Tag: encouragement

Fruit of the Spirit: PEACE

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT), “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

PEACE. The presence of God’s peace is pretty hard to put into words, but similar to JOY, it’s not dependent on our circumstances. We serve a generous God, who has promised to give us His peace in exchange for our worries. However, we must be willing to make the exchange. I desperately need His peace. I’m learning to open my heart to receive it everyday. The peace of God is priceless.

GOD’S PEACE KEEPS US ANCHORED:

1. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27, NIV)

Jesus assures us that the peace He so freely gives to us is different from what the world gives. He knew we would have all kinds of troubles in this world. It’s easy to be plagued with fear but His peace will bring calm if we are willing to receive it. Don’t forget we can ask God to help us to willingly receive the peace He offers.

2. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (Romans 8:6, NLT)

It’s important to place our focus on the things of God and allow His Spirit to lead us. When we take our eyes off of Him, we can quickly become driven by the desires of our flesh. Living by our flesh will lead to death, but following the ways of the Lord will lead to life and peace. We must ask God on a regular basis to show us ways that we are following our flesh instead of His Spirit.

3. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. (Colossians 3:15, NLT)

Peace is supposed to rule in our hearts. That means it should overpower everything else, including our worries and fears. Having an attitude of thankfulness brings peace to our hearts. Thankfulness keeps our focus on the goodness of God. Knowing that our God is a good God, who will take good care of us keeps our souls peaceful.

4. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then 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. (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)

Don’t worry, keep praying, be thankful, and receive God’s peace. Not just any peace, but the peace that will surpass all of our human understanding. He also said His peace would guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Knowing that God is personally guarding us from evil wicked schemes and trouble is an amazing comfort.

***Please share your thoughts about God’s PEACE in the comments.

Next Reading: Fruit of the Spirit: Patience

Great peace have those who love your law.

Fruit of the Spirit: JOY

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT),”But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!

JOY. I’m glad the Lord has equipped us with joy. Joy is present regardless of our circumstances. It can look beyond the darkness and see the light. It rises up in the midst of turmoil and declares victory!

Joy In Action:

1. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. (Philippians 4:4)

We can rejoice always because our God is faithful. He will never leave us alone. He has a solution for every problem we face. Even when we can’t see it right away, we can rejoice knowing He is aware of our needs and will carry us through. Being able to look back and recall God’s blessings brings us joy!

2. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2-3)

Although we don’t enjoy going through trials, it’s the trials that make us stronger. When our faith is tested, we learn to persevere. We can be joyful knowing that in each and every struggle that we are met with, God is shaping us into the person He created us to be. No trial we endure is ever in vain, because God will use our trials and our weaknesses for His glory.

3. The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. ( Proverbs 10:28)

The hope we have in Christ brings us joy! Knowing we will spend eternity with Him brings us even more joy! Even as we do our daily tasks, we can rest knowing He will guide our steps. It’s a joy to know His love lights our way.

4. My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed. ( Psalm 71:23)

We have been redeemed by the precious Blood of the Lamb! I can’t think of a better reason to be joyful. The penalty for our sins was paid and we are free, so rejoice, shout, and sing praises to our God!

“Happiness is fickle, and requires happy circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, sticks around. It doesn’t get chased off by trouble.” – Nivine Richie

***Feel free to share your thoughts about JOY in the comments.

Next Reading: Fruit of the Spirit: PEACE

The joy of the Lord is our strength.

Fruit of the Spirit: LOVE

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT),”But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!

LOVE. I am convinced that love is something that we will never stop learning to do. Learning to walk in love is a life long adventure. Jesus set an example for us to live by. His words and actions are a constant expression of love. He died for us because of love (Romans 5:8). I’m so glad he loves me. Nothing else in my life or this world can compare to His love. His love is pure. No strings attached.

God is love…

1 John 4:16(NIV),”And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

A few instructions from the Bible about LOVE:

1. Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. (Luke 10:27)

God should be first place in our lives. We should love Him more than anyone or anything. We must make a decision to surrender our lives to Him. Once we make this decision, we will learn to surrender in stages. As long as we’re making progress, we’re on the right path.

2. Love your neighbor as yourself. (James 2:8)

Loving others as we love ourselves, basically means we are treating people the way we want to be treated. We should not think more highly of ourselves than God wants us to (Romans 12:3). Taking time to stop and think before we speak or act, will help us to be more successful at showing love to others.

3. Love your enemies. (Matthew 5:44)

This one can really be a challenge! But we must remember that even before we came to Christ, He loved us. We were living against Him and His will for our lives, but He still loved us. Showing love to those who are the hardest to love, is a sure way to share Christ with them.

4. Love keeps no record of wrongs. (1 Corinthians 13:5)

When we forgive others, we can no longer hold their faults against them. We have to let them go free. We can’t say we forgive someone and then keep bringing up everything wrong they did. Depending on the situation, we don’t necessarily have to stay in a relationship with someone. It’s okay to go your separate ways if need be. But we must forgive if we want to be forgiven by God (Matthew 6:15).

Of course there is so much more the Bible has to say about love. As children of God, love is a big part of who we are. As we draw closer to Christ , we will continue to grow in love.

***Feel free to share your thoughts about LOVE in the comments.

Next Reading: Fruit of the Spirit: JOY

We love because He first loved us, 1 John 4:19

When Trusting God Hurts

Sometimes it can be hard, I mean really, really hard to trust God. We want to, we try to, but we sometimes still find ourselves worrying. We find ourselves afraid of what tomorrow holds. The pressures we face on a daily basis can seem unbearable. Sometimes we have so much pain and frustration buried within our souls, that we ourselves can’t even fully understand it.

There are so many different people suffering in so many different ways. Some are angry. Some are depressed. Some are lonely. Some feel insignificant. Some are struggling to make ends meet. Some are homeless and living on the street. Some are very ill. The world we live in can be so cruel. People can be so mean. But everyday regardless of how we feel, or what struggles we have, we’re expected to just get up the next day and start all over again. There is no doubt life is hard.

In the midst of all of these things, God tells us to trust him. But what about when trusting Him hurts? Especially when we’ve been believing for a very long time, but the answers to our prayers still have not yet come. What do we do when we feel empty and drained? What do we do when we feel we have nothing else left to give?

WE WORSHIP.

Worship reminds us of who God is. It allows us to clearly see the heart of God. Everything we need is found in worship. God reveals Himself to us through worship. He reveals His truth to us, and His love for us. Through worship we receive healing and strength. Worship gives us confidence to face the unknown. It gives us the drive to keep trusting, to keep believing, to keep walking by faith, and to keep hoping, hoping in the One who knows all.

John 4:23 (NIV), “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.“

Trusting God can hurt because it forces us to put aside our pride, our plans, and even our pain so we can just focus on who He is. Finding time alone to just lay our hearts before God can seem challenging. However, we can always ask God in prayer, how to make time in our lives for worship. Worship is not just for Sunday mornings at church.

Whatever God tells us to do, He will empower us to do. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13). Worship fills us. It completes us. In His presence is fullness of joy and eternal pleasures forever (Psalm 16:11).

When Trusting God Hurts…We Worship.

He’s With You In The Fire

Next to Jesus, Daniel is my favorite person in the Bible. I admire him because “he resolved” to do what was right in God’s eyes. He didn’t lower his standards to try and please others or gain their acceptance. His main interest was in bringing glory to our God. That’s a huge inspiration for us Christians today who are trying to stay true to God.

I’m sure I’ll write more about Daniel in the future, but right now I want to draw your attention to his three good friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It makes perfect sense that Daniel would have chosen them as his close friends. Because like Daniel, they were determined not to defile themselves by worshipping other gods. (Nowadays “other gods” can also be money, jobs, other people, or anything we put before Christ.) They resolved to worship the One True God.

Even though these young men endured a lot, it was evident that in their hearts, they always remembered who God said they were. Because of their loyalty to God, they were thrown into the fiery furnace, BUT GOD was in the furnace with them. Before being thrown into the furnace, these guys had already declared that they didn’t need to defend themselves, because God was able to deliver them. And guess what? He did!

They ended up coming out of the furnace completely unharmed! The Bible says they didn’t even smell like smoke. The evil king, King Nebuchadnezzar, who tried to take their lives ended up giving praise to our God, the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego….

Daniel 3:28(NIV), “Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.”

Reminder #1-Don’t lower your standards for other people. Stay true to who you are in Christ.

Reminder#2-People may say many negative things about you, but never forget who God says you are!

Reminder#3-Be careful of the company you keep. True friends encourage your faith in God and want to see you do well in life.

Remind #4: When people mistreat you, God is able to defend and deliver you.

Reminder#5-When you walk in God’s ways, people will take notice and want to know more about the God you serve.

Last but not least…

Daniel 3:30(NIV), “Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.”

Reminder#6-When you serve God, His favor rest upon you. So get ready to be promoted to the next level!

When the fires rage in your life, remember these three young Hebrews and don’t give up. God will always stand with you in the fire!!

Reflect: Can you remember a time in your life where God protected you as you walked through the fire?

Stay Connected to the True Vine: Prayer

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NIV)

J E S U S. He is the Source that gives us life. When we are connected to Him, we bear fruit. Fruit that will last. Fruit that will make a true difference. While Jesus was here on Earth, He set a great example for us by showing us how He stayed connected to the Father.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35, NIV)

Jesus realized that regular communication with the Father through prayer, was the way to stay focused and empowered. It’s no different for us. We need to have our special quiet times where we can spend time alone with God in prayer. However, we also can say short prayers throughout our day. Our Father is always available to us, no matter where we are. He tells us to pray continuously (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Prayer has many benefits but here are some that I have experienced:

Prayer…

1. Keeps us aware of God’s presence.

2. Keeps us sensitive to the leading of The Holy Spirit.

3. Keeps us focused on what matters most.

4. Builds our trust and faith in God.

5. Gives us peace.

6. Helps us to walk in love.

7. Brings healing to our lives where needed.

Because of Christ we have direct 24/7 access to our Heavenly Father through prayer.

What are some of the ways you have seen prayer work in your life?

When God Changes Things, Don’t Resist

Proverbs 19:21(NLT) says, “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.”

My tenth grade marketing teacher taught us this quote by Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “Change is the only constant in our lives.” It’s interesting how change is constant, but we’re prone to resist it. I guess it’s the comfort of familiarity that holds us hostage. Even though we have our routines and plans, as Christians we should always be open to the possibility of God redirecting our course. Our lives become more meaningful when we allow Him to saturate our lives with His adventures.

I always like to remember Abraham…

Hebrews 11:8 (NLT), “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.”

This is a great example of stepping out on faith and following the leading of The Holy Spirit. We have to be willing to take the first step God is showing us. After that, he’ll show us the next step. God might not call you to go to another land (although He might), but perhaps He’s calling you to change jobs, or sign up as a volunteer at a local organization. God may even be calling you to reach out to a new person at work or church and invite them to lunch.

We must be willing to embrace the changes He brings our way. Rather the changes are big or small, they count as part of our destiny. Plus, one small change could make a huge difference in the day or life of another person. We can’t let fear of the unknown hinder our progress. The satisfaction we crave is found in walking in obedience to God’s divine plans . This includes making changes as needed.