Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you.— Luke 6:38

Some put money or the world’s system of commerce before God. But the Bible states in Revelation 18, that if we put our trust in money it’s going to fail. I’ve found that the way to deal with money, instead of struggling with it, is to try and out-give God…because we can’t.

The more we give away…the more we obey Him with our finances, the more He blesses us. As we do more for other people, we will find we are happier and more fulfilled than we were before.

Society tells us to invest everything in the world’s system and work all the time to make more money. But if we do, we’ll never really have anything that matters, especially joy. And we won’t be able to enjoy the money we have because we won’t be using it God’s way.

It may not make sense according to the world’s system, but God doesn’t want you to simply make money and hoard it away. God says that by giving it away, you will have more in the end. I challenge you to increase your generosity today. Trust me—you can’t out-give God.

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Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].— Romans 8:6

Right now, you and I are in the middle of a war. It’s a spiritual warfare, and we wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV). We need to have the mind of the Holy Spirit to win the battle.

Sadly, there are many believers who operate with the mind of the flesh. But if we want to live in a way that can change our world, then we have to stop living in the flesh and start living in the Spirit.

Every one of us needs to continually make adjustments to put our fleshly desires under the Holy Spirit’s control and not let our emotions or mind rule us. Scripture explains that the spirit wages war against the flesh and the flesh wages war against the spirit, so they are continually antagonistic toward each other.

It’s a war! The devil hates us, and he is constantly working overtime, trying to make sure that we give in to the flesh.

Ultimately, you decide who wins in your life. The good news is, you don’t have to be subject to your flesh. You can live in the Spirit, bringing your flesh in line with His Will. You can win the battle today!

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And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together).— Colossians 1:17

Colossians 1:17 is a pretty awesome scripture. It tells us Jesus is holding EVERYTHING together. Wow! Even people who don’t realize this are held together by Him.

Think about it. We can’t have good marriages if Jesus isn’t holding them together. If Jesus isn’t developing our personal relationships, then we aren’t going to have good ones. Our finances would be a mess without Jesus. Our minds and emotions would be a wreck without Him. Everything would be a mess without Jesus.

If Jesus is not the most important thing in our lives, then we need to rearrange our priorities. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek God and His kingdom first because if we don’t have first things first, then everything else will also be out of order and cause us problems. God’s way of being, doing and seeking His kingdom is to find out how He wants things done—how to treat people, how to act in situations, how to spend money, what kind of attitude to have, and what kind of entertainment He approves of.

Start today by giving Him first place in your life. He’s holding you together…He created You to follow Him. Put Him first in your life.

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Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor [who practices loving others] has fulfilled the Law [relating to one’s fellowmen, meeting all its requirements].— Romans 13:8

It’s important for us to understand that the battle for our finances is really a spiritual battle. The enemy tempts us to spend more than we are able to pay off so he can keep us under pressure and distracted from our walk with God.

But we need to have a goal to enjoy the life that Jesus died to give us—a life of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. We can’t do that if we are under pressure and frustrated by financial debt.

It’s possible to live debt free by using biblical principles for managing money. My husband, Dave, says that if we learn to live within our borders, or our income, then God will bless us, our borders will be stretched, and we’ll have more. Luke 19:17 tells us that God is pleased when we are faithful and trustworthy in little things. When we are, it says He will give us authority over bigger things.

So don’t fall into the trap of trying to live “bigger” than what God’s entrusted you with. Stay out of debt by living within your boundaries…then watch God expand them.

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Yet for us there is [only] one God, the Father, Who is the Source of all things and for Whom we [have life], and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through and by Whom are all things and through and by Whom we [ourselves exist]. — 1 Corinthians 8:6

We need to get comfortable with God. I don’t mean we should be disrespectful, but that we don’t have to be afraid of Him. In fact, I believe that the ultimate call of every believer’s life is to enjoy God. We are called to enjoy the Father because He is life, and we can’t truly enjoy life if we don’t enjoy God.

Sometimes we don’t enjoy God’s presence because we get all wrapped up in serving Him, discovering what gifts we have, and spending all our time working at our ministry. This happened to me. About five years into my ministry, God had to make me hit the brakes because I had become so proud of the work I was doing for Him that I was no longer enjoying Him.

We have to be careful when we start getting proud of ourselves because of all the things we’re doing. That’s not what God’s after. As our Father, He just wants us to know and enjoy Him.

So let me ask you, are you proud of your works today? Or are you truly enjoying God?

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Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].— James 4:8

I want you to notice something about the verse above. Notice that we are told to draw near to God before we’re told to stop sinning.

There are so many people who have it backwards. They think they can never come to God, can never have a relationship with Him, and can never be a Christian because they have issues in their life that they are trying to overcome first. They are trying to get themselves all straightened out so they can be good enough to have a relationship with Him.

But that’s wrong. The reason Jesus came is because we can never be good enough without Him. We have to have Jesus in our lives. His death, His shed blood paid for our sins—paid the debt that we owe.

There’s no way we can be cleansed of sin until we draw near to God through the name of Jesus. God longs for you to come close to Him today. Don’t stay away, believing the lie that you must clean yourself of sin first. Instead, go to God, and let Him cleanse you through the sacrifice Jesus made for you.

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Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love? — James 4:5

Do you want to be closer to God? He wants to be closer to us. The scripture above says His Spirit dwells in us and yearns to be welcome with a jealous love. So how much closer can you be?

We can always draw closer in our relationship with God. In fact, we are the ones who determine just how close our relationship with Him will be. Even though He lives in us, the Holy Spirit won’t force a relationship with us. He wants us to make Him welcome in our lives.

God created us for fellowship, and He greatly desires relationship with us. He longs to talk to us, to listen to us, to teach us and guide us—simply to be a part of our lives. And we are the better for it! We are renewed when we fellowship with God. The benefits of spending time with the Father are endless.

My friend, I encourage you to be relentless in making time for fellowship with the Father. He is waiting. He is saying, “Come to Me…” So go ahead…and see what’s in store!

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Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].— James 5:16

I’ve learned that simple, heartfelt, full-of-faith prayers always get God’s attention. Unfortunately, we often overlook this and turn our prayers into a big show when in reality, prayer is simply communication with God.

We have to beware of talking to impress ourselves when we’re praying. Sometimes I think we feel like we need to sound eloquent. We want to impress God with our phrases and sound holy. But God just wants to have a little chat with us.

He wants us to talk to Him like we would a friend—not with a different tone of voice. If we don’t speak Elizabethan English during the day, we don’t need to use it when we pray.

We also don’t have to pray for hours on end. It’s good to schedule prayer time, but we should just pray until we’re finished and then go about our business until the next time we feel the need to pray some more.

The only way prayer will ever be satisfying is if you simply use it as an opportunity to worship and thank God for all He does for you, to get His help, and involve Him in everything you do. He’s not here to be impressed…He’s here to live life with you. Don’t perform. Just invite Him in.

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The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).— John 10:10

Life isn’t supposed to be complicated. Jesus didn’t die so we could live complicated, frustrated, miserable lives. John 10:10 says He died for us so we could have and enjoy life. The minute everything gets complicated, it steals joy. We need to learn how to stop stressing and stop living an excessively busy lifestyle.

The opposite lifestyle is one of simplicity. Simplicity means “single, consisting of one thing, unmingled.” God has dealt with me about living a simpler life. He has shown me that the only way to do this is to just be about “one thing.”

God just wants us to be about Him. He tells us in His Word that we won’t inherit His kingdom if we don’t come to Him very simply as a little child and say, “I believe.”

That almost sounds too easy, and you might want to complicate it…but don’t! God’s plan for you is simple. It may not make sense to your mind, but there’s nothing complicated about God, and He doesn’t want you to be complicated. Come to Him today, saying, “I believe.” Make Him your “One Thing.”

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And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.— Hebrews 4:13

Someone once asked how I live free from my oppressive past. My answer is very simple: God has given me the grace and the willingness to face the truth about myself.

I grew up in an angry, unstable atmosphere. Because of my quick temper, I was upset most of the time. Because of being upset, I grew up depressed, disappointed and discouraged. I wished I could have a better life, but my wishing didn’t solve anything. It wasted my time as I kept blaming my problems on my bad family background.

Finally, God helped me realize that while I wasn’t responsible for what had happened to me and I couldn’t change my past, I had to stop wishing and start taking responsibility for the way I lived moving forward. I had to stop blaming other people and my circumstances, and stop making excuses for myself. As I did this, and put my trust in God to heal and restore my life, I changed. Now I have peace and enjoy my life.

You might be in a similar situation. Facing the truth about yourself is scary, but you don’t have to do it alone. All your flaws are exposed to God, and if you ask Him for His perspective, He will help you pick yourself up, take responsibility, and live a peaceful life. Today, don’t be scared to face the truth about yourself, but let God guide you into a new tomorrow.

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And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life? — Matthew 6:27

Worrying does us absolutely no good. It doesn’t change one thing, and we waste time by being upset about stuff we can’t do anything about—things only God can change.

The Bible says we can’t add one inch to our height by worrying. Yet, we worry, worry, and worry some more, which gets us nowhere.

Every time we get really upset, it takes a lot of emotional energy, tires us out, messes with our health, steals our joy, and still doesn’t change one thing. We need to stop trying to fix things that only God can fix, because the only one who’s clapping is the devil, saying, “Ha, ha, ha! Got ‘em again!”

Jesus tells us to “calm down” in John 14:27 and “cheer up” in John 16:33. I think it’s a one-two knockout punch to the devil when we do. When you realize you can’t fix everything, that calms you down, and when You know that God can, it cheers you up!

So don’t worry. Instead, calm down, cheer up, and send the devil running!

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JFor the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him. You have done foolishly in this; therefore, from now on you shall have wars.— 2 Chronicles 16:9

God is looking for people who are passionate about the things He is passionate about. He is looking for people who will wholeheartedly pursue Him. He is looking for people who will love the people at their jobs, in their neighborhoods and homes; those who are committed to loving the lost, the poor and the needy. He’s looking for those who are willing to start doing what the Bible tells us to do.

Second Chronicles 16:9 says that God is always searching to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him.

Are you one of those people? If not, I want to encourage you and let you know that you can be that person who God seeks.

Whether you have known the Lord for many years or you are just beginning your new life in Him, you can be that person who will passionately seek God and listen to the Holy Spirit. You can be that person who can actively make a difference in the lives of hurting people.

Today, rise up and be the person God is looking for.

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Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and loving-kindness and truth go before Your face. — Psalm 89:14

God is just. It’s His character—who He is—and it’s something He wants us to pursue.

Justice seeks to make wrong things right. We are agents of God that He can work through to fix injustices in the world around us. Every time we see something that’s wrong, our first response should be to pray about it. Our second response should be to ask ourselves, What can I do about it?

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the needs we see around us. So we look at things and think that it’s someone else’s problem, and we wish “they” would fix it! We wish “they” would do this and that.

Have you ever stopped to ask, “Who are they?” I think “they” are us—you and me! You may not be able to fix everything, but you can do something. Don’t look at injustice and do nothing. God did not create you for inactivity and passivity, and He wants you to ask Him to show you what you can do. He created you for enthusiasm, zeal and passion. He put gifts in you to be used for His glory and to help other people. So, live a life of justice today.

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Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth! — Psalm 46:10

One of the most important things we can learn in our world today is how to be still.

I believe that one of the most significant reasons so many of us are burned-out and stressed-out is because we don’t know how to be still. We don’t really know God and do not acknowledge Him. And it’s only by spending time getting to know Him that we learn to hear His still, small voice so He can direct our paths.

We need to learn to be quiet on the inside and stay in that peaceful state so we are always ready to hear the Lord’s voice. Many people today run from one thing to the next. Because their minds don’t know how to be still, they don’t know how to be still in their hearts.

If we’ll just slow down, and quiet our minds enough to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we can live in a place of peace, ready to respond obediently. It is easy to see that leading a peaceful, happy life, free from exhaustion and burnout, is not all that complicated as long as we remain still before God.

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The wicked flee when no man pursues them, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous are bold as a lion.— Proverbs 28:1

Some people exude boldness, while others struggle with living boldly as a beloved child of God. I had that problem until God showed me some important keys that helped me live boldly, and I want to share them with you.

1. Refuse to live in fear. Fear is epidemic in our society. The Bible instructs us in Hebrews 10:38 to live by faith and not draw back in fear.
2. Put setbacks behind you. You are not a failure because you try new things and they don’t work out. You fail only when you stop trying. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and if you do, recover quickly and press on.
3. Don’t draw comparisons. Boldness will be impossible as long as you compare yourself to others. Boldness comes from accepting who you are and being the best you can be.
4. Be willing to take action. Search your heart and ask yourself what you believe God wants you to do—and then do it.

Pray about these four keys and ask the Holy Spirit to help you live them out. In Christ, and by His grace, you can have confidence and be filled with boldness.

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But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.— Romans 5:8

Have you ever wondered if you are good enough for God to love you? Unfortunately, many people believe God loves them only as long as they don’t make mistakes.

Perhaps it was this outlook that caused the psalmist to ask, What is man that You are mindful of him?… (Psalm 8:4). Yet, the Bible tells us that we are God’s creation—the work of His hands—and that He loves each one of us unconditionally.

Let’s face it: Jesus didn’t die for you because you were great and wonderful; He died for you because He loves you. Romans 5:8-9 confirms this truth by telling us that He died for us while we were still sinners.

God loved you enough to give His only begotten Son, not only to die for your sins, but also to cover your daily mistakes. He loves you so much, He wants you to live each day in power and victory.

God loves you, and He wants you to believe it and receive it all the time…even when you make mistakes.

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If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.— John 15:7

Most Christians know the importance of reading the Bible, but many do not understand the importance of abiding in the Word and allowing the Word to abide in them.

When we are diligent to study the Word and hold it in our hearts, we have instant access to Scripture whenever we need it. And Jesus promised that we can ask for whatever we need in prayer and receive it.

Abiding in the Word and allowing the Word to abide in us makes us true disciples of Jesus (see John 8:31). It gives us more power in our prayer lives, and having power in prayer gives us power over the enemy.

Are you abiding in God’s Word…and allowing it to abide in you? If the answer is no, I encourage you to take action. Make reading and studying the Word a priority. Start memorizing scriptures and tucking them away in your heart. Then, when you face the battles of life, you will be fully armed and prepared to win the war.

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Anytime I am having difficulty trusting God, I remember things He has done for me in the past and I am reassured that He will do it again.

I have kept journals for forty years, and I ran across one recently from the 1970s, when I asked God to provide me with a dozen new dishtowels. Dave and I had no money to purchase them, and since I was just beginning my journey of trusting God, I approached Him as a little child and asked for them.

Imagine my elation when a few weeks later, a woman I was barely acquainted with showed up at my door and said, “I hope you don’t think I’m crazy, but I kept feeling that God wanted me to bring you some new dishtowels!” I got so excited that she was shocked until I explained to her that I had asked God to provide them. That is one of my vivid experiences with the faithfulness of God, and there have been many others through the years.

In the Bible, we read that when David needed to kill the giant, Goliath, and everyone was discouraging him and telling him that he would fail, he remembered the lion and the bear that he had previously killed with God’s faithful help. His faith was strengthened and he went on to slay Goliath. (See 1 Samuel 17:34-36.)

I want to encourage you to take time, perhaps even right now, to make a list of some of the times you have experienced God’s faithfulness in your own life. I can assure you that it will feed your faith and enable you to trust God more easily for the current needs in your life.

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One of the ways we can discern that we are truly trusting God, rather than merely trying to trust Him, is whether or not our souls are resting in God’s faithfulness. If I say I am trusting God, but I continue to carry the weight of the burden by worrying and being anxious, then I have not released the burden to the Lord. I may want to. I may be trying to. But I have not done it yet.

Understanding this has helped me to learn what real trust in God is. It is more than words—it is releasing the weight of my burden; a decisive action that brings rest to my soul (mind, will, emotions).

Just imagine that you are carrying a backpack filled with rocks everywhere you go. You take it to work, to the market, to church, and it is a heavy burden, but you continue to carry it. Now imagine that you decide to drop it—just think how much better you would feel and how much easier everything would be.

That’s the way it is when we worry and carry the weight of burdens with us instead of entrusting them to God. We continue functioning and doing what we need to do, but the weight of the burden places a great deal of stress on us and makes our life very difficult. You can decide to drop your burden today by trusting God, if you choose to, and you will be glad you did.

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All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. — Matthew 26:41

The night before Jesus was crucified, He gathered the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane and made just one request: All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).

All the disciples had to do was stay awake and pray, but they kept falling asleep. Jesus, on the other hand, did pray, and an angel strengthened Him in spirit, enabling Him to endure the cross. The disciples didn’t pray—they slept—and proved that the flesh truly is weak.

To me, this story proves the critical importance of prayer. As Christians, we must realize that without daily prayer and interaction with God, we have nothing.

We all struggle with living according to our “weak flesh,” but when we make prayer a priority, God strengthens us in the spirit, allowing us to overcome the limitations of the flesh.

What are you relying on for strength today? Your flesh? Or are you experiencing the power that God so graciously gives us when we come to Him?

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