Hope in God Alone

If we look at the responsibilities of our life as a huge chunk, we will feel overwhelmed and discouraged. We may want to go back to bed and stay there until Christ returns, we may get drunk and drown our sorrows and fears, or we may vegetate in front of the TV and eat unhealthy snacks.

We end up worsening our issues because they are still there after our unsuccessful attempt to self-medicate. Life is still happening all around us. Time still marches on.

When we fully surrender our life to Christ, His Spirit moves into our spirit. The entire Trinity abides in us and empowers us to make a difference in our life and in our world.

God plants seeds for a miracle in every trial. Trouble is actually an adventure when we view it with our spiritual eyes. God makes everything, even the most horrendous issues, turn out for our good (Romans 8:28).

We just need a positive attitude and faith in His faithfulness to see God's blessings in our circumstances. A sense of humor helps as well. We can laugh in the face of Satan's calamities and even chuckle over our own failings or social blunders.

Keeping fit, eating fresh and organic foods, simplifying our life, daily reading God's Word, fellowshipping with other Saints, serving our family members and our church family and community, and walking in God's Spirit restores our body to symmetry, our soul to confidence and hope, and our spirit to strength and rejuvenation.

Think of something in your life that you can thank God for and focus on it - flowers in the garden, a rainbow in the sky, pets, children, a safe home, clothes to wear, food to eat, air to breathe, ears to hear, eyes to see, and other things that we usually take for granted.

This new focus and attitude reduces our stress, lowers physical and psychiatric drains on us and improves our optimism about life. We surround our self with spiritually minded people, activities and atmosphere. We listen to praise music and participate in praising God with every breath we breathe.

Prayer:

Father God, You are our provision, and we hope in You alone (Lamentations 3:24). We know that You will raise us from the dead and take us home with You for eternity (Acts 24:15). You justify us and give us Your peace and grace (Romans 5:1-3). When we hope in You we are never disappointed, because You show us Your plan for our life (Romans 5:5).

By the help of Your Holy Spirit, we rejoice in Your hope and are filled with Your joy and peace as we maintain our belief in You (Romans 12:12, 15:13). Even when we see nothing in our life to hope in, we eagerly and perseveringly wait in hope to see the salvation of our God (Romans 8:24-25). We look forward to our blessed hope - the glorious appearing of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13-14).

Thought for the Day:

Christ in us gives us the hope of sharing in His glory; and as He and God our Father, who love us and console us with everlasting hope and grace, always comfort our hearts and establish us in their peace, they guide us in our good words and works.

- Colossians 1:27-28; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17;
1 Peter 1:13-14; Hebrews 6:19-20, 7:19

In The Center of God's Will

To be in the center of God's will is the happiest place on earth. This may include a single life, illness, persecution, a missionary position far from home, physical handicaps, an unhappy marriage, the death of a loved one, a challenging child, or any number of other negative circumstances, which occur in life. Yet, God's love is with us and in us through each moment of every day.

God has good plans for us, even through the negative atmosphere or issues we experience in our life (Jeremiah 29:11). He always works out even the most horrendous concerns for our good (Romans 8:28). The good news is that unless we fail to walk in God's will for our life, nothing will occur, which is not already part of His plan for us (1 Thessalonians 5:16-19).

God encourages us to submit to His sanctifying work in our life (1 Thessalonians 4:3). This is how He endows us with what we need to perform His will as part of His family (Hebrews 13:21; Mark 3:34-35). He forms us into the image of Christ and gives us His Word to light up our path throughout our lifetime. He even gives His angels charge over us, so that we do not stumble or fall (Psalm 119:105; Psalm 91:11).

If we struggle to hear God's Holy Spirit, or to find His exact will in any situation, we can pause, give Him our focused attention and listen. If we ask, He promises to generously give us wisdom in every area of our life (James 1:5). By walking in God's Spirit we will silence Satan's lies and the foolish talk of ignorant people who disparage God and His people (Galatians 5:15-25; 1 Peter 2:15).

Prayer:

Father God, we put our entire trust in You with our whole heart. We refuse to listen to the vain imaginations of our mind or to rely on our human understanding in making decisions. We seek Your will for each moment of our day and we will stop, be still and wait on You for your direction for each activity, which You prompt us to do (Psalm 27:14; Psalm 46:10). We know that by seeking Your will instead of our own, we will walk on the right path throughout our life and we will please You with all of our thoughts, words and deeds (Psalm 27:11). 

Thought for the Day:

As the Holy Spirit transforms us by renewing our mind, we will be living proof of the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.

- Romans 12:2