2 Timothy 1:7

 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind." NKJV

Some versions of this scripture change the word "fear" to "timidity" or "cowardice".  Some change the words "sound mind" to "discipline" or "self-control".

Fear to step out in faith is not from the Lord because He does not give us fear to walk in His will.  Yes, be aware.  Yes, pray for discernment and understanding.  God has clearly promised those things if we only ask for them.

Allowing fear (not healthy boundaries and spiritual discernment) to dictate what we do or do not do can be very detrimental to our ability to walk in God's leading in our lives.

Losing Hope

When hope seems lost, we can step forward to serve and encourage:

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore, comfort each other and edify one another...

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together..., but exhorting one another...  (exhort = encourage)

Find Hope in the promises of God's Word.

Pray for the day to come. (Psalm 30:5 Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.)  

When you don't know what to pray, ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for you.

    Romans 8:26 Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Don't give up, don't bail out on the Lord.  Surrender to Him.

Take care of yourself practically, spiritually.  Strengthen yourself with food, rest, worship, and praise.

Give thanks in the midst of the storm.  Philippians 4.

Lighten your load.  Ease the burden so that you can rest, be comforted, heal, and stay afloat.

When you don't understand, fall back on what you do understand.

Instead of focusing on why God has allowed something hard in your life, ask Him: what He wants you to learn from this and how He wants you to react.

1 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 

Walking In His Will

 Working outside of God's Will:

1. Impatience - straining and striving to make it happen, don't do anything in haste. 

    Instead, go to Him, wait on the Lord, seek Him first, you will hear a voice behind you saying, "this is the way, walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21)

2. Testing the Wind - letting situations guide you when you ought to be guided by the Word of God.

    Instead, let God guide you with a strong, inner conviction of His will. (see above)

3. Seeking Ease - the convenience and comfortable places of life.

    Instead, obey God, being faithful to Him.  He is there, even in the storm.

4. Following the Majority - letting the world sway you (John 12:43)

    Instead, obey the Lord and His direction, regardless of anyone else's opinion, understanding that godly council with prayer can be helpful.

Stand for the Word of God and for Righteousness, even if you stand alone.

Surrender, Obedience

 Acts 26:14, Jesus is saying, "Stop fighting against me, and surrender."

For such a time as this: God has a purpose for you.  Don't miss this opportunity.

Delayed obedience is still disobedience.

God measures success by obedience, not results.

Be open to God's leading, to interruptions in your life, be flexible for those divine appointments.

Your testimony is for His glory.  Tell your story for His glory.

I forgive you.

I forgive you.

I pray for you.

I ask the LORD's will be done.

I ask for Him to be glorified through it all.

His timing is perfect.

He is at work in even this.

Seek Him Above All Else.

My conversations with God have been comforting as of late.  He seems to be reiterating the necessity of putting Him first in everything and trusting Him with the rest.

He continues to remind me that seeking Him first, looking to Him first, and obeying Him first are my priorities.  He will handle the remainder.

Ecclesiastes 1:18 "...to increase knowledge only increases sorrow."

    In this day and age, knowledge and information are increasing exponentially, and one can get lost in it all.  He tells me to keep my focus on Him over all else.

Ecclesiastes 2:26 "God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please Him..."

    I see worldly knowledge vs. godly knowledge as two very different things in these two verses.

Ecclesiastes 3: 11-14 "...God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. ...And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.  And I know that whatever God does is final.  Nothing can be added to it or taken from it.  God's purpose is that people should fear Him." 

    His plan.  His works.  Final. Trust in Him.  Relinquish it all to Him.

Philippians 4:4-7 (NKJV)

Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

His ways are not mine. Thank God for that!

 Your ways are not our ways.

Praise you, Lord, for that truth.

Isaiah 55:6-7 "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call to Him while He is near.  Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; so He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will freely forgive."

Isaiah 55:8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.' This is the Lord's declaration."

Isaiah 55:9 "For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.  For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do."

Cares of this Life

 

There is always a struggle in life.  There is joy.  There is pain. 

There is busyness.  There are many cares of life.

And then, there is You, Lord.

Luke 12:22-34

And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds

Luke 21:34-35

“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.

HCSB “Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life, or that day will come on you unexpectedly”

NKJV “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.”

 Romans 12:1-2

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Colossians 3:2

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

Happy New Year!

 Our Christmas season break was very, very good.  We simplified and it was quite relaxing and enjoyable.  Purposefully we planned our big family gathering at the very beginning of our break and intentionally made decisions to create a low stress time together.

We actually made it through our entire December, never missing a day when we had a short advent devotional as a family.  God was present and we enjoyed worshiping throughout our time at home together.  We watched many movies, played games almost daily, and had time to be ourselves without the normal pressures of everyday life.

Regular routines begin next week and while I don't enjoy the idea of the busyness that it brings, I feel rested and mostly prepared for the challenge that awaits.

 If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out their offense.  If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.  Matthew 18:15 NLT