Freedom from Anxiety

Anxiety robs us of our peace and joy, spawns other negative emotions and adversely affects our physical health. It is a "killer". God has a tip for us to use to receive freedom from anxiety.

He advises us not to allow anxiety to enter our soul on any level (Philippians 4:6). He shows us the futility of worry by pointing out that anxiety cannot change anything anyway (Matthew 6:27). Then He tells us a secret.

We can avoid these debilitating, negative emotions. The first step is to continually rejoice in the love of the Lord and to realize that He has His best in store for us regardless of our circumstances (Philippians 4:4).

When we realize that the Lord is near to us, even dwelling in our spirit within, we walk in gentleness and peace (Philippians 4:5). We lift up every concern to God in prayer.

In faith, we thank God for dealing with the issue before we ever see the first sign of evidence that He cares about our immediate problem. We lay out our burdens and leave them in His capable hands (1 Peter 5:7).

He gives us the wisdom to know how to deal with the issues of our self, or the courage to leave them for Him to resolve in His way and time. He may just give us grace instead of resolution, the way He did Saul's thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthian 12:9).

When we compare our distress with the weightier matters of life, or the reality of eternity, we may see our anxiety evaporate before our eyes. The magnitude of eternity's reality erases most concerns from our troubled soul (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

God provides for the birds and flowers of the field; and He cares about us so much more, because we are made in His image. As we make His Kingdom our priority, He works out everything else for our good (Matthew 6:25-34; Romans 8:28).

Prayer:

Father God, draw us close to You and never let us go. Remind us of Your saving grace throughout our lifetime and build up our faith with this continual evidence of Your goodness and provision for us. Flood our soul with a waterfall of Your love and allow it to vanquish our fears (1 John 4:18).

The fruit of Your Spirit replaces our carnal nature and we find it easier to walk in Your Spirit and to trust in Your goodness rather than to fear the future. Remind us to ignore Satan's lies and our negative self-talk, which pull us away from faith in Your faithfulness. Thank You for giving us Your freedom from anxiety concerning the temporal issues of this life.

Thought for the Day:

Consumed with worry, we cannot enter and remain in God's rest; yet, if we walk in the center of God's will, we abide in the happiest place on earth. - Hebrews 4:10-11

Human Logic or Godly Wisdom

The further we submit to the sanctifying work of God's Spirit in our soul, the more we seek after the divine issues of life rather than the carnal ones. We live to serve our Lord and His Saints, as well as those who do not yet know the saving power of His grace (Titus 2:11).

We walk in peace, which both defies human reasoning and makes people wonder why our trials no longer discourage or depress us (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:7). Peace is not a state of mind, for which we can strive after and achieve. Trusting God takes the opposite of effort, and only comes when we give up control of every aspect of our life to the point of complete surrender.

A time of daily devotion, including Bible meditation and praise of God for His wondrous works in our life and in the world around us, helps to facilitate this process. Then, when our soul frets over the issues we face, God's Spirit helps our spirit to overlook all of the worries and fears and to trust in God's faithfulness.

God reveals His plans to us in His timing; but He will never reveal His will to us before we really need to know it. This helps us to develop patience and to die to our carnal nature. We live in holy contentment as He conquers our earthly concerns. God's Spirit transforms our carnal mind with the steadfast mind of Christ (James 1:8).

When our only desire is to know Jesus, who is our only way, truth and life (John 14:6; Philippians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 1:30), the wisdom from God's Spirit pours into our spirit. We seek only God's pleasure in everything we think, say and do. We no longer rely on our human mind to direct our steps, but we trust in the wisdom of God.

Prayer:

Father God, we grow in unity with Your Trinity as we discontinue the futile habit of trying to control our life. Our awareness of Your place in our life increases and the intents of our heart reflect Your desires.  We no long exalt human understanding above the leading of Your Spirit (Proverbs 16:7). Thank you for renewing our mind and for allowing Your character to replace the carnal confusion, which formerly restricted our life (Romans 12:2).

Thought for the Day:

The more that we recognize God's voice and live a life of praise, even for the negative aspects of our life, the more peaceful and fulfilled we traverse our trials.

Who's Your Boss?

Read: Joshua 24:14-15

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” - Joshua 24:15

Why are so many people rabidly incensed at even the mention of the name of Jesus, the word "Bible" or any quote from the Holy book? They may be nursing an offense perpetrated by a Christian – either deliberate or unintentional. This often turns people away from God. Also, running from conviction often causes a person to feel malice toward the Almighty. The closer they come to a face-to-face encounter with our Holy God, the louder they protest. The presence of God threatens their immoral behavior and sheds light into their darkness. God’s light causes sinners to resent and despise His presence in the universe.

There is such a violent hatred toward God in our secular society, that He would be crucified again today in the clutches of irate sinners. They did this in Jesus’ day as well. The crowds screamed for Jesus’ blood when Pilate offered them a choice. Christ willingly relinquished His humanity on the cross, but maintained His divine nature throughout His life and into eternity. Satan pierced the body and soul of God with the scourging and crucifixion, but not His Spirit. Jesus lives again and will eventually put Satan and sinners under His feet forever. God will then take every true Believer to live with Him for eternity (2 Corinthians 5:1).

Who is your Boss, Satan or Almighty God? Paul wrote His epistles to give us instruction on how to live the Christian faith. First, he reminds us that we cannot save our self, and he encourages us to put our total faith for salvation in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10). Then he exhorts us to live in unity with each other and to walk in holiness as we serve God unreservedly with undying love (Hebrews 13:1; Ephesians 6:24). Ultimately, Paul urges us to live a life worthy of God’s calling and even to offer our body as a living sacrifice if necessary (Ephesians 4:1; Romans 12:1).

Faced with these inspiring principles to rely on, it is astounding that so many Christians live a mediocre spiritual life. They exist with one foot in the world and one foot in religious activities. They wear their “church clothes” only on Sunday and then they live like the devil the rest of the week. This usually indicates a heart problem. They made a mental decision to follow Christ, but inwardly they are not changed at all. Their spirit is still dead in sin and they never fully trusted in the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ or completely surrendered their will to the will of God. Are you one of these people? If so, get off the fence and choose this day whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15).

Prayer:
Father God, Elijah challenged the people of his day to stop wavering between two opinions. He stated that if You are God, then they should follow You; if Satan is god, then they should follow him (1 Kings 18:21). The people stood there in mute silence, because they could not make up their mind. Even if every person I know walks in the name of their false gods, I will walk in the name of the Lord my God for ever and ever. Amen (Micah 4:5).

Thought for the Day:

“Love the Lord our God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” - Mark 12:30