God's Wisdom

In this dark and fearful world it is so hard not to hyperventilate, not to allow our mind to fry with evil possibilities happening to us or our loved ones, and not to allow Satan to overwhelm us with his lies.

One way to escape the penchant we have as humans to think of the worst case scenarios is to live in the moment. This keeps our heart and mind free from worry for our safety and provision.

If we are fine in this one moment of time, we need not worry about the next moment. If we are not fine, we can seek God's wisdom about how to deal with the negative aspects of this one moment of time (James 1:5).

When we acknowledge God first, we abide in His peace as He directs our steps (Proverbs 3:5-6). God promises that in this world we will have tribulation; but we can face it with joy, because He already overcame the world and He lives within us (John 16:33; 1 Peter 1:6).

This way Satan, the world and our human tendencies of the flesh do not control our life through desires, insecurities, anxiety and concerns; but we are submitted and totally surrendered to Christ in us.

As branches on the Vine, we receive the supply of all of our needs, and we depend upon His strength to keep us stable and productive during the storms of life (John 15:5).

As we keep our mind focused on Him, He floods each day with His peace and joy, regardless of any turmoil or suffering we experience (Isaiah 26:3). We know that everything He allows in our life is for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

The fruit of God's Spirit, the very nature of God Himself, branch out from us in all directions (Galatians 5:22-23). Our nurture and provision come from God alone, regardless of our vocation or situation in life (Roman 8:28).

Prayer:

Father God, we cast all of our cares onto Your strong shoulders, because we know from experience that You care about us (1 Peter 5:7). Sometimes, circumstances make us feel that You do not care, or that You abandoned us, but often we are causing our own grief by our choices. 

We fail to consult You or to walk in Your Spirit, and we reap the consequences of our codependency and faulty thinking. Remind us to keep track of all the times You answered our prayers. Rather than to take You and Your goodness for granted, we want to give You continual praise for all that You do for us each day. 

Help us not to get distracted by our busy life and our failure to keep our focus on You, so that we overlook the "hugs" You provide for us throughout the day.

Thought for the Day:

God's wisdom from above is unpolluted by the world, agreeable, sympathetic, pleasant, full of compassion and fruitful, unbiased and genuine. - James 3:17

A Place of Abiding

We have certain goals in life, which often turn into an idol. We live, dream and breathe these goals, neglecting everything else in our life. 

We even neglect God in the process. This does not really help us to reach our goals, however; and everything starts to unravel after a while.

These idols also cause negative emotions to rise up in our soul. We get grouchy, intolerant and frustrated. We avoid anyone who threatens our agenda. 

Negative emotions are a clue that our soul is out of balance. We are either neglecting some aspect we need, or we are pursuing the wrong goals.

When broken dreams, heart-wrenching desperation, and a loss of appetite and sleep wear us down, we finally come to the end of our own resources. 

We look beyond our human capabilities and we finally trust in the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. God is intimately acquainted with our deepest needs.

God's Spirit cleanses us and accomplishes His will in our world. He will deliver us from our self, and His Spirit will exchange our carnal nature with the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:4). 

When we make Jesus Lord, He always give us more than we could ever imagine. When we totally surrender to the work of God's Spirit in our life, we arrive at the place of abiding.

Prayer:

Father God, bring forth Your Spirit's fruit in our life until we exhibit them to the world around us, instead of the fruit of the flesh (Galatians 5:22-23, 5:19-21). 

Once we surrender our idols, which are causing us to sin, Your intimate presence fully returns to our life. Remind us not to lower Your Word to our level of experience, but to elevate Your Word as life-giving Truth.

Thought for the Day:

Temporary disappointments are not failures, but stepping-stones toward the ultimate mountain top experience of abiding in Christ.

Hopelessness

There is a common malady in today’s society, which leads many into addictions and crime. It is called hopelessness. They have tried to make something of their life and they failed at every turn; so, they turn to chemicals and theft to relieve their symptoms. Some have never heard of the hope, which Jesus Christ provides. Others have heard that Jesus makes a difference, but they do not believe it.

 

It is up to those of us, who have first-hand experience with the wonderful love of God, to share the hope we find in Christ in a gentle, informative fashion and to entreat others to trust their life to Christ too. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and He saves all those who are crushed in spirit, if we will simply call out to Him (Psalm 43:18; 147:3). 

Total surrender to God is the key to getting out of our misery. He holds us up when we fall and lifts up everyone who is discouraged. We surrender our family, our future, our worries and our desires to the love and care of God Almighty (Mark 9:23). Then, we leave them in His capable hands.

When our soul is disheartened, we put our hope in God alone (Psalm 43:5). Complete surrender to God’s will in negative circumstance is the only way to stay sane. Even through the loss of a job, spouse, child, pet, home or parent, God cares for us. We walk in obedience to His Spirit, and live victoriously moment by moment throughout the day.

We learn to trust in God and not in our bank account, friends, children, job, the government or our parents. When we take our eyes off our self and put them on Him instead, He keeps us in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). We do not fear tomorrow, because God only leads us one step at a time. We obey His Spirit, and find rest in God alone. Our only true hope comes from Him (Psalm 62:5).

Prayer:

Father God, You are my helper, so I will not be afraid (Isaiah 41:10,13-14). What can mere mortals do to me? In my distress, I cry out to You and pray to You for help. You always hear me from Your sanctuary, because my cries always reach Your ears (Psalm 18:8). Thank You that once we put our trust totally in Your miraculous love, we always find a victorious way through every negative circumstance we face (2 Corinthians 4:8; Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11).

Thought for the Day:

God gives us grace for today and hope for tomorrow. - Ecclesiastes 9:4

A Confident Life

Our God, who raised Christ from the dead, gives life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11). He also wants our soul – our mind, will and emotions - to prosper (3 John 1:2). Holiness is never obtained by outward habits, but only by an inner love relationship with our Lord. The law never sets anyone free, but simply shows us our need for a Savior (Galatians 3:24). Grace leads everyone to repentance, but not everyone responds; some cling to their pride in their humanity and reject God’s truth.

We rely on our human resources and talents to accomplish our work for the Lord. We want to do it our self and we do not want anyone to tell us what to do or how to do it. However, this attitude comes from pride, and pride always precedes ultimate failure, even if we succeed in the moment (Proverbs 16:18). God reminds us not to put our confidence in our human abilities (Proverbs 3:5-6; Philippians 3:3). Conflict is the common result of pride and it opens a door for Satan to influence the circumstances in our life (James 4:6-10; 1 Peter 5:1-10).

I used to run around breathless, because I tried to meet everyone’s needs in my human efforts. I did not follow the Spirit’s leading, and I followed my heart instead. I ended up bitter and disappointed because people sometimes resented what they considered my intrusion. We often consider human needs above the Lord’s desire for our life. We consider others better than our self, but we forget to have humility of mind in every area of life (Philippians 2:3).

Actually, in truth, the work of God is simply to believe in Jesus, whom God sent (John 6:28-29). He requires nothing else from us. God promises to guide us if we ask Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). Prayer is our greatest ally in walking in God’s will (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We respond to Him in love for what He has already done for us. We serve others only as we are lead in love by the Spirit of God (Romans 12:1,10).

There is no need for us to denigrate and deny our self in order to please God. Many false religions purport this behavior in order to prove they are worthy of God’s love. Some even use guilt and masochistic behavior to humble a person. We cannot obtain salvation or do penance for our sins by self-denial. We only become like Christ as we submit to the Spirit’s transforming work in our life (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Prayer:

We bless you, our God and Father. You comfort us in our afflictions and give us Your hope and mercy. You show us how to comfort others by Your example of comforting us. We may suffer for the name of Christ, but You comfort us through Your name (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). We hope in You and wait for Your salvation, because we have confidence that You always hear us (Micah 7:7). We exult in You, Lord, and rejoice in your salvation. You are our strength and our help (Habakkuk 3:18-19).

Thought for the Day:

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble; He knows those who trust in Him. - Nahum 1:7

Perfect Plans

Read: 2 Kings 18:11-12

“We live by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7

I used to apply human reasoning to all of my decisions, but often found myself regretting my choices. Reading God’s Word taught me that He had a perfect plan for my life. It also instructed me to learn to follow the peace of God, because His wisdom surpasses all human comprehension and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). If we take the time to listen, God gives us spiritual ears to hear God’s plans and purpose for our lives (Matthew 11:15). We can follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our thoughts, words and deeds; and, therefore, live in total serenity (Romans 6: 11-14).

As I practiced hearing God’s voice, I continued to second-guess His directions. I often fell back onto conventional wisdom rather than walking in blind faith. I had “ears to hear”, but I failed to truly listen to and trust in the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:27). I heard His still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12), but doubted what I heard. I often ended up disobeying. Then I regretted my failure to make the most of the opportunity God presented to me, and I struggled with self-pity and condemnation (John 3:3; Ephesians 4:1; Philippians 1:27).

I grieved the Holy Spirit by my disobedience and lack of faith and I had to repent and ask for God’s forgiveness (Ephesians 4:30; 1 John 1:9). When I considered the Biblical saints, I realize that some of them struggled with this too. They knew what to do but often disobeyed God, reaping the negative consequences of their actions. Yet there were other saints who dared to believe and obey the Spirit’s direction. They trusted God and their names are printed in the Hall of Faith in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews.

These saints allowed the fruit of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23) to dwell in their hearts and they exhibited the Godly Character of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith in their everyday lives. People could tell there was something different about them. They lived lives of gratitude and praise (Ephesians 5: 18-20; Colossians 3:16). The Spirit of God led them each moment of the day (Romans 8:14). I decided that I wanted to be counted among these authentic believers. Therefore, I determined to walk in the Spirit moment by moment as well.

One aspect of “walking in the Spirit” is to follow God’s Spirit as He transforms our mind into the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). The Spirit helps us to crucify our fleshly desires (Galatians 5:24) and to make us humble servants of the Most High God. Now, I pay attention to God’s voice on a moment-by-moment basis. I follow His still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12) and find direction, answers to my questions, and more ministry than I ever dreamed possible. My greatest joy will come when I stand before my Creator and I hear His joyful words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to walk in Your perfect will for my life. Help me to walk to the end of my path of light and to take that next step into the darkness in obedience to Your direction. Help me to walk by faith and not by sight (Colossians 2:5). Continue to transform my soul with the fruit of Your Spirit. Give me the tongue of the learned, so I will know the words to share that will sustain the weary. Awaken me morning by morning; awaken my spiritual ear to hear as one who learns from You (Isaiah 50:4).

Thought for the Day:

Authentic Christians live by believing the impossible is possible, rather than by believing only what we comprehend with our human senses (Philippians 4:13).

 

The Trouble with Self-reliance

Read: Joshua 7:3-4

“There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” - Joshua 1:5

Moses faithfully led the children of Israel through every step of their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. This included the forty years of aimless wandering in the wilderness, when God doomed the twelve tribes because of their sin of unbelief and their failure to obey His directive. Every person, who relied on their own understanding of the situation ahead of them, rather than trusting in God’s direction, died in the wilderness. From that entire generation, only Moses, Joshua and Caleb survived.

In the end, even Moses failed to obey. In his anger over the constant complaining of the Israelites, he struck the rock twice, instead of speaking to it as God commanded him to do (Numbers 20:8-11). After this, God anointed Joshua to assume the leadership of Israel. God also restrained Moses from reaping the reward of his work. He was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12).

As a young man, untried in the realm of full command in leadership, Joshua relied heavily on God’s direction and wisdom. God gave him repeated victories and Joshua’s confidence grew with each success. When they finally arrived at the tiny city of Ai, the scouts reported that the city had few men. Joshua felt confident that his army would come away with another victory; therefore, he failed to consult the Lord’s direction for this battle.

God did not let Joshua down, nor did He go back on His promise to give them the Promised Land, but He did not honor Joshua’s attempt at self-reliance. The army lost the battle, and the survivors came home disheveled, discouraged and defeated. We can learn lessons from the lives of both Moses and Joshua.

Success is ours, only as we rely on God for His guidance and as we walk in His ways. The key to victory is to remember the importance of trusting God and obeying His directions. God gave us His Spirit to guide our every step. No matter how insignificant the task, we can seek His counsel, walk in His strength and enjoy His success in everything we say and do. Self-reliance leads to ruin; reliance on God’s Spirit leads to success.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, seeking Your direction gives us the confidence to accomplish Your will with our lives. Remind us to rely on You every step of the way, and not to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Thought for the Day:

Failure is not a necessary ingredient when learning to succeed.

The Curse of Perfectionism

Read: Philippians 3:1-11

As a child, I rarely, if ever measured up to the expected norm. I had undiagnosed dyslexia and did everything backwards. I tried my best, but usually ended up as a big disappointment to those whose opinion meant the most to me. Whenever I dared to help someone, if I did not do it their way, I received correction; and sometimes, even criticism for a job that was less than their idea of perfect. At other times, people actually negated my efforts by doing the task over again their way.

I always looked forward to gratitude for my acts of service; but instead, I walked away wounded and rejected by the attitude and negative reaction of those in authority over me. I used to wish on the first star that came out every night that I could be a good girl, so that my mommy and daddy would love me.

As I aged, I mirrored the expectations of my parents and teachers. I was rarely happy with the efforts I made to do something. Therefore, I shied away from straying outside of my normal activities and I refused to try anything new. If I wasn’t sure that I could do a chore or activity perfectly, I did not even try at all. When my parents encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, I tried reluctantly, full of fear and insecurity. However, I was never happy with my results and I attracted people who were equally disappointed in me and with me.

In my early years as a young wife and mother, I perpetuated the codependent curse of perfectionism. I had my own way of doing things and they worked for me. They procured the results that I desired; therefore, I wanted everyone else to do things my way. I was actually perpetuating the cycle that wounded me, which caused my children to feel exactly like I felt as a child.

After God pointed out this egocentric tendency in me, I was appalled! I acted like a megalomaniac suffering from a delusional mental disorder marked by feelings of personal omnipotence and exhibiting no leniency in regard to a job done differently than I expected. What a textbook definition of the addiction to Perfectionism! With this realization, I started to recognize that there are many legitimate ways to perform a task. My way is just one of these ways. Once God revealed to me the bondage created by perfectionism, I determined to change my expectations of others and of myself. It did not take me long to break free from this bondage, once I truly understood what caused it in the first place.

There are actually a number of reasons for perfectionism. The strongest is the fear of failure, which is attached to feelings of inferiority and a lack of personal value and self-worth. Perfectionists often equate blunders with failure. However, by avoiding even the possibility of making a mistake, we miss opportunities to learn and to grow. Perfectionists view their own efforts as forever inadequate, and we fear that someone will someday find out just how flawed we are. We also fear that if we allow others to see that we are flawed, they may disapprove, criticize or reject us. Therefore, we structure our life according to endless lists of rigid regulations. The sad fact is that in the attempt to walk perfectly, we cause others to feel exactly how we are afraid of feeling. 

The remedy for perfectionism is to set healthy goals, which is quite different from the self-defeating process of perfectionism. We start to base our objectives on our own wants and desires rather than as a response to someone else’s expectations. These new goals are realistic, come from the leading of the Holy Spirit and are actually quite attainable. I am happy to admit that I am a recovering perfectionist!

Recovering perfectionists learn to take pleasure in the process of a task, rather than obsessing about the end result. As we continue to recover, we go one step further. We recognize that only by making mistakes can we learn many positive aspects about life and discover new ways of doing things. We also come to understand that pleasing God is our only requirement in life.

I am grateful that I learned this lesson while my children were still young. None of them have ever hesitated to strike out in a new direction or to challenge the status quo. They are all three fiercely independent and capable of setting and reaching their own goals. They learned to think outside of the box, to trouble shoot and to find solutions, to teach themselves what they need to know to succeed in their chosen vocations, and to help other people, me included, to reach their potential as well.

As for me, I am not as daring as they are. I still require strict parameters to feel safe. My husband is teaching me to be more flexible and to agree to act on more of a spur of the moment instead of relying on a strict list of activities and goals to reach for each new day. I still have my lists, but if I do not accomplish everything I set out to do, I can rest in the knowledge that tomorrow is another day.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to reach for the goals that You set for me each day. I want to be found in You, not having any success of my own that comes from my efforts, but only that which I achieve through faith in You. My righteousness comes from You and is mine by faith. I want to know You intimately and to experience the power of Your resurrection and the fellowship of Your suffering; so that I may become more like You every day, and eventually live with You for eternity. – Philippians 3:9-11

Thought for the Day:

I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. – Philippians 3:12b

God Keeps Life From Hurting So Much

Read: 2 Corinthians 4: 8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;”

- 2 Corinthians 4: 8

Have you ever had “one of those days”? Maybe today was not the best of days. You admit to feeling depressed. You are under great pressure, far beyond your ability to endure. Your body aches from lack of rest. Conflicts plaque you from the outside, and fears afflict you from within your soul. Possibly, you even despair of life and long for Heaven.

I’ve been in that dark state before too. I usually read my Bible before trying to go to sleep. At times like these, God always uses his Word to bring me comfort, direction and peace. 2 Corinthians 4:8 reminds me that God keeps life from hurting so much. Although life tries to press us in from all sides, it will never crush us. When life frustrates us, it will not take away our hope.

Christ in me is my hope of glory (Col 1: 27). When I bow my head in prayer and listen to God’s Spirit, He fills me to overflowing and I feel like I can soar with the eagles. Once this happens, I know that I can continue to work without growing weary. I can help others without feeling faint. As I hope in the Lord, He renews my strength (Isa 40: 31).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, although troubles surround us on every side, we are not without hope. When life gets too hard for us, You walk with us through the trials. Thank You for Your joy, which is our strength (Neh 8:10).

Thought for the Day:

Success is sweeter after we have tasted failure.