Focus on God Instead of Your Fear

Focus on God Instead of Your Fear

Isaiah 41:10, 13…...fear not, for I am with you

          Notice this passage tells you not to look around you in terror and be dismayed. When you look at your circumstances until you become afraid it is always a mistake - yet that is just what many people do.

          The more you focus your eyes and your mouth on the problem, the more fearful you become. Instead, you should focus on God who is able to handle anything you will ever have to face. He has promised to strengthen you and to harden you to difficulties.

          No matter how great and important or small and insignificant your fears may be, God is saying to you. “Fear not; I will help you!”

         

 

worry less and pray more

 
Worry-Free
 
Read:  Luke 12:22-25
Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? - Luke 12:25
 
Audio:  Luke 12
 
Bible in One Year: Psalms 23-25; Acts 21:18-40
 
Life works better when I worry less and pray more.
 
One of the quickest ways to sap my vitality is to keep fretting over a prickly situation. Hanging my head in despair will not solve anything; it just leaves me feeling more stressed.  Life works better when I choose to worry less and pray more. I don't pretend a challenge doesn't exist - I simply stay open to possible solutions.
 
When I pray, I redirect my focus from the difficulty to the possibility. I turn to my inner wisdom for a divine solution.  I embrace the Truth that I am wise, capable, spiritually equipped and divinely supported at all times. With this prayer-soaked consciousness, I experience results that unfold perfectly for me and all concerned.
 
 
 
Jeannette
"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.  Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway." ~ Mother Teresa
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Trust God, Not Yourself

Trust God, Not Yourself

Proverbs 3:5………… do not rely on your own insight or understanding

          When you face times of crisis in life, you need direction. All of your human reasoning will not provide the answer – it will only add to your confusion. But God will give you direction if you trust Him.

          This truth is sometimes difficult for you to deal with because your human nature wants to understand everything. You want things to make sense, but the Holy Spirit can cause you to have peace about things that make no sense at all to your natural mind.

          If you are hurting because of a crisis in your life, you must not become angry with God. He is the only one who can help you. Only He can bring the lasting comfort and healing you need. So continue to believe in the goodness of God and lean on, trust in, and be confident in Him.

 

7/21

Give It Up!

Psalm 25:1……..unto You, O Lord, do I bring my life

          This is a very short but powerful verse. In fact it gives you the answer for your whole life: give it to the Lord.

          This doesn’t mean you should bring Him just your worries and problems. It means bringing Him your entire existence and everything it entails. Grasping that truth will set you free from weariness and a feeling of wanting to give up.

          I used to get worn out preparing for my meetings. I would get so intense about it and work so hard at making sure everything was right that I worked myself into exhaustion. Then I learned that all I have to do is give Him my life and everything in it. As we yield to Him, His peace fills us.

          As you pray tonight, give your entire life to God, and experience the freedom of knowing that whatever you face – good or bad – He has it under control.

 

7/22

Enjoy Everyday Life

Nehemiah 8:10….be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength

          I spent a lot of time in years gone by learning to enjoy my life. The key phrase is my life. I learned not to covet someone else’s life, but to enjoy mine. It has not been easy and I am still learning. But one thing I do know is that it is God’s will for you to enjoy the life He has provided. The joy of the Lord is your strength. You must make a decision to enjoy everyday life.

          Enjoying life does not mean you have something exciting going on all the time; it simply means you enjoy simple, everyday things. Most of life is rather ordinary, but you are supernaturally equipped with the power of God to live ordinary everyday life in an extraordinary way.

          Live life to the fullest and be a witness to the power of God that is available to everyone.

 

Changing Enemies Into Friends

Changing Enemies Into Friends

Read: Matthew 5:43-48
But I say to you, love your enemies . . . do good to those who hate you.  - Matthew 5:44
 
Audio:  Matthew 5
 
Bible in One Year: Psalms 40-42; Acts 27:1-26
 
During the US Civil War, hatred became entrenched between the North and South. In one instance, President Abraham Lincoln was criticized for speaking of benevolent treatment for the Southern rebels. The critic reminded Lincoln that there was a war going on, the Confederates were the enemy, and they should be destroyed. But Lincoln wisely responded, "I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends."  Lincoln's comment is insightful. In many ways it reflects Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount: "I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:44-45).
 
We will encounter difficult people in our lives - some on whom we will need to set limits. But to give in to the temptation to undermine or hurt them in any way is not God's way. Instead, we should pray for them, show consideration, look out for their best interests, and emphasize the positive. This may result in changing an enemy into a friend.  Not everyone will respond positively to us, but we can pray and plan for a more harmonious relationship. What difficult person can you start befriending?  - Dennis Fisher
 
Lord, some people in my life are difficult to love.
I am tempted not even to try to care. But You showed
love to me even when I was Your enemy. Please direct
me into ways to love with Your power and grace.
 
It's hard to hate someone when you're doing something good for him.
 
Jeannette
"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.  Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway." ~ Mother Teresa
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

: Language of the Heart

>> July 30, 2012
>>
>> Language Of The Heart
>>
>> Read: Luke 6:43-49
>> What you say flows from what is in your heart. - Luke 6:45
>>
>> Audio: Luke 6
>>
>> Bible in One Year: Psalms 51-53; Romans 2
>>
>> I'm more impressed by works than by words, which I often gloss over as nothing more than hot air. I've said, "Talk is cheap!" and "Don't talk the talk if you won't walk the walk." According to the apostle James we're right to value works over mere words. He reminds us that it does no good to tell a poor brother, "Stay warm and eat well" if we "don't give that person any food or clothing" (James 2:16).
>>
>> But my prejudice against words left me unprepared for the words of Jesus. He told His disciples that you can tell a tree by its fruit, for just as fig trees grow figs and grape vines sprout grapes, so "a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart." I assumed Jesus was speaking about works-did my actions show that I was a good or an evil tree? But Jesus' next sentence indicated that the fruit He had in mind was my words, for "what you say flows from what is in your heart" (Luke 6:45).
>>
>> Words form the bridge from our heart to our works. What we do (works) arises from what we think (words), which is prompted by who we are (heart). If you want to know what's going on deep inside, pay attention to your words. Do your words contain a hard edge of anger or cynicism? Are they inflated with pride or deflated with pessimism? Is your style so sarcastic that even friends can't tell whether you're joking or not? Do you delight in dirty words, the hushed tones of gossip or the shady words of "rumor"? Study your words to diagnose your heart. Ask God to heal your hurts before your words-then your works will not hurt others. - Mike Wittmer
>>
>> Jeannette
>> "People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
>> If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
>> If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
>> If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
>> The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
>> Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
>> For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
>> It was never between you and them anyway." ~ Mother Teresa
>> Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®