The Will of God

 

What kind of personality do you possess? Are you a glass half empty sort of person, or a glass half full? Do you encourage others when they do something good, or do you overlook the good, and major on the minors by discouraging them when they disappoint you?

 

The will of God for us is to give thanks in every situation (1 Thessalonians 5:18). When we stop looking for what was not done, and we start thanking people for the efforts that they do make, they will be encouraged and make more of an attempt to repeat the activity for which we gave them praise.

 

With Jesus as our focus, our life also becomes one of praise to our God. We live in Jesus, our faith is established in Him, we are grounded in Him, and our roots are firmly planted in Him (Colossians 2:6-7). Even during negative trials, we give thanks to God for everything, knowing that He has our best interest at heart (Ephesians 5:20).

 

When Jesus was praying in the garden, just before Judas' kiss, He felt so much anguish that He requested that God choose another way to pay the penalty for the generations of sins that He was about to take upon Himself; yet, He willingly carried out our Father's plan. 

 

He trusted in God's wisdom and focused on the glory that awaited Him in eternity (Hebrews 12:2), rather than stressing out over the horrendous trial into which He was about to enter. He gave thanks to God for using Him to save those who would trust in Him for their redemption (John 17:9,15).

 

As we focus on staying alert to the will of God for us, and to praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), we live in gratitude for who He is, what He does for us, and for our opportunity to spend eternity with Him. The will of God for us is always to give thanks in everything (Psalm 34:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Colossians 4:2).

 

Prayer:

Father God, teach us not to worry about anything, but to put our trust completely in Your goodness and faithfulness to all of Your Saints. Help us to come to You throughout our day for Your guidance and provision as we make our requests known to You (Philippians 4:6; Proverbs 3:5-6). We know from Your Word and by our experiences with You, that You will never abandon or neglect us (Hebrews 13:5).

 

We realize that Your will for us revolves around gratitude in our heart toward You, but it also includes a walk of holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3), which will silence the ignorance of foolish people who refuse to put their faith in You (1 Peter 2:15). Help us not to live our life on this earth by chasing after worldly gain, treasure, admiration and lusts, but by pursuing Your will for our life (1 Peter 4:2).

 

Thought for the Day:

Whatever we do in our thoughts, words and actions, we do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ; and by Him, through Him and in Him, we give continual thanks and praise to our Father God, who loved us enough to plan for Jesus to pay our sin-debt before the world was ever created.

-      1 Peter 1:20; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17 

 

Higher than the Heavens

 

God is amazing enough to hold the entire universe in the palm of His hands (Ecclesiastes 18:3). He cares so much for us that He intervenes in the smallest of details, and bids us to fully surrender to His will, and to completely trust in His love. He brings us peace through every anxious moment. 

 

We can draw near to Him and trust Him whenever we are afraid (Psalm 56:3). He gives us His peace, wisdom and courage to trust in His mercy and grace regardless of what we experience. In our times of uncertainty, He gives us confidence and direction that is perfect for every situation.

 

As we humble our self, admit that we need Him, and relinquish our cares to Him, He pours out to us His abundant blessings even in the midst of our trials. We can truly trust in Him, because He proves His faithfulness to us on every occasion. 

 

With a steadfast soul, we can continually sing and make music in our heart to the Lord (Psalm 108:1-2). We awaken our soul by reading His Word and reminding our self of His dependability throughout our entire life – even when we did not live for Him. 

 

God loves the whole world and does not want anyone to perish either now or in eternal damnation (2 Peter 3:8-10). Yet, it is our choice to make (John 3:18). He gives us a free will to decide for our self if we will believe in Him, or in the disparaging words of the disillusioned in this world who attempt to draw us away from our Heavenly Father (1 Timothy 1:4; 2 Timothy 4:4). 

 

God calls us to praise Him among the nations, and in the midst of all the people of the world. In this world of technological advances, we can do this from the comfort of our living room recliner through the internet. Using a free blog, we can document the miracles that God plants for us in all of our trials.

 

Then, those whom He leads to read our journaling, will discover a link between us and their own life, and God can draw them to Himself by our witness to the world. Their own pride and rebellion are the only things that will keep them from trusting in God’s goodness for themselves (Psalm 108:3-4).

 

Prayer:
Father God, we want to live as a beacon of light, set upon a hill; not hidden under a basket of cares, busyness and fears, but empowered by Your Spirit and Truth (Matthew 5:14-16). Your love for us is higher than the heavens and Your faithfulness exceeds the skies. We applaud you, Blessed Lord, and pray that You are exalted over all the earth, as Your glory fills our life (Psalm 108:5).

 

Thank You for loving us, saving us, providing for us, redeeming us and delivering us from this degrading world of sin, shame and brokenness. We no longer depend on humanity for our help, satisfaction, happiness, provision or care, because people are flawed and let us down so often. However, in Your constant care, we gain the victory, contentment and fulfillment that we so need and desire (Psalm 108:12-13).

 

Thought for the Day:

We can determine in our heart to trust God completely, celebrate with Him the victory that He gives us through every circumstance, bask in His unconditional love, draw our strength from His salvation, revel in His faithfulness that knows no end, honor Him with our praise and devotion, and walk in His victory every day of our life.

 

A Good Marriage - Three Aspects of Love

 

Love has several facets, and each one is purposeful and fulfilling. However, having one aspect without the other makes love lopsided and unbalance. Complete love is very enjoyable and lasting, and it is available to every adopted child of God.

 

Philia Love

The trait of love that is most commonly felt is Philia love. This is the affection that we feel towards many different types of relationships. It includes our family, special friends, close neighbors, particular workmates, church family, the community in which we live, our country, etc.

 

Philia is a loyal love, a deep love driven by commitment and common interests and activities. We share our successes, overlook each other's faults, and help one another to bear our burdens. We pray, play, laugh and cry together. 

 

Eros Love

Of course, Eros, or physical and passionate love, includes sensual desires and longing. It is also vital in a marriage. Having this type of love outside of marriage lacks the meaning and commitment needed to sustain it.

 

Agape Love

Agape love is unconditional love, and it mirrors the type of love that God has for His family. It is a deep sense of sacrificial love that goes beyond the physical and friendship love described above (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). 

 

True love includes these three aspects and needs constant attention and nurturing. At times, Agape love is the only type of love we can rely on in a relationship, because we wound or disappoint each other in so many ways. 

 

Seeking God together, eradicating our expectations of one another, accepting each other just as we are, showing compassion for our mate, preferring each other, finding a third option in decision-making rather than insisting on our own way, and walking in the Spirit all insure our loving marriage. 

 

Prayer:

Father God, help us to nurture our love between our self and our spouse to include friendship, passion and unconditional love. As we submit to Your will for our life, and as we reprogram our carnal expectations with the mind of Christ, we feel physical, emotional and mental love for our spouse. 

 

Teach us how to resist Satan's lies that someone else will make us happier than our spouse (James 4:7). We want our marriage to have the same characteristics as Your love for Your Bride, the Church. Help us to love our mate as we love our self, to spend the time and effort needed to nurture our love for one another, and to live as an example to others of the true meaning of love.

 

Thought for the Day:

A marriage including Agape, Eros and Philia love is lasting and sincere; the feelings of Eros and Philia may come and go throughout our relationship, but Agape lasts forever.

- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

 

 

Facing the Future

 

When we pay attention to all that God does for us throughout our day, we find our soul overflowing with love and gratitude to Him. We rejoice in Him, His provision, His peace and His joy that He showers us with each moment of our day. He is our source of rejoicing.

 

The Trinity of God is available to us every moment of the day, because God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit abides within us. He provides everything for us exactly when we need it – in His perfect timing and will. 

 

Each day is a new surprise, as we put our trust in Him with every hurdle we come up against. Thanks to God’s Spirit, we have fathomless riches because of who He is and what He does for us each day. This is all possible only because of what Jesus, the Son, did for us on Calvary’s cross. 

 

Once we totally surrender to our Father’s love, our supply of His blessings is instant and eternal. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. Our Father God intimately knows us, because He knitted us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139). 

 

We recognize the Holy Spirit’s voice, He leads us, and we follow (John 10:4). God’s Trinity goes before us, to ward off any approaching enemy, and we feel protected and secure in His love (Psalm 27:1-3). He makes a way for us over every towering mountain pass, flooded creek, and even the darkest valley (Psalm 23). 

 

God makes the crooked places straight for us (Isaiah 45:2), He knows ahead of time all of the events of our tomorrows, and He keeps us close to Him (Proverbs 18:24). We even slumber and sleep in His eternal peace. He provides all of our needs.

 

Since God knows what lies ahead of us, we thrive in His mercy, truth, and grace through every circumstance that we face. He heals us in body and soul and spirit, reduces the pain of our trials, and uses us as a testimony of His grace and provision (Philippians 4:19).

 

Prayer:

Father God, it is a comfort to know that we are not a nameless entity who drifts around in this stress-filled life until the day that we die. We are not strangers in the throng of humanity surrounding us, but we are known by You, provided for by You, saved by Your grace, and we will spend eternity in Your service. In the center of Your love, even death is not our enemy, because Jesus overcame death and He abides within us (1 Corinthians 15:19-23).

 

Thank You for walking with us and in us, during every step of our life on this earth. You are our Helper, Hope and Expectation. We need You to care for us each moment of the day, and we thank You for all You have done for us, in us, and will do for us in our future. We have the confidence to face whatever the future holds for us, because You are working our Your purposes for our life. We look forward to worshipping You, with the angels around Your throne (Revelation 7:11), for all of eternity.

 

Thought for the Day:

We do not know what the future holds for us, but we do know who holds us in our future; He knows the number of hairs on our head, He rejoices over us with singing, and He allows us to come boldly to His throne in our every moment of need. 

-      Luke 12:7; Zephaniah 3:17; Hebrews 4:16

 

Resolving Negative Emotions

 

Negative emotions usually mean that we are ignoring some part of our spirit, soul or body that needs our attention. Maybe we failed to protect our self from some clueless person who inadvertently wounded our soul, maybe we are hungry and were too busy caring for others to take care of our own needs. 

 

Or maybe we filled our hours with duties and responsibilities and took no time to be in nature, or to do something that we consider to be wholesome fun. In this instance, listening to music, or creating with art, woodwork, technology, mechanics, needlework, music, etc. may help to resolve our negative feelings and to restore our positive feelings.

 

Journaling our feelings each day will show us patterns of thoughts that are fueling our feelings, and our behavior that they cause. Reading in our journal about the negative thoughts, which are affecting us, will give us an understanding of what is causing our issues at this time in our life.

 

When we receive understanding, then resolution and freedom from the tyranny of our past or our current concerns occurs. As we spend time alone with God over each troubling thought, He will help us to see His Truth about the problems bothering us; His truth is not imparted to us mind-to-mind, but by His Spirit to our spirit.

 

Merely distracting our self from our feelings is a temporary fix, but it does not deal with the underlying issues that need resolution in order to bring a total change to our emotions - from negative back to positive. Dealing with the underlying cause will change our thoughts and emotions, and our behavior follows suit.  https://www.transformationprayer.org/preparing-journey-introduction/ 

 

When God imparts His wisdom and Truth to our soul, and we follow His directives to settle the concerns bothering us, we are set free indeed (John 8:36). He helps us to see what triggers our thoughts, emotions and behavior, and how to heal our wounded soul.

 

Prayer:

Father God, help us to see that negative emotions have adverse consequences on our spirit, soul and body. You gave them to us to signal our dismay and grief in some part of the intricate system You created as our human disposition. Give us Your wisdom on how to resolve the difficulty in each situation that we experience, which will help us to find answers for future causes as well. 

 

You know us better than any living being, and You want what is best for each of us. You often use adversity and trials to allow patience to have its perfect work in us (James 1:4), and to increase our trust in You. Show us where our disturbing thoughts come from, and how to settle these issues by discovering their root and origin. We know You love us, and we love You best and foremost.

 

Thought for the Day:

Our thoughts cause our mood to waffle back and forth between a positive and negative mindset; however, God's Word gives us a thread of advice on this topic that is a sure way to filter our thoughts: to meditate only about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.

- Philippians 4:8

Communicating with God

 

God not only gave us physical ears, but when we come to Christ for salvation, He gives us spiritual ears as well. When we use our spiritual ears, we are better able to understand spiritual concepts, to hear His Spirit’s direction, and to flourish in our Christian walk.

 

Those who carefully listen will end up obeying our Lord and Master. We have ears to hear Biblical truth, and we have a heart ready to walk in His precepts. Spiritual indifference occurs when we tune out the voice of God’s Spirit, and we turn a “deaf” ear to His directives.

 

An intimate union with the Trinity of God enables us to change in increments – from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). He transforms us from a disappointing child and a discouraged carnal believer to an authentic Born Again Believer. We are in tune to every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). 

 

When we consider who God is, and what He has done for us in our personal life, our soul is filled with joy. We live in righteousness through our full devotion to His will for us, through our focus on what He means to us, and by seeking His voice each moment of our day. 

 

We find fulfillment, peace and joy that exceeds anything this world has to offer (Deuteronomy 7:12). The alternative is to forget to consult the Lord, to pursue worldly gain, and to erect carnal idols that we construct from our own personal worldview and goals, which we end up worshipping.

 

We miss out on the glorious riches that God has prepared for us, because we are not devoted to the One True God – Jesus Christ, who deserves all of our love and devotion. He is the Creator of all things, and He sustains all things by the power of His Word (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:3).

 

Prayer:

Father God, open our spiritual ears to hear what Your Spirit is saying to us. We do not want to see and hear and discern by our natural humanity, but only by the leading of Your Spirit. We want to walk in Your ways for our life and thus fulfill Your desires for our world (Ephesians 2:10). We long for more intimacy with Your Trinity within us, because we know that only Your direction is in Your perfect will for us. 

 

We can actually experience the fulfilled life that we crave in our inner being as our soul longs after You, like the deer pants for water from the brook (Psalm 42:1-2). Your laws protect us, keep us healthy and safe, and prevent us from reaping the ill effects of the humanistic choices that we would otherwise sow. We prove our love for you by keeping Your commandments (John 14:15, 21), and You deliver us from evil as You watch over us each moment of our life (Matthew 6:13).

 

Thought for the Day:

We are wise when we constrain the cacophony of noise and distractions of the world around us, and we prevent them from diverting our walk with the Lord, and limiting our ability to hear from God, who is always able to care for us. 

-       1 Peter 5:7

God's Heart is Our Home

In this world, which often frightens us, we have a hard time feeling safe, secure, peaceful and free from worries on all sorts of topics. We try to remain positive, but Satan fills our mind with negative anxieties, in hopes of debilitating us and ending our fruitfulness for God’s Kingdom.

Fear is a potent emotional response to an imagined or very real threat. It intensely effects our spirit, soul and body. God intended fear to protect us by motivating us to use caution, and to accelerate our adrenalin for a jolt of energy during emergency situations.

A problem arises with fear when it sidetracks our thoughts and controls our life. This may cause a lack of appetite, sleep, concentration, vocational success or social life, educational opportunities, or our enjoyment of life. It may also affect our health and mental wellbeing.

We may fear natural disasters, health pandemics, hidden tumors in our body, failure of the function of some bodily function, etc. There are other issues such as public speaking, taking a test, asking someone out on a date, our child’s participation in some potentially dangerous activity, etc.

Fear, anxiety, worry and other negative emotions cause us to take shallow breaths, our heart rate to increase, acid to sour our stomach, perspiration to break out on our body, our muscles to tense or to weaken, our imagination to run wild, our mood to darken, sleep to escape us, etc.

The remedy for fear is multifaceted. We start by identifying our fear, what is causing it, and sorting out the problems contributing to this emotion. We dissect these issues and look for a resolution for them. If we cannot resolve the problems, we can make a commitment to go ahead with what God’s Spirit is leading us to do, even if we are afraid. 

God’s heart is our home. He will strengthen us to do His will, and He will hold us up with His strong hand of righteousness (Isaiah 41:10). He will come to us in our plight to see us through every trial. With the Trinity of God abiding within us, we have the victory.

Therefore, we can be strong and reject fear (Isaiah 35:4, 43:1; Joshua 1:9; Psalm 34:4). Jesus left us His peace that surpasses anything this world has to offer to us (John 14:27; Matthew 6:34). God calms our emotions, gives us clarity in our thoughts, leads us by His Spirit, and comfort us with His Word

Prayer:

Father God, we live in a mixed up and chaotic culture right now, with threats all around us; yet, we have no need to be afraid, to worry, or to allow anxiety to overwhelm us, because You are with us and in us, wherever we go (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10). Thank You for giving us Your power, love, and stable mind to strengthen us during frightful circumstances (2 Timothy 1:7). 

We want to enter Your rest now and to abide there always (Hebrews 4:10). We give You our individual struggles and challenges, and we seek Your wisdom on how to navigate them successfully. Thank You for showering us with love, joy, peace, patience, comfort and wisdom during our troubling times (Galatians 5:22-23). We trust in You with our whole heart. 

Thought for the Day:

The Lord is our light, salvation, and stronghold, and we can put all of our anxieties into His faithful care; therefore, neither life, death, angels, demons, supernatural powers, current or future trials, or any other created presence can separate us from God’s love in Christ; so we have no need to fear anything that life on this planet can do to us.

-      1 Peter 5:6-7; Romans 8:38-39; Psalm 27:1

Strength for Each New Morning

Life is full of trouble and sorrow, fears and doubts, rejection and traumatic wounds to our body and soul – our thoughts, emotions and choices. Yet, God reminds us that He never, ever leaves or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). He exhorts us not to fear, because He is always with us and in us. 

God does not want us to be laden with disappointment and depression, because He is our God and He delights in helping us. In fact, He actually cradles us in His hand (Isaiah 41:10; Deuteronomy 32:39). Our Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to take our pain and bear our suffering and sorrow for us. 

The Romans pierced Him for our transgressions, He was crucified for our iniquities, and He took the punishment of our sins and gave us His peace instead. He also heals us by His own wounds (Isaiah 53:4-5; Jeremiah 30:17). It was for our benefit that He suffered so much anguish in His life (Isaiah 38:16-17).

Jesus’ suffering throughout His life should humble us to our knees, encourage us to pray without ceasing, and cause us to seek His face as we turn from our sinful ways. Then, He hears, forgives, and heals us (2 Chronicles 7:14-15; Isaiah 57:18-19). He keeps us from the pit of destruction, and He hides our sins and casts them as far away as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). 

He also gives us peace and security to enjoy (Jeremiah 33:6). God meets all of our needs according to the glorious riches of Christ in us (Philippians 4:19). He inspired the Apostle John to encourage us to enjoy good health; and for us to prosper, even as our soul prospers (3 John 1:2). 

This means that our mental and emotional capacity and well-being influence our physical health. Mental and emotional pain hurt as much, if not more than physical pain. Our Great Physician is very skilled at healing all of these maladies. 

He makes us whole and complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). His Words are life when we read and listen to them, so we hide them in our heart (Proverbs 4:20-22). Consulting the Lord as we traverse the duties of our day, makes our burdens lighter, and our success more guaranteed.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for creating us with strong emotions like cheerfulness, that are very effective medicine when life’s traumas attempt to overpower us (Proverbs 17:22). You teach us that there is a perfect time for every activity (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). It is beneficial for us to seek Your will for our life each moment of our day (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). You are always gracious to us, and we love You, and long for You. 

Our intimacy with You in our spirit and soul are the foundation of our joy and peace. You give us Your strength with each new morning, and You save us in our times of distress (Isaiah 33:2). If we confess our sins to each other, and pray together, the righteous prayers of a faithful person are powerful and effective (James 5:6). Thank You that Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we could die to the power of sin and live for Your righteousness instead (1 Peter 2:24). 

Thought for the Day:

God calls the weary and burdened to come to Him for His rest, and He offers us the opportunity to take up His yoke, so that it will be easy and light; when we yoke up with Him, His peace floods our soul, and our troubled hearts and burdened bodies heal from the inside out.

-      Matthew 11:28-30; John 14:27