It's Your Choice

 

Brokenness can either push you toward God or away from Him. If we allow discouragement to cause us to live in bitterness and anger, we will blame God. However, if we realize worldly temptations, sin and the devil cause these negative aspects to occur, then we will surrender to God. What Satan tries to use for our demise, God turns around for our good.

Overwhelming helplessness is a fork in the road. We choose which way we will go. If we decide to hate God, our life only gets worse, nothing works out for us, and in the end, we are hardened and lonely. If we settle into following hard after God, His grace helps us to climb the mountain of our pain into His waiting arms (Psalm 63:8; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Isaiah 40:11). He binds up our wounds and ultimately heals us (Psalm 147:3).

We cannot possibly be in control of every situation in our life; but God is. God had a hedge of protection around His servant Job. Satan believed that Job would curse God; so he got permission to all but destroy him. God knew Job's heart. When Job clung to God through every conceivable trial know to man, God blessed him with more than Satan destroyed (Job 42:10).

When our flesh and heart fail us, God strengthens us. He is our portion - all we need to prosper in this life (Psalm 73:26). There is no need to give in to discouragement or fear, because our God is always with us and holds us in the palm of His hand (Isaiah 41:10). God calls us to come to Him, so that He can give us His rest (Matthew 11:28).

If we yoke up with Christ throughout our life and learn from Him, our soul finds deepening rest. He makes every burden light, because He is on the other side of the yoke with us (Matthew 11:29-30). Jesus gives us His peace, which is more intense than anything this world has to offer. His peace helps us to overcome every fear, and all confusion and distress (John 14:27).

Prayer:
Father God, Your power is perfected in our weaknesses. We can actually glory in our idiosyncrasies and foibles, because then the power of Christ rests on us. Through it all, Your grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9). Remind us to trust in You with every part of our soul - our mind, will and emotions - and not to rely on our human understanding. If we acknowledge You in all of our thoughts, words and deeds, You will encourage and direct us (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Thought for the Day:

Give your brokenness to God, because He will sustain His righteous Saints and not allow us to be shaken by our circumstances. - Psalm 55:22

Hopeless and Alone

At times our soul is depressed and full of anxiety within us. We are drudging through a dry desert and our soul is parched and thirsty. That is the time to put our hope in the Lord (Psalm 43:5). God alone will pour out His Living Water on our thirsty soul and bring streams to the dry desert (Isaiah 35:1, 44:3). Our soul – our mind, will and emotions – find rest in God alone. We put our faith and trust in Him and believe that all things are possible for us in Him (Mark 9:23). We cling to Jesus when our faith fades and our strength weakens, because He understands our doubts, questions and grief over the losses in our life (Hebrews 4:15).

When we draw near to God, He renews our strength and causes us to take flight with wings like an eagle’s (Isaiah 40:31). He is close to the brokenhearted. He saves everyone who is crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). He takes our infirmities and He carries our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4). He heals the desolate and binds up our wounds (Psalm 147:3). He upholds us when we fall and lifts us up when we are discouraged (Psalm 145:14). He rescues His godly Saints from our trials and makes all of them turn out for our good (2 Peter 2:9; Romans 8:28).

Jesus died for our sins and gives us His Spirit to fight our battles. We have no quarrel with people, but our conflict is against the dark world and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 6:12). Jesus already overcame them on Calvary’s cross. When He comes back to claim His bride, He will wipe away all of our tears and remove pain and death from the world. The old life will pass away and He will make everything brand new (Revelation 21:4).

We put our hope in the Lord only, because He alone is faithful (Psalm 39:7). Before we were ever born, He made plans for our good and not to harm us. He gives us a blessed future full of hope (Jeremiah 1:5, 29:11). We never need to fear, because He is always with us; or to feel distraught, because He is our God. He strengthens us, helps us and holds us up with His victorious right hand. Even when everyone else despises us, He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

There are people in our family, church, neighborhood and workplace who are dying in their sins and sorrows. They are walking in the ways of the world. They sow the wind and reap a whirlwind for their efforts (Hosea 8:7). They spend long hours accumulating things that ultimately bring them no joy. They often despair of ever finding any meaning in life. They need to know our Savior, our Lord, our Redeemer and our Holy One (Isaiah 41:10,13-14)..

Even when we take our focus off the Lord in the midst of our tribulation, we know without a doubt that He is always there for us, loving us unconditionally and giving us the victory through His death and resurrection. Nothing this world has to offer compares to the hope we have, which comes only from Him (Psalm 62:5; Ecclesiastes 9:4). This is the message that our loved ones need to hear. They need to know that God is on their side, ever loving them and drawing them to Himself (John 6:44; Psalm 136:1).

Prayer:
Lord, You are our helper, so we will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to us? In our distress we cried out to You, Lord and prayed to You for help. You hear us from Your sanctuary; our cries always reach Your ears (Psalm 18:8). Help us not to sit on the sidelines and watch those around us perish and go to hell. We present our lives to You and ask You to use us to encourage others to put their faith and trust in You. We give You our undying allegiance and we look to You for direction and sustenance in the world in which we live.

Thought for the Day:

Troubles surround us on every side, but we are not hopeless. Even when things are hard for us, God always gives us a way out of them (2 Corinthians 4:8).

Spiritual Self-Worth

Read: 2 Peter 1:2-8

"His divine power has given us everything we need." - 2 Peter 1:3

Self-esteem is one issue many people struggle with in this mortal life. We either have too much or too little, and we swing from pride to self-loathing. Saul had insecurities when God chose him as King over Israel. After sitting on the throne for several years, however, his pride mounted and he entertained murderous thoughts against David, his God-chosen, anointed successor. 

Entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ empowers us to lay down our insecurities and to allow God’s Holy Spirit to renovate our lives. We no longer need self-esteem, Since the King of the universe redeemed us, our self-worth comes from Christ in us, who is our hope of glory (Colossian 1:27). The opinion of another person about us no longer matters (Colossians 1:13-14), because God made us acceptable as His beloved (Ephesians 1:6). We are now friends with Jesus Christ (John 15:15); members of His body (1 Corinthians 12:27); and the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8).

Through His power in us we can accomplish everything God calls us to do. We are free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2) and assured that God works all things, even the bad things, out for our good (Romans 8:28). Jesus Christ, the true vine, invites us to connect to Him as branches, which draw our sustenance from Him. Then we are a channel of His life to others (John 15:5), chosen and anointed to bear fruit (John 15:16; Galatians 5:22-23).

We can never be separated from the love of God (Romans 8:31-39), because we are established, anointed and sealed by Him (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). We are hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-4). We are confident that God will complete the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6), when He made us citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:20).

We are born of God, and Satan cannot touch us (1 John 5:18). No carnal lust or human failure can hinder us once we make up our mind to do God’s will. We may approach God with freedom and confidence in our hour of need (Ephesians 3:12). We can do all things through Christ, because He strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in the shadow of Thy wings we rejoice. Do not allow anything to keep us from following hard after Thee. (Psalm 63:7-8) We are Your temple (1 Corinthians 3:16); ministers of Your reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21); seated with You in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 2:6). Remind us often that we are Your workmanship created in You for good works (Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

Trust God with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)







Thank you, Heather Johnson, for the use of your photo.