My mouth shall praise You with joyful lips when I remember- Psalm 63:5-6
Oh, how love I Your law! It is my meditation all the day. – Psalm 119:97
Transcendental Meditation. Yoga. New Age. We hear these terms all the time, and they cause many Christians to avoid any reference to meditation. They’re afraid of the occult or pagan worship. What they don’t realize is how often the Bible urges us to meditate.
We can explain biblical meditation in a number of ways, but the one I find most helpful is to think of it as expressed in the Bible. If we read the verses above (and there are many others), we see three significant things about meditation in the Word.
First, the Scriptures refer to more than a quick reading or pausing for a few brief, reflecting thoughts. The Bible presents meditation as serious pondering. Whenever the Bible refers to meditation, it speaks to serious, committed followers. This isn’t a word for quick, pick-me-up Bible verses or Precious Promises. I’m not opposed to those, but this is a call to deeper, more serious concentration.
Second, the biblical contexts show meditation as ongoing and habitual. It is my meditation all the day, says the verse above. In Joshua 1:8, God told Joshua to meditate on the law day and night. We get the impression that the people who spoke of meditating did so seriously and threw their minds fully into the action. Psalm 1:2 says that the godly person meditates on God’s law day and night.
Third, meditation has a reward. It’s not just to meditate or go through a religious ritual. In most of the biblical passages where the term occurs, the writer goes on to point out the re¬sults. Again in Joshua 1:8: … For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.
Psalm 1 describes the godly person who meditates day and night on God’s law (or Word) and says, … and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity] (v. 3).
Despite what I’ve pointed out, we don’t talk or teach much about meditation today. It’s hard work! It demands time. Meditation also demands undivided attention.
If you want to win the battle for the mind, meditation is a powerful weapon for you to use. You must focus on portions of God’s Word. You must read them, perhaps repeat them aloud, and keep them before you. Some people repeat a verse again and again until the meaning fills their mind and becomes part of their thinking. The idea is that you won’t put the Word of God in practice physically until you first practice it mentally.
Meditation is a life principle because it ministers life to you, and your behavior ministers life to others through you.
I could go on and on about the subject of meditating on God’s Word, because it seems there is no end to what God can show me out of one verse of Scripture. The Word of God is a treasure chest of powerful, life-giving secrets that God wants to reveal to us. I believe these truths are manifested to those who meditate on, ponder, study, think about, practice mentally, and mutter the Word of God. The Lord reveals Himself to us when we diligently meditate on His Word. Throughout the day, as you go about your daily affairs, ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of certain scriptures on which you can meditate.
You’ll be amazed at how much power will be released into your life from this practice. The more you meditate on God’s Word, the more you will be able to draw readily upon its strength in times of trouble.
This is how we can stay filled with the Holy Spirit-stay with the Lord through meditation and through singing and praising. As we spend time in His presence and ponder His Word, we grow, we encourage others, and we win the battles against the enemy of our minds.
Holy Spirit of God, help me to spend time every day meditating on the treasures of Your Word. I thank You for showing me that as I fill my mind with pure and holy thoughts, I will become a stronger and better disciple.
Category Archives: Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer – What About Me?
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. – 1 John 4:8 NIV
God is love, and His nature is that of a giver. He gives, He helps, He cares, and He sacrifices. He does not do these things occasionally; they represent His constant attitude toward us. Love is not something God does—it is Who He is. He always offers us love, generosity, grace, and help. God does chastise His children when they need it, but He even does that out of love and for our own good to teach us the right way to live.
Everything God does is for our good; all of His commands are intended to help us have the best lives we can possibly have. Because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (see Romans 5:5), we can love and be kind to others, which means taking the focus off of ourselves, silencing the internal voice that asks, What about me?, and learning to follow Jesus’ example of being kind, generous, and loving toward others.
Power Thought: I love because I know God, and God is love.
Joyce Meyer – Exercise Self-Control
Adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence), and in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety), and in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.- 2 Peter 1:5–7
Does the thought of mowing the lawn get you discouraged? Do you think, Oh man, I wish I didn’t have to mow the lawn today. I really dread it. I wish I could just go shopping or do something fun. If so, you’re not abnormal. We are all tempted to think like that, but the good news is God has given you the spirit of self-control and you can choose what you will think about any situation (see 2 Timothy 1:7). You can also choose to do what you know is right no matter how you feel at the moment.
Dale Carnegie said, “You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind. “We can conquer worry and fear, and we can also conquer dread. God has given us a spirit of self-control; all we have to do is exercise it and we will experience freedom from fear and dread.
Lord, I thank You that I don’t have to live bound by what I feel about situations. Strengthen my mind and thoughts with the power of Your Word. Amen.
Joyce Meyer – Listen Carefully
And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you the more [besides] will be given to you who hear. – Mark 4:24
The Bible says that in the latter days many false prophets will rise up and tell people what their itching ears want to hear. People will search for one teacher after another who will tell them something pleasing and gratifying. To suit their own desires, they will turn away from hearing the Truth and will wander off into listening to myths and man-made fiction (see 2 Timothy 4:3–4). They will turn to methods that may be called “spiritual,” but are not safe in God’s Kingdom. They are “spiritual,” but they come from the wrong spirit!
Never before have we seen such an influx of psychics vying for a ready ear. Television shows feature mediums who claim to communicate with people who have died. These people are actually communicating with familiar spirits who tell half-truths about the past and lies about the future. This is strictly forbidden in Scripture (see Leviticus 19:31). God says He will set His face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists (see Leviticus 20: 6–7), yet Christians still read horoscopes and consult psychics—then wonder why they live in confusion and don’t have peace.
We must realize that it is wrong to seek guidance for our lives through anything other than God Himself. In fact, our seeking guidance through other sources offends Him. No one who does so will have the peaceful, joy-filled, blessed life God intended.
If you have been involved in activity of this kind, I urge you to thoroughly repent; ask God to forgive you; and turn away completely from such practices. God alone has all the answers you need, so go to Him and let Him give you the guidance and encouragement you need.
Joyce Meyer – Express Your Faith
Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.- Romans 10:9-10
This is a very important principle that we are in danger of missing. We are saved by faith, but James said that faith without works is dead. I can believe in my heart that God is worthy of worship; but if I don’t take action to worship Him, it doesn’t do much good. I can say I believe in tithing; but if I don’t tithe, it won’t help me financially.
Be bold—take some action and be expressive in your praise and worship. A lot of people even refuse to talk about God. They say, “Religion is a private thing.” I cannot find anyone in the Bible who met Jesus and kept it private.
When we are excited about praising and worshiping Him, it is difficult to have no outward expression. When He fills our hearts, the good news about Him comes out of our mouths.
Joyce Meyer – Wisdom and Revelation
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. – Ephesians 1:17–19 NIV
Rather than focus on negative things in life, the Bible teaches us to see good things in Christ with the “eyes of your heart.” Ephesians 1:17–19 says that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation are important so we may:
Have knowledge of God, or know God Himself. This is not knowledge gained through education, but revelation.
Know the hope of our calling, the eternal plan of God and how we fit into it. We can be thankful that God has called us to be His sons and daughters, and as such, we have an inheritance.
Know that revelation knowledge of God’s power is available to us. We can do anything God asks us to do because of the greatness of His power.
Give thanks today that you can know God, have hope, and live in His power!
Prayer of Thanks
I thank You, Father, that You have given me hope in Christ Jesus. Today, I will focus on the good things in my life and listen for Your voice. Thank You that You lead and guide me in the wisdom and revelation of Your Word and Your Holy Spirit.
Joyce Meyer – The Invitation
What I have forgiven …has been for your sakes …to keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions.- 2 Corinthians 2:10-11
Suppose we receive a package from an overnight carrier.
After we open it, we stare at a beautiful, oversized envelope, with our name written on it in exquisite calligraphy. Inside, the invitation starts with these words: You are invited to enjoy a life filled with misery, worry, and confusion.
Which one of us would say yes to such an outrageous invitation? Don’t we seek the kind of life that keeps us free from such pain and distractions? Yet many of us choose such a life. Not that we blatantly make that choice, but we sometimes surrender even temporarily to Satan’s invitation. His attack is ongoing and relentless-the devil is persistent! Our enemy bombards our minds with every weapon at his disposal every day of our lives.
We are engaged in a warfare, a warfare that rages and never stops. We can put on the whole armor of God, halt the evil one’s advances, and stand fast on the Word of God, but we won’t put a complete end to the war. As long as we are alive, our minds remain Satan’s battlefield. Most of our problems are rooted in thinking patterns that produce the problems we experience. This is where Satan triumphs. He offers wrong thinking to all of us. This isn’t a new trick devised for our generation; he began his deceptive ways in the Garden of Eden. The serpent asked the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden? (Genesis 3:1a). That was the first attack on the human mind. Eve could have rebuked the tempter; instead, she told him God would let them eat from the trees, but not from one particular tree. They couldn’t even touch that tree, because if they did, they would die.
But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference ‘between good and evil and blessing and calamity (vv. 4-5). This was the first attack, and it resulted in Satan’s first victory. What we often miss about temptation and the battle our enemy levels against us is that it comes to us deceptively.
Suppose he had said to the woman, “Eat of the fruit. You’ll bring misery, anger, hatred, bloodshed, poverty, and justice into the world.” Eve would have recoiled and run away. He tricked her because he lied and told her what would appeal to her. Satan promised, “You will be like God. You’ll know good and evil.” What a marvelous appeal to the woman. He wasn’t tempting Eve to do something bad, or at least he phrased it in such a way that what she heard sounded good.
That’s always the appeal of sin or satanic enticement. The temptation is not to do evil or to cause harm or bring injustice. The lure is that we will gain something. Satan’s temptation worked on Eve. And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate (v.6).
Eve lost the first battle for the mind, and we have continued to fight for it since that time. But because we have the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can win and we can keep on winning.
Victorious God, help me resist the onslaughts of Satan, who attacks my mind and makes evil seem good. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Joyce Meyer – Live with Purpose
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose].- 1 Corinthians 15:58
Life without purpose is vanity. Webster’s definition of purpose is “something set up as an object or end to be attained.” Christians ought to be people with purpose. We are all purposed to seek the kingdom of God, which is His righ¬teousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (see Ro¬mans 14:17).
Today is an opportunity to willfully and deliberately seek God with the intent to know Him better than we knew Him yesterday. Today we can deliberately move forward with the intent to accomplish good things for the Kingdom.
Joyce Meyer – Choose Peace and Joy Instead of Dread
Then I said to you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. – Deuteronomy 1:29
Probably one of the greatest ways we show our trust in God is by living life one day at a time. We prove our confidence in Him by enjoying today and not letting the concern of tomorrow interfere. It made a big change in my life when I began to gain insight from the Holy Spirit on this problem of dreading things. This truth about living one day at a time greatly increased my peace and joy, and it will do the same thing for you.
I learned that it really was not the event I was facing that was so bad—it was dreading it that made it bad. Our attitudes do make all the difference in the world. Learn to approach life with an “I can do whatever I need to do through Christ” attitude. Don’t say that you hate things like driving to work in traffic, going to the grocery store, cleaning the house, doing laundry, changing the oil in the car, or cutting the grass. These chores are all part of life, and it is useless to dread them.
Don’t let the events of life dictate your level of joy. It is the joy of the Lord that is your strength. Be joyful that you are going to heaven; be grateful that you have someone who always loves you, no matter what. Look at and concentrate on what you do have, not what you don’t have.
Everyone has to attend to some unpleasant details in life. Don’t dread them, but learn how valuable God’s peace is in those circumstances.
Some things are certainly more naturally enjoyable and easier to do than others, but that does not mean we cannot purposely choose to enjoy the other less enjoyable tasks. We can choose to have attitudes of joy and peace. Usually, if we don’t feel like doing something, we automatically assume we cannot enjoy it or have peace during that time, but that is a deception. We grow spiritually when we do difficult things with a good attitude.
Trust in Him Dreading things does not glorify God. Show your trust in Him by facing each day with a good attitude.
Joyce Meyer – Practice Makes Perfect
Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on and talk of Your wondrous works.
– Psalm 119:27
Mark 4:24 says the amount of time you give to the Word will determine the amount of knowledge and virtue that comes back to you. As humans, we can be rather lazy, and many people want to get something for nothing (with no effort on their part); however, according to this Scripture, that is not the way it works.
If you want to do what the Word of God says and tap into the full power available to you, you will have to spend time reading the Word, meditating on it, pondering and contemplating it, talking about it, and rehearsing and practicing it in your thinking.
Remember the old saying “Practice makes perfect”? We don’t expect to be experts at other things in life without a lot of study, so why would we expect living the Christian life to be any different?
Power Thought: I study the Word of God so I can learn God’s ways.
Joyce Meyer – You Have to Have It to Give It
Freely you have received, freely give. – Mattew10:8 NKJV
I have not always loved myself, but with God’s help over the years, I did learn to receive His love, which helped me love myself in a balanced way, share His love with others, and love Him in return. This process didn’t happen overnight and it wasn’t easy, but it did happen for me and it can happen for you, too.
For a long, long time, I was desperately attempting to display loving behavior but had failed to receive God’s love for myself. Therefore, I could not give love away to others. I didn’t have any love to give. I had not received proper love during my life, so I didn’t have the ability to love myself in the right way.
Maybe you can relate to my story; maybe you struggle in relation¬ships because you have never been loved properly. This can begin to change only as you begin to believe His Word, which says over and over again that God loves you. Develop the mind-set that says, I can love myself because God loves me. I can love what God can love. I don’t love everything I do, but I love and accept myself because God loves and accepts me. As these thoughts take root in your mind, you’ll find that you love yourself more and more—and then you’ll have love to give away to others.
Love Yourself Today: “Lord, I declare that I love myself because You love me. The more I love myself, the more I can love others.”
Joyce Meyer – Transformation
So that they [even] kept carrying out the sick into the streets and placing them on couches and sleeping pads, [in the hope] that as Peter passed by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. And the people gathered also from the towns and hamlets around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured. – Acts 5:15–16
Peter was a man with a past. He was bold and not afraid of change, but he also had many faults. In Matthew 16:22–23, we see Peter trying to correct Jesus. In Matthew 26:31–35, we see that Peter thought more highly of himself than he should have. In Matthew 26:69–75, it is recorded that Peter denied even knowing Jesus.
Once Peter realized the depth of his sin, he wept bitterly, which showed that he had a repentant heart (v. 75). God is merciful and understands our weaknesses. In John 21, we see Jesus lovingly restore Peter. Peter had been included in God’s plans for the future even though he had a past record of foolishness and failure. Peter had denied Christ, and yet he became one of the best-known apostles. Peter could have spent his entire life feeling bad about his denial of Jesus, but he pressed past that failure and became valuable to God’s kingdom.
Lord, You are a God of transformation. Help me to press past my failures and become a valuable servant of Yours today. Thank You for including me in Your plans for the future. Amen.
Joyce Meyer – The Power of a Surrendered Will
And the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach and cry out to it the preaching that I tell you.- Jonah 3:1-2
We read in the book of Jonah how God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance to the people there. But Jonah did not want to, so he went to Tarshish, which is geographically opposite to Nineveh. Running from God does not help us to be at peace with Him.
What happens when we go in the opposite direction from where God has directed us? What happened to Jonah? When he boarded a ship and headed in his own direction, a storm arose. Many of the storms we face in life are the result of our own stubbornness. In many instances, we have been disobedient to the voice and leadership of God.
The violent storm that came upon Jonah frightened the men on the ship. They cast lots to see who was causing the trouble, and the lot fell on Jonah. He knew he had disobeyed God, so he told the men to throw him overboard in order to deliver them from danger.
They did as he requested, the storm stopped, and a great fish swallowed Jonah. From the fish’s belly (not a pleasant place), he cried out to God for deliverance and repented of his stubborn ways. The fish vomited Jonah upon the dry land; and in Jonah 3:1, we see that the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. God told him again to go to Nineveh and preach to the people there. No matter how long we avoid God’s instruction, it is still there for us to deal with when we stop running.
God’s will makes us uncomfortable only as long as we are not pursuing it. In other words, we always know when something is just not right in our lives. Eventually we see that being in God’s will, not out of His will, is what brings peace and joy to us. We have to surrender our own wills, because walking in our self-centered ways is what keeps us unhappy.
Joyce Meyer – Taking a Peace Inventory
And He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off and [peace] to those who were near.- Ephesians 2:17
Do you enjoy a peaceful atmosphere most of the time? Are you thankful and able to keep your peace during the storms of life? Are you at peace with God? Are you at peace with yourself? These are important questions. It is good to take a “peace inventory,” checking various areas of our lives to see if we need to make adjustments anywhere.
Jesus said He gave us His peace (see John 14:27). If He gives us His peace, we can gratefully walk in it and enjoy it. The minute we sense that we are losing our peace, we need to make a decision to calm down. I have found that the sooner I calm down, the easier it is to do so. If I allow myself to become extremely upset, it not only takes a toll on me emotionally, mentally, and physically, but it is more difficult to return to peace.
Jesus has provided peace for our lives, but we must appropriate it, not letting our hearts get troubled or afraid. We cannot just passively wait to feel peaceful. We are to pursue peace and refuse to live without it.
Prayer of Thanks
Father, thank You for the gift of peace that You have given me. As I do an inventory of my life, I choose to receive Your peace and live in it each day. I am so grateful that with Your help I can be at rest and enjoy Your peace.
Joyce Meyer – Love One Another
[Let your] love be sincere . . . hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good. Love one another with brotherly affection…giving precedence and showing honor to one another. – Romans 12:9-10
As a Christian, you are to have sincere love—God’s kind of love. God doesn’t always love the way people act or the things they do, but He always loves them as people. God calls you to that same kind of love. You don’t have to like everything someone does—in fact you are told to turn from wickedness—but it is your Christian responsibility to follow the example of Christ. When you recognize that everyone is God’s creation, it is easier to obey His command to love and honor them.
You must have a loving attitude toward people, an attitude that is filled with mercy, kindness, and sincere love. This doesn’t always come easy, but God will provide the strength you need to show His kind of love to others.
Joyce Meyer – You Can Do All Things Through Christ
I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].- Philippians 4:13
One thought that has the power to transform your life is simple: I can do whatever I need to do in life through Christ. In other words, I can handle whatever life hands me. I wonder—do you believe you can do whatever you need to do in life? Or are there certain things that trigger dread, fear, or cause you to say, “I could never do that!” when you think about them?
Whether it’s suddenly losing a loved one, facing a serious unexpected illness, having your adult child with two toddlers move into your clean and quiet house after you’ve had an “empty nest” for years, going on a strict diet because your life depends on it, putting yourself on a budget to avoid foreclosure on your home, or suddenly having to care for a disabled elderly parent—most people have some kind of circumstance that truly seems impossible to them, something they aren’t sure they can or could handle.
The fact of the matter is, while some situations may be intensely undesirable or difficult for you, you can do whatever you need to do in life. I know this because God tells us in His Word that we have the strength to do all things because Christ empowers us to do so. He doesn’t say everything will be easy for us, He doesn’t promise we will enjoy every little thing we do, but we can enjoy life in the midst of doing them.
We must understand that Philippians 4:13 does not say we can do anything we want to do because we are strong enough, smart enough, or hardworking enough. No, in fact, it leaves no room at all for human effort or striving of any kind. The secret to being able to do what we need to do is realizing that we cannot do it alone; we can only do it in Christ.
Trust in Him What in your life do you need to begin to believe you can do? Remember, you can do all things in Christ. You can trust Him to empower you to do anything He asks you to do.
Joyce Meyer – Content and Stable in All Circumstances
I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am. – Philippians 4:11
Stability and contentment enable us to enjoy our lives. I have discovered I like myself better when I am stable and content, and I think other people like me better this way too. I believe the same is true for you. Becoming emotionally stable and content is very important to a powerful life, and as you grow in these qualities, you’ll find yourself strengthened as never before.
Paul said he learned how to be content in all circumstances. Likewise, you will have to learn in this area and begin believing you can be content and stable before you actually see the fruit of it in your life. God’s Word states that we can and should speak of nonexistent things as if they already existed (see Romans 4:17). Begin to think and say you are content and emotionally stable, and it will help you become that way.
Power Thought: I am content and stable in all circumstances.
Joyce Meyer – Need Some Help?
Behold, God is my helper and ally; the Lord is my upholder and is with them who uphold my life.- Psalm 54:4
There are many people who have received Jesus as their Savior and Lord who will live their Christian lives and go to heaven without ever drawing on the power of the Holy Spirit available to them, never expe¬riencing the true success God intends for them. People can be on their way to heaven, yet not enjoying the trip.
We often look at people who have wealth, position, power, fame, and consider them to be totally successful. But many people who are viewed as successful still lack good relationships, peace, joy, content¬ment, and other true blessings that are available only in the context of a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Self-sufficient people often think it is a sign of weakness to depend on God. But by drawing on the ability of the Holy Spirit, they could accomplish more in their lives than they could by working in their own strength.
There are countless things we struggle with when we could be receiving help from the Holy Spirit. Many people never find the right answers to their problems because they seek out the wrong sources for advice and counsel instead of asking the Divine Counselor who lives within them for guidance.
I encourage you to lean on God for everything, and that means little things as well as big things.
Love God Today: The only way to experience the success God intends for you is to become totally dependent on the Holy Spirit.
Joyce Meyer – You Are Not Alone
And even he who is brave, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt. —2 Samuel 17:10
We are all brave in some areas and fearful in others. The pendulum may swing one way or the other, but we all have some of both. For example, a woman we will call Theresa was timid and shy, and yet was very brave when it came to facing pain and tragedy. She had cancer at the age of thirty-two and endured surgery and painful radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Theresa also had three miscarriages before she finally gave birth to a healthy child. She bore these difficulties graciously, bravely, and with little complaint.
Janice, a friend of Theresa’s, was bold and aggressive and appeared to be fearless until she suddenly lost her job of twenty years and her 401(k) retirement program to corporate fraud. She faced tragedy but did not handle it graciously. She displayed fear that amazed those who knew her.
It’s important for us to realize that we are not alone in our battles with fear. The devil wants nothing better than to convince you that there is something really wrong with you and that other normal people don’t have the same kinds of problems. Don’t let him do it; all of us experience fear.
Lord, You know me inside and out. You see my strengths and weaknesses. I trust You to be working and equipping me to face the challenges of today and tomorrow. Help me to be brave, knowing that You are with me. Amen.
Joyce Meyer – Whom God Loves, He Chastens
For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. – Hebrews 12:6
When we need correction—and there are times when we all need it—I believe it is the Lord’s first desire to correct us Himself. Whom the Lord loves, He chastens. God’s correction or chastisement is not a bad thing; it is always and ultimately only for our good.
The fact that it works toward our good does not mean it always feels good or that it is something we enjoy immediately: For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God]. (Hebrews 12:11)
Correction is probably one of the most difficult things for most of us to receive, especially when it comes through another person. Even if we have problems, we don’t want others to know we have them. I believe God prefers to correct us privately; but if we won’t accept His correction or if we don’t know how to allow Him to correct us privately, He will correct us publicly, using whatever source He needs to use. We may not always like the source God chooses to use, but it is wisdom to accept correction in order to avoid “going around the mountain one more time” (see Deuteronomy 2:3).
DAILY DEVOTIONS, NEWS AND INFORMATION 