You Need God's Help

 

Though we may do everything in our power to pay the bills, put food on the table, and make ends meet, we would accomplish nothing without the Lord’s. help. That’s why Solomon could call work “useless.” On its own, it’s good for nothing more than an aching back. We work, but it’s God who provides.

Let that sink in for a moment: All our work, creativity, and striving are good for absolutely nothing without God. That, of course, doesn’t mean that only those who trust in God can make a living. But it does mean that whether we acknowledge His rightful place in our lives or not, He is in control.

When we live in this reality, two things begin to happen. First, as we work, we will be encouraged. We’re no longer on our own. God is at work, too. Second, we will be able to rest, realizing that it is ultimately God who provides for our needs—and He does so abundantly.

 

~From 21/Jesus: A Devotional for Busy People (Devotionals for Busy People Book 1) by John Greco

 

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed! 

 

Forgiveness Is Key

 

Biblical forgiveness means cutting someone loose.

This word picture is one in which the unforgiven is roped to the back of the unforgiving. When we refuse to forgive, we bind ourselves to what we hate. When we forgive, we cut the person loose from our backs and set ourselves free as well.

Forgiveness can also be seen in terms of canceling a debt. In the Old Testament, when someone paid a debt, a notice of the debt paid in full was nailed to the lender’s door. That is what Jesus did when He was nailed to the Cross — our debt was paid in full and nailed to Heaven’s door. 

The first step to forgiveness is prayer. The Bible tells us to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44). . . Forgiveness can be immediate. Trust is rebuilt through right behavior over a period of time.

In his book The Purpose Driven Life, pastor Rick Warren said, “Forgiveness is letting go of the past. Trust has to do with future behavior. Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust requires a track record. If someone hurts you repeatedly, you are commanded by God to forgive them instantly, but you are not expected to trust them immediately, and you are not expected to continue allowing them to hurt you.”

After a betrayal, trust can be built again over time. However, it cannot be built if the one betrayed continues to knock down the blocks of positive behavior with the bat of past offenses.

And what is the ultimate example of forgiveness? The way Jesus forgave you and me.  

~From Lovestruck: Discovering God's Design for Romance, Marriage, and Sexual Intimacy from the Song of Solomon by Sharon Jaynes

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!

Don't Give In

 

As followers of Jesus who are seeking to live godly lives, serve Him, and draw people to His kingdom, we should take steps to avoid temptation. If scrolling through Instagram is leading to bitterness or covetousness in you, pray, surrender this struggle to Christ, and by all means, cut off your exposure to it or delete it WHILE dealing with the heart matter in play—finding one’s contentment, fulfillment, and identity in Christ. If your phone, computer, or streaming services are causing you to stumble into porn, surrender the struggle to Him and create boundaries, safeguards, and accountability WHILE seeking help from a counselor, support group, or pastor, to deal with the heart issue. It’s logical to trim off the branches as you work on removing the root, but if you only trim the branches and think that’s enough, the firm root will find a way to grow. 

 

Pray: Father, as Jesus showed me to pray, I ask that You lead me away from the temptation to sin. I ask that You help me in my struggles with sin, that You give me the strength by the Holy Spirit to flee from and overcome sin in my life. Sanctify me daily so I may be more like Jesus and less like my sinful nature. I want to be willing to sacrifice all things for the sake of Your kingdom and glory. Help me, Father, to be about Your kingdom. Amen. 

 By Danny Saavedra

 

~From The Study of Mark, Part 5 Devotional on YouVersion 

 

 

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!

Remember Who God Is

 

Isn't it funny how mankind gets so caught up in how great mankind is? The cultural zeitgeist (spirit of the age) always leans toward man being the greatest, relegating those who believe in God in the utmost to the outer fringes of lunacy. That is the scheme of the enemy's to get us so focused on ourselves and our own abilities that we forget God and wind up in hell . . . both in this life and the next. Healthy abundant life stems from an awareness that we have not made ourselves. We were created by and for God, called to exude His greatness through our very existence. Reality is that I am nothing without Him and Powerless apart from Him.

~From Daily Devotions for Kingdom Seekers, Vol. 1 by Dennis Jernigan

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!

Put On The Breastplate of Righteousness

 

 

Your own righteousness is like "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Self-righteousness won't take you anywhere in spiritual warfare. We stand on 2 Corinthians 5:21: "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

The enemy works to bring a sin consciousness to your soul. You must strive to maintain a righteousness consciousness and ward off guilt, condemnation, and shame that try to creep into your mind and emotions when you sin. . . . You won't fight when you feel condemned. You won't fight when you feel guilty. You won't fight when you feel ashamed of yourself. You must choose to put on the breastplate of righteousness and keep it on. If you sin, don't throw off your armor. Instead run to the Lord and ask Him to secure it. Repent and ask Him for the grace to resist temptation.

 

~From 101 Tactics for Spiritual Warfare by Jennifer LeClaire

 

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!

A Tip To Get Personal Peace

 

Why is the mind important? It’s command central. With our minds we reach to the past through memories, and we reach to the future through imagination. We need to learn how to think properly and biblically. As 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (NLT).

The next time you’re troubled, you might try talking to yourself. We need to tell ourselves to think biblically, because it doesn’t always come naturally. For example, we see the writer’s despair in Psalm 42: “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?” But then the writer continues, “I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (verses 5–6 NLT).

Many of the Psalms are songs and prayers. They are honest. And as we read some of them, we may think, “I dare not pray that.” But go ahead and pray that. Go ahead and say, “Lord, I am hurting right now. . . . I’m in pain right now. . . . I don’t understand this right now. . . . I’m struggling with this right now.”

The next time you’re feeling down, the next time you think, “I don’t know how I’m going to get through this situation,” quote the Bible to yourself. Remind yourself of the truth of God’s Word. That is what it means to think biblically.

 

~From God's Answer To Fear, Worry And Anxiety Devotional on YouVersion 

 

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!

Be Merciful

 

 

Mercy means being patient with people's quirks.

Mercy means helping anyone you know who is hurting.

Mercy means giving people a second chance.

 

Mercy means doing good to those who hurt you.

 

Mercy means being kind to those who offend you.

 

Mercy means building bridges of love to difficult people.

 

Mercy means valuing relationships over rules. 

 

~From "What Mercy Means," by Pastor Rick Warren, pastorrick.com

 

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!