Our Victorious Life

Once we come to Christ, we do not need to wonder if we will have to endure the persecution of the Great Tribulation. The Lord promises to protect us from this trying time, which He planned in order to test those left behind (Revelation 3:10).

Our "lot in life" is victorious, when we walk through it with Christ in us and with us. We are no longer victims of the times in which we live. As citizens of Heaven, we are now foreigners and aliens in this world (1 Peter 2:11).

We often blame our parents for our troubles. We decide that if they had been better at their parenting skills, we would be more successful in life at this time. This is a serious mistake. Not taking the responsibility for our own choices cripples us for life.

Our past does not identify us, and our future does not concern us, once we learn to follow the leading of God's Spirit each minute of the day. This very moment is the only time that we are guaranteed, so we can make the best of each precious one.

We are not victims of our circumstances. We all have the ability to choose to walk in God's will for our life. We impact our life by seeking God before making our plans. Pursuing the Lord's timing teaches us to trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The book of Acts shows us that the apostles did not even allow imprisonment to stop their mission in life. While in jail, they sang praises to God even though they were in chains. We can follow their example, and be bold and committed to God, regardless of our circumstances.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us that even when our circumstances imprison us, we too can grow bolder, speak louder, and share longer, regardless of a person's status or authority - even if they intend to keep us from proclaiming the Good News of Salvation through Christ. We want to accomplish Your will during each new experience - pleasant or painful.

Remind us that by focusing on You and listening to Your Spirit, we allow You to use us mightily. Following Your timing and guidance, we too can accomplish all that You plan for us during each new day. You call each of us to live as a testimony to Your grace, provision and nurturing, in order to be a witness to the lost world around us, by showing them that You care for Your own.

Thought for the Day:

Satan delights in using our stressed out lives, unfit bodies, and exhausted emotions in his efforts to create hindrances in our road to intimacy with God; if we whine and complain, we make people wonder if God really does make a difference in a person's life.

Knowing God Personally

 

In an elevator at the hospital, I complimented the cross a lady was wearing. She thanked me, and I asked her if she knew the Jesus who died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins. She replied, "Well, not personally."

Before the elevator arrived at our floor, I told her that Jesus would love a personal relationship with her, and He was only a heart-felt prayer away. She hung her head in thought as the elevator doors slid open, and we both went our separate ways.

God proved His love for us, before we were ever born, by sending Jesus to die for us (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 1:4, 2:10). As our Shepherd, He knows each one of us personally, and we follow Him as we listen to His voice (John 10:27).

No one and nothing - except our own thoughts, word, emotions and actions - can ever disturb this union we have with our Father God, and His Son, Jesus Christ. He gives us eternal life to spend with Him in His Kingdom (John 10:27-28). 

All of our accomplishments, healing, serenity, fulfillment, etc. come from God (John 1:3). He looks forward to spending time with us each day, as we sit at His feet and learn from Him or as we walk in His Spirit at work, home and play (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

The closer we draw to Him, the more intimate He becomes with us (James 4:8). What greater privilege can anyone experience than for the God of the Universe to abide within us and to walk with us through each new day?

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that we show our love back to You by praising You and listening to You all though the day, by worshipping You with other Believers, by living out the evidence of Your love in our life, by telling others the Gospel story, by sharing our resources with those in need, and simply by inviting people to visit us at our local church.

We can simplify our life in order to make more room for loving You, for listening to You, worshipping You, and following Your will for every moment of our day. Our intimacy with You grows and matures as we walk in Your precepts. Remind us to take some time to listen to You today, because You are always within us and are only a prayer away.

Thought for the Day:

Our Father God lives inside of each and every one of us by His Holy Spirit, and though He is in us, He is also on His throne in Heaven; Jesus, our brother and co-heir, is in Heaven beside Him, interceding for us with the Father and protecting us from Satan’s wiles.

Our Never-dying Soul

Jesus tells us that our soul will never die. It accompanies our spirit into the "after-life". Some people think that our soul and spirit are the same entity; however, God's Word asserts the distinct reality between the soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

The soul is our feelings, thoughts and choices. At death, our spirit and soul, the essence of who we are, are instantly with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Our mortal body goes to the grave, but we will receive an immortal body in eternity (1 Corinthians 15:53).

The Lord informed His disciples that a poor man died, who believed in Him, and the angels carried him to heaven; but a rich man died, who did not believe in Him, and he went into the torments of hell. The soul of both men accompanied their spirit into eternity.

From hell, the rich man wanted Abraham's help to give him a drink, but in His account, Jesus made it clear that there is a great gap between heaven and hell.

This tormented man was able to speak, hear, suffer pain, thirst, reason, make requests, etc. without his body, which was in the grave. He "felt" with his soul all of the discomfort that his body would have felt (Luke 16:22-31).

Jesus also declared that those who refuse to believe in Him, but who reap finite blessings all of their life, will lose them at death and be in the anguish of eternal flames. Yet, like the poor man, the authentic Believer will find eternal comfort.

The rich man in hell also wanted Abraham to send the poor man back to earth to warn his five brothers about the reality of an eternal hell. Abraham cautioned this poor, suffering soul that God sent His prophets, but people still did not believe.

Jesus also pointed out that even if someone from heaven came back to life to warn people about hell, the masses would not believe. Jesus knew that in His days on earth, and after His own resurrection from the dead, few would believe in Him (Acts 1:3).

Prayer:

Father God, You formed man of the dust of the ground (body), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (spirit), and man became a living soul (soul) (Genesis 2:7). You told Adam that if he ate of the tree in the garden, he would surely die. Then, when Adam disobeyed, Your angel drove him from the garden, and his physical body died gradually, but his spirit died instantly.

The desires and affections of some people turn toward You when we realize our sinful condition. We believe Your Word, and accept Your grace in salvation. When Your Spirit rebirths our spirit with divine light and life, we yield our whole body, soul and spirit to You. This allows us to enjoy unbroken communion with You. Our soul blesses You with every fiber of our being, and we bless Your holy name (Psalm 103:1).

Thought for the Day:

The human spirit, dead in trespasses and sin, is instantly regenerated at Justification; then, the soul takes the center stage for our Sanctification process, which takes a lifetime; and the body will eventually be saved through Glorification the instant we see Jesus, for we shall be like Him.

- 1 John 3:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12

A Good Marriage - The Power of Prayer

Praying together as a couple is a powerful tool in our marriage. Waging spiritual warfare together will keep Satan and his minions out of our business, attitudes and behavior. It will keep us pure in thought, word and deed so that we can avoid sexual or moral deviances.

Jesus already disarmed the devil at Calvary, and he only has the power that we grant to him by our words, attitude and behavior. As we pray together, God pours out His fruit in our life. He gives us His power, righteousness and affection for one another, so that our marriage will stay strong.

Over the years, we can either accumulate harsh feelings toward one another, or we can pray together about the topics that irritate us, in order to gain power over them. Our union can mirror the love that Jesus has for His bride, and His example teaches us how to love one another (Ephesians 5:31-32).

Asking God's blessing on our union is a prayer worth praying. We petition God to bless our spouse with His love, peace and grace, to keep us in the center of His will as a couple, and to give us compassion and understanding for each other.

Reading books and online articles about improving our marriage always helps. We often glean ideas that make us a better spouse, or we are convicted in areas where we need to improve. Growing together as mates increases our intimacy.

Prayer helps us to draw near to God as a couple, then we can resist Satan's plans to kill our love, steal our affections from each other, and destroy our marriage. Together our prayers increase our spiritual power, holiness and commitment to the Lord.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us that when we encounter a trial in life, either separately or together, prayer will connect us to Your wisdom to gain victory over the circumstances, to support each other in these issues, and to change our attitude or focus in order to increase our love for one another. Our faith in Your faithfulness grows as we see Your hand in our relationship.

Help us to realize that our emotional, spiritual, and mental connection with each other improves as we pray together about some concern in our individual or shared life. We learn not to take one another for granted, and to honor and cherish the place our spouse has in our life. Teach us that the weaknesses in our relationship may come from wounds from our past, and to find a third alternative in every argument on which we can both agree.

Thought for the Day:

As we pray together for our marriage and the issues that we face each day, deep healing comes to the wounds we endure in life; and we truly become one flesh and want what is best to bless each other in addition to our self.

A Healthy Lifestyle

Organic food and supplements, essential oils, herbs, etc. are safe, effective remedies without side effects for the illnesses our world inflicts on our body. Eating whole foods as a way of life, those not treated by chemicals in any way, just makes sense.

However, some of us are so addicted to the chemicals that cause most of our diseases, that we will not exchange them for healthier choices. We think that healthy alternatives are not delicious, but this is far from the truth.

There are many tasty items on the market today that are truly healthy. Some products claim to be healthy, but they have sugar, gluten, dairy, soy, chemical preservatives, etc. They are made with chemically laden grains, etc. that make us sick. Many of us also have food allergies of which we are unaware.

Therefore, when we feed our taste buds, we end up making our body sick. We spend more time and money on doctor visits, and prescriptions to treat the effects of our choices, than we would on healthy food; and we also suffer from prescription side-effects.

       

Some possible side-effects of medications are really funny. One medication that I considered using causes: "stiff, jerky movements of your face and body that you can't control. You might blink your eyes, stick out your tongue, or wave your arms without meaning to do so."

The #1 side effect of a medication my husband took at one time was....a black, hairy tongue!!!! NO JOKE it was on the top of the list that came from the pharmacy. Thankfully, he did not get one.

Of course, other side-effects are more serious, such as: infections, physical impairment, and even sudden death. Some chemical medications have side-effects, which are more deadly than the disease they are supposed to treat.

Our genetic make-up also plays a role in diseases that invade our body. Cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, etc. are just such illnesses caused by our inherited genes; however, eating a nutrient-dense diet plays a large role in how genes are expressed

A clean diet is still one of the best ways to manage symptoms of illness and to increase the odds of our recovery. It can induce our genes to prevent diseases, even if one runs in our family. Check out the Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen food lists: https://draxe.com/health/detox/dirty-dozen/

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for creating our body in such a fashion that it can actually heal itself, stay healthy, and give us a life full of energy by which we can serve You throughout our lifetime. Give us wisdom about what to submit to in the medical world. Remind us to check the side-effects prior to taking any prescribed medication and to use food, herbs, essential oils and supplements whenever possible.

Help us to craft our diet around wholesome, chemical-free foods and not to eat processed and prepared foods, but to cook with organic foods for meals made from scratch. We want to live a life that is worthy of Your calling on our life, and we want to function in health in order to serve You in the ministries to which You call us - both for Your glory and for the furtherance of Your Kingdom on the earth.

Thought for the Day:

When added to a nutrient-deficient chemically laden diet, as well as prescription medication, other addictions such as illegal drugs, alcoholism, sexual permissiveness, tobacco use, etc. will disrupt the God-ordained order of our physical and mental organs and cause unnecessary illnesses, and premature death; it just makes sense to denounce the unhealthy and to embrace a healthy lifestyle.

INTERESTING RESOURCES:

Food as Medicine:

·       Check out Amy Myers, MD at: https://www.facebook.com/AmyMyersMD/

·       Also Dr. Axe at:

        https://draxe.com/nutrition/article/food-is-medicine/

Essential oils as medicine:

https://www.altmedicine101.com/top-essential-oils

Herbs as medicine:

https://draxe.com/health/treatments/herbal-medicine/

Homeopathic Medicines:

https://www.homeopathicology.com/homeopathic-medicines-list-a-to-z

Invisible People

Do you ever feel invisible? People tend to ignore us, overlook us or even have some prejudice about us because of our age, ethnicity, looks, flaws, address, and/or clothing. Even when people ask us a question, their mind wanders when we answer it.

I prayed about this some years ago, and the Lord loving answered, "It is not your problem, it is theirs." People today have no attention span, some are more interested in their own thoughts than in really hearing our viewpoint, their mind often wanders to other conversations going on around us, etc.

Sometimes the answers that we give people are too wordy, and we can learn to give just the main details of our answer instead; however, not many people learned the art of truly listening with compassion and interest in the other person.

We can change this phenomenon in our world by truly paying attention to other people, asking them how they are and inquiring about their week or their family, and then actively focusing on their answer with our undivided attention.

Everyone is important and needs to feel valued and cared about. As we are out in public, we can really change a person's day by smiling at them, and saying hello to everyone who gives us eye contact. This habit can help them to feel validated as a human being that matters.

To let people know that you really "see" them and care about them as an individual, ask a retail clerk, a fellow patient in the doctor's office, the person behind you in the check-out line, etc. a simple question or comment, like:

"How is your day going?"

"What book are you reading?"

"Are you here for a routine check-up or for some specific issue?"

"I like your… (hair, outfit, smile, etc.)".

Some people are too private or shy to talk to strangers, so we do not press them into a conversation. Just that little bit of attention from us may warm their heart, though. These attempts to reach out to others may even open the door for us to share Christ with them.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that Your Trinity lives within us and that You want to use us to reach out to those that You bring our way. Give us Your patience and wisdom during these divine appointments, and help us to open the door to an eternity with You for as many people as will respond to our efforts to reach out to them.

Remind us of all the people in our life that made us feel special by a sincere inquiry or comment. Allow this thought to spur us on to give this same attention to others that You bring our way. We want those that You direct into our life to experience Christ in us as we do in others. Help us to remain sensitive to the leading of Your Spirit and to obey His prompting to reach out to fellow sojourners in our world.

Thought for the Day:

When we take the time to catch the eye of those passing us in this harried world in which we live, our smile for them and our brief "Hello" may assure them that they matter, and that they are not alone in the chaos and uncertainty that surrounds us all.

Overcoming Stress and Demands

When our "to do" list is a mile long, we feel the pressure to get everything on the list done. We check off each item as we accomplish it, and we feel lighter and more capable with each finished project. Our identity is wrapped up in what we do.

The problem, however, is that we have to keep adding new, demanding duties and obligations to our list. It is never-ending; and we get weary, because we rarely have "down" time to enjoy our hobbies, sit on the porch swing, read a book, or watch a movie or sports program.

Our soul - our thoughts, emotions and choices - starts to suffer and we groan inwardly, take short breaths instead of deep ones. This causes us to suffer in body, soul and spirit from stress and demands. We are too tired, listless and apathetic to enjoy life.

Even pursuing religious activities can prevent us from doing God's will for our life (Matthew 7:23). Jesus made it clear that He could do nothing of himself, but only that which He saw our Father do, because He drew His strength, direction and joy from living in the center of our Father's will for Him (John 5:19).

Jesus' example is a vital key for us. We learn to enter God's rest and to be led by His Spirit. We wait on the Lord with courage and hope, because He gives us the strength to continue on, even when we are weary of doing good (Psalm 27:14, 69:3, 130:5; Galatians 6:9).

Our Father God actually calls us to choose to take time out of our schedule to play (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25). He also exhorts us to sit and quietly read and meditate on His Word. All through the day, we can listen to His guidance, sing His praises, and give Him thanks for all that He has already done and is doing for us.

We have a choice to follow the list we make of our own plans, which are often outside of God's will for us, or to wait on the Lord for His direction in each moment of our day. As we seek Him first, He provides us with everything we need to live a fulfilled life (Matthew 6:33).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to judge our own motives, thoughts, words and actions according to Your precepts rather than by the standards of this world. Our identity and feelings of accomplishment should actually come from our intimate relationship with You, rather than from how many activities in which we participate each day.

Help us to live like a thermostat to regulate the temperature in the world around us, instead of as a thermometer, which just registers the status quo. We want to make a difference in our world and to further Your Kingdom in the earth, instead of accomplishing our own agenda. We seek Your face each moment of the day, and we obey Your Spirit's guidance rather than to force our self into some other mold.

Thought for the Day:

Waiting on the Lord is as important to our soul and spirit as breathing is to our body; then, as the Spirit of God directs us, we can go out into our world and spend our energy telling others what He has done for us, lending a helping hand to those in need, or listening to a broken heart and encouraging someone who is drowning in despair.

- Proverbs 8:3

Fulfilled Promises

To prove that God is not on our time-table, the Bible is full of testimonies of Saints who waited years for the fulfillment of His promises. Abraham and Sarah are two such Saints. They waited 25 years for their promised child.

Of course, they attempted to force the fulfillment by their plan to have Abraham conceive their child through Sarah's servant. The Arab nations came from this self-willed effort. We also often veer from God's path for us by trying to help Him out.

We lack patience and do not want to delay the fulfillment of our need. We grow weary of waiting on God to change our circumstance, whether it is conceiving a child, getting married, recovering from ill health, emotional fulfillment, vocational or address changes, etc.

Trusting the Lord with our whole heart is difficult due to our lack of patience; therefore, we take matters into our own hands and create a huge mess from which we reap a negative back-lash for years to come. God has a perfect will for every moment of our day.

This requires our focused attention on His Spirit's leading us as we walk in that will. We start by sitting quietly and waiting on Him. Then we walk in His Spirit, and we break out of the bondage of our inordinate expectations, carnal desires, playing at religion in our church life, etc.

God's Spirit is always fulfilling His promises to us in His timing and way. We step deeper into God's living water of life by following His guidance into unknown places of service and greater heights of worshiping Him with our thoughts, words and deeds.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to set our affections on things above (Colossians 3:2), on the eternal aspects of life. Then we can rise above the limitations of this mundane earthly realm. Direct us, as You did Ezekiel, to enter the river, and to go deeper and deeper into the water until he could no longer stand, but must start to swim. He trusted You with the results, and we can too (Ezekiel 47:1-12).

Over the years of life, we come to realize that You are interested in us living in oneness with You. Our body is the temple of Your Holy Spirit, and He abides within us. We are not our own, we are Your unique possession (1 Corinthians 6:19). We want to serve You with every fiber of being, because Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:3-4). You are our benevolent Father, and we live to worship You with our life.

Thought for the Day:

Trusting God with each moment of our day, and walking by the direction of His Holy Spirit in the center of His rest and His perfect will for our life, is the most freeing priority we can have in this imperfect world; we never drown in our weekly agenda, we accomplish our duties at home and in our vocation, we have time to play with our family and friends, and we are more productive than we ever were when we planned our own schedule.

Our Soul Waits on the Lord

When our soul learns to wait on the Lord, God is our continual help and shield. Our heart rejoices in His loving presence within us, and we trust His holy name. When we place our hope in Him, His mercy and grace fill our life (Psalm 33:20-22).

Our unchangeable Father of Lights provides every good and perfect gift from above for us to enjoy (James 1:17). When we are actively grateful for God’s blessings, we no longer concern our self with what we think is wrong with our life and what we think we need.

On this earth, our treasure is that on which we focus our heart (Matthew 6:21). With spiritual maturity, we learn to cherish the spiritual aspects of life more than the natural, and we are so grateful to God for His generous gifts to us.

We learn to thank Him for the negative circumstances, as well as the positive ones (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We no longer brood over what we used to think that we were missing, because we are so blessed by what we do have now.

If we do not have something or someone that we really desire, it is because God does not want us to have it at this time in our life. He planned a surprising and amazing future for us, and our desire will thwart that purpose.

Our desire may bring us our anticipated happiness, but God's plans provide us with abiding joy and satisfying fulfillment that this world could never match. We sing for joy all the days of our life, growing in spiritual maturity with each passing day.

God's daily provision for all of our needs helps us to focus on the positive (Psalm 107:1), and it increases our sensitivity and awareness of the world within us and around us (Ephesians 5:20). God always has our best interest at the core of His heart.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us that appreciating all of the little blessings that You provide makes us ready to receive the bigger things that You have planned for our future (Matthew 25:23). We sit at Jesus' feet like Mary did (Luke 10:39), and as His loving adopted siblings, we rest our head in His lap. We feel Him caressing our hair with His nail scarred hands, and we weep with joy and gratitude to Him for paying the debt for our sins.

We praise You for all that You give us, and we honestly share with You our deepest concerns without any preconceived expectations; however, teach us to wait on You with eager anticipation for whatever You have in store for us. Help us not to whine, nag, complain or dictate to You, but to simply rest in Your love, to trust You with our whole heart, and to walk in Your Spirit each moment of our day (Psalm 50:23).

Thought for the Day:

As our intimacy with God grows, we learn to appreciate all of the nuances of the present moment, and we focus on the here and now, instead of the past or future; when we overly analyze what is happening, or worse-case scenario about what may happen in the future, or feel guilt and dread over the past; we rob our life of energy needed to follow God’s will in this present minute of time.

God Loved us First

If we say that we love God, but we harbor unforgiveness in our heart toward someone, God's Word calls us a liar. It makes sense that if we cannot love someone that we can see, we do not really love our Supreme Being whom we have never seen (1 John 4:20).

This is not as restrictive as it sounds. When someone wounds us deeply, it is hard for us to get over it. However, forgiveness has nothing to do with how we feel; yet, everything pertaining to how we act.

God never calls us to like someone, but simply to allow Him to love them through us. This is an awesome testimony to our adversaries. Unless they are cold-hearted, or deeply wounded themselves, they cannot help but resolve the conflict with us when they experience this sacrificial love.

Of course, we do not have to spend hours of time with them, or hang out with them in social gathers. We simply follow the direction of God's Spirit whenever He puts us in the same vicinity with them.

Everyone needs love. They want to feel cherished, cared for and needed. When they do not receive this affirmation, they get discouraged and lose hope. As we love others, we show gratitude to God, and prove to the world that we are followers of Jesus Christ (John 13:34-35).

God’s Agape love transcends the physical and emotional realms of life. Christ’s love is self-sacrificing, yet not codependent. Christ does not encourage us to stop caring for our own needs. If we do not love our self first, we can never love someone else (Mark 12:31).

The balance in enjoying a healthy sense of love for our “self” here has nothing to do with selfish ambition or vain conceit, but with humility in considering others better than our selves (Philippians 2:3) at the same time that we make sure our needs are met as well.

Prayer:

Father God, the love that You want for us and in us defies natural affection, and loves in spite of the recipient’s attitude and behavior. Your love works miracles in people’s lives. We receive Your love unconditionally; therefore, we can love our self and others unconditionally too.

You loved us before we even knew You (Romans 5:8). When we share Your love with others, we bring glory and honor to Your name. You showed us how to love one another deeply, from the heart (1 Peter 1:22). We rejoice when others rejoice, and we cry when others hurt, but most of all, we forgive even our vilest offender, simply because You forgave us.

Thought for the Day:

God calls us to love others as Jesus loves us, and He loved us enough to leave the riches of Heaven, even though we are completely unlovable and sinful; this level of love inspires us to demonstrate this same love to our self, and to one another, as we reflect the joy and peace found only in Jesus, and we are an extension of Christ’s love to everyone in our sphere of influence.

A Good Marriage - Prioritizing

At times, the good things that we constantly add to our schedule become the enemy of the best things that God has planned for us. Martha felt this frustration as she worked in the kitchen alone, because Mary sat at Jesus' feet, listening to the words of living water that He spoke (Luke 10:38-42).

We allow the blessings to escape us, unless we recognize their significance and grasp them. A quick perusal of the moments of our day will prove to us that, in our desire to stay active and productive, we often pursue less important activities.

We run our self ragged, and often our children, family and friends as well, by filling our schedule with good things, which God has not called us to do. This causes us to miss out on the intimate moments with our spouse, our children and our Lord, which they look forward to having.

When we fill out our calendar for the month, let us put as our paramount priorities: worship with our church family; date nights with our spouse that we can both look forward to; and daily playtime with our children, giving them our unhurried, undivided attention.

It is so important to let our spouse know that we care for them more than anyone or anything else in this world. We do that with both word and deeds. We show appreciation for who they are and what they do for us, and we serve them as if we are serving the Lord (Colossians 3:23).

We cherish our mate, and we let them know that spending time with them is as important to us as it is to them. Planning alone time, even if it is at home when the children are in bed, pays big dividends in our energy level as a couple, at work and at play.

Taking time to snuggle, gazing into each other's eyes, chatting about mutual interests, worshipping God together, serving as a couple in a ministry, reading a book together, watching a movie or a sporting event, etc. will increase our intimacy with each other in every area.

Prayer:

Father God, in order to have security in this world, or to make sure that our children are well-rounded and get to experience new adventures in their life, we often allow the good things to crowd out the best things. When we are tempted to add something new to our schedule, remind us to pray about Your will so that we can remain centered in You and focused on what You want us to do.

Help us to order our priorities based on Your plans for our day, so that we do not miss those divine appointments that You arrange for us to accomplish for Your Kingdom. Remind us to step out of our comfort zone, and to show interest and care in those around us. It means so much to others when we share a smile, a kind word, or an offer to pray for that individual. Most of all, show us ways to tell our mate that they are more important to us than any other person or event in our life.

Thought for the Day:

In order to increase our intimacy with our spouse, we can call, text or email sometime during every day to let them know he/she is on your mind, make a spur of the moment lunch date to spend time alone, deliver a favorite dessert to their workplace and share it if they can take a break, mail a love poem or card to their workplace to let them know they are in our thoughts and that we value them, etc. The possibilities are endless.

Overcoming Overwhelming Tribulation

When circumstances threaten to drown us, and our thoughts and accompanying emotions overwhelm us, there is hope on the horizon. We can dissect this event and gain the victory over one aspect of it at a time.

It is vitally important for us to refrain from criticizing our self for over-reacting to these situations, and for entertaining negative thoughts and emotions. God created us as a human being with all of the normal range of actions and reactions inherent in our personality.

The first step to walking in victory is to surrender the situation to God. We are guaranteed to experience overwhelming tribulation in this world; however, Jesus' promises that He already overcame this type of issue, and He abides within us (John 16:33).

Asking for support from our mate, family and prayer partners also reduces the negative effects that trials have on our body, soul and spirit. The circumstances may not change, but our attitude about the aspect does. The effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous changes things (James 5:16).

Also, advice from those who already experienced this type of trial is always valuable, because it helps to change our focus. We are more readily able to overcome our self-sabotaging patterns that cripple our soul and spirit, as well as bombard our body with toxic chemicals.

Journaling our honest feelings is a good practice to develop. We can discover in our written words what is really going on in our soul. We also inscribe the advice that we receive from others, from God's Word, and from His Spirit's comfort.

Journaling helps us to relieve stress, and it unravels our anxious thoughts. We spend time jotting down memories from the past and our fears about the future, which helps us to reduce the issues influencing our negative reaction to our circumstances.

We make sense of our thoughts and feelings, separating them into categories. We learn new ideas about who we are and what we need. We also pray God's Word over the situation. As we submit the conflict to God's capable care, the intensity of it diminishes.

We are able to breathe deeply and to relax through it. When we change our focus about the situation, by gaining God's perspective on the issue, then positive feelings return and our mood improves by the moment (Philippians 4:8).

Prayer:

Father God, Job is a great example of someone who walked with You and trusted in You through every negative circumstance which assailed Him. You used Satan's destructive ways to strip Job of every earthly blessing he received from You, and then You gave him more blessings than he ever had in His whole life (Job 42:10).

Help us not to pay back a wrong done to us, but to wait on You to deliver us instead (Proverbs 20:22). Help us to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:28). Help us to work hard to help others. When someone mistreats us, help us to bless them rather than to retaliate; and when we are persecuted, help us to endure (1 Corinthians 4:12).

Thought for the Day:

When we trust in the Lord, our God, He is our dwelling place, and no harm will overtake us; we are overcomers through our union with Him, and He sends our guardian angels to lift us up, so that we ride out the storm with His wisdom and strength.

- Psalm 91:8-12

Victory in a Broken Life

Living in disobedience to God's desires often leads us down an imperfect, uphill path filled with failing dreams, destructive behavior, satanic lies, a broken heart, and disappointments. When we choose to pursue our own agenda in this life, we often thwart God's perfect plan for us.

We impede God's desire to bless us, and to put us on a straight path on which we will discover His hidden miracles designed just for us as individuals. His constant presence within us is the greatest gift we could ever experience in this life, and it leads us into our eternal life to come.

Thankfully, we can select what we focus on, what we give our attention to, what we pursue with passion, and what we work towards (Philippians 2:12-13). Choosing God's plans gives us the success that we need and the fulfillment that we crave (Jeremiah 29:11).

We find true value and validation in His courts and under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91). God walks in and with us through every struggle, trauma and tribulation that we will ever experience. He gives us the victory and matures our spirit.

By walking in His ways, we reduce the number of trials we endure in life, because we cut out those of our own making. We never need to experience the heart-stopping trauma of facing any issue alone, because He abides within us and walks with us.

When, as the sacrificial Lamb, Jesus took our sin upon His shoulders, He suffered the loss of our Father's presence, because God withdrew from our sin (Matthew 27:46). We owe Him a debt of gratitude for His suffering and death alone on the cross.

Taking the time to cultivate our faith in God's faithfulness will allow us to reap from a garden full of His wonders. His Word is full of examples of His personal care of everyone who allows Him to form an intimate relationship with Him.

If we are humble enough to admit that our sins nailed Jesus to the cross, turn away from our sins, and trust the Lord with our whole heart, soul and strength, we can harvest from our union with Him each and every moment of our day.

Prayer:

Father God, we may feel distanced from Your presence, but that is due to our own disconnection from our union with You. Thank You for never leaving or forsaking us (Hebrews 13:5). You walk with us and in us, assuring us of Your love, filling us with Your peace - even in the most trying of circumstances, perfecting us with Your patience (James 1:4-8), and giving us Your wisdom to traverse the most difficult of trials that we face.

Your unconditional love is always ready to reach down into the lowest hell that life dishes out to us, and to ransom us from the negative effects that we would experience without Your presence in our life. Thank You for opening doors for us that no one can close, for providing straight paths for us in order to protect us from uphill battles (Psalm 27:11), and for showering us with Your abundant provision every day of our life.

Thought for the Day:

Although our life may not be idyllic this side of Heaven, God's presence within us reduces the importance and effects of the negative consequences inherent in these trials; we no longer focus on the pain, inconveniences, struggles and negative emotions that accompany them, because we stand firm on His Living Word.

- Philippians 4:8

Life and Death in Words

During our lifetime, beginning with conception, people speak words to us that either foster life or death (Proverbs 18:21). Therefore, as adults too many of us have negative "tapes" playing in our mind, and we need to give our self compassion and nurturing.

We seek the Lord's wisdom in finding the root of our negative thoughts and characteristics, and then replace satanic lies with God's truth, which helps to heal our body and soul as well as to free our spirit.

Toxic words are as harmful as the toxic chemicals in our food, environment, cleaning products, toiletries and beauty supplies. If abusive behaviors are added to the issues we face, our fears and insecurities take over our life. We feel less than lovable or desirable.

A negative spiral overtakes our thoughts and attitude, and we find no joy in living. Self-destructive behavior infiltrates our habits, because their familiarity brings us a perverse sense of comfort. We perpetuate the inner war raging within our own soul.

Compulsive habits like eating disorders, obsession with our looks, addictions of all kinds, sexually deviant activity, etc. are all attempts to anesthetize our pain. There is an alternative solution, however; one that brings lasting change and fulfillment.

Inviting Jesus Christ to abide in our spirit is a life-altering decision. He washes away our desire to sin, and allows us to focus on His Word and to hear His Spirit as they transform our mind, body and feelings. We flourish in every area of our life.

Jesus walks in and with us through every trial. He directs our steps as He inspires or exhorts us on His road for our success. He teaches us to treat our soul with compassion, forgiveness, benevolence and acceptance. Then, He shows us the root of our discontentment and helps us to heal.

Laughter is good medicine (Proverbs 17:22). It stimulates our senses, physical responses, attitude, emotions and thinking. A joyful heart enables us to traverse the switchbacks of the mountains that stand in our way to spiritual maturity, and it lightens our load as it puts a smile on our face, and a spring in our step.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to remember to listen to You, and to our swirl of negative emotions as they attempt to reveal to us the source of our lack of joy and contentment. Help us to rid our soul of years of pent-up shame, wounds, and loneliness. Teach us to treat our self with compassion, and to allow our vulnerability to embrace our imperfections as that of a human being, which You created us to be.

We want to cherish each new day, and to serve You in the midst of it through every effort that we make. You have a purpose for every season of our life, and we want to walk in the center of Your will for us. We can celebrate our new life in You and release the negative input from those in our past. This allows us to face the future with a positive outlook based on Your Word, instead of the echoes from our past.

Thought for the Day:

Wisdom, which we grow into over the stages of our life, gives us permission to reject the mental recording of lies from our past and to soar like eagles on the currents of God's Holy Spirit; we learn to embrace each moment in the center of God's will, and to walk in His ways through every step of our future.

God's Protection and Security

This morning I was contemplating the fact that whenever I order a small item online, it is always delivered in a bigger box. I wondered why the company always wasted all of that packing paper and air bags with this larger container.

Then, I asked Daddy God about a spiritual lesson from this phenomenon, and His answer surprised me as usual. He pointed out the fact that a smaller package has a greater chance of getting lost or broken in the mailing process.

Putting it in a larger box with extra support and protection increases the item's chances of a successful delivery. That is one reason that God includes His Saints in His Family. This provides us with the protection and fortification that we need in this scary world in which we live.

Then, He reminded me that He also put us in Jesus' Body, His Bride, His Church, etc. These are all larger gatherings that give us security, compassion, nurture, direction, and safety. His abiding love planned this for us before the earth was created.

His Word admonishes us not to forsake the practice of assembling together as some people do, because we need each other for safety and protection (Hebrews 10:25). Only a few people do not take their church family for granted and are faithful to their ministries.

As His Saints, we enjoy our resurrected position in Christ. We are buried with Him in baptism and then raised with Him to walk in new life. We gradually learn to focus our heart on spiritual matters rather than on carnal ones (Colossians 3:1-2).

We cannot serve two masters; we must pick God or the world (Matthew 6:24). God calls us to no longer conform our philosophy of life according to the pattern and mold of this world. Instead, we allow God's Spirit to transform us, and to renew our mind with the mind of Christ (Romans 12:2).

We are actually aliens and foreigners in this world, because our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippian 3:20). We adopt a whole new perspective and life course, because our mind is set on Biblical principles of what is noble, good, and holy (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

Prayer:

Father God, Your Word shapes our thoughts, as well as our behavior at home, work and play. It influences our actions, our recreation and our daily priorities. Therefore, scheduling time to read and to meditate on Your scripture is of major significance in our plans. Each word nourishes our spirit and influences the health of our body and soul as well (Psalm 16:8).

Teach us to replace anxious thoughts and concerns with faith in Your faithfulness (Philippians 4:6). Remind us that this enables us to walk away from the carnal behavior that shrouds our life with a negative influence (Colossians 3:5-9). Help us to limit our involvement in the world through everything from music, movies and television shows, to places that we visit and the people with whom we spend our time. We want to bring glory to Your name.

Thought for the Day:

We can write verses that are meaningful to our situation that we are experiencing at the moment - jotting them down on 3x5 cards or highlighting them on our cell phone; then we can carry them around to read while we are waiting…in line, in doctors' offices, at a traffic light, the airport, for a meeting to start, etc. They strengthen our spirit, heal our body, and bring serenity to our soul.

God's Protection and Security

This morning I was contemplating the fact that whenever I order a small item online, it is always delivered in a bigger box. I wondered why the company always wasted all of that packing paper and air bags with this larger container.

Then, I asked Daddy God about a spiritual lesson from this phenomenon, and His answer surprised me as usual. He pointed out the fact that a smaller package has a greater chance of getting lost in the mailing process.

Putting it in a larger box with extra support and protection increases the item's chances of a successful delivery. That is one reason that God puts His Saints in His Family. This provides us with the protection and fortification that we need in this scary world in which we live.

Then, He reminded me that He also put us in Jesus' Body, His Bride, His Church, etc. These are all larger gatherings that give us security, compassion, nurture, direction, and safety. His Word admonishes us not to forsake the practice of assembling together (Hebrews 10:25).

As His Saints, we enjoy our resurrected position in Christ. We are buried with Him in baptism and then raised with Him to walk in new life. We gradually learn to focus our heart on spiritual matters rather than on carnal ones (Colossians 3:1-2).

We cannot serve two masters; we must pick God or the world (Matthew 6:24). As we mature spiritually, we no longer conform our philosophy of life according to the pattern and mold of this world. We allow God's Spirit to transform and to renew our mind with the mind of Christ (Romans 12:2).

We are actually aliens and foreigners in this world, because our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippian 3:20). We adopt a whole new perspective and life course, because our mind is set on Biblical principles of what is noble, good, and holy (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

Prayer:

Father God, Your Word shapes our thoughts, as well as our behavior at home, work and play. It influences our actions, our recreation, and our daily schedule. Therefore, scheduling time to read and to meditate on Your scripture is a priority in our plans. Each word nourishes our spirit and influences the health of our body and soul as well (Psalm 16:8).

Teach us to replace anxious thoughts and concerns with faith in Your faithfulness (Philippians 4:6). Remind us that this enables us to walk away from carnal behavior that puts a negative slant on our life (Colossians 3:5-9). Help us to limit our involvement in the world through everything from music, movies and television shows, to places that we visit and the people with whom we spend our time. We want to bring glory to Your name.

Thought for the Day:

We can write Bible verses that are meaningful to the situation that we are experiencing at the moment - jotting them down on 3x5 cards or highlighting them on our cell phone; then we can carry them around to read while we are waiting…in line, in doctors' offices, at a traffic light, the airport, for a meeting to start, etc. in order to strengthen our spirit and to bring serenity to our soul.

Nothing is too Hard for God

God's presence in the life of every Authentic Born Again Believer is irreplaceable, incomparable, inclusive, inherited, intriguing, imposing, intricate, intense, infusing, and inspiring. He is the ever-present help in our time of need (Psalm 46:1).

The Lord God made the entire universe, setting it in motion. By His great power and His outstretched arm, He keeps it swirling about the heavens with precision and order. There is nothing too hard for Him to accomplish in His timing and way (Jeremiah 23:17).

He is our great and mighty God, the Lord of the heavenly hosts, excelling in wisdom and actions. He filled the earth with terror by His faithfulness to His chosen Israel (Jeremiah 23:18-21). In these modern times, He returned the land to Abraham's descendants.

There is nothing too hard for the Lord to accomplish according to His will, way and timing (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 23:27). He makes an everlasting covenant with His people, and He delights in blessing us and planting us in the center of His will for us (Jeremiah 23:40-41).

Even with His stellar reputation, we often grumble against the Lord. We fail to observe His Hand in our circumstances until He puts the last piece of the puzzle in place. Then we see the reasons behind His purpose for us, and we see how patience had her perfect work in us (James 1:4; Ephesians 2:10).

Our Father already knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He forgives our faithlessness because He knows how the future will eventually play out. He dwells in eternity rather than in time, and we can trust Him with our future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Prayer:

Father God, we often sit back and chuckle at Your goodness and humor. You generally wait until the last minute to deliver us from the blazing trial, and when You do, we rejoice with all of our might. You are our great God, mighty in delivering us and generous in Your abundant provision for all of our needs. It is amazing that although You dwell in eternity, You are concerned and care about the trials in our individual lives.

Your Word is full of testimonies of Your supernatural help in times of need. Help us to trust in You with our whole heart, because there is nothing too hard for You. Even when our path is darkened by horrendous circumstances, You shine Your light and show us the way through it. We give You all of the praise and honor due to Your name.

Thought for the Day:

As we put our whole life - including our aspirations, fears, anxieties, insecurities and passion - in God's capable hands, He enables us to walk under the direction of His Spirit and to look for the seed for a miracle that He plants within every fiery trial.

Victory over Death

Most people view death as defeat, as an ending, as the cessation of our life. We grieve the thought of leaving our loved ones and losing our worldly treasures. We see death as an end, rather than as the new chapter in our life.

However, God rejoices more in the death of His Saints than He does in the day of our birth (Psalm 116:15; Philippians 1:23; Ecclesiastes 7:1). He looks forward to our homecoming to Heaven. We anticipate spending eternity together in His service.  

Our family will miss the influence and affinity that our life afforded to them. They grieve the loss of our guidance, companionship and presence in their life. However, if they realize where we are, they soon rejoice for us in the midst of their grief over their loss.

Viewing death from God's perspective gives us hope. As authentic, Born Again Believers, we will never die (John 11:26). To be absent from this body, means that we are instantly in the presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). What better place does this world have to offer?

Jesus defeated death through His resurrection. He passes that same victory on to whomever will turn away from their sins and who trust their life to His watch-care. Sometimes, it is daunting to even consider turning control of our life over to another Being.

However, the plans that God has for us are filled with promise and rewards that we reap every moment of our life now and throughout eternity (Jeremiah 29:11). Our Heavenly Father is just a prayer away, and He is always ready to open His arms wide and to welcome back a prodigal child (Luke 15:20-24).

Prayer:

Father God, as authentic Believers, we have no need to fear death as those do who have no hope in Your resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13). You send Your angels to escort us into Your presence (Luke 16:22), and You eagerly wait for us to come home to You. Help us to realize that death is not defeat or separation for us, it is an open door to the next chapter of our life (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

Help us to understand that we do not need to take measures to endure the insensitivity and trials of this life when You are calling us home. We embrace Your plans for us in death as well as in life. We do not view death as an ending, a defeat, but as the ultimate victory and reward for our life on this earth. We look forward to seeing You face-to-face, and to spending eternity in service to our King Jesus.

Thought for the Day:

We can stand with those who are grieving the loss of their loved one, even if we do not know what to say; as a proactive measure we help by taking them out to dinner so they can share their feelings with us, by inviting them over for a cup of tea or coffee, by sending them occasional encouraging cards to let them know that they are not alone because we are thinking about them, by delivering their favorite dessert to their home just because, etc.