Rejoice in the Lord always
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hears and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).
Praising you today Father - for both victories and challenges this week. Thank you for your faithfulness and your promises that give me peace. I can't see it all today, but one day it will be clear. "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even a s I have been fully known." Anxiously awaiting that day. Until then, let our lights shine through the darkness. Maranatha. In Jesus name I ask these things, amen.
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Faith and Hope
[He] was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God (1 Peter 1:20b-21).
When counselors encourage their clients to "have faith and hope," a reasonable response might be, "Faith in what? Hope in what?" For sure, encouraging a discouraged person to have a positive attitude and a bright outlook can be helpful. But in truth, faith and hope are only as good as their object. Which would be wiser when faced with walking across a frozen pond: great faith is most important, weak faith in a thick sheet of ice would be better and safer.
Peter says that God demonstrated, through Christ's resurrection and glorification, that our faith and hope should be in God. The Resurrection is history's greatest demonstration that life on earth, we can depend certainty for the end of life on earth, we can spend on it to keep faith and hope alive until we get there. Develop your faith and hope in God by renewing your mind with His "exceedingly great and precious promises" (2 Peter 1:4).
The begining of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. ~George Muller
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Think about these things
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7 KJB)
Good morning Lord. Whew. Each day is a wonder of its own. Yesterday was another first. I don't remember ever being flipped off before - at least that I can recall. It's always interesting trying to drop the kids off at school with hundreds of others each day...but that's what happened. I was trying to get out of the middle of the intersection so that I wasn't blocking the way for another person turning left. She apparently thought I was doing something rude and made it very clear. LOL. The kids were able to witness what happens when we react to others "intentions" without seeing the entire picture. I'll be the first person to say I am NOT the most patient of all drivers. Lord knows. My first response was from the flesh I wanted to have moment to tell her a few of my own thoughts. My second follow-up response was 'I am sure she's just having a bad day'.
Nonetheless, God brought these words to mind, "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think of these things." Thank you Abba. No on has control of my thoughts but me. Peace. Amen. #thoughtfullife #heartlife
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Embrace the storms
A glad heart makes a cheerful face,
but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed (Proverbs 15:13).
A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones
(Proverbs 17:22).
A man's spirit will endure sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?
(Proverbs 18:14)
A crushed spirit. Have you ever felt that way? When nothing seems to be going your way? When attacks seem to come from all sides? When the storms come day after day after day relentlessly? Most of us have had those seasons...and if you haven't - get ready!
Bryan Golden writes in The Press:
"A forest that has been subjected to storms is much sturdier than woodlands in protected areas. The weaker trees have been removed, allowing more room for the stronger trees to thrive. A forest protected from adverse weather becomes overcrowded with thin, weak trees all competing for nutrients and sunlight. When this area is eventually exposed to a storm, virtually all of the vegetation will be leveled.
A forest constantly tested by adversity will grow and endure. The protected area, which is seldom exposed to challenging conditions, becomes weak with little longevity. Your individual character and your life have a close parallel to the strength of a tree and a forest."
As difficult as life may be during certain seasons, we must embrace the storms that God allows in our lives because they are meant for our good even when we can't understand it. They will strengthen us from the inside out.
Oh LORD, help us to rise above our current circumstances and look to You. The enemies arrows come at us day by day keeping us focused on our "old story". The old stories of defeat and hopelessness. Nights are sleepless as continue to walk down the same broken road as we replay those old stories over and over in our minds. This is exactly where the enemy wants to keep us; stealing our joy and ability to have impact on the world and the people around us. Are we hypocrites? Saying one thing and living an entirely different way. We implore our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews…'You can do anything you want. You can be anything you want. WE BELIEVE IN YOU!' And yet we continue to live our OWN lives in brokenness and defeat.
We don't have it in ourselves to stop the broken record. But You do. Help us to write a new story. Help us to find joy in humility and confession. Help us to recall your Word in Jeremiah 29 and remember, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Enable us to take the focus off ourselves and put the focus back on You. That is truly when, "...you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."
Father, please hear my prayers. I lift up all those with crushed spirits and dry bones today. Give them eyes to see the wrong thinking and confess it to you. It's true Lord, every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but you LORD weigh the heart. Thank you for the hope that only you provide Lord Jesus. Thank you for making a way for us to live a life full of joy, hope, and victory as an example for others around us. Thank you for mornings of quietness and gratitude; redirecting our eyes toward You and Your power and off of our own weaknesses and circumstances. You are able. Finish the work you began in us for Your glory. I pray these things in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus, my Savior. Amen.
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Through the eyes of faith
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). Paul viewed whatever happened to him through the eyes of faith like Moses, who, according to Hebrews 11, "left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the King; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen" (11:27). Like Moses, Paul endured the hard times by focusing on the eternal. He used his trials as reminders to focus on things not seen. When your heart is right, you can do that.
Awhile back Cynthia and I traveled to Houston for an Insight for Living event. While there we enjoyed a brief visit to the home of some good friends. Being down in the city in which I was reared reminded me of a home she and I had been in many years before. The place had a huge stone fireplace, big enough to crawl into. I relish those rare occasions when I can sit by a roaring fire and read or listen to classical music. I'm a fireplace guy!
Anyway, etched into the massive piece of timber that formed the mantle of that magnificent fireplace were these words:
"If your heart is cold, my fire cannot warm it."
Cynthia and I will never forget those words above that great stone hearth. There's no fire in the world that can warm a cold heart. A cold heart stays riveted on the hardship and refuses to see beyond the present. Paul's heart blazed with the fire of faith, allowing him to see the unseen. That's what kept him together under pressure. His heart stayed warm. Nothing of what touched Paul externally would cool him deep within. Rather, it fueled his inner flame. The longer the persecution continued, the hotter his fire for God. He focused on the One who works His eternal purposes in the unseen realm when all around him gave way. Adversity strengthens our faith, consuming the dross of fear and unbelief as it melts away doubts. ~ Charles Swindoll
"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1 NIV). old on to faith! #fueltheflame #faith
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Do not fret - it only causes harm
Do not fret-it only causes harm. (psalm 37:8)
Motivational writer Dale Carnegie asked Captain Eddie Rickenbacker what was the biggest lesson he learned from 21 days in a lifeboat, hopelessly adrift in the Pacific. Rickenbacker said, "The biggest lesson I learned from the experience was that if you have all the fresh water you want to drink and all the food you want to eat, you ought never to complain about anything."
The Bible says something similar: "And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content" (1 Timothy 6:8).
We so easily fret about a thousand things every day, tying ourselves into knots of worry. But we have heavenly Father who knows our needs, and Psalm 37 says, "Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart...Trust also in Him...Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him...Do not fret - it only causes harm."
This year, resolve by God's grace to worry less, trust Him more, and live with joy and thankfulness for all He gives us. #turningpoint
The habit of looking on the best side of every event is worth more than a thousand pounds a year.
~Samuel Johnson
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Reality of Purpose
But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth (Exodus 9:16).
The Lord told Pharaoh, "For this purpose I have raised you, that I may show My power in you." If God had a purpose for a pagan king, don't you think He has a wonderful purpose for you? Whatever your age or stage in life, it's important to seek and embrace God's plan.
Christians believe in a reality of purpose.
Evolutionists, atheists, and secularists do not. They may embrace short-term fulfillment, but without an eternal Creator there's no ultimate purpose in life and no hope. We can't live that way. Studies have shown that having purpose and meaning in life benefit both the young and old. We all need purpose!
Praise God, He has something meaningful for you to do today! This year! Seek it out, and let God demonstrate His power in your actions-large and small. #turningpoint
Before we can reliably know and understand God's will, we must know God Himself.
~Pastor Gregg Matte, Finding God's Will