…I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me].

— 1 Corinthians 6:12 (AMP)

Many people have convinced themselves that they are overly emotional people. They say, “I can’t help it. My emotions get the best of me.” If you’ve ever felt that way, let me tell you that you can be stable and mature in Christ. You don’t have to be a victim of your emotions.

No one is “just emotional”; we may have chosen to allow ourselves to be led by our emotions until doing so became a habit, but with God’s help we can change. God has given us a spirit of discipline and self-control, but we have to use it.

God gave you emotions so you could feel good and bad things, but He never intended those feelings to rule you. With God’s help, you can discipline your mind, your will, and your emotions. You can be a stable and mature Christian who follows God and not your emotions.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I come to You today asking that you guide me toward emotional stability and spiritual maturity. I want to grow up in You, Lord Jesus, amen.

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Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good.

— Romans 12:21 (AMPC)

As a Christian, you can resist the enemy and overcome evil by having an aggressive, power-packed attitude. You can release positive spiritual power that will always conquer negative power. But it doesn’t happen automatically. You must take a spiritually aggressive position and stand your ground.

Dealing with people requires a different approach, however. You are to treat people with dignity, respect, and love. For myself, I had to learn how to be a “lion-hearted lamb”—spiritually strong in dealing with the enemy and meek and gentle in dealing with people.

Being good to people will require that you walk in love, which is an effort that always costs you something. But people who are spiritually powerful always walk in love. It is God’s way of overcoming evil with good. And it is well worth the effort.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I come to You today asking that you help me muster the spiritual strength to stand firm against evil as well as the heart and compassion to show love and respect to others.

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God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away.

— Revelation 21:4 (AMPC)

Heaven, the eternal home of the believer in Jesus Christ, is described in the Bible as not only totally peaceful but also stunningly beautiful (see Revelation 21 and 22). Having faith that this is our destiny delivers us from the fear of death. Death is not an unknown nothingness but a graduation into better things than what we have experienced on earth.

As Christians, we can truthfully say, “I will live in heaven forever!” Your address will change someday from earth to heaven, but you will never really die. What a joy to know that we have the hope of a beautiful, peaceful place where there will be no more tears, pain, or dying, and we will live in the actual Presence of God.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I come to You today and ask that You strengthen my faith in the promise of heaven, removing any lingering fear, and filling me with the everlasting hope of spending eternity in Your glorious presence, amen.

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Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.

— James 1:3 (AMPC)

Trials “try” us, and tests “test” us. Most of the time, the purpose of them is to show us who we really are, to reveal character in us.

We can think all kinds of good thoughts about ourselves, but until we are put to the test, we don’t know whether those things have become realities in us or not. We may consider ourselves generous, honest, or deeply committed to a particular truth or ideal, but the depth of these dynamics only reveals itself when we’re under pressure. When we go through trials, we learn whether or not we really have the character and commitment we think we have.

I believe it’s very important for us to really know ourselves; tests are good for us because they affirm strengths and reveal weaknesses. Don’t be afraid to face your weaknesses. God’s strength is available to you specifically for them.

I must say that before my trials worked steadfastness and patience into my life, they brought out many other negative qualities, mindsets, and attitudes I didn’t know I had. One reason God allows us to go through tests and trials is so the hidden things in our hearts can be exposed. Until they are exposed, we cannot do anything about them. But once we see them, we can begin to face them and ask God to help us.

God does not allow us to go through difficult times because He likes to see us suffer; He uses them for us to recognize our need for Him. Everything you go through ultimately does work out for your good because it makes you stronger and builds your endurance; it develops godly character; it helps you to know yourself and to be able to deal with things at an honest level with God and take care of those things so you can reach spiritual maturity.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, help me truly understand that good can come from trials, that they shape my character as well as revealing strengths and weaknesses. Strengthen my character, Lord, and deepen my reliance on You as You prepare me for the purpose You have planned for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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 Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.

— 1 John 4:15 (AMPC)

As believers, we have the life of God inside of us. We are the dwelling place or home of God. This truth is necessary for each of us to understand in order to enjoy close fellowship and intimacy with God. God takes up residence within us when we give our lives to Jesus, believing in Him as the only Savior and Lord. From that position, He, by the power of the Holy Spirit, begins a wonderful work in us.

We can be thankful that God loves us and chooses to make His home in us. He has the ability to do what He wants, and He chooses to make His home in our hearts. This choice is based not on any good deeds we have done or ever could do, but solely on the grace, mercy, power, and love of God. As believers in Christ, we become God’s dwelling place (see Ephesians 3:17; 2 Timothy 1:14).

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, Father, for the way You take up residence in my heart. You are not distant or out of reach. I thank You that You dwell in me and are involved in every area of my life.

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 [Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.

— Ephesians 4:2 (AMPC)

It is good for the unsaved members of your family to see you studying the Bible, going to church and bearing the fruit of the Spirit. But your family may be more receptive to the gospel if you minister to their needs. Ministering to them may require giving up a prayer meeting to do things with them, such as going fishing or shopping with your spouse, helping your son work on his car, or taking your daughter out for lunch.

The Bible says that the natural man does not understand the spiritual man (See 1 Corinthians 2:14). So spiritual talk doesn’t always make sense to unsaved people, but loving actions speak clearly to them. Walk in love’s anointing today: Be kind, joyful, peaceful, and stable. Let God love others through you.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please show me how to balance out my spiritual journey with loving actions and help me to show my family and friends Your love through both my words and the things I do, amen.

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All the Israelites grumbled and deplored their situation, accusing Moses and Aaron, to whom the whole congregation said, Would that we had died in Egypt! Or that we had died in this wilderness! Why does the Lord bring us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and little ones will be a prey. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?

— Numbers 14:2–3 (AMPC)

“What is your problem?” That’s the question I would have liked to ask the Israelites! Their chief occupation seemed to be to grumble. As the verses above tell us, they not only lamented and groaned about their situation, but they also accused Moses of bringing them into the wilderness so they could die. In other scripture passages, we read that they complained about the food. God provided manna for them, and all they had to do was pick it up fresh every morning—but they didn’t like the heavenly diet.

In short, it wouldn’t have mattered what God did for them or what Moses and Aaron told them. They were committed to complaining. They had formed the grumbling habit. And much of it is a habit! If you grumble about one thing, it’s not long before there is something else to complain about.

When two moaners come together, the situation gets worse. What about the million or more people who came out of Egypt? Once the disease of disgruntlement struck, it became like a virus and infected them all. They were negative about everything. When the slightest problem arose, they were ready to return to Egypt. They preferred bondage as slaves rather than pressing on into the Promised Land.

One time Moses sent twelve spies into the land, and they came back and reported what wonderful, fertile land they had seen. (Read the story in Numbers 13 and 14.) The complainers joined with 10 of the spies (again, all but Joshua and Caleb). “Yes, it’s a great place,“ they agreed. But grumblers never stop with positive statements. They added, But the people who dwell there are strong…and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers… Numbers (13:28, 33 AMPC).

Had they forgotten all the miracles God had done for them? Yes, they had. That’s where Satan trips up many people. They whine—and often it’s about a small thing. They find fault with something. If they don’t realize what they’re doing by allowing such thinking to continue, they don’t need to ask, “What is the problem?” What they need to learn to say is, “I don’t have a problem; I am the problem.”

That was exactly the situation in Moses’ day. The enemy in Canaan wasn’t any worse, bigger, or more powerful than what the people constantly faced. But what if their problems really were more serious? If God could destroy the Egyptians at the Red Sea, why wouldn’t He give them another miracle? They were His people, and He loved them.

They themselves were the problem, and they never accepted that fact. Forty years of wandering, and they never got the message. How dense could they be? I’ve wondered many times. Of course, it’s easy to say that—because I wasn’t there, and I can see the situation with hindsight. It’s harder to examine our own lives and see why we gripe and moan.

“But my situation is different,” people often say to me.

That’s true, but the spirit in which you operate is the same as those in ancient Israel. You’re so caught up in grumbling, complaining, and seeing what’s wrong that you have no energy or time to appreciate what’s good.

“What is good about your life?” I once challenged a woman who complained about almost everything.

She stared at me and realized I was serious. “Well, I have a good husband. I have two children whom I love, and they love me.”

I smiled and said, “Go on.”

She caught on, and her face lost its down-at-the-mouth look. Although she didn’t say it in those words, she admitted, “I guess I don’t have a problem. I’ve been the problem.”

Exactly!

Prayer of the Day: Spirit of God, please forgive me for seeing others or my surroundings or the situation I’m in as the problem. I’ve been unhappy because I haven’t faced that I am my biggest hindrance to deliverance and victory. Forgive me and set me free, I pray in the name of Jesus, amen.

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However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you….

— John 16:7 (AMPC)

Quite often, we feel that we are alone and have no one to help us, but Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be with us always and that He is our “Helper.” One of the most powerful prayers we can pray is, “Help me, Lord,” and we should pray it several times every day. It is a simple three-word prayer that declares that we are depending on the Holy Spirit and we know we cannot do anything without Him.

Don’t struggle along in life, trying to do things by yourself, when you have the greatest Helper in the world available to you. James said that …you do not have, because you do not ask (James 4:2 AMPC), so I encourage you to start asking more often and expect to get more help than ever before.

Prayer of the Day: Father, through Your Holy Spirit, help me today and every day with everything I do. I am totally dependent on You!

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 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever!

— 1 Chronicles 16:34 (AMPC)

Thanksgiving should be a regular part of our lives. It is something that creates an atmosphere where God can speak; it is a type of prayer; and it should flow out of us in a natural way that is pure and easy. We can take time each evening and thank God for the things He helped us with that day, but we should also continually breathe out simple prayers of thanksgiving every time we see Him working in our lives or blessing us.

For example, “Lord, thank You for a good night’s sleep” or, “God, I thank You that my visit to the dentist didn’t hurt as much is I thought it might, ” or “Father, thank You for helping me make good decisions today,” or “Lord, thank You for keeping me encouraged.” God is always good to us, always faithful, and always working diligently in our lives to help us in every possible way. We need to respond by letting Him know we appreciate Him and everything He is doing for us. We should thank God silently in our hearts and we should also voice our thankfulness aloud because that helps us stay conscious and aware of God’s love, which He demonstrates through His goodness to us.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You for helping me throughout my day and please remind me to be continually thankful in every single moment, big or small. My heart overflows with gratitude for Your constant love and faithfulness! In Jesus’ name, amen.

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 This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

— Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)

As I’ve mentioned many times, learning to manage my emotions has been one of the most important lessons I have learned in my journey with God, because it has allowed me to consistently enjoy my life. When we wait to see how we feel before we know if we can enjoy each day, we give emotions control over our lives. But thankfully, we can make decisions that are not based on feelings. If we are willing to make good choices regardless of how we feel, God will be faithful to help us do so.

Living the good life that God offers us requires us to be obedient to His way of being and doing. He gives us the strength to follow His teachings, but we must choose to do it. God won’t choose for us. He helps us, but we must participate by choosing to obey His Word instead of simply doing whatever we feel like doing. We can’t consistently enjoy life until we are willing to do this. For example, I may feel like avoiding someone because they have hurt my feelings or treated me unfairly, but I can choose to pray for them and treat them as Jesus would while I wait for Him to do something in the situation. If I act according to my feelings, I will forfeit peace and joy. But if I choose to do what God has instructed me to do in His Word, I will have His reward and blessing in my life.

Prayer of the Day: Help me, God, to make good choices regarding my emotions and not to allow them to control my life. I want to obey Your Word and experience Your blessings in my life.

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Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value].

— Colossians 3:2 (AMP)

Our thoughts, words, and attitudes create an atmosphere. It can be hectic and stressful, or it can be calm, positive, and even enjoyable. Thoughts become words, attitudes, body language, facial expressions, and even moods—and all of these things affect the atmosphere we live in.

God responds to our faith, our confident expectation that He is working on our behalf. If we have a negative situation, but a positive attitude, it opens the door for God to work and change our negative situation around.

God’s desire for us is that we learn to live with a positive attitude—an attitude of faith and hope. No matter what our circumstances, our minds belong to us, and no one should do our thinking for us. Be passionate about being positive and watch how God will work in your situation.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, I come to You in the name of Jesus and ask You to help me have a positive attitude and expectation that You will lift me up above my circumstances, enable me to have peace in the middle of the storm and experience joy regardless of what is going on around me, amen.

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But love your enemies and be kind and do good [doing favors so that someone derives benefit from them] and lend, expecting and hoping for nothing in return but considering nothing as lost and despairing of no one; and then your recompense (your reward) will be great (rich, strong, intense, and abundant)….

— Luke 6:35 (AMPC)

Has God ever asked you to do something really special for somebody who hurt you? If so, I am sure that like me you found it very difficult to do. Perhaps you have spent a lot of time in your life blessing someone who never blesses you in return. In that case, don’t become bitter but trust God to reward you.

Some of us are a little more naturally disposed toward kindness than others. Many of us find we can be kind to those who are kind to us, but we run into trouble with those we don’t think deserve kindness. God delights in being kind to those of us who don’t deserve it. Actually, kindness isn’t even kindness unless it is extended toward the undeserving.

End your day by being kind to someone.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me to always walk in kindness toward others, especially to those who have hurt me. I cannot do this without Your help. Thank You, amen.

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 [So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

— Ephesians 1:6 (AMPC)

It is not God’s desire for us to feel frustrated and condemned in our lives. He wants us to realize that we are His children, and we are pleasing to Him.

There are plenty of voices trying to tell us who and what we aren’t, but the closer we get to God, the more we hear Him telling us who we are—righteous in Christ, loved and well-pleasing to our heavenly Father.

The devil tells us we cannot possibly be acceptable to God because of our faults and sins, but God tells us that we are accepted in the beloved because of what His Son, Jesus, has already done for us.

If you have dealt or are dealing with any guilt or condemnation today, remember that God never reminds us of how far we have fallen. He always reminds us of how far we can rise. He reminds us of how much we have overcome, how precious we are in His sight, and how much He loves us.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please drown out the voices of doubt and unbelief, and let me hear only Your voice of love. Please remind me that I am always accepted and loved by You because of Jesus, amen.

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 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

— Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Typically, we are excited at the beginning of an opportunity, a relationship, or a venture. We’re also happy when we can celebrate our achievements and have the satisfaction of fulfilled desires. But between the beginning and the end, every situation or pursuit has a “middle”—and the middle is where we often face our greatest challenges, hurdles, roadblocks, obstacles, detours, and tests.

The enemy wants you to stop short of receiving and enjoying everything God has for you, and he will tempt you to give up by sometimes making the middle of your venture seem too long or too hard. God, on the other hand, wants the very best for you; He wants you to finish the race set before you, enjoying every step along the way. Be determined to be faithful all the way through and enjoy your victory.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, please help me to be diligent in the middle of my challenges. I ask that You help me remain faithful as I overcome every obstacle and in the name of Jesus, I will celebrate the victory You have prepared for me, amen.

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Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

— Isaiah 43:18-19 (AMPC)

Paul learned the power of overcoming his past. In Philippians 3:13 he said it was his aim—his “one aspiration”—to forget what was behind him, and God used him mightily.

I wonder what would happen in your life if you made it your one aspiration to move past your past. Just imagine what God could do in your life if you stopped focusing on the events of yesterday. I believe He would totally revolutionize every area of your life.

To move forward into God’s best is going to take determination. There are lots of things that want to hold you back, including events from your past. But if you’ll make it your one aspiration, you can move past yesterday, enjoy today, and go boldly into tomorrow.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me let go of the past and move forward in You. I ask that my sole aspiration would be to embrace Your plans for today and tomorrow, amen.

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The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, You have dwelt long enough on this mountain. Turn and take up your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites…Behold, I have set the land before you; go in and take possession of the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them.

— Deuteronomy 1:6-8 (AMPC)

Those of us who are parents know these words so well: “In a minute. Just a little longer.” We call our children to leave their playing and come inside, but they want just a little more time to stay out with their friends. For now, at least, they’re content playing and don’t want to think about getting cleaned up or eating dinner. It’s always, “Just a little longer”—if we let them. And at times, we adults act a little like those children who cry out, “Just a little longer.”

I’ve met miserable people—those who disliked their lives, hated their jobs, or were in intolerable relationships with the wrong kind of people. They knew they were miserable, but they did nothing about it. “Just a little longer.” A little longer for what? More pain? More discouragement? More unhappiness?

Those are the people who have what I call the wilderness mentality. I want to explain that. Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt. If they had obeyed God, stopped their grumbling, and moved straight ahead as God originally told them, they could have made the trip in 11 days. But it took them 40 years.

Why did they finally leave? Only because God said, “You have dwelt long enough on this mountain.” If God hadn’t pushed them into the Promised Land, I wonder how long they would have stayed and longed to cross the Jordan.

They were people in bondage. Although they had seen miracles in Egypt and had praised God at the defeat of the Egyptian armies at the Red Sea, they were still in bondage. The chains were no longer on their bodies, but they had never removed those chains from their minds. That is the wilderness mentally.

For 40 years, they grumbled. They had no water, and then God provided it for them. They grumbled about the food. Manna was alright, but they wanted meat of some kind. No matter what the situation, they were still mental prisoners. As they had been in Egypt, so they were in the wilderness. No matter how good things became, they were never good enough. They had forgotten all the hardships and slavery in Egypt, and every time they were dissatisfied with Moses’ leadership, they moaned, “Oh, if only we had stayed in Egypt.”

They had forgotten how bad things were; They had no vision for how good things could get. When they had the chance to move into the new land, they were afraid. “There are giants in the land,” they cried out. They had seen God’s deliverance in the past, but they weren’t ready for it in the present.

Finally God said, “Okay, it’s time to move out.” The Bible doesn’t tell us about their attitude, but there’s no reason to believe it had changed. I can imagine they cried out, “Let’s stay just a little longer. Things aren’t good here, but we know how to live in the wilderness. We are afraid to leave this place—we have become used to it.” If you don’t like your life, but you won’t make the effort to change, you may have a wilderness mentality. If your mind stays filled with negative thoughts, they will keep you in bondage.

However, you can do something about it. You don’t have to waste any more time. You can say, “I’ve dwelt long enough at this mountain. Now I’m going into the Promised Land—the land where I’ll live in victory and defeat Satan’s plans.”

Prayer of the Day: Father God, help me cast off the wilderness mentality. Help me take on the Promised-Land mentality and live in victory, through Jesus Christ, amen.

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 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.

— Psalm 119:147-148 (NIV)

In today’s scriptures, we can sense the psalmist’s commitment to God’s Word. In modern language, we would say he “gets up early and stays up late” to meditate on God’s promises. Reading or hearing the Word is good, but when we also devote our thoughts to it, as the psalmist did, we begin to understand it more deeply. The Word of God is filled with power, and it has the ability to change us. Just as good, nutritious food must be chewed well and swallowed for us to benefit from it, so the Word of God must be taken in and digested to become part of us. We do this in our minds, by thinking about it and focusing on it, not allowing ourselves to be distracted while we spend time in it.

I encourage you to make a habit of choosing a Bible verse and meditating on it throughout the day, or perhaps for a week or more at a time. To choose a verse, you might think of one that is particularly meaningful to you, or you might think of a topic that is important to you right now, such as prayer, healing, or managing your finances. Then look up verses about that subject online or in a concordance. This way, biblical truth will become rooted in your heart and become more meaningful to you.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I want to devote my thoughts to Your Word and to make time in my schedule to seriously study it. Help me, I pray.

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