense the Lord is calling you to a task that seems beyond your abilities? Do you list all the reasons why you can’t possibly do it? God already knows everything about you and the situation. He’s not asking your permission to proceed; rather, He is calling you to move forward with faith in Him. You can refuse, but you risk missing out on the blessings of a life lived in obedience to Him. 

The Lord will equip you for whatever He calls you to do. And because the Holy Spirit dwells within every believer, we have everything we need to fulfill our divine mission. Instead of allowing inadequacy to deter you from obeying, let it drive you to your knees so you can depend on God’s insight and power."

~In Touch Devotional - Charles Stanley