Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

Psalm 103:1–3 (NKJV)

It is important that we do not forget all the benefits with which the Lord blesses us. Praise Him for them regularly and thank Him often. Even in the midst of other activities, we can praise God in our innermost being, thanking Him for everything He does for us.

He forgives all our sins, and that is marvelous. He also heals all our diseases. This does not mean that He heals all of them miraculously, but I do believe that all healing comes from God. God still does miracles today, but He also uses medical technology and medicine, which I believe He gave human beings the wisdom to create.

Sometimes we pray for healing, and it comes quickly. At other times it takes much longer than we would like. In December 2017, I became very sick. I was diagnosed with severe adrenal fatigue and told to rest for 18 months. The recovery actually took longer than 18 months, but thankfully I now feel very well. Over the years, God has healed me from many different things, and I trust Him for healing no matter how long it takes or how it comes.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I believe You are the Creator of all healing, and I trust You for healing. I am grateful that You forgive all my sins, and I praise and thank You.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

…There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)

The title of today’s devotion may seem like a strange question. I ask it because I think many people are not comfortable in an intimate relationship with God. They may approach Him as one who is far away in heaven, and they may not feel they are worthy of intimacy with Him. God referred to Abraham as His friend (Isaiah 41:8), and He spoke to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend (Exodus 33:11 ESV). These people were not perfect. They made mistakes just as you and I do, but they had an intimate relationship with God.

I encourage you to be comfortable talking with God about anything. After all, He already knows everything about you, and He loves and accepts you unconditionally.

The more open you are with God concerning everything in your life, the closer to Him you will feel. I believe God is calling you closer, and I pray that you will enter into His presence knowing that you are welcome there.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I want to be as close to You as I can be. Help me not to be ashamed or to feel uncomfortable in any way in Your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!

Revelation 3:16 (AMPC)

When our relationship with Jesus is new, it is often filled with passion and enthusiasm, but it is possible as time goes by to let it become commonplace and dull. That is a serious mistake!

We should keep ourselves stirred up and not allow ourselves to become so familiar with the amazing things that God does for us that we are no longer enthusiastic about them. Once I recall asking God, “Why don’t You do the exciting things in my life that You once did?” and He said, “I still do the same things, but you have become accustomed to them and are no longer amazed!” Let’s not be lukewarm but instead let’s keep our passion for Jesus.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please don’t let familiarity steal my passion for You, because I definitely want to be intimately familiar with You. Help me stay amazed by the amazing work You are doing in my life and keep my enthusiasm for You burning bright, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Exodus 20:17 (NIV)

When you read today’s scripture, you may think, “My neighbor doesn’t have an ox or a donkey!” But the point of this verse, which is one of the Ten Commandments, is not as much about oxen or donkeys as it is about being happy with what we have instead of jealous of what others have.

Jealousy is a dangerous emotion. It makes us miserable on the inside and can do great damage to our relationships with the people around us. It can also have a negative impact on our health as well as on our relationship with God.

When we are jealous of others because of what they own—their houses, cars, jewelry, clothes, or other possessions—it is usually because we are unhappy with what we have (or don’t have). For example, someone who speaks badly of a person’s nice new car—commenting that it’s too expensive or that the owner must be frivolous or foolish—may really be saying, “I’m not happy with my car. I want your car.” The same can happen with houses, clothes, and talents other people have as well as other areas of life.

Have you ever heard about a blessing someone else received and thought, When is that going to happen to me? Instead of being unhappy or jealous when God blesses someone with something you would like to have, you can train your mind and emotions to be happy for them. You can let their blessing be an encouragement to you, believing that what God did for someone else, He can also do for you.

Prayer of the Day: Next time I am tempted to be jealous, Lord, remind me to be encouraged by the ways You bless other people, knowing that You will also bless me in the way that is best for me, according to Your perfect timing.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth (reality).

John 4:24 (AMPC)

We communicate with God through our spirit. Jesus said in our verse for today that we must worship God in spirit and in truth. Being totally and completely truthful with God is one of the ways we can develop intimacy with Him. He knows everything about us anyway, so there is no reason to not be totally honest with Him.

Tell Him how you feel, what you have done wrong, and what your desires are. Talk to God honestly as you would a good, trusted friend. There are times when I know God wants me to do a thing and I tell Him honestly that I don’t want to do it, but that I will do it in obedience to Him and because I love Him. Pretense and a close relationship with God will not work. A friend of mine once told me that although she knew she should give financially into the kingdom of God that truthfully she did not want to. She was honest with God and told Him, “I will do it, but I don’t really want to, so I am asking you to give me a desire to give.” This woman eventually became very generous and did it with joy. Only the truth will make us free (John 8:32). God’s Word is truth. He says what He means and means what He says.

When we do something wrong we must be totally honest with God about it. Call sin what it is. If you were greedy, call it greed. If you were jealous, call it jealousy. If you lied, call it a lie. Ask God for forgiveness and receive it by faith. When we worship God, we must do so from the spirit and do it with all truth, sincerity, and honesty. If we feel a friend is being untruthful, we often say, “Get real,” meaning that we are asking them to stop pretending and just be honest. I think God wants the same thing from us.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me worship You in spirit and truth. I need You to teach me and show me how to be completely honest with You about my heart, my struggles, and my desires. Thank You for helping me, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:15–16 (NKJV)

When we know we have sinned, we often feel we don’t have the right to ask God for anything. If we do ask Him for something, we ask sheepishly or we don’t ask for much. It is wonderful to know that Jesus understands us and our weaknesses, and He doesn’t reject us because of them. It is hard for us to imagine Jesus being tempted in all the same ways we are, but He was, although He never sinned.

According to today’s Scripture verses, we are to go boldly to God’s throne and ask for what we want and need, and He will hear and answer our prayer. He doesn’t answer us because we are good, but because He is good. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are presenting to God all that Jesus is, not all that we are. I urge you to start praying more boldly than ever before because God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV).

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for inviting me to come boldly to Your throne despite my weaknesses and my many faults. Please help me pray with confidence, and to trust Your goodness, rather than my own, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].

John 3:18 (AMP)

The enemy often opposes you most when God is preparing something significant in your life. As a result, he will pull out all the stops to distract you or make you doubt God’s plan. Rejection is one of the ways the enemy will do this. If you’ve ever been turned down for a date, denied a home loan, dismissed when you’ve offered an idea, or excluded from a friend’s party, you know the pain of rejection.

Rejection is so difficult. It can make us feel disappointed, ashamed, angry, or unworthy. But we don’t have to stay there! The enemy often uses rejection to discourage us and keep us from stepping confidently into God’s plan. But when we renew our minds with truth—like John 3:18 and Ephesians 1:6—we remember that in Christ, we are never rejected but fully accepted in the Beloved!

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me overcome rejection when it happens to me. Help me always believe the best of people and not assume they are rejecting me when that might not be the case at all. Let me be more concerned about how I am treating others than I am about how they are treating me, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

The LORD our God said to us in Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey…”

Deuteronomy 1:6-7 (ESV)

The Israelites spent 40 years making a journey that should have taken them only 11 days. They kept going around and around the same old mountains but never making any progress. Do you ever feel like you are doing that? Do you keep coming up against the same problems over and over and just don’t seem to know how to get past them? In Horeb, God had spoken to them: You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey (Deut. 1:6–7 ESV). Then He went on to say, See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers (Deut. 1:8 ESV). I think God is telling us that it is time to press forward and start enjoying the good life He has for us.

One thing that can happen when our soul is wounded is that we can get stuck in life. We can become discouraged about ourselves and about the future. We can easily end up simply trying to survive each day. But that is not the way God wants us to think! He wants us to think about the fact that He wants to heal us and make us strong and whole—and that He has great plans for our future. He wants you to be full of hope, expecting good things to happen to you.

The truth is that God always has new and better things ahead for you. The reason the Israelites made no progress for so long is that they had what I call a “wilderness mentality”—certain mindsets and ways of thinking that kept them from moving into God’s promises and the future He had for them. Examples of the kind of wilderness mentality you might struggle with include: “God loves everyone else more than He loves me.” “My past will always be a problem for me.” Or, “My dreams will never come true.” Any negative, doubt-filled thoughts in your mind will keep you stuck right where you are.

Have you “stayed long enough” at a certain place in your life? Maybe it is a place of abuse or betrayal or deep disappointment. It could be anything that has caused you to feel like you can’t move forward or like your life is going nowhere.

It’s time to renew your mind according to God’s Word (Rom. 12:2) and make a decision to choose your thoughts carefully. Think in ways that agree with God’s Word, which says His plans for you are good and will give you hope for your future (Jer. 29:11). Let me encourage you to decide today that you have stayed long enough in the same place. Take God’s advice to the Israelites, and “turn and take your journey.” Leave your wilderness and wilderness mentalities behind and move toward the great things God has ahead for you.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I refuse to stay stuck any longer. Renew my mind, heal my soul, and help me move forward into the good plans and hopeful future You have prepared for me. You are so good to me and I love You, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Adapted from Battlefield of the Mind

And in the fourth watch [between 3:00—6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright. But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.

Matthew 14:25-28 (AMPC)

Let’s focus for a moment on this part of a well-known New Testament story. The disciples were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee at midnight when they looked up and saw Jesus walking on the water. That is amazing, but as the story continues, Matthew wrote of the boisterous winds, yet Jesus kept walking on top of the waves.

The disciples were afraid—and that makes sense. Who would expect to see anyone walking on top of the water, even under the best of conditions?

Then Jesus cried out and told them, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! (Matthew 14:27 AMPC). This is the powerful moment in the story. What will happen now? Do they move over and give Jesus a place to sit in their boat? Should they get out and join Him on the waves? Do they huddle in fear, reminding themselves that human beings can’t walk on top of water?

Peter was the only one who responded in true faith. And let’s make no mistake here. For Peter to say, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water (Matthew 14:28) was a tremendous act of faith. You’ll notice that he was the only one who spoke that way.

That was a powerful moment of faith. It was a defining moment that pointed out Peter’s great faith and belief in Jesus, the Anointed One of God. He was so convinced that Jesus truly was the Son of God that he was ready to get out of the boat and walk on top of the water with Him.

How many of you would get out of the boat? I emphasize this because it would be easy enough to say, “Lord, I see You walking on the water, and I believe I could walk on the water alongside You.” But would you? Do you have the kind of faith that would enable you to step out of the boat? Of the 12 disciples, Peter was the only one who took that step of faith.

I’m not citing this example of faith to discourage you or to make you feel that your faith is somehow lacking. I’m simply pointing out the great triumph of a man who dared to believe! Peter believed so strongly that he took a step of faith over the side of the boat and started walking toward Jesus.

Most of us know the rest of the story. Some might even smirk, saying, “Big deal! He got out of the boat, started walking on the water, got scared, and began to sink.” And he also received a rebuke from Jesus: O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31 NIV). But think about it—Jesus didn’t say those words to the other disciples. He directed the words “you of little faith” to Peter. The implication is the others had no faith at that moment.

Think of these words not just as words of rebuke, but also as words of encouragement to Peter, the one who had enough faith to step out of the boat and begin walking on the water. But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! (Matthew 14:30 AMPC).

What if you saw this as Jesus’ great encouragement, not just to Peter, but also to you? What if you looked at this event as Jesus saying to you, “You started so well. You believed Me and got out of the boat. You did it! You walked on water just as I did. But then you allowed doubt to enter, and when that happened, you began to sink.”

This powerful story is a wonderful reminder that Jesus is always with you, and He will suspend natural laws to reach out to you and care for you.

Prayer of the Day: Lord Jesus, please forgive my lack of faith. Increase my faith in Your Word and help me to trust You enough to follow Your leading. When the circumstances around me threaten to pull me into deep waters of doubt, help me to focus on You. I ask these things in Your holy name, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages).

Hebrews 13:8 (AMPC)

What is the main thing you love so much about Jesus? There are many answers to that question, of course, such as the fact He died for you on the cross so you wouldn’t have to be punished for your sins; then He rose again on the third day. But in your daily relationship with Him, one of the things you will appreciate most about Him is the fact you can count on Him not to change.

You love Jesus and are able to trust Him because He is never changing. He has said in His Word, “This is the way I was, and this is the way I’m always going to be.” If you can count on anything, you can count on Jesus never changing. He can change anything else that needs to be changed, but He always remains constant.

Prayer of the Day: Lord Jesus, thank You for always being the same and for always sticking with me. When life feels uncertain, You remain constant and faithful. Help me rest in the truth that I can always count on You, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work.

John 4:34 (AMPC)

I believe the Lord wants us to finish whatever He calls us to do, even when it requires patience, perseverance, and hard work. God wants us to grow roots and learn to endure until the fruit of His promise is manifested.

Be willing to endure patiently to see God’s plan take place in your life. If God has given you a vision of something He wants you to accomplish, keep doing whatever He has given you to do, even when the excitement for the work is over, and all the goose bumps are gone. If you don’t have a vision, ask God to show you something that you need to do, and then commit your work to the Lord until it is completed.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please give me the patience and endurance to finish what You’ve called me to do. And when the excitement fades, help me stay rooted in Your promise and committed to Your plan, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

[And I pray] that the participation in and sharing of your faith may produce and promote full recognition and appreciation and understanding and precise knowledge of every good [thing] that is ours in [our identification with] Christ Jesus [and unto His glory].

Philemon 1:6 (AMPC)

The renewing of the mind is the most important thing a person needs to do after receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior. Jesus died for our sins, and He wants us to enjoy the life He has provided. God’s Word teaches us that He has provided a good plan for each person, yet they will never experience it unless they know about it and also know how to access it (Romans 12:2). People perish and their lives are destroyed for a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Knowledge and understanding are power when applied properly.

Many fears are the result of something that happened in the past and that we fear will happen again. If a person’s mother died of cancer, she might fall prey to a fear that she will die the same way. She could become paranoid and fear that every little ache, pain, or strange feeling in her body is cancer. Fear that you will suffer causes suffering already while you are in fear. Don’t be afraid that your life will end; instead, believe that it’s just beginning.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I believe that You have a good plan for my life and that I can access it every day. Please renew my mind through Your Word. Help me overcome fear with truth, and to look to You regarding every aspect of my life and ask You to be Lord and King, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly].

Ephesians 4:15 (AMPC)

There is nothing more powerful than complete truth or “living truly.” The truth of God’s Word, the truth of who God says you are, the truth of healing and freedom, the truth of forgiveness and redemption—these are life-changing, revolutionary truths!

Just look at what the Word of God says about truth and how that truth can affect your life:

• And you will know the truth [regarding salvation], and the truth will set you free [from the penalty of sin] (John 8:32 AMP).
• Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6 AMP).
• The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth (without guile) (Psalm 145:18 AMP).

In your quiet time with God, as you study His Word, build your life on the truths you find there. In Ephesians 4:15, Paul encourages us that we can live in the power of God’s truth—we can be “living truly.” What a great way to live!

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me to consistently build my life on the truth of Your Word. Teach me to live honestly, walk freely, and trust who You say I am. I love You, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

And He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them, And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all].

Matthew 18:2–3 (AMPC)

One of the beautiful things about children is that they are not com- plicated. They will always let you know what they need, they’ll run into your arms when they are frightened, and they’ll give you a big kiss, sometimes for no apparent reason. It is refreshing to communicate with children, because they don’t try to hide their fears or their feelings.

I believe that’s how God wants us to be when we talk with Him. He is pleased when we approach Him with childlike simplicity and faith. Just as children are naturally inclined to trust their parents completely, we can also be pure and full of enthusiasm as we trust God. Share your whole heart with God and remember: You can entrust everything in your life to Him and know that He cares.

The Lord is not looking for complicated relationships. He is looking for sincere hearts and childlike faith. You can let God know what you want (Philippians 4:6), and you can run to Him when you feel afraid (Psalm 91:1–7). God wants you to feel free to show your affection for Him and to share your heart openly with Him. The more you learn to come to God with a childlike faith, the closer you’ll grow in your relationship with Him.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me trust You with childlike faith. Teach me to come to You honestly, depend on Your care, and grow closer to You every day, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

A man’s [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil].

Proverbs 18:20 (AMPC)

Words are wonderful when used with good intentions. They can encourage, edify, and give confidence. When we understand the power of words and realize we can choose what we think and speak, our lives can be transformed. Our words are not forced on us—they formulate in our thoughts and then we speak them. We can learn to choose our thoughts, to resist wrong ones, and think on good, healthy, right ones.

When you get up in the morning, if there is something you need to attend to that you’re not looking forward to, you can say, “I dread this day,” or you can say, “God will give me strength today to do whatever I need to do and to do it with joy.”

Prayer of the Day: Father, Thank You for always being ready to listen to me. Right now, I’m asking You to please help me choose words that honor You. Fill my heart with truth so my thoughts and speech bring joy, strength, and life to myself and to all the people in my life, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always).

1 Thessalonians 5:16 (AMPC)

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. “Well,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today.” So, she did, and she had a great day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and saw she had only two hairs on her head. “Hmmm,” she said, “I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today.” So, she did, and she had a grand day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. “Well,” she said, “today I’m going to wear my hair in a ponytail.” So, she did, and she had a fun, fun day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head. “Yay!” she exclaimed. “I don’t have to fix my hair today!”

This little story shows us a woman who was determined to have a positive, joy-filled outlook on life. Wouldn’t our lives be so much better if we followed her example?

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me choose a joyful, positive outlook no matter what happens each day. Show me how to find reasons to celebrate, even when life gets hard or frustrating, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, and they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water.

Jeremiah 2:13 (AMPC)

The Word teaches that God’s people dug wells for themselves that couldn’t hold water. I know what it is like to work hard with no results. I spent many years of my life digging empty wells like these, and I can tell you, it really wears you out.

You may be digging an empty well right now. You may be working on something or somebody. You may have your own little project going. You may be following your own plan, trying to make things happen in your own strength and ability. If so, it is not going to work if you have left God out of your plan. Many times, we make a plan and then pray for it to work. God wants us to pray first and ask Him for His plan. After we have His plan, then He wants us to trust Him to bring it to pass, as we follow His direction and work in partnership with Him.

Our activity birthed out of the flesh actually prevents God from showing Himself strong in our lives. The Bible describes that kind of activity as works of the flesh (Gal.5:19–21 KJV). I call them “works that don’t work.” That is not the way to live the higher life that God prepared for us.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I don’t want to dig empty wells in my own strength. Please help me seek Your plan first, and give me the trust to follow Your direction instead of my own, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace (the peace of His kingdom) at all times and in all ways [under all circumstances and conditions, whatever comes]. The Lord [be] with you all.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 (AMPC)

People often do things they don’t have peace about, and then they wonder why they have big messes in their lives. If we follow God’s Word and are thankful for His direction and leading, we will enjoy blessed and peaceful lives. The Bible warns us that we will live in turmoil if we follow our own will and walk in our own ways (Deuteronomy 28:15–33).

I hear people say things like this too often:

• “I know I shouldn’t do this, but . . .”
• “I know I shouldn’t buy this, but . . .”
• “I probably shouldn’t say this, but . . .”

These words reflect an uncomfortable feeling deep inside, a “knowing” that the action they are taking is not right or good for them, but they won’t surrender their wills to God’s leading. Thankfully, when we feel this lack of peace, we can decide to release our plans and submit to God’s good plan for our lives.

Prayer of the Day: I thank You, Father, that You lead me in peace. Help me be sensitive to the leading of Your Spirit as You set the course for my life. Thank You for the peace that comes with knowing You are in control and You have a good plan for me.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Blessed [with wisdom and prosperity] is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and whom You teach from Your law, that You may grant him [power to calm himself and find] peace in the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked and ungodly.

Psalm 94:12–13 (AMP)

We sometimes reach a tipping point in our lives when we recognize we are under so much pressure that we are on the verge of losing our peace and are about to start behaving badly. In today’s scriptures, the psalmist writes of the Lord granting a person [power to calm himself and find] peace in the days of adversity (Ps. 94:13 AMP).

Here are some steps that will hopefully help the process:

• Step 1: Slow down (or stop), take a deep breath, and regroup.
• Step 2: Regain your perspective. Be realistic about what is really happening.
• Step 3: Resist the devil at his onset, when you first realize he is pressuring you.
• Step 4: Cast your care on God and let Him show you what He can do. Keep saying, “God, I let this go. I trust You!” until you feel yourself calming down.
• Step 5: Think about what you are thinking about concerning the things that frustrate you and stop thinking about it. Instead, think about something good and positive.
• Step 6: Exercise self-control and manage your emotions instead of letting them control you.
• Step 7: Ask yourself if you can delay or delegate any of the things that are causing you stress, and make a plan to do so.

Prayer of the Day: I thank You, God, for the peace You give and for granting me the ability to calm myself and find peace in the midst of troubling situations.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

1 Corinthians 6:19 (ESV)

It is amazing to think that God makes His home in His children. When we receive Christ as our Savior, He comes to live in us, and our bodies become His temple. It is therefore prudent and wise for each of us to take good care of our bodies.

I am sorry to say that I spent many years pushing myself too hard and not taking care of my body, a temple of God, before I realized how important it is.

I hope to spare you the same mistakes I made. I urge you to respect your body and give it proper rest, sleep, hydration, and nutrition. God wants to not only live in you, but also to work through you. However, if you feel bad all the time because you don’t take care of yourself, He won’t be able to do that.

I encourage you to meditate on how amazing it is that God lives in you. You are the home of God. Prayerfully, this will urge you to keep the house of God—your body— in good condition. We are representatives of God, and He makes His appeal to the world through us (2 Corinthians 5:20). Let’s commit to representing Him well.

Prayer of the Day: Father, forgive me for not taking better care of myself. I want to represent You well, and I ask You to help me work with You to repair any damage done to my body. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org