Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom).

2 Corinthians 3:17 (AMPC)

Although I have taught many times before on the subject of legalism as a deterrent to a Spirit-led life, I want to elaborate on it more because I believe it is a tremendous hindrance to hearing from God.

I don’t believe we can experience joy unless we are led by God’s Spirit, and we cannot be led by the Spirit and live under the law simultaneously. A legalistic mentality says that everyone has to do everything the same way, all the time. But God’s Spirit leads us individually and often in unique, creative ways.

God’s written Word says the same thing to everyone, and it is not a matter of private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). This means God’s Word does not say one thing to one person and something else to others. However, the direct leadership of the Holy Spirit is a personal issue.

God may lead one person not to eat sugar because of a health issue in that person’s life. That doesn’t mean no one can eat sugar. People who are legalistic try to take God’s Word to others and make it a law for them.

I once heard that by the time Jesus was born, the scribes and Pharisees had turned the Ten Commandments into two thousand rules for people to follow. Imagine trying to live under that kind of law. That’s bondage!

Jesus came to set captives free. We are not free to do whatever we feel like doing, but we have been set free from legalism and are now free to follow the Holy Spirit in all the creative, personal ways in which He leads us.

If He knows each time we sit down or stand up and took the time to tell us about in His Word, then surely He sees and cares about everything else.

Prayer of the Day: Holy Spirit, I ask You to free me from legalism. Help me embrace the joy of Your personal, creative guidance and follow You with confidence, not comparison or control. In the name of Jesus, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4 (AMPC)

Too often people stare at me with a blank look when I urge them to decide to believe. It’s as if I’m asking them to do something they can’t do. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), but it also involves a decision.

We enter into a relationship with God through believing in Jesus Christ, but that’s only the beginning.

Believing doesn’t end there. As I understand the realm of the Spirit, if we follow the Lord, we live with a growing faith. That means we learn to believe for bigger things. We learn to trust God for things we would never have thought of in our earliest Christian days.

When we become Christians, the Bible says we are adopted into the family of God: ….but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in . . . which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father! (Romans 8:15 AMPC).

That’s the beginning. That’s also where too many Christians stop. The Spirit keeps reaching for your hands so He can pull you forward. That’s when you must decide to believe—or you resist and stay exactly where you are in your Christian experience.

Read the verse at the beginning of this topic. It says your faith will be tested, but you must hold onto it and move forward. The testing may come when the devil attempts to make you doubt the promises God has given you.

There is never a stopping place in your spiritual growth—God wants to take you onward. But you have to make the choice to believe. Sometimes that takes courage, but that’s how the Christian life functions. We grow by taking steps of faith.

When God speaks to your heart—to your inner being—you need to learn to say without hesitation, “Let it be so, Lord.” You have to learn to agree with whatever the Spirit of God says or wants.

Instead, many tend to resist. They don’t say no. Satan is too subtle to nudge them to do that. He puts questions in their minds, urging them to ask, “How can that be?” They start asking God to help them understand. If your boss wants you to do a task, you can ask, “Why?” or ask for an explanation.

But that is not how the Holy Spirit works. You say, “Lord, if You’ll help me understand, I will believe and obey.” God says, “Just obey. If I want you to understand, I’ll make it clear to you.” God doesn’t have to explain anything to us.

It frequently happens that believers know something down deep in their hearts—in their inner beings—but their minds fight against it. They may consider themselves unworthy. They may ask, “Who am I that You would use me to change lives?” They waste a lot of energy by telling God why they can’t do what He wants them to do. God already knows everything that is wrong with us or ever will be wrong with us, and He is willing to work through us anyway. God requires availability not ability.

God asks you to do something quite simple: Believe. That’s all. If God speaks, you need to learn to say, “Even though I don’t understand, I’ll do it.” One of the best examples I can think of in Scripture is the story of Ananias of Damascus. God told him that Saul (later called Paul) was blind and in a particular house. He was to go and lay hands on him, and God would heal him (Acts 9:10–19).

Ananias was afraid. Saul was the great persecutor of Christians, but God told him to go because the blinded man was a chosen vessel. Despite his fear and inability to understand why God would choose a great persecutor to be a chosen vessel, Ananias went and prayed for Saul, and the future apostle was healed.

That’s how God wants us to behave. He wants us to choose to believe Him even if what He’s asking us to do doesn’t compute in our thoughts.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, help me always to believe Your promises, even when I don’t understand Your purpose. I want to learn to trust You more as I move forward in faith to accomplish what You have for me to do. Help me always to be obedient, in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river…It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (AMPC)

Trust is one of the most powerful facets of faith because it carries you through your problems. Faith asks for deliverance, but trust remains steadfast while we are in God’s waiting room.

We all have trust, and we choose where we place that trust. If you place your trust in others or in your own abilities and accomplishments, you will one day be disappointed. All of these things are subject to change. But God never changes.

So plant your trust in Him and be like the tree planted by the water—rooted and grounded and yielding good fruit no matter what comes.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I choose to place my trust in You. Help me stay rooted in faith, even in the waiting times, knowing You never change and will always bring good fruit to harvest.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds…and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (AMPC)

The Bible teaches that Satan tries to build strongholds in our lives. One way to identify the strongholds in your life is to watch for repetitive situations that pull you down in spirit.

We all know inside when something is not right in our life or is getting out of control. If that happens to you, seek God early to find out what is going on. If a negative behavior becomes repetitive, that is a signal that Satan is building himself a stronghold in your life. God will destroy the devil’s strongholds within you, if you draw near to Him.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please reveal any strongholds in my life and give me the strength to break free from every one of them. I choose to draw near to You and walk in lasting spiritual freedom, amen.

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Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a [self-confident] fool.

Proverbs 26:1 (AMPC)

The book of Proverbs has much to say about self-confidence. A fool is always taking some kind of beating from the devil because he opens the door through self-confidence. God is our defense and protection, but our confidence must be in Him and not in us. When we are wholly trusting in God for all of our strength in all the affairs of life, we experience a divine protection that is amazing.

The self-confident man or woman may experience a financial beating. They make bad deals, get cheated, invest in stocks that become worthless, and all because they moved in their own knowledge rather than seeking the wisdom of God.

The fool may experience a mental beating. Self-confident people must worry, reason, be anxious, and have fear. They depend on themselves to solve their problems, so they have to figure things out.

Fools also experience emotional beating. Nothing really works out right when people lean on themselves. Nothing is more frustrating than doing your very best to solve problems and yet always failing. We begin to think something is wrong with us, and God is merely hindering our success in the hopes that we will eventually wear ourselves out and come to Him for help.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I want to live in the shelter of Your wings and protection. I root my confidence in You alone and lean on You for help, amen.

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Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever— because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever].

Romans 8:6 (AMP)

Waiting on God can be difficult at times, especially if we have the wrong attitude and mindset. Instead of being negative and impatient, we can actively put our hope and faith to work, knowing that God is in control. Our thoughts and attitudes can keep us joyful while we are in God’s waiting room.

Here are some examples of right thoughts:

• I’m so excited to see what God is going to do.
• I believe God is working, even though I don’t see a change yet.
• God loves me, and I know He will take care of my problem.
• Psalm 139 says that God is thinking about me all the time, so I know He has not forgotten me.
• I will not live in fear, and I will never give up.

These are thoughts that can produce joy, even as we practice patience. If we think with the mind of the Spirit while we are waiting on God, rest and peace will be the natural by-product.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me wait with joyful expectation. I trust that You’re working, even when I can’t see it. Fill me with peace and patience as I rest in Your perfect timing.

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A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers.

John 4:23 (AMPC)

I have adopted a new phrase, and it is helping me to deal with reality and not waste my time being upset about things I cannot do anything about. I have been saying, “It is what it is.”

Somehow that is a reality check for me, and I quickly realize I need to deal with things the way they are, not the way I wish they were. It does no good to live in a false sense of reality. Whatever we have to deal with on a given day, we can do it with the help of God.

You are never going to have anyone else’s life, so wanting it is unrealistic and a waste of time. Learn to thank God for the life He has given you and make the most of each day with a thankful heart.

Prayer of the Day: God, help me accept what I cannot change, face each day with faith, and live thankfully for the life You’ve given me—just as it is, amen.

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Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

1 Corinthians 13:7 (AMPC)

Believing the best about people is very helpful in the process of forgiving people who hurt or offend us. As human beings, we tend to be suspicious of others, and we often get hurt due to our own imaginations. It is possible to believe someone hurt you on purpose when the truth is they were not even aware they did anything at all and never intended to upset you.

I can remember, during the early years of our marriage, focusing on everything I considered negative about Dave and ignoring his positive traits. My thoughts went something like this: We just don’t agree about anything. Dave is so stubborn, and he has to be right all the time. He is insensitive, and he just doesn’t care how I feel. He never thinks of anyone but himself. In reality, none of these thoughts were true! They only existed within my own mind; and my wrong thinking caused a great deal of offense and disagreement that could have been easily avoided had my mindset been more positive.

Over time, as I grew in my relationship with God, I learned the power of believing in the best about people and meditating on the things that were good. As that happened, my thinking sounded like this: Dave is usually very easy to get along with; he has his areas of stubbornness, but then so do I. Dave loves me and would never hurt my feelings on purpose. Dave is very protective of me and always makes sure I am taken care of. At first, I had to think these things on purpose, but now I actually feel uncomfortable when I think negative thoughts, and positive thoughts come more naturally because I have disciplined myself to think them.

There are still times when people hurt my feelings, but then I remember that I can choose whether to be hurt or to “get over it.” I can believe the best or I can believe the worst, so why not believe the best and enjoy my day?

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me believe the best about others—even when it’s hard. Renew my mind with truth and grace so I can live in peace and extend forgiveness freely.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord…Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.

2 Chronicles 20:17 (AMPC)

Many times, God tells us to do something or gives us an assignment, and we begin doing it. But then the enemy comes against us, and when we turn to fight him, we turn away from God. Suddenly, the enemy has all our attention. We spend our time fighting him instead of praying and asking God to intervene.

I want you to know this: The enemy is really not your problem; he is God’s problem. You will waste your time if you turn your attention away from your God-given assignments and opportunities and begin to focus on the enemy.

Satan knows that if he can distract you, he can ultimately defeat you. God is your defender; He promises to fight your battles for you. So, when the enemy begins to stir up a storm in your life, be thankful God has the victory and do these simple things: pray and trust God.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You for the power of prayer. Instead of trying to fight my own battles, I turn them over to You today. I am so grateful that, when the enemy comes in like a flood, I am more than a conqueror through You (Romans 8:37).

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We have sinned, even as our ancestors did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly. When our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.

Psalm 106:6-7 (NIV)

Today’s scriptures represent only two verses of many in Psalm 106 that remind us of how the Israelites behaved as God led them out of Egypt toward the Promised Land. Among acting out other bad attitudes, including complaining and rebellion, they became self-centered and demanding. This warns us of the dangers of a greedy heart, because such a heart is never satisfied—and that is an unsafe spiritual condition.

Although God had led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and had destroyed Pharaoh and his army, who were chasing after them, the Israelites were not satisfied (Psalm 106:8–25). No matter how much He provided for them, they always wanted more. They were on the way to the Promised Land, but they were not enjoying the journey. Many times, we have the same problem.

If people are not careful, they can waste their entire lives wanting what they do not have. No matter what their place in life, they always want something else. They keep murmuring and grumbling to God about what they want. When He gives it to them, they start complaining again because they want something more.

The Israelites eventually got what they asked for, but they were not ready to handle it. Ask God to give you a heart that is satisfied and content at every point along your life’s journey and one that is able to handle increase when it comes. Instead of complaining, learn to enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You for leading me into a good place. Help me to stop complaining and instead, enjoy the journey. Teach me to be content and grateful for every gift You give me.

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…These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

Revelation 3:7 (NIV)

Trusting God to open the right doors and close the wrong ones for us brings much peace into our lives. I’ve tried pushing open a door I wanted to walk through, and the only result was frustration because it didn’t work. However, I have learned to trust God not only to open the right doors for me, but also to close the wrong ones.

When God opens a door for you, He makes things easy. When He closes a door, it is very difficult to continue trying to do what you have been doing. I have enjoyed many open doors in my life and ministry, but I have also had to learn that when God closes one, I need to walk away from it and trust Him for what is next.

God always has bigger and better plans for us if we will follow His lead. We don’t usually do the same thing all of our lives, because God promotes the faithful. Perhaps you are trying to hang on to something that God is finished with. If you will let it go, you will see that a new door will open and it will lead to something better than what you were trying to hold on to. God is faithful, and you can put all of your trust in Him.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I want to trust You to open right doors for me and close wrong ones. Help me recognize what You are doing in my life and follow Your guidance. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding…Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the of knowledge God.

Proverbs 2:3–5 (NKJV)

Discernment is something we can expect as we grow closer to God. It allows us to penetrate the surface of a thing and see into the deep areas of it. Things are not always the way they appear to be, so discernment is a valuable thing to have. If we possess a discerning mind and heart, we will avoid a lot of trouble. I encourage you to pray for discernment on a regular basis. If we make our decisions according to the way things look, what we think, or how we feel, we will make a lot of unwise decisions. Something may appear to be good, yet deep down inside you have a feeling that you need to be cautious and not go forward with it. If that is the case, then you need to wait and pray some more, asking God to lead you by His Spirit by giving you discernment in your spirit. Never do anything if you don’t have peace about it or it just doesn’t fit right in your spirit.

Our verse for today encourages us to understand the fear of the Lord. Being careful not to go against what you sense in your heart is you practicing the fear of the Lord. It is displaying reverence for what you believe He is showing you even though your mind may not understand it at all. Learning to be led by the Spirit is learning to develop and respect the way God often speaks, which is through discernment, so continue praying and practicing in this area.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, please give me discernment to see beneath the surface of things. Help me wait on Your Spirit, trust Your leading, and follow peace—not just what looks or feels right in the moment, amen.

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Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it].

Galatians 6:2 (AMPC)

We are not to be impatient with other people when they have a troublesome moral fault, but bear with them, pray for them, and encourage them. Tell them to repent, receive God’s forgiveness, and not to feel guilty, because we all have weaknesses, and we all need compassion and people who will be patient with us.

If we are going to please God, then we will have to put up with some things people do that irritate us—annoying little habits. Perhaps they talk too much, they don’t return your things when they borrow them until you ask for them back, they are chronically late, they are emotionally needy or clingy, or they have other habits or tendencies that bother you. One of the best ways to bear with people is to remember that we also have annoying habits, but we don’t usually see ours. One reason we don’t see our faults is because we are too busy judging others.

Don’t focus only on the shortcomings of other people; focus on their strong points. The person who is always late may also be very generous to you. The person who talks too much may be the first one to offer to help when you have a need. Always look for the good in people, and you won’t notice the irritating things as much.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me see others through Your eyes. Teach me to focus on their strengths, love them with grace, and be patient—just as You are patient with me.

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Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise….

Proverbs 13:20 (NIV)

Sometimes people who have been deeply wounded use the pain or abuse they went through to excuse current behavior that is not right. Other times, people who have suffered deep hurts want to hide their pain because they are ashamed of it. This is especially true for those who have endured sexual abuse. I know about this firsthand, because my father sexually abused me for years when I was a child.

After Dave and I had been married about five years, we attended a seminar at our church. The speaker shared her testimony about being sexually abused by her father. I did not know ahead of time that she would be speaking on that subject, and hearing her story brought to the surface pain that I had hidden in my heart for a long time.

Wanting to help me heal from my past, Dave bought the woman’s book about her testimony for me. Reading her story made me angry because it reminded me of what I had been through. Obviously, I was still in pain, though I had tried to bury it for years.

Whatever your situation is, I want you to know that someone else has been through it, too. Just as the seminar speaker was ahead of me on the journey to healing from sexual abuse, someone has gone before you on your journey, too. That woman had learned keys to healing that I needed, and she was willing to share them in her book.

Let me encourage you today to find books, blogs, audio or video messages, or internet posts from people who have experienced the same struggles you have faced. Let the healing God has done in their lives encourage you and allow the fact that they have moved beyond their pain to inspire you to keep moving beyond yours. One of the gifts of being a believer in Jesus Christ is that we are part of God’s family. And God uses people in His family to help and strengthen others.

You certainly don’t want to run around and tell your story to anyone who will listen, especially if it is a sensitive matter. But if you ask God to send wise, trustworthy people into your life to help you, He will do it. One of the best ways to stay wounded is to remain isolated in your pain, and one of the best ways to be healed is to be willing to talk with others to learn how God has healed them. He may not heal you the same way He has healed them, but your healing and victory will be just as complete.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, rejection hurts, but I ask You to help me shake it off and release the pain I’ve experienced once and for all. Send wise, trustworthy people into my life, and lead me into the freedom and restoration only You can give, amen.

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But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].

Psalm 1:2-3 (AMPC)

Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You…I will meditate on Your precepts and have respect to Your ways [the paths of life marked out by Your law]. Psalm 119:11,15 (AMPC)

In the early days of computers, they used to say, “Garbage in, garbage out.” That was a way of explaining that the computer only worked with the data put into the machine. If we wanted different results, we needed to put in different information.

With computers, most people have no trouble grasping that concept, but when it comes to their minds, they don’t seem to get it. Or perhaps they don’t want to get it. So many things demand their attention and beg for their focus. They’re not just sinful things. The apostle Paul said that although everything was lawful for him, not everything was helpful (1 Corinthians 6:12).

If you are going to win the battle of the mind and defeat your enemy, where you focus your attention is crucial. The more you meditate on God’s Word, the stronger you’ll become and the more easily you’ll win the victories.

Too many Christians don’t realize the difference between meditating on the Bible and reading the Bible. They like to think that whenever they read God’s Word, they’re absorbing the deep things of God. Too often people will read a chapter of the Bible, and when they get to the last verse, they have little idea of what they’ve read. Those who meditate on God’s Word are those who think—and think seriously—about what they’re reading.

They may not put it in these words, but they are saying, “God, speak to me. Teach me. As I ponder Your Word, reveal its depth to me.”

Today’s verse is from Psalm 1. This psalm begins by defining the person who is blessed and then points out the right actions of that person. The psalmist wrote that those who meditate—and do it day and night—are like productive trees…and everything they do shall prosper.

The psalmist made it quite clear that meditating on and thinking about God’s Word brings results. As you ponder who God is and what He’s saying to you, you’ll grow. It’s really that simple. Another way to put it is to say that whatever you focus on, you become. If you read about and allow your mind to focus on God’s love and power, that’s what operates in you.

The apostle Paul says it beautifully in Philippians 4:8 (AMPC): …Whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

It’s sad, but most Christians don’t put much effort into their study of the Word. They go to hear others teach and preach, and they may listen to sermon tapes and read the Bible occasionally, but they’re not dedicated to making God’s Word a major part of their lives.

Be careful what you think about. The more you think about good things, the better your life will seem. The more you think about Jesus Christ and the principles He taught, the more you become like Jesus and the stronger you grow. And as you grow, you win the battle for your mind.

Prayer of the Day: Lord God, help me think about the things that honor You. Fill my life with a hunger for more of You and Your Word so that in everything I may prosper. I ask this through Jesus Christ, amen.

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Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity….

Psalm 94:12-13 (AMPC)

According to Exodus 13:17 (AMPC), When Pharaoh let the people go, God led them not by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer…. There was a shorter route, but God took the Israelites the long, hard way on purpose because they were not ready for the battles they would face. He continued to work with them during forty years of wandering, waiting for them to get to the point where they could praise Him in their adversity.

God will continue dealing with us until we learn how to stay peaceful in the storm. Nothing shows our spiritual maturity more than staying calm when our circumstances are not calm. Stability is a sign of maturity, and the more mature we are, the more God can trust us with His power and blessings.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me stay calm when life feels uncertain. Teach me to trust Your timing and grow through the journey, knowing You’re preparing me for something greater, amen.

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If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.

Isaiah 1:19 (AMPC)

God surely knew that we would all need help in life because He sent us His Holy Spirit Who is referred to as the Helper. One of the best prayers we can pray is: “Lord, I need help!” Asking is the first rule to receiving, so don’t be too prideful to ask for help.

Isaiah said that all people grow weary at times. No matter what our age is or how naturally strong we are, we all have limits and that is okay. It is okay if you cannot do it all. In fact, you can’t do it all. Isaiah’s instruction was to wait upon the Lord and be refreshed and renewed (Isaiah 40:28–31).

Isaiah knew what many other people in the Bible also knew—David, Ruth, Gideon, Mary, Peter, and Paul (to name a few). He knew that asking for help is a sign of wisdom, not of weakness. Not only is it okay to ask for help, but it is also essential that we do so on a regular basis.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I admit I can’t do it all. I humbly ask for Your help today—fill me with strength through Your Spirit and renew me as I wait on You, amen.

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The chief priests accused him of many things.

Mark 15:3 (NIV)

Before Jesus went to the cross, people made many false accusations against Him. He stood strong in the face of the unfair charges, refusing to answer His accusers (Mark 14:55–61; 15:3–5). But by the time He hung on the cross, the bitterly harsh and accusing language and injustice He endured, along with the physical agony He suffered, made Him ask aloud if God had forsaken Him.

Perhaps you have experienced being falsely accused. Maybe you are wondering right now if God has forsaken you or left you alone in a certain situation. The answer is no! God did not forsake Jesus, and He has not forsaken or abandoned you today. In fact, He is always close to you, and He always will be. Jesus knows exactly how it feels to suffer, and He can relate to your pain.

Just as God had a plan for Jesus to be gloriously resurrected after His experience on the cross, He has a great plan for you too. On the other side of your struggle, you will be stronger than ever before. He is with you, and He loves you more than you realize.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me to remember that You never leave me. You are always with me. I never have to go through a difficult time alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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And the Lord your God will clear out those nations before you, little by little….

Deuteronomy 7:22 (AMPC)

We all want changes in our lives, and hopefully, we all desire to change and be more like Jesus. God wants this for us too, but we need to be patient, because He delivers and changes us little by little.

As we study God’s Word, we are transformed into His image from glory to glory, according to the Bible in 2 Corinthians 3:18. God could work faster, and we would all love it if He did, but He has His own reasons for doing things the way He does. We would be wise to trust Him and stay in peace. It often feels to us that nothing is happening in our lives, but God is always working! God is working in your life right now!

Sometimes He takes us the longer and more difficult way to our destination because He wants to teach us something along the way. God is good and only wants the best for us, so we can always trust that His timing is perfect. He may not be early, but He will never be late.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me embrace the person You want me to be. Help me enjoy myself and live free from the tyranny of comparison.

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A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.

Proverbs 16:9 (AMPC)

Today’s scripture is one that has stabilized my emotions many times, along with Proverbs 20:24 (NIV), which says: A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?

I have been known to become frustrated when I’m in a hurry to get somewhere and find myself at a standstill in traffic. At first, I get a sinking feeling, then I become irritated. Then I say, “Well, since God directs my steps, I’ll calm down and thank God that I am right where He wants me.” I also remind myself that God may be saving me from an accident down the road by keeping me where I am. He always knows more than we do, and He can see everything. Trusting God is absolutely wonderful because it soothes our wild thoughts and emotions when things don’t go as we have planned.

How do you react when you get frustrated or disappointed? How long does it take for you to make a transition? Do you act on God’s Word or merely react emotionally to your circumstances? Do you let your environment control your mood, or do you let the Holy Spirit lead your response to what’s going on around you?

Trusting God completely and believing that His plan for you is infinitely better than your own will prevent you from being frustrated when things don’t go your way. It’s impossible to be miffed at someone you really believe has your best interest in mind, and God always does.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, please help me to respond with faith, and not frustration. I trust You completely, knowing that Your plans for me are infinitely better than mine and that You direct my steps.

http://www.joycemeyer.org