A Good Marriage - Heartfelt Communication

 

Conversations between a couple usually improves our relationship. Many times, as the children leave home, we have nothing in common – or so we think. Going to a restaurant for pie, grocery shopping together, jointly sitting on the porch swing, etc. will facilitate times for us to chat together.

 

We can use these times to brainstorm ways we can spend more time together. Starting a hobby, short trips to local small towns, planting a garden together or picking veggies or fruit at the local gardens and orchards, walking or biking around the neighborhood, riding together to do errands, simultaneously watching a movie or sporting event on TV, etc. will give us times to connect.

 

Key actions during this time include making our mate feel special, supporting our spouse’s efforts to help us, giving each other free times with friends, doing acts of kindness for each other, sharing chores, vowing our loyalty to one another, showing respect, listening to each other’s concerns and joys, openly and honestly but kindly sharing areas we need more interaction, etc. will prove our love on a daily basis. 

 

Cuddling on the couch, giving long kisses rather than quick pecks, sharing a time of massage, sitting at the dining table with a cup of tea or coffee, eating meals together at the table and not in front of the TV, before bed taking time to chat about our day and the people we met and the activities in which we participated are more avenues for communication.

 

Supporting each other during trials rather than allowing them to rip us apart, enjoying play times together, reading God’s Word or attending church services together, sitting together during times of fellowship and shared meals with friends, reminiscing about our shared past, etc. also sets the stage for good times of communication.

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for providing us with our mate and for teaching us how to interact together to increase our unity and intimacy. The empty nest gives us a chance to reconnect with each other that we missed while caring for the demands of a family. Remind us to accept one another as we are and to admire each other’s strengths. Teach us to compliment one another regularly and to share what we do right, rather than criticizing or harping on what we are doing wrong. 

 

Help us not to have unrealistic expectations for our spouse or our marriage. We are both human, and neither of us is perfect, and there is always more than one way to do things, so remind us that we need to give each other more grace and compassion and be more accommodating toward one another. Help us to follow Your Spirit each moment of our day and to give you all the praise and glory for our life.

 

Thoughts for the Day:

Spending time with our mate and making their needs a top priority in our schedule of events during each day will increase our intimacy. Trials are opportunities to face them together and to grow closer as we share them together and learn from them. Investing more time in our relationship than in our vocation, ministry, or our own pursuits will provide great benefits now and bigger dividends for our future together.

Godly Wisdom in Trials

 

Normally, when we encounter a negative circumstance, we jump in bed and hide under the covers to avoid it, stick our head in the sand to ignore it, or go for a jog to outrun it. I used to iron every clean and wrinkled garment I could find until I depleted all my pent-up negative energy. 

 

I never considered rejoicing in adversity, but that is what God’s Word advises us to do (Philippians 4:4-8). God can recommend this alternative behavior to us because He sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He knows the results of the trials before they ever begin.

 

God recognizes and allows trials in our life in order to build our faith in His faithfulness to us (1 Corinthians 1:9). He also uses them to get us back on His straight and narrow road (Matthew 7:13-14), or to teach us a truth from His Word (John 17:16-18). God never leaves or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5), and 

 

Trials perfect and complete us when we cooperate with them. Our steadfast faith and trust in God have great value in our overall view of life and in His blessings that He continually pours out on us. He walks with us and in us through them all (1 Peter 5:10; John 16:33). 

 

Jesus and His Spirit intercede for us with words that we could never aspire to speak (Romans 8:26-39; 1 John 1:8-2:2). He comforts us so we can support each other when others face circumstances similar to those we experience (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). We also receive comfort from those who already walked in the steps we are taking, and they can share Godly wisdom with us.

 

Our paycheck, accomplishments, talents, and successes do not give us our self-worth. Only our relationship with Jesus Christ provides us with lasting value and worth. Due to God’s constant love and provision for us, we will fight our battles on our knees in prayer rather than attacking people whom we consider are unsafe or threatening (Ephesians 6:12-13).

 

The smelting fire of trials strengthens us and brings out His beauty from within us (Malachi 3:3; Ezekiel 22:18). Although the fire is hot, God’s Spirit uses trials to mold us into the image of Christ in us. We often face insurmountable odds; yet God works out each one of them for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28), and He gets the glory due to His name.

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for replacing our worry with Your peace, depression with Your joy, and hopelessness with Your faith (Galatians 2:20). You often use loss to redirect our steps into circumstances that are better than we ever imagined. We diligently seek Your face during trials (Psalm 32:8), rather than attempting to work them out with our own human resources. 

 

You are the Captain of Angel Armies (Joshua 5:14), and You win for us every battle that we face. Remind us to count it all joy when we encounter various trials (James 1:2-3), because we know that the trying of our faith produces steadfast patience, which makes us perfect, complete, and in need of nothing (James 1:3-5). Thank You for Your support for Your Saints, and for keeping us as the apple of Your eye, and in the palm of Your hand. 

 

Thoughts for the Day:

When we view negative issues with an eternal perspective, we see things in and through them that the human eye and mind cannot see or comprehend. They are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14-3:9). That which we see as impossible problems to overcome, God views as future miracles on our behalf. God always works out every issue for our good (Romans 8:28).

 

 

Choose You this Day

 

The Road to Destruction has a very wide gate, and the road is very active with many travelers. There is unlimited liberty, and no restrictions on this path. The stops along the way cater to the sensual desires, passions, and appetites of humanity. 

 

It is easy to follow our deceptive and desperately wicked heart on this road (Jeremiah 17:9), to seek only those things we can prove with our human senses, and to flow with the crowd (1 John 3:4-24). However, everyone on the broad road will perish in ruin and eternal death.

 

This is caused by our own choices and unbelief in Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16-18). Many personally reject God’s free gift of eternal salvation (John 3:18; 2 Thessalonians 1:9). Satan is as deceptive now as he was with Adam and Eve. 

 

Our lofty opinion of our self is in need of an adjustment (Luke 1:51-52; Isaiah 57:15; Daniel 4:37). The only salvation from this dire situation is to accept the conversion and redemption freely offered to us by Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:23; James 1:18; John 3:3-5; Titus 3:5). He is the door to the narrow road, our Savior, Lord, and King.

 

When we call on Him, He opens the gate and helps us to find the narrow road to eternal renewal and godliness (1 Samuel 14:4). God is honest and wants only our best in our present life and in eternity (Jeremiah 29:11). He provides us with the way through Jesus to pass from the field of sin to the verdant pasture of His grace (Psalm 23:1-2).

 

We choose each day whom we will serve. On the narrow road, we receive new life (John 3:3-5), a new heart and spirit (Ezekiel 18:31), and a new worldview, goals, and motivation (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Romans 2:28). We no longer pursue corrupt habits, customs, and desires (1 Cor 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5-6; 1 John 3:4-8). 

 

There is spiritual warfare on this narrow road, but greater is Christ within us than Satan, who is the father of lies (1 John 4:4; John 8:44), and the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). God calls us to humble our self and to personify a little child’s innocence and trust in Him (Matthew 18:2-4). 

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for strengthening our inner soul so we can believe in You, totally surrender to Your will and ways, and trust in You with our whole heart (Ephesians 3:16). We pray that You will do this same thing for those in our family and circle of friends before it is too late for them to make this decision (Matthew 25:10). 

 

Jesus calls us to deny our sinful desires, to leave the ideals of this world in our past, and to embrace Your principles with our whole heart (Mark 10:25). You said Jesus’ coming again will be the same as in the days of Noah, when everyone scoffed and only Noah’s family got aboard the Ark before You closed the door (Matthew 24:37-39; Genesis 7:16). Thank You for leading us to Your saving grace. We live to give You praises day and night.

 

Thoughts for the Day:

Rather than follow the crowd on the broad road to an eternity in hell, we can reject the worldly philosophy they espouse and join the few who enter through Jesus, the narrow gate, and travel on the narrow road. We will find comfort in the eternal arms of our Lord Jesus, as well as eternal fellowship with all the Saints who preceded us to His throne.

 

Increasing Intimacy with God

 

The Word of God is given to us by His inspiration and is helpful to us for hope, peace, correction, encouragement, and instruction in how to adopt God’s principles as our own (2 Timothy 3:16). His Word divides our soul from our spirit, and it discerns our thoughts and the intents of our heart (Hebrews 4:12).

 

The Bible is a light that guides our feet through this uncertain world in which we live. As a lamp, it keeps us from stumbling on rocky terrain (Psalm 119:105). God’s Son is the embodiment of the Word of God, and He dwelt with God forever as a part of the Trinity of God (John 1:1). However, born in a stable in human form as Jesus, He came to redeem the whole world to Himself (John 3:16-18).

 

God loves those who diligently seek His face and who show our love to Him by keeping His commandments (Proverbs 8:17). We submit our self to Him, resist satanic forces that come against us, and watch the devil flee from us (James 4:7; Psalm 119:10). God has thoughts of peace for us, which keep us from evil (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

 

If we resume giving in to temptations, we are not converted, and we do not have a personal relationship with Him and have no experiential knowledge of who He is and all that He means to us (1 John 3:6). If we continually abide in Him, we will flee from sin’s temptation.

 

God’s ways are greater than our ways (Isaiah 55:8). We may get angry or insulted when He does not answer a prayer as we request and expect, but that is unnecessary because He always gives us something better than we can ever imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). He writes His laws on our heart of flesh, and He makes us part of His adopted family (Jeremiah 31:33-34).

 

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that walking away from our sins and simplifying our life increases our intimate unity with You and provides us with an eternal perspective and satisfaction with our life. You desire for us to fully sanctify every part of our body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Show us that our complete surrender to Your Spirit of every part of our self - from our past, present, and future - is necessary for this to happen.

 

Thank You for revealing to us that fully surrendering our thoughts, emotions, choices, and actions to You brings satisfaction and fulfillment to our life. Help us to realize that we do not have to express deep emotion to fully surrender, but simply make an honest and free-will, deliberate decision to submit to the inner sanctification of Your Spirit. Help us to see that the key to increasing our intimacy with You is to continually turn the reigns and rule of our life over to You.

 

Thoughts for the Day:

There are troubling memories that cause us to maintain our control and to feel a lack of trust toward anyone other than our self. God helps us to face these issues and to heal in these areas because we know that our true freedom and safety in life comes from Him alone. The freedom we gain, and the intimacy in our union with God’s Trinity increases as we surrender and heal in each of these areas.

 

 

 

Patience and Endurance

 

The longer we serve the Lord, the more we learn to embrace patience and endurance and to allow them to perfect our soul – our thoughts, emotions, and choices (Galatians 5:22-23). We draw from God’s steadfast love and find solutions to our problems close at hand, which supply us with hope in the midst of our suffering (Romans 5:3-4).

 

We encounter trials for two reasons:

1.  We are reaping the result of the carnality that we sowed 

(Galatians 6:7-9).

2.  God is proving His love for us by influencing the outcome of the trial for our benefit, which increases our faith and strengthens our commitment to Him.

 

God walks in us and with us through every trial we experience. We learn lessons and perseverance through all of them because of God’s grace. We discover how to avoid future issues because of these lessons that we learn. Our trust in the Lord increases, even if it takes years for Him to guide us out of the problems we face. 

 

There are many examples in the Bible of how God allowed His Saints to wait on His timing and way, for the fulfillment of His promise to them. These biblically recorded and God-inspired words help us to keep an eternal perspective in our times of earthly travail. 

 

When God is our single focus, we rise above our trial, learn to rejoice always, and to find the joy even in the middle of the worse tribulation of our life. We can always find someone else whose trial is more devastating than ours. We are spoiled Americans, but most of the rest of the world is in constant need and tribulation.

 

Prayer:

Father God, You are not in a hurry to change our circumstances, because You do not live in time as we do. To You, 1000 years is only one day (2 Peter 3:8), and You always work out everything for our good (Romans 8:28; James 1:12). This prolonged time of waiting on You gives us more strength and compassion for our self and others.

 

Waiting on You removes our preconceived ideas created by our former devotion to both our earthly pursuits and our overly busy schedule. Our one desire is to abide in Your will for our life. Thank You for teaching us how to escape the bonds of sin and suffering, by praising You for and in anything we experience this side of heaven.

 

Thoughts for the Day:

I love to write, so I adopted the idea of journaling the issues that I face. This helps me to see them more plainly, to clear my mind of their nagging influence, and to have a record of when God answered those prayers for me. I write these issues on slips of paper, and I keep them in a heart-shaped box. This helps me to remember that I placed my concerns in the heart of God for Him to provide for me through them all. Therefore, when thoughts of them arise, I say, “I already put that matter in the heart of God, and I know without a doubt that He has it in His control.”

Freedom from Sin

 

God buries us with Christ in baptism and He raises us by His glory from having a spirit dead in sin so we can walk as a new creation with a new life (Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17). If we continue to walk in our carnal nature, we will die, but if we allow God’s Spirit to put our sinful lifestyle to death, we will live with Him for eternity (Romans 8:13).

 

Jesus suffered for us in His body and soul, and He calls us to have this same mind in us. If we suffer in the flesh, sin no longer has dominion over us, because there is no appeal in our soul to partake in those practices any longer. Now, we live for the will of God rather than human passions (1 Peter 4:1-2; Hebrews 10:36).

 

We are crucified with Jesus, and the life we now live in this body of flesh, we live through Jesus who lives in us. His faith sustains us, and He loved us enough to sacrifice His life for us. Our body is now the temple of God’s Spirit, and we are bought with the price of Jesus’ torture and cruel death (Galatians 2:20-21; Romans 12:1-2).

 

We honor God with our thoughts, words, and deeds. We have nothing to fear, and nothing that will cause us discouragement, because He is now our God. He calls us to daily follow Him and to die to our flesh (Luke 9:23). He strengthens us, helps us, and holds us up with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). 

 

A seed dies in the earth prior to bearing fruit (John 12:24). That is one benefit of us dying to our flesh. We reap fewer negative effects from our choices. We do not use the grace of God as an excuse to sin, because we will reap whatever we sow into our life. He baptized and buried us into His death. We look forward to our resurrection in Him as well (Romans 6: 1-23).

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for Your free gift of eternal life through Jesus’ sacrifices for us (Romans 6:23; John 3:16-18). Thank You also that Jesus bore our sins in his body on Calvary’s cross so we may die to sin and live in His righteousness. His wounds healed us in body, soul, and spirit (1 Peter 2:24). Remind us that we now live for Christ, and we gain access to Your Heavenly Kingdom when we die to our human desires (Philippians 1:21).

 

Thank You for Your encouragement in Your Word, the comfort from Your love, the fullness of Your Holy Spirit within us, and for Your compassion and affection (Philippians 2:1-30). We want our desires to decrease so You can increase within us (John 3:30). Help us to realize that by attempting to control our own life, we will lose it; but by living each moment in Your control, we save our life from many trials and eternal death and torment. We praise You with our whole heart and trust in You alone (Luke 9:23-24).

 

Thoughts for the Day:

We know that if we accept that we are sinners, believe that Jesus is our Savior, and confess our sins to Him, we will also live with Christ in us as He works through us (2 Timothy 2:11). Our goal in life as converted Believers is to stop living for the fulfillment of our human passions, and to focus on living in the very center of God’s will for each of us. Living in the will of God is the happiest place on earth (1 Peter 4:1-11; Ephesians 2:8-10).

A Good Marriage - Keeping Love Alive

 

The initial feelings of love we have for one another are deep and they inspire us to get engaged and then get married. This love is giddy at times, creates a deep attraction between us, and causes us to cling to one another more than to anyone else.

 

Feelings of love in our marriage change over the years, and this may confuse us, discourage us, and cause our heart to wander. If we focus on our differences, failings, and the little irritable habits our spouse exhibits, our love may fade all together. Embracing the changes is the only way to adjust our focus about these issues.

 

As we focus on each other’s strengths, rather than our weaknesses, love grows into respect, trust, shared moments, and a history that we are writing together. A wise couple will plan times to grow together, not apart. If we forsake our marriage for another relationship, we will experience similar issues in our second marriage.

 

One fault in marriages occurs when our spouse blames us for whatever goes wrong. Some people cannot admit they made a mistake or caused a negative vibe in our relationship because they are deeply wounded and already feel like a failure. However, taking responsibility and apologizing for our negative words and actions shows we are sincerely sorry for them.

 

It is the continual, small gestures that mean so much to our spouse. If we take the time to find out each other’s “love language,” we can plan events and actions that will cause them to feel loved, seen, cared about, and that they really matter to us. This strategy forms a lasting love between spouses.

- https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-language  

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for reminding us that expressing inflammatory topics, or pushing the triggers in our spouse that we know will hurt or upset them is not showing love. Our marriage is not a competition, but a team effort. Teach us that praying together for Your will in every decision we make is a key to keeping our relationship close and vital. We prefer each other and never insist on our own way.

 

Help us to refrain from judging one another or criticizing or dismissing our mate’s feelings, thoughts, and efforts in life. If a topic or choice is important to our mate, show us how not to belittle or overlook it because we see no value in it, but to take it seriously and make this a priority in our schedule too. We want to continue to share the unconditional love You have for us with one another each and every day.

 

Thoughts for the Day:

Activities and gestures that show love to one another:

1.  Place love notes in obvious places at home, work, suitcase, and the book they are reading. Post-It notes, love letters, and lipstick on the mirror are all good mediums for this.

2.  Send encouraging emails or texts at times during the week.

3.  Fixing our spouse’s favorite food, dessert, snack.

4.  Helping with household and outside chores. 

5.  Cooking or baking together, watching a favorite TV show, movie or sport broadcast together is also endearing. 

6.  Showing appreciation throughout the years by continuing to say “thank you” for what our spouse does for us, rather than taking them for granted.

7.  Giving extra attention or creating memories to cherish for our lifetime together encourages longevity and vitality in our marriage.

 

 

Overcoming Debilitating Depression

 

A melancholy personality is the perfect breeding ground for depression. We do not even need a reason for feeling depressed. It is simply part of our hormonal make-up. We are melodramatic, pessimistic, and easily distressed and anxious. We tend to surrender to the negativity of our circumstances and fear the worse. 

 

Depression may try to overwhelm us for no good reason at all. We have other habits that fuel these negative emotions. Insomnia, stress, a carb-loaded diet, excessive busyness, etc. These will all increase our depression. Yet, mild and fun exercises, eating a diet of whole foods, staying active, playing with family and friends will all help to alleviate our grief or sadness.

 

When we are in turmoil in our soul, our only truly healing hope comes from God. If we place our hope in things or people in this world, we will be very disappointed, because people rarely live up to our expectations. They are human too, after all. Praising God in every circumstance is our best cure (Psalm 42:11).

 

God’s love gives us great joy and encouragement in our times of loss and grief. We can share these same attributes with our Christian family who live all over the world (Philemon 1:7). When we see Jesus face-to-face, we will rejoice, and no one can ever take away our joy (John 16:22).

 

However, it is possible for us to choose to give our joy away. It is very tempting to dwell on our problems. This will lead us to find someone to blame, something about which to complain, and tempt us to meditate on our issues rather than on the solutions. Our only hope is to pray without ceasing and to cooperate with God’s Spirit as He sanctifies us with His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). 

 

We trust in the salvation that comes only from God. He gives us courage in place of our discouragement, He surrounds us with His safety when our enemies attempt to destroy us, we worship Him with shouts of joy, and we sing and make music to Him – even if it is just in our heart (Psalm 27:6; Isaiah 35:10).

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You that there is never a moment of time that Your Spirit is not in us, with us, and all around us. Your courage gives us the commitment to keep on keeping on, and to perform Your will for us each and every day. Your Kingdom is full of Jesus’ righteousness, as well as peace, and joy which all come from Your Holy Spirit within us (Romans 14:17). You are always loving us and surrounding us with Your provision, protection, presence, and providence.

 

Remind us that we may weep for a time, but Your joy sustains us with the dawn of every day (Psalm 30:5). Teach us that focusing on Jesus, being creative, and helping other people as Your Spirit directs us will help us to drive away depression. Jesus set the example for us of fixing our eyes on the crown of life awaiting us in Heaven (Hebrews 12:2). He helps us to focus on the positive in our life, which diminishes the hold that negative circumstances have on our soul, body, and spirit.

 

Thoughts for the Day:

On days when we are weary and heavily burdened, God is still in us and with us filling us with His joy, supporting us with His strength, and loving us through His intimate union within us. The more of our busyness we carve out of our schedule, the more time we have to focus on Christ in us – our hope of glory now and for eternity.

 

Believing Lies

 

God’s Word advises us to avoid people who create division and obstacles that cause us to reject Biblical truth (Romans 16:17-18). It also instructs us to pray for people who lie about us, hate us, and attack us without cause, even when we show nothing but love for them (Psalm 109:2-4). 

 

There is a real chance, especially in today’s society that we may fall into deception by empty philosophies and deceit, living according to human tradition, and following worldly spirits that deny the deity of Jesus and the truth of God’s Word (Colossians 2:8). 

 

Many people today trust in deceptive words and live a life of unbelief in Jesus as their Christ. They will reap eternal destruction John 3:16-18). They live according to their desires and reap an existence of pain and trials (Jeremiah 7:8). 

 

However, a favorite Bible verse for Believers advises us to trust only in the Lord with our whole heart, not to lean on our own human reasoning, to consult the Lord before making any decisions, and to trust that He will lead us on His straight and narrow path (Proverbs 3:5-6).

 

True Believers reject lofty arguments and opinions that are contrary to God’s Word. We keep a reign on our thoughts and center them only in scripture (2 Corinthians 10:5). This prevents our delusion by deceptive lies by false teachers that desire to lead us astray (Colossians 2:4). 

 

We refuse to sin with our thoughts, words, and deeds or to be side-tracked by human pride and rebellion because we are convicted that only God rules over the whole earth (Psalm 59:12-13; Isaiah 54:16-17). He gives a heritage of power and strength to His adopted children and vindicates our cause (Isaiah 54:16-17). 

 

Prayer:

Father God, show us that deceptive and vain philosophies are creeping into modern church life and taught by false teachers who claim to be true Believers. They follow Satan who disguises himself as an angel of light and convinces them through empty deceit to believe they are servants of righteousness. However, they choose the wide road that leads to destruction and attempt to influence others to follow them (2 Corinthians 11:12-15; Matthew 16:6).

 

Help us to teach only Your truth, to live in unity with other authentic Born Again Believers, and to proclaim Your Biblical as we exhibit Your love from a tender heart and humble mind, even when we encounter a false teacher or those who follow their doctrine (1 Peter 3:8). Keep us under the shadow of Your wings so we can run the race set before us without being hindered from obeying Your truth. We do not want to follow the philosophies of the world of demonic lies (Galatians 5:7-9; Psalm 57:1, 91:4).

 

Thoughts for Today:

The lawless one is soon coming by the power of satanic forces. He will have the ability to create false signs and wonders that will deceive those who will not put their full trust in God and refuse His free gift of salvation. They have pleasure in ungodly pursuits. However, true salvation only comes by believing God’s Truth and pursuing sanctification of our thoughts, emotions, and deeds by God’s Spirit.

- 2 Thessalonians 2:9-13

 

Healing in His Wings

 

Chronic inflammation, even a low-grade amount, will silently kill us over the years – destroying our organs a few at a time. This deadly intruder gets worse as our body fails us and inflammation becomes even more of a problem. Changing our usual habits, foods we eat, chemicals we allow in or on our body and home, etc. will help us to combat these dire predictions.

 

Another healing ingredient is more emotional and spiritual than physical. It is packaged in the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God, and it changes our entire outlook on life. Hope is a powerful protector against life-threatening illnesses. We find healing joy and comfort as we snuggle under our Heavenly Father’s wings (Psalm 16:11, 63:7; Malachi 4:2).

 

We are so used to hopelessness in this earthly life, that it is hard to change our focus to hoping in God regardless of our circumstances. We increase our serenity in life by giving daily attention to the positive moments provided for us by a loving God. 

 

Doctors are paid to prolong our life, but God gives us a quality of life that is better than suffering through man-made chemicals created to prolong our life. The medications, accompanied by physical suffering and bodily degradation, often make us miserable and unable to enjoy our remaining days with family and friends. 

 

We do not need to prolong our life on this earth by countless medications and surgeries, but we can faithfully slip into the presence of our Almighty God when He is ready to take us home (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). An eternity in Heaven awaits us and is only a sincerely repentant prayer away.

 

Insurmountable events are no longer mountainous paths because God levels our paths for us (Isaiah 26:7; Proverbs 4:26). We do not fear or focus on possible negative scenarios, but we put our trust in God’s divine providence, timing, and ways (Proverbs 3:5-6). We trade our unrealistic expectations for God’s will for each moment of our day.

 

Prayer:

Father God, hoping in You alone provides us with well-being in our body, soul, and spirit. We rest in You and give You a heartfelt thanks for the circumstances in our life – the negative issues as well as the positive ones. We know that everything works out for our good when You are involved (Romans 8:28). We long to be acceptable to You in all our words and ways (2 Corinthians 5:9).

 

A positive, trusting attitude that is centered on You often causes our pain and emotional stress to subside. Grief holds no contest with Your ability to lift our heart in the midst of our loss, trauma, and sorrow. We may miss what we once had, but You always provide such an awesome new chapter for our life. Teach us to live in the present, rather than to grieve or feel shame over our past, or to fear the unknown aspects of our future.

 

Thoughts for the Day:

In Christ, we have refuge even in death. We take our last breath on earth and experience our very next breath with the Lord in Heaven. When we serve God, He honors us with the fruit of our labors. When we leave our earthly body behind and immediately enter the physical presence of our Lord, we are filled with satisfaction and joy in His company.

- Proverbs 14:32; John 12:26; Philippians 1:23; Psalm 17:15

 

 

 

 

 

 

Becoming

 

Since becoming a Believer at age 18, I slowly learned the Bible excerpts about great events that occurred in those days. As a Catholic, I learned about Catholic doctrine; but at that time, we were discouraged from reading the Bible, and the events in it were never taught to us as children. 

 

I had no idea about Jonah and the whale, or crossing the Jordan River or the Red Sea on dry land, or Noah and the Ark, or Jesus feeding the multitude of thousands of men, women, and children from a little boy’s meager lunch, etc. 

 

My friend, George Joyner, bought me a large, complete, children’s Bible to use in an after-school Bible Club, and I avidly read it from cover-to-cover in just a few days. I never before heard about Enoch walking with God, and him going home to Heaven after one of those walks; but once I did, I wanted that to happen to me. 

 

I am still, after over 50 years of living since I first read about this event, look forward to going home with Jesus. This makes me wonder if some of the approximately 500,000 to 700,000 cases of missing persons each year in the USA alone had this same intimate relationship with God that Enoch enjoyed.

 

Last night in Bible study, we talked about Enoch, who was in the seventh generation from Adam and Eve. He walked with God and "was not." That means, he suddenly disappeared from the earth. Enoch was Noah's forefather, and he prophesied about the great flood that God would send to purge the earth of all unbelievers. 

 

Noah believed his ancestor’s words and obeyed when God prompted him to build the Ark. Unfortunately, after 120 years of Noah preaching and building the Ark, the only believers were Noah and his family. I believe in Jesus as our only door to salvation and I reap the benefits of faith in Him.

 

If God still has work for me to do on this earth, I willingly wake up each morning to serve; but hopefully, the rapture of the Church is coming soon. God promised not to ever flood the earth again, but the prophets tell us that the last purging will come in the "last days" and it will be of fire (Matthew 3:12). 

 

Do the constant fires around the globe tell us that God is warning us of this coming judgment? The wise will heed God’s warning and run to Jesus Christ in prayer for forgiveness and salvation, as wells as to begin a wondrous intimate relationship with Him that increases daily and also lasts more than a lifetime. 

 

Prayer:

Father God, Your Holy Spirit sanctifies us more with the mind of Christ each and every day (Philippians 2:5). What a wonderful life we live when we submit to Your Holy Spirit, are guided by Your peace in every decision that we make, and pray without ceasing as we sing melodies in our heart to You (Ephesians 5:19). You make all things new for us even now in our aging body, soul, and spirit. We look forward to Your plans for our life, not only on this earth, but in eternity as well.

 

Your Word tells us that our human eyes have never seen, nor are we capable of imagining, nor has it ever entered our heart to hope for the extreme blessings You have stored up for us in eternity (1 Corinthians 2:9). We thank You so much for loving us, healing us in spirit and soul and body, sending Jesus to die in our place to pay the penalty for our sins, and for preparing the new heaven and earth for us to enjoy in eternity.

 

Thoughts for the Day:

Will global warming be the catalyst for this last prophesied purging by fire, or nuclear bombs, or an assault on the earth by comets and/or meteors that do not miss the earth, but actually all hit us at one time? Only God knows the means and methods, but His Word warns us of this coming event. The wise will heed these words, as well as current events that fulfill Bible prophecy, and they will turn now to Jesus Christ in repentance and whole-hearted belief. 

Sharing the Same Brain

 

Is it possible for a couple to share the same brain? From the very beginning of my relationship with my husband – over 25 years ago - one of us would be thinking about a topic, and the other of us would start talking about it at that same moment. 

 

When my former husband decided there was no option for us but divorce, I asked the Lord for a new husband that was just like my younger son – he finishes my sentences for me. God gave that to me and more in my husband, Kevin. I am both mystified and blessed beyond words because of this.

 

We met by “chance” – or as I like to say, by “divine appointment” – at Books-a-Million bookstore. Our paths crossed, and I smiled and said, “Hello” – which I always do with those people that make eye contact with me at the grocery, thrift store, or out in a public place. I feel God directing me to make a connection to these people as an encouragement that “I see them”.

 

When I write a post for my blog, it turns out that Kevin’s sermon carries some of the same truths, even though we never talk about it. When one of us has an idea or problem that we bring up during our daily “chatting” times together, it is often one that the other of us has been contemplating also. It seems like we can read each other’s mind.

 

Of course, this occurs more because we share the same Holy Spirit than the same brain, and God is often speaking to us about a similar issue at the same time. His Holy Spirit is perfecting us and sanctifying our soul more with each new day, and we are sensitive to His voice.

 

God’s Spirit replaces our negative personality traits with His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), and makes us more holy, as well as more wholly His each moment of the day. Our maturing intimate spiritual union with God provides us with a more spirit-led life and with more fulfillment, joy, peace, love, and strength.

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for Your constant presence in our life, and Your Holy Spirit’s direction for each moment in it. We often experience negative events in our life that make us weary or overtake us when we are not prepared. They teach us to live, move, and have our being totally in You (Acts 17:28). Thank you that my “wake-up” call came when my former husband informed me there was no option for us but divorce.

 

To say that I was totally shocked is an understatement. However, You teach us to find joy, even in the most trying difficulty; because when we pray with gratitude in our heart, surrender to Your will, and have faith in Your faithfulness, You lead us to the next chapter in our life, and You guard our heart and mind through Christ in the most miraculous ways (Philippians 4:4-7).

 

Thoughts for the Day:

My former boss introduced me to the thought that God did not design marriage to provide contentment for two unfulfilled people. According to His design, two completed individuals marry and enhance life for one another. When two content people also enjoy an intimate personal relationship with God as our living Lord, they become one and live in a reciprocal, mutually satisfying, interdependent relationship with one another.

  

God’s Handiwork

 

We are God’s workmanship. How do we miss this truth? God created good works for us to do BEFORE we were ever born (Ephesians 1:4, 2:10). So, why do we insist on living according to our human understanding instead of by His Spirit's direction every moment of the day? (Deuteronomy 32:6) 

 

Life is SO MUCH easier and more fulfilling when we follow God’s peace in our spirit instead of our to-do lists and our own goals and direction. It just takes practice to wait on the Lord as we focus on Him abiding in our spirit, listen to His guidance, and walk in the direction of His peace from within us.

 

If we have a vocation that is very demanding, we can still follow God’s peace in deciding what to do in this next moment of time. We do everything for His glory; even the most mundane things like what we eat and drink (1 Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 4:24). Those who are called by His name and created for His glory drink in His peace all day long (Isaiah 43:7).

 

As we wait on the Lord, He creates a clean heart in us and renews a holy and righteous spirit in us (Psalm 51:10). We are a new creation (Galatians 6:15; 2 Corinthians 5:17). We serve in the ministry to which He calls us (Ephesians 1:1). When people observe our words and behavior, they admire His handiwork in our life (Isaiah 29:23). 

 

God made us and we had nothing to do with it. We are His people and the sheep of His pastures (Psalm 100:3). He perfects everything that pertains to our life as we totally surrender to His care. His mercy endures forever and is new for us each new morning (Psalm 138:8). He never forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5).

 

With Christ abiding in us and surrounding us, we can let His light shine from within us so others will see our good works and glorify our Father God in Heaven (Matthew 5:16). His grace abounds in us and provides us with sufficient means to live victoriously and abundantly as we carry out the good works, which He planned for us to accomplish (2 Corinthians 9:8).

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for choosing us before the foundation of the world according to Your foreknowledge (1 Peter 1:2), and for sending Christ to pay our sin debt and to abide within us. This allows us to live a holy life before You without guilt and full of Your love (Ephesians 1:4; Romans 8:29). You rescued us from the slavery of walking in step with our flesh, this corrupt world, and the lies of satanic forces (Ephesians 2:2). 

 

You gave us the opportunity to walk worthy of the vocation to which You call us (Ephesians 4:1; Deuteronomy 5:33). Once we accept Jesus’ divine life in us by repentance of our sins and trusting in You alone, You make us who and what we are (Romans 1:20). We so enjoy living as wholly and absolutely Your adopted children as we carry out the good works You created us to perform (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:15; 2 Timothy 2:14)

 

Thoughts for the Day:

Living in the center of God’s will for us takes the guess work out of life and provides us with a more secure foundation on which He builds our life for us. Everything good about us is the result of His work in our life and the new birth He provided for our soul. We walk in His Spirit as an habitual theme for our life (Titus 2:11,14).

 

 

A Good Marriage - Euphoria

 

The euphoric, butterfly-in-the-tummy feelings of love that many people experience when in another’s presence does not last every moment of every day. If we make a marriage decision based on these feelings or even on the lack of them, we may wake up one day and realize we made a huge mistake.

 

Circumstances often stand in our way and whittle away on those euphoric emotions until they are diminished or totally gone. Then, we have a choice to live according to our commitment to each other and to embrace our differences as we formerly embraced our similarities, or to dissolve the relationship.

 

Sometimes our initial relationship “looks good on paper,” so we make a commitment, but the “fizz” is just not there. Over time we get bored and start to wonder if we would be happier with someone else. Again, we are faced with a monumental decision.

 

God is not in favor of divorce. It demoralizes all our friends, neighbors, community, church family, as well as our family unit and the extended families on both sides. This event makes a huge negative impact on the inner being of all these people and on ours as well, and it lasts for the rest of our life.

 

Rather than divorcing, we can make a conscious choice to love our mate unconditionally. Through this dedication and respect, we become best friends with our mate and enjoy the times we do have together. We focus on common ground instead of our differences, and on one another’s strengths instead of the weaknesses.

 

We also give each other space, play together, have daily times for relaxation to chat, etc. God’s Spirit is a great source to give us ideas pertaining to meeting our mate’s needs. We can also trust God to help us to provide for our own unmet needs or to rely on our relationship with Him to fill in the gaps.

 

Love does not rely on a feeling because it is an action (1 Corinthians 13:1-8). We love one another by doing things for each other to make life easier, to spend time together, to bless the other with a surprise gift now and then, to give our mate verbal affirmation, etc. 

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for showing us in Your Word that our words are powerful tools either for encouraging our spouse, or as lethal weapons of destruction (Proverbs 18:21). In an impasse, remind us that You have a perfect will for this issue or activity in our life. Rather than insisting on our own way, we need to seek You together in order to find Your solution for the problem. 

 

Remind us that if we are willing as a couple to humble our self and prefer one another on a daily basis, a happy long-range marriage is possible (Romans 12:10). Teach us to ask our spouse how we can make their day better, or what we can do to help them to feel loved. We love You and lift You up as Lord and Savior of our life and our marriage.

 

Thoughts for the Day:

As the popular song recommends, "The road is shorter when we meet in the middle." Rather than focusing on our own needs to the exclusion of our mate's needs, we ask God to help us to look at the issue from a third perspective. We pray and brainstorm together about the problem or need until God shows us a solution that is agreeable to both of us. Rather than our Plan A, or our spouse's Plan B, we can pray and agree on a Plan C that we both feel good about.