God is in Control - Daily Stress and the Terrors of Life

 

 

Fear comes from imagined or real stress and trials. In God's perfect love, there is no room for fear. His love drives out our fear, because He makes us perfect in His love (1 John 4:18).

God gives us His power, His love and a stable thought life (2 Timothy 1:7). When anxiety threatens to overcome us, His comfort brings joy to our soul (Psalm 94:19).

God calls us by name and redeems us, because we are His children (Isaiah 43:1). He sends His children to cheer our anxious heart with a kind word, so that we do not get too discouraged or weighed down (Proverbs 12:25).

We can even walk through the valley of the shadow of death without fear, because He is with us and comforts us with His guidance and protection (Psalm 23:4).

There is no need for us to succumb to the terror of this life or to allow it to discourage us, because God is with us no matter where we go, and He is coming to our rescue (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 35:4).

He has our tomorrows in His hand so there is no need to worry about the future. In fact, today has enough trouble without borrowing concerns over the future to add to them (Matthew 6:34).

As we live humbly before God, His mighty hand lifts us up in His own good time. We can leave all of our concerns with Him, because He absolutely cares about every aspect of our life (1 Peter 5:6-7).

Prayer:

Father God, Jesus gave us Your guarantee by promising that we do not have to worry about our life or any aspects of our needs. Remind us that we cannot add one single blessing to our life by worrying, but worry will shorten our life and impede our health if we succumb to it (Luke 12:22-26). You promised to care for us as You do the birds and the flowers.

You are the light of our salvation and our glory and the lifter of our head. We have nothing to fear in life (Psalm 27:1). Every trial is an adventure, and You plant a seed for a miracle in each one of them. We give all of our cares to You, because You sustain us through the good times of life as well as the bad, and there is nothing to fear; You will never allow us to fall (Psalm 55:22; Mark 6:50).

Thought for the Day:

God is our Lord and Redeemer, and He takes hold of our right hand to lift us up, help us, guide us and protect us through the issues of life. - Isaiah 41:13-14

Our Personal Story

From the moment of our conception, a multitude of experiences influence the story of our life. Our significant others, birth order, nurture and nature all play a part in how we view our self as we mature. 

In every traumatic circumstance, Satan plants his lies, which weaken our concept of who we are and what we are meant to do as adults. He cripples us with self-doubt, fears and insecurities. 

Negative issues, spoiled plans or broken relationships color our view of life and may give us a pessimistic attitude, as well as unrestrained or reclusive behavior. 

In adulthood, we rely on the stories we built up in our mind about our self, more than we rely on the story, which God wrote for our life before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139:13). 

We can change our life by living God's story for us, rather than one of our own making. In God's story for us, His presence gives us hope (Colossians 1:27), and His Spirit guides us each moment of our day (John 16:7, 14:26; Acts 1:5). 

As we walk in the Spirit, we do not follow rules, ritualism or regulations, we live in a reciprocal relationship with God and obey His Word and Spirit (Galatians 5:15-25; John 14:15). 

We cooperate as the Holy Spirit replaces our old, carnal nature with His fruit; and we learn to depend more on God than the stock market, our employer or the sales at the supermarket (Galatians 5:22-23; Proverbs 3:5-6). 

We experience one divine appointment after another, even if we do not realize it. God uses our smile, a kind word, a helping hand, a bouquet of flowers or an interested question to change another person's life.

We are just the nudge they needed to change their mind and question their plans. We will never know until eternity how God uses us through each moment of our life. 

Prayer: Father God, thank You for our salvation through Christ's sacrifice on Calvary's cross. We appreciate Your plans for our life, and we want to live by Your Spirit each moment of our day. 

Remind us not to depend on our self or to make our plans, but to depend on You and to decrease so that You can increase within us (John 3:30). 

Heal us from the lies, which the devil uses to control our thoughts, words and deeds. Help us to walk in Your Truth and to live out Your story for our individual lives as members of Your Body, Your Bride and Your Church. 

Thought for the Day: 
When life goes our way, we tend to rely less on God and more on our self, coasting in our prayer life, neglecting Bible study and missing worship services with fellow Believers; until the next trauma or catastrophe sends us running back into God's waiting arms.

Doubting God

We actually deceive our self when we think that we have life all figured out (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). God smiles patiently at those who profess to be wise. He considers human wisdom as foolishness (Romans 1:22). As foolish as Satan was to rebel against God, he is smarter than we are. God calls him the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Yet, we have power over Satan if we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We can take authority over Satan when he tries to take advantage of us, and attempts to get the victory in our circumstances (Daniel 10:13). As Believers we can refuse to rely on our human wisdom; and, instead, seek God in all of our choices and decisions (Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 55:6).

At times, we are subjected to life's fears, worries and anxieties. Actually, we are doubting God when we worry. Sadly, worry causes us to view our self as an orphan, alone in the world without nurturing caretakers (Psalm 68:5). We are saying that we can achieve a better, more sure change in our circumstances by worrying than we can by trusting in and waiting on our Father God (Matthew 6:27).

Often we worry our self right out of faith in God. We get discouraged and we cry our self to sleep, if we can sleep at all with all of the stress hormones ravaging our body. We look to people, places and things to make us happy, when all along the King of the Universe dwells right in our heart (Ephesians 3:17).

In Christ, we have an antidote to worry. Someone said, “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Everything is small stuff.” In other words, “Don’t worry. Be happy.” God is capable of perfecting orchestrating both the large and small details of our life. He daily cares for the birds and flowers; and we are even more important to Him than they are (Matthew 10:29-31).

God’s Spirit will give us the mind of Christ if we totally surrender our life to Him (1 Corinthians 2:16). Only God can save and provide for us in body, soul and spirit. We can live by faith in His faithfulness, because He never lets us down (Hebrews 13:5). We often forget that there is a seed for a miracle in each and every trial we experience.

Prayer:

Father God, the more trials we experience in this life, the more we fear we will have to go through. We insult You by limiting Your resources, power and love for us. Remind us that we can cast all of our cares on You, because You always care about us and what we need (1 Peter 5:7). Help us to depend only on You as our Savior, Lord and King.

Thought for the Day:

If we live in fear of the future, we forfeit the blessings of today.

Never Alone

I want to encourage every lonely person reading this post to realize from your innermost depths - not just in the surface of your thoughts, but down in the depth of your soul - that you are not alone (Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 46:7, 62:5). God is your husband and Jesus is the lover of your soul (Isaiah 54:5; John 3:16). Having a loving and nurturing mate in your life is just not as important as you think it is.

If God wanted you to have a special human relationship right now, He would certainly provide one for you. He cares about every area of your life. You can enjoy God’s total peace, if you will completely surrender this issue to the Lord. It is usually not until you are completely happy with Jesus, and realize that you do not really need a loving mate, that God will provide you with a fulfilled marriage.

The only thing in this life that is truly exciting and fulfilling is serving our King Jesus. When we look for happiness from people or circumstance, we are disappointed. But, when we allow God's Spirit to direct our steps, we find pure joy. Listen to the Spirit, and let Him direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6). Soon you will be so busy for God that you will realize that you are already complete and whole in Him (Colossians 2:10).

We cannot change our life by worrying about anything, or by wishing, hoping or dreaming that it will change. We can take a lesson from the flowers. They bloom right where they are planted. God provides everything they need. We can have the assurance that God will provide for us too. We are even more valuable to God than any bird, animal or tree (Luke 2:27-28).

Start counting your blessings. Stop looking at what you do not have and start thanking God for what you do have. Before long, He will start giving you even more than you ever dreamed possible. He puts His desires in our heart and fulfills them for us (Psalm 37:4). If having a mate is His desire, He will certainly bring one to you in His timing and way.

·       I met my husband at a bookstore. What are the odds of that???? 

·       My girlfriend met her future husband when her plumbing leaked and she called a plumber. 

·       A friend met his future wife when she came in Walmart singing praises to the Lord and he joined her in singing. 

·       Another man went to the wrong house looking for a certain address and met another of my friends; a week later he returned to that wrong address and asked my girlfriend on a date. 

·       Another girlfriend went to visit a sick friend and was introduced to her future husband at their mutual friend’s sickbed. 

·       Another girlfriend met her Canadian fiancé at a church in the USA.

·       Several of my friends wanted to divorce their ungodly husbands. Each one decided not to get a divorce and instead to get her own apartment. She continued to be friends with her husband. God honored their commitment and trust and worked in all of these men's lives.

·       Trust God and you will have your own story to tell too.

Prayer:

Father God, we want to seek You and Your Kingdom first and stop worrying about the things, which unbelievers are concerned about (Matthew 6:25-33; Luke 12:22-31). We know that You have our best interest in Your heart and that You will supply every one of our needs from Your glorious riches (Philippians 4:19). Help us to focus on You and Your will for us instead of our own will for our life. Remind us that You love us so much that You sent Your Son to die for us.

Thought for the Day:

As we place our hope solely in the Lord, we will find true joy, contentment and peace.

A Willing Heart

Mother Nature gives us a perfect picture of what it means to be totally surrendered to God. The flowers bloom where they are planted. The animals interact in the area of the world where God placed them. Even the bugs dutifully fulfill their destiny. God’s Spirit and blessings are often blocked in our human life, however, because of our lack of surrender to Him. We miss out on all that God planned for us before we were even born (Ephesians 2:10).

Each of us is the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16), but we do not allow Him to feel at home in us. We are so caught up in our own agenda, that we spin our wheels and get nowhere fast. We ignore and neglect God most of time. Some of us remember to give Him a few moments of time before we fall asleep, and some even rise up to give Him an hour of time prior to starting our day. Yet, this is not even close to totally surrendering to Him.

We are too used to maintaining control of our life. We do not want someone else to tell us what to do or to dictate the circumstances in which we live. We fear that we will suffer too much pain and loss if we surrender completely to God. We live in anxiety, fearing that He may send us to darkest Africa or coldest Alaska! Thankfully, God facilitates our surrender by freeing us from sin, calling us to Himself, providing all of our needs and helping us to trust in His faithfulness (Mark 9:24).

God sanctifies us and He will also perfect us, but it takes complete surrender to His plans for our life. God requires a willing heart. Then He will do the rest (Philippians 2:12-13). If we live in the moment, without regretting the past or fearing the future, God will fill us with peace, which exceeds our human understanding. He proves to us how gracious He is and that He plans to give us a future full of hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus is our perfect example of a surrendered life.

Prayer:

Father God, even though You required that Jesus go through the cross, You shortened the time He normally would have hung there (Mark 15:44). You also shorten the time of our trials on earth, and You give us the grace to experience them with victory rather than defeat. You give us the faith and courage to face the future by granting that Your divine nature, which dwelled in Christ, dwells in us through Your Holy Spirit. We believe, and You help our unbelief (Mark 9:24). We completely yield our self to You to use for Your glory.

Thought for the Day:

When we totally surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our life, God uses us for His Glory.

Living in Joy

Read: Psalm 92:1-5

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” – Psalm 59:16

Living in the present moment keeps us from fearing the future and taking life for granted. As we pay attention to what is going on right now at this moment, we find joy in:

... the rising and setting of the sun,

... a butterfly floating on a breeze,

... the air we breathe,

... the laughter of little children,

... modern conveniences,

... dogs barking in the distance,

... the tick of the clock, 

... the whir of the dishwasher or lawn mower, 

... the flowers blooming along the roadside, 

... rain for our garden, 

... toes to balance our body, 

... clothes to keep us warm, 

... soap and shampoo, 

... singing birds,

... the sound of a neighbor starting his car or a loved one returning home, 

... the antics of a pet, 

... the glitter of the sun on the water, 

... the shape and color and scent of flowers, 

... the shape and texture of the clouds in the crystal blue sky

... and for a roof that does not leak! You can add your own blessing to this list.

As we tune in to God's joy all around us, we start to notice a change in the feelings within our own soul. We take our negative emotions to God and learn how to heal them. We also learn to multiply the positive feelings we experience each moment of the day. As we put our trust in Christ, we live in abiding peace and joy ~ not only in our spirit, but deep within our soul (our mind, will and emotions) as well.

Prayer:

O Lord our God, save us and gather us from the nations. We give thanks to Your holy name and we glorify and praise You (Psalm 106:47). The works of Your hands are faithful and just; all of Your precepts are trustworthy (Psalm 111:7). I meditate on all of Your works and consider what Your hands have done for the children of men (Psalm 143:5). I will tell everyone about Your kindnesses, O Lord. We praise You for Your deeds and for Your compassion and many kindnesses (Isaiah 63:7).

Thought for the Day:

Remember…Every tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life.

The Rocky Road to Peace

Read: John 4: 10-14

“Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  - John 7:37-38

Today I was listening to my nature music with sounds of a gurgling brook in the background. As I absently dusted the living room with my feather duster, I visualized myself sitting next to that gurgling stream, with wildflowers tickling my arm in the slight breeze and butterflies swirling overhead.

As I moved into the bedrooms with the duster, I changed scenes in my mind and pictured myself in a raft, lazily drifting with the current along the scenic view of that same rivulet. I felt so much peace and tranquility fill my soul. I started to sing praises to God along with the instrumental music and I thanked Him for giving us nature to enjoy. 

After putting the feather duster away, I snuggled into my recliner with the music still playing gently in the background. I sat quietly, listening for the Lord. God reminded me that most streams have rocks and even boulders in them that the water must traverse around!!! Yet, the water continues to flow unhindered by these obstacles. He reminded me that our life also has obstacles in it; and if we allow them to, they will impede our progress.

However, as we rest in Jesus, who is our eternal, Living Water, we will drift smoothly around every hindrance in life. We will not only experience peace and joy ourselves, but we will also share our tranquility with everyone God leads to come rest by our side!

PRAYER

Lord, give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit with each new day (Genesis 41:38). Allow Your Living Water to fill our souls with refreshment and give us peace, not as the world gives; but that peace, which circumvents every obstacle in life.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. - Isaiah 12:3