Afternoon Ti: God's Peace

This world is filled with unrest. There are so many things going on from wars to rumors of wars... violence in our streets... political unrest... economic decline... not to mention the everyday problems that plague our personal lives.

But I love the promise that God gives us in Philippians 4:7

...you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds 

anything we can understand. 

His peace will guard your hearts and minds 

as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)

As believers, we have the opportunity to experience God's peace. Peace that will keep both are hearts and minds settled and at rest. People in our world today would pay for any kind of peace, let alone God's peace!

Yet, so many of us miss out on our benefit of God's peace. Why? Because we forget all about Philippians 4:6

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. 

Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (NLT)

We are told not to worry. We are to replace worry with prayer. Often, that is our initial and greatest error. We worry. We think about all the wrong that's going on, all the wrong that can happen, and the wrong that might happen, and we begin to stress ourselves out.

Then, we combine our worry with prayer. We come to God concerned, and we plead with Him for His help. We finish our prayer still with our worries. Instead of leaving them there with the Lord, we burden ourselves with our troubles again, and leave His presence worrying still.

Yet, Paul clearly instructs us to talk to God, tell Him what we need, and thank Him. That's it. Point blank, period. It's only then that the supernatural peace of God can reign in our lives.

True prayer - talking to and hearing from the Lord - can only lead to peace in your spirit. Coming to God, acknowledging Who He is and all that He is capable of, will diminish any problem that was looming large in our lives. Recognizing the power, wisdom, and love that God has will only serve to comfort us where our situation is concerned. It's when this happens that we can't help but be thankful before Him. We can't help but have gratitude for His willingness to hear and help us.

And we can go on full of His peace.

Today, don't allow the cares of this world to overtake you. Get before God and talk to Him. Allow Him to impart to you His peace.

Verse of the Day: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

Give It Up Already

The Bible tells us to give our worries and problems over to God so that He can handle them for us.

A lot of us do bring our problems to God. We discuss them with Him during our prayer times. We ask Him for His help and guidance. We say amen...

And then we take our problems back on our shoulders and walk off wondering how we're going to make it all come together.

We serve a great big God. We serve a God who is all-seeing and all-knowing. He also loves us more than we could ever imagine. Why is it that we can't seem to fully trust Him to handle our problems? I know, to us they seem so big. But, to Him they are small potatoes! Yet we continue to hold on to our griefs and allow ourselves to worry and fret about how to resolve our problems.

The Lord doesn't want you to live in worry. He doesn't want you fearful or anxious. He doesn't want you going throughout your day stressed out. Jesus gave us His peace. (John 14:27) He assured us that His burden was light. Our Lord offered us perfect rest in Him. (Matthew 11:29, 30)

All we have to do is surrender. We just have to give up our need to control and be in charge. We need to surrender our will to the Lord's and trust that He is working it all out for us... even when we don't see it happening... even when we don't think it's coming together fast enough... even when the resolution is something that we ourselves didn't come up with.

We serve a great big God. We serve a God who loves us so much that He's willing to take on our problems and concerns. He's willing to fix things for us, so that we can live happily and at peace.

Too many of us are stressed out for no reason.

Today, take your concerns to God and leave them with Him. Allow your Heavenly Father to be that Father for you and solve your situations. Anything that He comes up with is much better than anything you yourself could have conceived. Trust Him to handle it.

Verse of the Day: Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:6, 7

There's Nothing Too Hard For God: Believe It!

There's a popular saying in the church that goes, "There's nothing too hard for God." We Christians like throwing that phrase around. We say it with our chest puffed out because the phrase reiterates that the God we serve is so powerful, nothing can stop Him, nothing can beat Him, nothing can make Him fail.

Yet, when problems come our way - I mean serious problems - why do we get so fearful? Why do we worry? Why do we stress wondering how we're going to make it through? We're the same folk who boast that our God can do anything, but our 'big' problems make us shake in our boots.

Do we really believe there's nothing too hard for God?

When you believe something, you're at rest. You're at peace. Right now, I'm believing that my chair is going to continue holding me up. I'm not worrying about falling on the floor in the next moment, I'm not stressing out about how to make this chair strong enough to hold me. I'm at peace. I'm not even thinking about it. I believe in the strength of this chair to hold my weight.

If we can put simple faith in a chair, how much more should we be able to put faith in our God? If He told us something, why should we not believe Him? If He made a promise, who are we to think that it will not be fulfilled?

Still, we do it every day. We face a problem and try to take it on by ourselves because deep down we're not fully sure that God is really able. We look at the size of our challenge and get intimidated. We forget how great our God is, and we succumb to fear. We worry instead of standing on God's Word.

Today, take a moment and check your faith level. Do you really believe that God can do it? Be honest. And if you don't believe, bring your doubts to God! He is so loving and will honor your honesty. And then He will prove His Word to you. He will show you that, yes, He can handle it.

There is nothing too hard for God. We just have to give Him an opportunity to showcase His strength.

Verse of the Day: And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. Mark 10:27

Know No Fear!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to encourage one of my friends who was going through a tough spot. I normally try to encourage those around me who need it, but this time I was especially motivated to say something because I saw my friend slipping too far into worry and fear. My friend was starting to stress out and I could see that the enemy was trying to lead them down into depression.

When trouble comes sometimes it's easy to just grab hold to fear, worry, and despair. We concentrate on what could go wrong, we start to fear that the worst could happen, and we stress out over the negative outcomes.

As believers in Christ, we should never give place to the enemy's suggestions! We should never entertain his lies or the fears he presents to our minds. Yes, we have to be practical in life and think ahead. Yet, with our relationship to the Lord, we should be thinking ahead with victory in mind! There is no reason for us to fear, worry, or get depressed. Even if the worst possible scenario does happen, God has us in the palm of His hand. He is still in control. We will still gain victory in the end.

Don't allow the 'what-ifs' of life to pull you down into a negative place. With God all things are possible! With Him, nothing can overtake you! Stop focusing on the negatives and start thinking on the positives! Everywhere you look there is evidence of God's love for you! Just being able to breathe in and out is evidence that He is keeping you.

Yes, things may be looking dark. I understand that the prognosis may actually be grim. It may seem like everything is going against you. But even if the only thing you have to hold onto is the fact that you are redeemed by Christ's love, that is more than the whole world against you!

Don't despair. God's got you. Rest in the strength of His embrace.

Verse of the Day: The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. Psalm 27:1-3

Carrying a Heavy Load?

Yesterday afternoon I had a wonderful time in prayer. I just sat and unburdened myself at His feet. It felt so good to just let it all go and give it to Him to handle.

The Bible tells us that we can give God our burdens, and He cares enough about us to carry them for us. Our heavy loads weigh nothing to God, and in His infinite wisdom He can solve any problem we have in less than a moment. We would be fretting for weeks.

Often we get so caught up in calling ourselves responsible, or trying to do it all, or thinking that we're so capable that we wind up carrying heavy loads that crush us. We pack our schedules til we're stressed. The cares of this world pile up and overwhelm us. Our sense of duty leaves us weary and worn.

But, we have a God who can handle all our burdens. More than that, He's willing to take all of them on His shoulders. He loves us with a love so deep that all we have to do is hand it over to Him, and He'll take care of it.

So, you don't have to worry or fret. You don't have to be stressed or overwhelmed. Your Heavenly Father is ready, willing and waiting to take on all of your concerns and cares. Just give them over to Him, allow Him to minister to you His love and rest, and follow whatever plans or steps He gives you to take.

Yep. It's that simple.

Isn't God amazing?!

Verses of the Day:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Who Cares What They Think!

This morning I was having a conversation with a co-worker about how people today seem so consumed with what other people think about them. They are willing to go into debt, reorder priorities, and overlook necessities all in the name of 'keeping up with the Joneses.' No wonder America is in the state it's in.

People join clubs, volunteer, and participate in other social activities all because it looks good to other people. Some people are in debt up to their ears all because they have to buy the latest clothes and gadgets in order to stay up with the latest trends.

Everyone is concerned with what everyone else thinks of them. No one wants to appear like they need help of any kind. And this need for affirmation causes some people to get off track.

Some of us may do the same things with regard to our faith. We don't talk about our insecurities, problems, or concerns because we want to seem to have it all together. We're quick to testify, but slow to ask for prayer. We put up a front during Sunday morning services because we don't want to reveal how much we're actually hurting inside.

We're so worried about how other people will see us, that we miss out on the One who can help us out of our troubles.

God is the One who matters. His is the viewpoint that we should be most concerned about. He is the One who has a front row seat to look upon our hearts.

There's a saying that goes: Man has no heaven or hell to put you in. At the end of the day, those people that we're so worried about can ultimately do nothing for us. In the perspective of eternity, they have zero influence.

Our Heavenly Father, however, does control heaven and earth. He is the One who holds the answers all of our questions. He is the One who can turn our lives around and upside down.

So, why are we not more concerned with pleasing Him?

Today, don't be so concerned with what other people think. Instead, ask yourself what God thinks of how you're living. Is He pleased with how you're running your life? Is He happy with the choices your making? He's watching everything you do... Make sure He's proud of it all too.

Verse of the Day: The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works. Psalm 33:13-15

No Worries!

Hey, Everyone! How are you doing this lovely Monday morning? It's so good to be back. I'm rested, relaxed, and refreshed! Jamaica was lovely, and I'm already thinking about the next girls' trip!

One thing I love about the people of Jamaica is their philosophy on life. I heard "No worries" and "No problem" all throughout my trip. As a person who is trying to get over all of my unnecessary analysis and thoughts that can go in endless circles, it was pleasant to just turn off that part of my brain and relax.

That was on vacation, though. Not sure how that will translate in my everyday life.

However, as believers, we honestly can stay free of worry and concern. Our Lord and Savior has our lives in the palm of His hand, and will not allow anything to occur that is not a part of His ultimate plan. As long as we are walking in sync with Him, we honestly have no reason to worry or fret.

The Lord has plans to bring us to an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11) That means, no matter what, He will bring us to a place He has prepared for us to dwell in. Isn't that great? Our awesome God is thinking about how to bring us to His place of destiny, and He is moving things around to get us there!

So, no matter what, take on the "No worries" mentality. It's in God's hands, so you have great things ahead of you!

Verse of the Day: In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Psalm 56:4

Choose To Lose the Attitude

Can I be a bit transparent today? Thanks.

I can catch a negative attitude pretty quick. All it takes is something happening that is not according to plan, and I’m liable to get in a sour mood.

I like things to be neat and orderly… in their proper place… running on schedule. So, when things are helter-skelter… in disarray… late… I tend to get frustrated and aggravated which causes me to slip on a negative ‘tude.

Now, they say the first step in recovery is recognizing you have a problem. So, I believe I can be rehabilitated. Lately I’ve been keeping myself alert to my changing moods and emotions, and I have started to rein myself in when I felt the urge to go there.

Yesterday evening I had one of those moments. Nothing even really happened to set it off. I was just sitting and thinking about some things that were happening in my life that I felt were not right, and I started to dip into a negative and depressed state of mind.

Thanks be to God I was on my way to having my study time! The scriptures that I looked over spoke directly in to my bad-attitude-self!

I took a break from reading and gave myself a good talking to, handed my worries to the Lord, encouraged myself, and chose to be positive and happy. I literally had to slap myself with the joy of the Lord.

Sometimes life’s happenings can cause us to be discouraged, but we don’t have to take on the bad attitudes, feelings, and mindsets that try to latch onto us with that discouragement. We can choose to be positive. We can choose to be joyful. We can choose to take God’s Word to heart and apply it to our very situations.

Our God loves us so much! Let me repeat: Our God – the Master of the Universe, the Creator of the World, the King of Kings – loves YOU so much! His love will not let you fail. You’re not going to lose. You’re destined to win!

So no matter what seems to be falling apart, running behind, or missing in your life – God is still in control. He’s going to make sure that you make it to your destined end. Don’t let your attitude slip because of what you see. Constantly remind yourself that God’s got you – the one He loves – safe in His arms.

Choose to believe that, and you can’t help but have a great attitude about life!

Verse of the Day: Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God… John 14:1

God's Peace

As the year is drawing to a close, many of us are reflecting on the time that has gone by and are looking forward with anticipation to the year that’s on its way.

With all that’s gone on in my life in 2010, I am truly grateful for God’s peace. Yes, I have struggled, cried, pushed, and fought to get through some challenges. Yet, in every situation, I have had the benefit of God’s unwavering peace in my spirit.

Since I have matured in the things of God and developed a closer relationship with Him, I have seen my outlook change. What would have brought me worry, fear, and anxiousness, no longer causes me to panic.

Don’t get me wrong. I still have parts of my pessimistic and sarcastic nature. And I have to battle doubt from time to time. There is still plenty of room for improvement!

However, I can now face circumstances with the quiet reassurance that the God of the Universe is with me and is helping me defeat every roadblock. That Truth has given me a peace that passes all understanding. It has allowed me to sleep more soundly at night, go about my days without needless distraction, and has bolstered my spirit where I otherwise would have gone nuts.

God is faithful and a keeper of His word. Everything He has promised, He will do. We just have to trust our Lord enough to allow Him to do it… on His terms and in His timing. Once I surrendered to this fact, God blessed me with peace beyond measure.

You also have the same God of the Universe in your corner. Let go of fear and grab hold to the Father’s hand. Allow His peace to envelop your soul as well.

Verse of the Day: The LORD will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

Why So Worried?

When you worry, you’re not trusting God.

I can’t remember where I originally heard this line, but last night as I was talking to a friend it came to my remembrance. This quote is so on point.

You cannot trust God and worry. There is no way the two can coexist. Trusting God means that whatever the problem or situation, we place full responsibility on God provide the remedy. We follow His lead; we act according to His game plan. We fully entrust Him to direct our life in that area.

Worry is when we take the problem upon ourselves to solve. Worry is turning over the problem in our minds, looking at all the angles and trying to figure out a solution. We go through every scenario, never fully satisfied with the outcome we envision. We mull over “what-ifs” and “maybes.” Our worrying only brings us stress and fear. Worry can also cause us to make unwise decisions which only lead to disaster and more worry.

As Christians, we are never to worry. We are the children of the Most High God! The Creator of the Universe, the Orchestrator of this World is our Father. He has vested interest in our well being. Whatever we come up against, He is able and willing to help us to overcome. We just have to trust Him enough to let Him handle it.

His remedy may not be what we had envisioned. His timing may not be the timeline we would like. Still, we have to continue to trust that God’s way is better than any solution we could come up with. We have to stay patient and accepting of His leadership. God will never steer us wrong, and He will never leave us hanging. So, stop all that worrying, and trust God!

Verse of the Day: Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. I Peter 5:6, 7