A Good Marriage - Agape Love

One of the best attributes in a good marriage is kindness. When this virtue is present, we go out of our way to show compassion and benevolence to one another. We consider each other's needs above our own and prefer our mate over our self.

This does not imply that we neglect our self, or constantly enable our mate by depriving our self. Kindness is a give and take proposition where the same person does not always do the giving while the other does all the taking.

We rejoice when our mate rejoices, and we share his/her burdens with empathy and concern (Romans 12:15). We sincerely care about each other, and we honestly want what is best for our mate as well as for our self.

God created marriage as a union between two individuals that actually becomes one flesh (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:5; Ephesians 5:31). He gives us His Agape love for each other. We grow more comfortable in our union, as the years of our marriage progress.

Resisting the temptation to feel irritable, we do not condemn, condescend, criticize or belittle each other in our words, attitude or actions. We lift each other up above the world's crass treatment of us, and we make our home a haven that we enjoy together.

We show courtesy at all times. Now, we may be tired, worried, frustrated or afraid at times, and tend to speak curtly or with a grouchy attitude; but at times like this, we search for the cause of these negative emotions and help each other remedy the root cause.

This practice allows us to show compassion for a mate's inner struggle, and to attempt to improve the situation together to alleviate their stress or to take the matter to God in prayer. Praying together in unity is paramount for a successful relationship.

Prayer:

Father God, fill us with the fruit of Your Spirit by teaching us to surrender our dreams, plans and goals to Your will. Replace our selfish, carnal character traits with Your deep and abiding love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith (Galatians 5:22-23). Remind us that we are Your emissaries in this life, and that Your will is our paramount priority (Colossians 3:3-4).

As we walk in Your Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:15-25). We will lay down our life for our mate and for Your Body, as we reap the benefits of Your amazing agape love. Jesus, our King, died for us; and the least we can do is to lay down our life for one another. We praise You, and give You all of the praise and glory due to Your name.

Thought for the Day:

A husband's greatest need is to receive respect from his wife, and a wife's greatest need is to feel cherished by her husband; so as we meet one another's needs, our bond of love and unity will increase over the years.

Our Abiding Relationship with Christ

Sitting quietly before the Lord, and enjoying His companionable silence, as well as His words of wisdom, comfort and strength, is a spiritual discipline that I learn over the years of my walk with Him.

Soon after my initial experiences of sitting still before the Lord, I went to work at a fast food restaurant. Thankfully, my boss recognized my codependent identity, and she helped me to walk away from that bondage.

She pointed out to me that I am a person too. She reminded me that I could minister to my own needs, just like I minister to the needs of others. We are all sufficient, with Christ within us, to live as a whole, completed person (Colossians 2:10).

At this same time, my husband went through a dark night in his soul. He decided there was no option for us but divorce. I asked him for a separation instead, for the purpose of reconciliation, but he disagreed.

God had a purpose for me even in this, however. Thankfully, since I already learned to trust in my deep, abiding relationship with Christ, I started meeting my own needs. I knew that I could trust that God had a new chapter for my life even now.

Therefore, I was not overwhelmed by my husband's defection - in fact, I kept believing that he would eventually decide to reconcile. I felt God telling me to move back home with my parents, until I could find a job and a suitable place to live.  

Over the next 18 months, I walked in unity with Christ and I lived with the assurance that God loved me unconditionally (John 15:4; Romans 5:8). Apparently, God had a new plan for my life that did not include my former husband.

Even my three children, college students at this time, had their own lives now. They no longer needed a mother, and my nest was empty. However, God had a fulfilling plan in store for me as well.

I continued to follow His Spirit’s leading for each new day’s adventure. I looked forward to Him writing the new chapters of my life. I also learned to look for the seed for a miracle in every trial that I experience.

One night, the Spirit led me to help a girlfriend with her project at Books-a-Million bookstore, which helped to connect single people. There I met a pastor whose wife was divorcing him.

We had a great deal in common and hung out together or talked on the phone every day after that. He had young children, and I helped him to care for them, and to cook wholesome meals for them.

We soon realized that God wanted more for us than friendship. God took the ashes of our individual lives and forged from them a union of beauty and a harmonious pastoral ministry to His people

Prayer:

Father God, even when my husband's schedule separates us for much of the time, and when I do not hear from my children for months on end, I still have Your abiding presence within me, which fills my soul and spirit. This brings fulfillment to me that no earthly relationship provides.

My unity with You is the foundation for me to live in Your rest. You are my life (Colossians 3:3-4). You are with me and in me through everything which the devil, the flesh and the world use to attempt to discourage and defeat me. In You, I am the victor over all of my circumstances.

Thought for the Day:

May our God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him alone, expecting nothing in return; so that you may overflow with hope by the power of His Holy Spirit.

- Romans 15:13

God Loved; therefore He Gave

A man once told his wife, "I love you in my own way." She did not feel loved, however - nor cherished, or appreciated or valued. He never loved her as she needed to be loved.

She felt like a slave who attended to her husband night and day. The more she gave, the more he took. Her only thanks was to know that she actually served God through every loving act.

Loving in a loveless situation is the best and highest calling God can give to us. The wounded individual, which we chose to yoke up with for life, needs us more than we need him/her. They may never love us as we need to be loved, but God does.

God is really good at loving us. His Word tells us that He loved, therefore He gave. What a simple way to express love: to give to others without expecting to receive anything in return. God gave us His most precious gift - the sacrifice of His only begotten Son.

If we are wise and humble enough to receive His gift, we will never perish, but we will share in His eternal life (John 3:16-18; Romans 3:23, 6:23). He chose us as His own children before He even created the world on which we live. He has a perfect plan for each of us (Ephesians 2:10).

From God's viewpoint, we are elected and predestined for His purpose. We spin our wheels when we walk outside of His will for us. We may attain fame and fortune on this earth, but we will never be satisfied unless He is the center of our world (Colossians 3:3-4).

There are many issues in life that we do not like or understand; but we live by faith in God's faithfulness, even when we do not comprehend His purpose or His ways (2 Corinthians 5:7). When life scares us, which it often does, we put our trust in Him alone (Psalm 56:3-4).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for giving us Your example of how to love others unconditionally, whether we ever reap what we sow or not. We give because we love You, not in order to receive. We trust in You with our whole heart, and we do not rely on our human understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

We seek Your will each moment of our day, and consult You before we make any plans at all; knowing that You will make our way smoother than if we try to live on our own (Proverbs 3:6). As we do, You fill us with Your hope, joy and peace that exceed our finite comprehension (Romans 15:13).

Thought for the Day:

We are always able to give without loving, but if we truly love, we will always give what the object of our affection wants and needs; sometimes, that unconditional love hurts us when we give it, but it always blesses the recipient of our love, and fills our heart with love and peace as we serve others for the Lord's sake.

- Colossians 3:23-24

Focusing on the Positive Improves our Health

Our brain has the God-given ability to change its neurons depending on our thoughts, choices and feelings. According to scientists, our habits, attitude and behavior weaken or strengthen the synaptic connections between those neurons.

Of course, a positive, joyful lifestyle provides us with a healthy body, soul and spirit.  On the other hand, pessimistic patterns keep us focused on the worst case scenario of what might happen. What thoughts, words and feeling fuel your actions?

The words we speak to our self, even silently, affect our health. Jesus promises that we will have tribulation as long as we live in this world (John 16:33). So bad times are inevitable. They say, "Don't sweat the small stuff…everything is small stuff."

A pessimistic reaction to life creates problems; and optimism hopes for what we do not yet see (Hebrews 11:1). With each passing trial, our faith in God's faithfulness increases. We learn to lean into the trial rather than to fight it, and to trust God for a positive outcome.

When we pattern our attitude after the Serenity Prayer, we can focus on the moment at hand. This allows us to take a searching inventory of the true needs of our body, soul and spirit, in order to make wise, constructive choices. We pull the plug on stress and ensure a positive outcome.

Our past experiences color our current attitudes. Past failures make us fearful of the future. However, walking in the Spirit enables us to stay in the center of God's will for our life. Each situation is different and needs a fresh, spiritual perspective.

Meditating on scripture, which applies to our current situation, strengthens our resolve, and gives us hope and guidance for each new day. Focusing on God's blessings that come all day, every day, empowers us to utilize the strengths and talents He gives us throughout our life time.

Prayer;

Father God, remind us to see the joy of Your presence in every situation, regardless of how negative it appears in this moment (Philippians 4:4). We can journal each victory to build our faith each time we reread of Your divine interventions in our life. Remind us that these positive memories improve the health of our body, soul and spirit.

Thank You for giving us a new life, a new heart, and for making us a new creation. You change our melancholy mindset and perspective, and You help us to improve our health and happiness. Re-orientate our thoughts to include Your Word, which divides our soul and spirit and fosters positive attitudes (Hebrews 4:12).

Thought for the Day:

Regardless of the severity of the trials that we face, God's Spirit re-orientates our vision toward more positive, success-centered, thought patterns; these spark optimistic attitudes and behavior, as they also improve our health by increasing the synaptic connections between our neurons.

From Death to Life

  

A while ago, my dear Mommy victoriously passed from death to life. She crossed the divide between life on this earth and eternity. She traded her worn out body for her immortal one. She will abide forever in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:8).

She no longer needs to suffer from the indignities of Alzheimers, or an irritable bowel, or the common cold. She is free from earthly illness, hurt, sorrow and the ties that bind us to this world. She joined the Saints in heaven in worshiping around God's throne.

Her last breath on earth was immediately followed by her first breath in heaven. The moment her spirit and soul left her body, and her body went to the grave, she received her immortal body like Jesus had after His resurrection.

I feel no loss at all. I just have to wait a little while to see my Mommy again. I will spend eternity with her, as we serve King Jesus together, and I look forward to the day that I can join her in His presence.

Answering my prayers for her to be freed from the confines of her earthly body is one of the greatest gifts my Heavenly Father ever gave me. It ranks right up there with His gifts to me of my salvation and my dear husband, Kevin.

For the Believer in Christ, death is not the end, but the beginning of our true life in the glorious riches of the Kingdom of God. We graduate from the school of life to the grandeur of heaven, where we receive our rewards for obeying the Lord's will for our life.

We are not rotting in the grave. He is our guide and our refuge, even in death (Psalm 48:14; Proverbs 14:32). The angels carry us to the presence of God in heaven (Luke 16:22). He raises us through death into a new life with Him (Luke 20:36).

God rejoices in the death of His Saints (Psalm 116:15), because we are in His presence now and for eternity. The day of our death is actually even better than the day of our birth (Ecclesiastes 7:1). We experience the exquisite pleasures of eternity with our Father God (Psalm 16:9-11).

Prayer:

Father God, I thank You for drawing us to Your heart during times of strain and sorrow, which accompany the death of our loved ones. I thank You that Your peace, which passes all human understanding, flows over us like a waterfall. You fill our heart with Your love and joy so fully that we feel no other emotion.

I ask that You help us to find our refuge under the shadow of Your wings, our strength in Your joy, and our comfort and clarity of thinking in Your wisdom, as You lead us beside the still waters and restore our soul (Psalm 23). We look forward to the day of our passing from this earthly life into eternity with You.

Thought for the Day:

Our last breath on earth is followed by our first breath in Heaven; and we will spend eternity with our loved ones, friends, acquaintances, and Born Again people from all over the world, in worshiping God around His throne.

One with the Trinity

God proves His love to us by the presence of Christ in us. What a privilege it is for us to be united with the Trinity by the Spirit. Jesus prayed that everyone who believes in Him would enter into this state of melding into one with Him (John 17:20-23).

We do not work for God; but we entirely surrender our body, soul and spirit so that He can live, move and dwell in us (Acts 17:28). Just as Jesus functioned as one with God, we too view our life as unified with Him.

If we walk in this unity every moment of our day, then others will see in us the evidence that God sent His Son to save them as well. There is no striving in this relationship, just righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

We are not delusional to believe in our union with God. We have this same viewpoint that Jesus did. He had the divine nature of God abiding in Him through His virgin birth, and humbly used it to serve others in the name of our Heavenly Father (Philippians 2:5-7).

We are born in darkness and devastation, drenched in Adam's sin; but God brings us into His glorious life through the sacrifice Jesus paid for us on Calvary's cross. He gave His life so that we can enjoy freedom through Him.

Since we are one with the Trinity, who abides within us (1 Corinthians 6:17), do we really want to drag God's Spirit into sin and sickness and degradation by our choices? No. Therefore, we live in Christ and cooperate with Him as He lives in and through us (Philippians 1:21).

Unless the Lord builds our house, we labor in vain trying to perfect our self (Psalm 127:1). He gives us the desire, and the ability to overcome sin, as well as negative setbacks and situations (Philippians 2:12-13). We cannot even fathom in our wildest imaginations the glory God prepared to share with us for eternity.

Prayer:

Father God, we love You with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength (Luke 10:27). We are rarely tempted by sin anymore, because we are truly Born Again by Your Spirit (1 John 3:6). Satan may weave circumstances to trap us; but You always gives us a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). We are forever grateful to You for Your love for us.

Thank You that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9), and that Your Spirit sanctifies us and guides us each moment of the day. Your Word is our guidepost with many examples of the consequences of choices. Keep us ever faithful to You, Your Word, Your Kingdom and Your Presence in us.

Thought for the Day:

In Christ we are a new creation; He gives us a new heart and writes a new song on our lips, and teaches us a new viewpoint with new goals and desires. 

- 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ezekiel 36:26; Psalm 40:3; Ephesians 2:10

Keys to Living a Productive Life

Here are some excellent keys to living a productive life: Each morning, our focus is not on our self, but on what Christ, who dwells in us, plans for the next moment of our life. We attempt to speak, choose and act according to His wishes rather than our own (Romans 8:14).

We come from the premise that God loves us, sets us free from sin's bondage through Christ's shed blood, delivers us from Satan's lies, and buried our flesh in Christ as He hides us with Christ in Himself (Galatians 2:20).

God gives us the desire to serve at His good pleasure, and He gives us His wisdom and power to accomplish all that He calls us to do (Philippians 4:13). We are united with His death through baptism (Romans 6:4), and raised to walk in a new life (Colossians 2:12).

The Spirit, which raised Christ from the dead, also dwells in us (Romans 5:11). He breathes the breath of God's life into our mortal bodies. Since we are Born Again by the Spirit of God, we are also joint heirs with Jesus of the Kingdom of God (1 John 4:15).

We are vessels of God's Trinity with all of the power, wisdom and strength of the Godhead abiding in us (1 Corinthians 3:17-19, 6:15-20). We also dwell in God through Christ. He is our all in all, our whole life, and we surrender all for His use for His glory (1 Corinthians 15:28; Colossians 3:3-4).

God gives, and He takes away; yet, in either case, we bless the name of the Lord regardless of our circumstances (Job 1:21). We no longer suffer from condemnation, but are free to live, move and have our identity in Him alone (Romans 8:1-2; Acts 17:28).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You that we can live in union with You - knowing You on a personal basis, and enjoying Your presence within us throughout the day. Help us to walk in Your Spirit rather than by our human understanding (Galatians 5:15-25). We want to live as expressions of Your love, grace and faith in the world around us (1 John 4:16).

Remind us that we never meet a stranger, but simply potential friends and fellow heirs to Your Kingdom. Help us to let Your light within us shine into the darkness around us; as we lift Jesus higher, so He can draw everyone we meet to Himself (John 12:32). We want Your river of life (Revelation 22:1) to flow out of us and into anyone willing to surrender to You.

Thought for the Day:

As Jesus is, so are we in this world in which we live; therefore, we can walk in confidence through this life as ambassadors for Christ and emissaries for the Kingdom of God to which we belong. 
- John 17:20-23; 1 John 4:17

Our Hope is Built on Nothing Less

When we realize that Jesus is returning to the earth as King and Lord, we no longer shudder in distress over the happenings in our world today. So many Bible prophesies foretell and confirm that His coming for His Bride is near.

Of course, naysayers will scoff at us for believing in His return after over 2000 years of waiting for it to happen (Psalm 14:1); but it was not until 1948 that three major world events fulfilled some of the Biblical prophesies.

The Revised Roman Empire formed as the European Union, the World Council of Churches started in order to attempt to unify denominations into one world church, and Israel became a fruitful nation again. Just as God said this would happen.

Also, in these last days, the love of many has turned cold, iniquity is increasing by leaps and bounds, major record breaking news occurs with the weather and natural catastrophes every day, technology increases yearly so that the whole world can now see news immediately as it happens, etc. 

These events give us a reason to adopt a heavenly mindset, rather than to cling to our focus on the natural, worldly matters of life (Colossians 3:2). As we consume God's Word, our thoughts reflect Godly wisdom rather than human reasoning (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

With the scripture as our balance, our fulcrum, and our cornerstone, we will not be shaken (Psalm 16:8) by these birth pains - as the beginnings of sorrows occur (Matthew 24:8-13). We will trust in God to perform His will in the world and in our life, rather than to give in to fear and anxiety (Philippians 4:6).

We also submit to God's Spirit as He replaces our carnality with His fruit (Colossians 3:5-9). We do not listen to, watch, or talk about anything ungodly that feeds our fleshly human nature (2 Corinthians 10:4-5); but we protect our body, soul and spirit by focusing on righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17).

Prayer:

Father God, help us to corral every thought that leads to earthly mindedness and submit it to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We want to honor You with our thoughts, words and deeds (Proverbs 9:10). Remind us that corrupt friends influence our thinking, feelings and actions (1 Corinthians 15:33).

We want to walk in Your peace and joy in every situation, and to pray without ceasing with gratitude to You in our heart (1 Thessalonians 5:15-18). Your power and wisdom make such a difference in our life by influencing our choices, attitude and behavior (Proverbs 13:20).

Thought for the Day:

Our old nature died once we accepted Jesus as our Savior, and He hides us with Himself in God (Colossians 2:3); therefore, we are no longer in control of our life, because we willingly and cheerfully submit to Christ who abides within us (Galatians 2:3, 20).

Communicating Our Needs

Communication is difficult, especially with another person. We have a hard enough time agreeing with our self. The "me, myself and I" of our psyche rarely agree, and war against one another, until we fully submit to God's plan for our life.

Pride is the biggest culprit in any lack of communication in any relationship. We do not give one another space to be our self, we do not value each other's viewpoint, and we think that we are right and there is no room for any other option.

The easiest way to insure great communication is to pray about issues as they arise. Our human reasoning is faulty and finite at best, and selfish at its worst. Planning together through prayer is the key to good communication.

Honestly talk to each other about how we really feel, our internal struggles, how the other person's words or behavior hurt our feelings or trigger our insecurities. Honestly communicating our needs and requesting help to meet them is the second step in great communication.

We accomplish this by lowering our boundaries of pride and self-sufficiency and asking for help. We discuss our hurts, hopes, needs and thoughts with abandon. Then we can brainstorm together and pray for God's will in each situation.

We are co-heirs together, on equal footing with each other along with Jesus in the Kingdom of God. They rightly say that "There is no 'I' in the word 'team'." We cooperate and desire to see each other succeed in all of our individual opportunities.

Taking time to clearly listen to each other, we submit to one another in love - respecting our individual needs. As we humbly communicate, we make no demands on our relationships that infringe on anyone else's needs by finding a third option when we disagree.

God has a perfect plan for our friendships, co-working relationships, marriage partnership, parent-child interaction, etc. Praying about areas of difference and disagreement, and finding that third option together rather than insist on doing things our way, will solve any problem.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to care for others with the same sacrificial attitude that You have for us. Give us Your agape love in our relationships, and the humility to love others as we love our self (Mark 12:31). Teach us to mutually submit to each other (Ephesians 5:21), and to work together through prayer to amicably resolve the issues that occur between us.

As we pursue You and Your will for our individual lives, we grow in Your grace for our self, and for all of our relationships. You put Your desires in our heart (Psalm 37:4), and give us a thirst for You (Psalm 42:1-5), as well as the ability to perform the works You created us to do before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12-13).

Thought for the Day:

Looking to others to meet our needs, or clinging to our plans or our desires or our independence or our pride will equally ruin our association with others; only Jesus can love us perfectly and His love will permeate all of our relationships as we cling to Him, relax, breathe deeply, and put on kindness, meekness, humility and patience through every situation. - Colossians 3:12

Weathering the Storms of Life

Life is unpredictable, disturbing, threatening, and even devastating at times. We have our ups and downs, and every time the mood changes, we stress out, feel shame over our past, and fear for our future.

If we carefully consider every trial we ever experienced, God used most of them to work out our sanctification in some way. He also used some of them to position us into the right place at the right time to prepare us to effectively minister for His Kingdom, as well as to continually bless us by His divine appointments.

Storms often bring a cool front to refresh us, much needed rain to help us to grow, and wind to blow away the dead leaves and cobwebs that were preventing or limiting our spiritual maturity. Our Father God knows best what we need and how to provide it for us.

He may turn us upside down, strip us from every relationship and treasure that we collected along our path, and then put us on an entirely different route. We often resent these changes, cry out to Him in anguish and devastation, and question His love for us.

The truth is that these lost blessings from our past were keeping us from moving forward in our personal intimacy with Christ in us (Colossians 1:27). We spend so much time absorbed in these earthly people and possessions that we are too busy to praise and consult the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When tragedy strikes, we realize that God is in control of every facet of our life. As we put our trust only in Him, we soon discover His perfect plans for us. We grieve the loss of what was important to us, and we cling to the eternal spiritual blessings we receive from this new direction in life.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for designing our Christian walk to include comfort in trials, wisdom for decisions, transformation for our character, and meaning in our purpose in life. We choose to pray about every decision from what to wear to what to eat and drink (1 Corinthians 10:31). In the darkness of the moment we cling to Your presence within us, and we trust that You are working out everything for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Your multi-dimensional love for us shelters us with Your wings and surrounds us with Your peace and joy regardless of our circumstances (Romans 8:35-39). We face our shame with Your forgiveness, and our fears with Your confidence. The faith of Your Son fills us completely with courage and direction through every storm we encounter in our lifetime (Galatians 2:20).

Thought for the Day:

We often create our storms in life, because of our own insecurity, emotional handicaps, negative thoughts, unwise words, obsessive relationships, and immoral deeds and greeds; however, walking in the Spirit, in the very center of God's will for us, protects us from these self-imposed trials.

- Galatians 5:15-25; Romans 8:28

Trusting in the Lord

This morning, I was almost ready for work. I zipped up my skirt; and half-way up, it got stuck on my shirt. I prayed immediately and all through my struggle...but...God chose not to help me at that time.

I believe He did this, so I that would not be tempted to take any glory for the results. I could not even take off my shirt or my skirt because of this dilemma. I felt trapped, rushed and irritated.

Through a series of contortions, I finally wiggled out of both my skirt and shirt, frustrated that they were both firmly stuck together by the zipper. I dropped them to the floor, stomped on them to relieve my stress, and went to put on a new shirt and skirt.

After work, I picked up the confused mess, and I still could not release the shirt from the zipper. I bowed my head again and said, "Daddy God, I desperately need your help. This shirt is impossibly stuck in this zipper, and I do not want to cut my new shirt or have to replace this stuck zipper."

IMMEDIATELY, the zipper talon glided back down the zipper and released my new shirt effortlessly.

I have lost count of the zillions of occasions that my Father God solved my constant issues in life - both great and small. Each time, however, I learn to trust Him more, and to realize how totally dependent I am on His mercy and grace.

I heard a story about a man caught in a flood. He climbed to the roof and prayed for deliverance. A helicopter came by, and he said, "Thank you, but God is going to rescue me."

A boat came by and he said, "Thank you, but God is going to rescue me." Then, he started to slip down the roof and he begged God to save him. His shirt immediately caught on a nail, and he said, "Thank You, Lord, for saving me." Yet, he was still stuck on his roof.

God does not always answer our prayers immediately, but it does not mean that He does not care, or that He is impotent and a figment of our imagination. The Apostle Paul had an infirmity, and he repeatedly prayed for healing. God's final answer to Paul? "My grace is sufficient for you." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Prayer,

Father God, we do not always recognize Your hand in our life, providing for our needs in ways that we do not expect. We shun Your provision, looking for something else to supply our needs. Teach us to consult You each moment of our day, relying on You for provision in Your timing and way.

You care about every big and little issue that we face and You walk with us up the mountains and carry us through the dark valleys. We place our faith in Your faithfulness, and we cling to You as our Savior and Lord both now and for all of eternity. We trust in You, cling to You and rely only on You for our provision in Your timing and way.

Thought for the Day:

Patience is a virtue, but it is also a curse if we are not listening to God's Spirit through each moment of our day (Proverbs 3:5-6); God's unconditional love is enduring and persevering, but we need patience to wait for His timing and way in meeting our needs.

Lead Me to the Rock

The fact that Jesus is our Rock gives me great comfort (Psalm 18:2; Psalm 71:3). I know that regardless of how high the tumultuous waters of life's trials rise, God safely hides us in the cleft of the Rock (Exodus 33:22), which is forever higher than any flood of adversity that we will ever encounter (Psalm 40:1).

God teaches us to praise Him through hardship and to thank Him for the difficulty as well as His blessings. He actually puts songs of praise in our mouth if we allow Him to do so. When people see how we rejoice in tribulation, it encourages them to trust God also (Psalm 40:3).

Even if the circumstances do not change for the better, we find safety in our soul - our thoughts, feelings and choices - when we symbolically climb up on the Rock. We are sheltered in His eternal arms and we trust in Him alone, so we are not afraid (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 56:2-4).

God defends the helpless and the needy when we are in distress. He gives us shade from the scorching sun and shelter from the storms of life that continually pound us with discouragement and ill will (Isaiah 25:4). He is our constant and present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).

It is wiser to trust in the Lord than to put our hope in people, because they are human and cannot help but to disappoint us, break their promises to us, and even reject or abandon us (Psalm 118:8-9). God hears all of our cries and turns to us. He lifts us out of the quicksand of life and sets our feet on firm ground (Psalm 40:1-2).

Prayer:

Father God, our soul finds true rest in You alone. Thank You for serving as our solid, high Rock in times of adversity. You are our true salvation in every area of life. With You as our fortress, no enemy that comes against us can penetrate our safety in You (Psalm 62:1; Psalm 91:2). Thank You for the sovereign security we find in You as our hiding place (2 Samuel 22:3).

We are so grateful that You deliver us from calamity and turn every issue around for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). Your name is a strong tower for our defense, and when we rely on it, we are safe (Proverbs 18:10). Thank You for keeping us safe at all times (Psalm 16:1). Your precepts and ways are perfect, Your Word flawlessly helps us (Psalm 18:30).

Thought for the Day:

We can taste and see that the Lord is good, and that He continually blesses those who trust in Him as we sing of His mercy, strength, faithfulness, love and protection; we abide in our safe place, our happy place, under the shelter of His wings. - Psalm 34:8, 59:16, 91:14

God's Principles - Part Five - Spiritual Health

The Word of God is full of advice on how to live a healthy life mentally, emotionally, financially, physically and spiritually (3 John 1:2). If we ferret them out of the chapters and verses, we find amazing truth by which to live our life (Proverbs 4:22).

When we allow Satan's lies to infiltrate our mind, we often adopt his philosophy as our own. We open the door for his demons to oppress or to possess our being. In His body on Calvary's cross, Jesus bore the penalty for our choices; so we can live free of Satan and our destructive behavior (1 Peter 2:24).

Once we come to Christ as our Savior and Lord, if we give Him permission to do so, He will cast out every demonic spirit, and disclose to us how to allow Him to heal us in body, soul and spirit (Matthew 8:16), or to trust His grace in our infirmities (2 Corinthians 12:9; Psalm 41:3).

God reveals to our spirit the abundance of His peace and truth, so that our body and soul can also experience the freedom of living in His Kingdom (Jeremiah 33:6). He is our praise and glory throughout our lifetime (Jeremiah 17:14).

When we slip away from focusing on Him and walking in His Spirit, He heals our backsliding and loves us freely, turning away His wrath from us (Hosea 14:4).

He calls us to forsake our pride, to honor Him with our life and to depart from every evil deed (Psalm 41:4). This brings health to our body, soul and spirit (Proverbs 3:5-8). He heals us with His Word, and delivers us from destruction (Psalm 107:20).

Prayer:

Father God, You call us by Your name and encourage us to lay down our pride, to pray, to continually seek Your face, and to turn away from pursuing sin and degradation. When we accept Your free gift of salvation, You forgive the penalty of our sins and You heal us (Romans 3:23, 6:23; 2 Chronicles 7:14). We thank You Your forgiveness, grace and presence in our spirit.

If we get caught up in the stress and obligations of our life, You help us to refocus on You and to follow after Your will instead of our own (Galatians 5:15-25). You heal us of the diseases and neurosis that we gathered throughout our life prior to our faith in You. We want to seek Your will with every fiber of our being, knowing that You will hear, heal, deliver and direct us throughout our lifetime.

Thought for the Day:

God is faithful to restore our body, soul and spirit, and to help us to prosper in every area of our life as we keep our mind perpetually focused on Him and His will for each moment of our day. 

A New Perspective

Sometimes life is so frustrating. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong. We are either in a trial, coming out of a trial, or about to go into a trial physically, relationally or financially. We have a hard time maintaining joy in our circumstances.

The best way to count all of our experiences as joyful ones (James 1:2-4) is to remember that God is still on His throne and that He loves us so much that He suffered persecution and death on our behalf.

There is nothing we will ever experience, even torture and martyrdom, which is worse than what Jesus went through for us. The God of heaven left His glory to come down to live on this sin-cursed earth for 33 whole years, just to pay the penalty for our sins.

Our perception about life is what determines our attitude. When we react with negative emotions, we only make matters worse. Adopting a positive attitude, regardless of how difficult our circumstance is, will better enable us to negotiate the issues.

Worry and stress are killers. They negatively affect our health and cause depression and anger to rule in our heart. We do not have to allow what happens to us to dictate how we feel about it.

We really can consider everything as a joyous opportunity, because God loves us, cares about us, and has a perfect plan for our life. However, God can do little to help us if we insist on maintaining a negative attitude.

I love to use the Serenity Prayer to direct my outlook. First, I pray for wisdom. Then, if I can change the issue, I ask for courage to do just that. However, if I cannot change it, I do not give it another thought, because I put it in God's capable hands.

In fact, I often go one step further. I bought a heart-shaped box and filled it with tiny pieces of paper. Now, when something continues to trouble my soul, I write it as a prayer on one of those pieces of paper.

When I am tempted to worry or stress over that issue again, I remind myself that I already put it in the heart of God, and He is perfectly capable of working it out for my good (Romans 8:28).

When He answers those prayers, I write the date on that piece of paper. That little heart-shaped box is a testimony of how God worked on my behalf. This helps to deepen my faith and to give me the joy of the Lord as my strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to count our blessings; and to realize that everything, even the most negative of circumstances, is for our good. You have a perfect plan that includes the issues we are experiencing, and we can trust You implicitly to carry them out to completion for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Help us to keep our focus on Your goodness, rather than on the issues that cause us worry or stress. As we keep our mind (Isaiah 26:3) focused on You and Your goodness and faithfulness, we will glide through life with a smile on our face and a song in our heart. We put our confidence in You and not in our abilities, so that we are never disappointed.

Thought for the Day:

God will enable us to be a peaceful and joyous example to others, as we live our life focused on Him and not on what we are experiencing, because we live by faith in His faithfulness.

The Imposter

At Christmas every year, we are reminded that a virgin bore a son, Emanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14). God's whole purpose in begetting His son was to prepare a way for all of humanity to be saved from the penalty of our sin.

Sadly, the devil gradually changed the focus from the birth of Christ to the magic of Christmas, Christmas as a time of miracles, and the power of Santa Claus to know if we've been bad or good as he travels the world on Christmas Eve to deliver toys to the good children.

Children are encouraged to write a letter to Santa to express their wishes for gifts they want to receive. Satan gives children the illusion that Santa will supernaturally fly through the sky to their home to grant these requests. Yet, Santa is a fictional character.

Commercialism complicated the season by choosing certain toys as the most sought after item of the year. Parents go to great lengths to procure these coveted gifts for their children. They go into debt to give their children more than they received.

Little do we focus on the fact anymore that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Our Messiah spent thirty-three years on this sin-cursed planet, and suffered a horrid persecution and crucifixion in our place. When did Santa do that?

St. Nick graciously gave gifts to those in his neighborhood, and the myth has perpetuated ever since. Rising to fame with alleged supernatural abilities that he never possessed, he replaced the true reason for the season: that God revealed Himself in human form so that we can spend eternity with Him forever.

Prayer:

Father God, forgive us for creating idols in our life and for lying to our children about Santa's supernatural powers, which cause many to doubt Your supernatural powers in our adult life. The world and the devil attempt to convince people to believe in Santa, and the miracles of Christmas; and to deny Your existence and the sacrifice You made for us. 

So many miss out on their union with Christ in us, because they are unaware of the miraculous truth that He dwells within anyone who believes. Help us to be light and salt in this world (Matthew 5:13-16), so that we can lift Jesus higher and enable You to draw everyone to believe in You instead (John 12:32). Thank You for coming as our Emanuel so that we can experience the depth of unity of our intimate relationship with You on a daily basis (Galatians 2:20).

Thought for the Day:

We live on this earth, but it is not we who live, but Christ who lives within us, empowering us as God's emissaries to our family, neighbors, community, country and the world; as we show Gods agape love to others, they may come to know God's love in their own life as well.

Creativity is a Gift

Creativity is a lost art in today's society. We copy and paste everything, rather than to create. We follow patterns developed by other people. Yet, our Heavenly Father is the Creator of the universe, and He abides within us.

God did not just make one type of person, cat, dog, flower, tree, mountain, bug, reptile, amphibian, etc. His creativity knows no bounds; and scientist constantly discover new species on this earth, and new stars and galaxies in the sky that He produced.

He created numerous kingdom, species, genus, phylum, class, order and family of them all. His unique creativity is evident in every sunset, snowflake, person, and the creatures and nature on land, and in the air and sea.

If we allow Creator God to flow through us, we experience delightful, engaging talents that we never even dreamed that we possessed. As we explore our curiosity about life, we are amazed at the limitless possibilities that are ours through Christ.

He also give us His wisdom, discernment, insight and revelation concerning aspects in our life that were once a giant puzzle to us. Christ in us compensates for our lack of human capacities (Philippians 4:13), and uses our innocence and prayers to enhance our life.

God never views us as lacking, and He helps us to excel in areas like art, music, crafts, sports, etc. His creativity lives through us. He prompts us to take an interest in other people, to help them to solve their problems, and to excel in their talents as well.

Humility and sincerity permit us to change our mind, attitude and heart about issues. We can relinquish control over our life to God; and realize that nothing can come against us of which He is not aware (Romans 8:31).

Prayer:

Father God, you always use everything for our benefit, even if we reap consequences of our own behavior (Romans 8:28). You constantly allow patience to do her perfecting work in us if we cooperate and focus on Your will in all of our circumstances. Thank You for Your presence in our life and for giving us Your Holy Spirit to guide us through the maze in which we often find our self.

Help us to do Your will each moment of the day, to minister to those You put in our path, and to help only those You direct us to help. We do not want to enable people by indiscriminately doling out money or other resources to someone in whom You are attempting to draw to trust more in You than in people. We live for Your glory, and we thank You for all that You do for us.

Thought for the Day:

Fear of rejection, failure and even success makes us sabotage our own efforts in this life; we limit our usefulness to God's Kingdom when we encourage our low opinion of our self, and fail to step out as God's Spirit directs us into uncharted waters.