So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

— Matthew 6:34 (AMPC)

Every believer has the responsibility to live right, to be a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer. Motivated by the reverential fear of the Lord, we can learn to live carefully and begin to make a difference in the world we live in. You and I need to be careful about what we allow into our spirits and how we live our lives. Proverbs 4:23 says to guard our heart with all diligence because out of it flows the springs of life. I believe we should have a careful attitude about how we live not a casual or a careless one. We need to be careful about what we watch, what we listen to, what we think about, and who our friends are.

I’m not saying we need to live according to the strict and demanding dictates of man. I had a very legalistic relationship with God for years and was miserable, so the last thing I want to do is teach legalism. What I am saying is that we shouldn’t compromise. We should recognize our responsibility as Christians to live our lives in such a way that unbelievers will be attracted to God by our behavior.

James 4:17 (AMPC) says, …any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin. In other words, if we are convicted that something is wrong, then we must not do it—even if we see a hundred other people doing it and getting by with it. They may seem to be getting by with it, but sooner or later, we will all reap what we sow.

We know that worry and anxiety are not characteristics of a godly Christian. Yet so many Christians worry. You can choose to worry, or you can reject worry and choose to live with joy and peace. Most people don’t want to hear that message, and they seem to find an odd comfort in thinking that worrying is beyond their control. It is not. Worry is a really is a choice and it is a sin against God.

As long as I’ve been in the church, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone make that statement. But it is sin. It is calling God a liar. It is saying that God is not sufficiently able to take care of you and provide for your needs. Faith says, “God can do it.” Worry says, “God isn’t able to help me.”

When you worry, you not only call God a liar, but you have also allowed the devil to fill your mind with anxious thoughts. The more you focus on the problems, the larger they become. You start to fret and may even end up in despair.

Think of the words of the great apostle: 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 AMPC). Or think of the words from the psalmist: Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5 AMPC).

Jesus told His disciples not to be anxious and, as quoted above, not to worry about tomorrow. But He did more than teach those words; He lived them out: And Jesus replied to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have lodging places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head (Matthew 8:20 AMPC). That wasn’t a complaint but a simple fact of life. Jesus trusted His Father’s provision for Him even when He didn’t know where He would sleep or what He would eat.

Jesus taught that we are not to worry about anything in life. He wasn’t speaking about planning and thinking ahead. He was saying that some people never act because fear holds them back. They can always tell you 10 things that can go wrong with every plan. Jesus wants us to live a stress-free life. If you are worrying about what might happen, you’re hindering God from working in your life.

I heard about a couple whose daughter was diagnosed with a serious illness that wasn’t covered by insurance. The parents were struggling to pay all the medical bills. Not knowing what else to do, they both went into their bedroom for a lengthy time of prayer. Afterward the husband said, “It was really quite simple. I am God’s servant. My responsibility is to serve my Master. His responsibility is to take care of me.”

The next day, the doctors told them that their daughter was eligible to be part of an experimental surgery and all expenses would be paid. The wife smiled and said, “God is responsible, isn’t He?” What a testimony to their faith and trust in God who remains faithful and responsible at all times and in all things. God is no respecter of persons. What He does for one, He will do for another (see Romans 2:11). I encourage you to stop worrying and start trusting in Him.

Prayer Starter: Lord God, I know that worry is a sin against You. In the name of Jesus, help me overcome all anxieties and worry, and enable me to trust You to provide for every need I have.

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Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience [into which those in the wilderness fell].

— Hebrews 4:11 (AMPC)

If you read the entire fourth chapter of the book of Hebrews, you will find it speaking about a Sabbath rest that is available to God’s people. Under the Old Covenant, the Sabbath was observed as a day of rest. Under the New Covenant, this Sabbath rest spoken of is a spiritual place of rest. It is the privilege of every believer to refuse to worry or have anxiety. As a believer, you can enter the rest of God.

The only way to enter that rest is through believing. You will forfeit it through unbelief and disobedience. Unbelief will keep you in the wilderness, but Jesus has provided a permanent place of rest that can be inhabited exclusively through living by faith.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I really want to enter Your Sabbath rest by faith. I surrender my worries and all my anxieties to You, and I choose to trust in Your provision. Help to live in a place of rest, amen.

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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 1:4 (AMPC)

James teaches us that we can rejoice when we find ourselves in- volved in difficult situations, knowing that God is trying our faith to bring out patience. I have found that trials did eventually bring out patience in me, but first they brought a lot of other junk to the surface—such as pride, anger, rebellion, self-pity, complaining, and many other things. It seems that these ungodly traits, with God’s help, need to be faced and dealt with because they hinder patience as well as other good fruit like kindness, love, humility, and other things.

The Bible talks about purification, sanctification, and sacrifice. These are not popular words; nevertheless, these are things we go through in order to become like Jesus in our character. God’s desire is to make us perfect, lacking in nothing. He wants us to ultimately be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which usually requires us to go through some difficulties that, although are unpleasant, do eventually help us mature.

I struggled with the difficulties in my life for a long time until I finally learned that God would work them out for good and use them to help me in many ways. He simply wants you and me to surrender and say, “I trust You, God. I believe when this difficulty is over, I will be a better person than I was before it began!”

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I trust You to work out the challenges and difficulties I’m facing for my good and pray that it at the same time, these things shape my character. Help me grow in patience and surrender to Your refining process as I grow closer to you every day, amen.

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Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

— Proverbs 3:5 (AMPC)

In plain, everyday language, this Scripture could read, “My dearly beloved children, I want you to have every earthly blessing you could possibly imagine, but only to the degree that you have spiritual maturity and Christlike character.” When you look at the Scripture this way, you get the message, “I need to grow up!”

You don’t need to talk God into blessing you. He wants to bless you. In fact, He wants to bless you more than you can imagine being blessed (see Ephesians 3:20). But even more than He wants you to have something, He wants you to be something. He wants you to be Christlike. Once you are something—spiritually mature—you will be able to handle having the earthly blessings He desires for you and use them for His glory.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for the reminder that You do want to bless me, but only to the degree that I can handle it in a spiritually mature manner. Now, help me to keep moving forward in You, amen.

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So be patient, brethren, [as you wait] till the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits expectantly for the precious harvest from the land. [See how] he keeps up his patient [vigil] over it until it receives the early and late rains.

— James 5:7 (AMPC)

“Instant gratification takes too long,” my friend said and laughed. She was standing in front of the microwave. She had set the timer for 90 seconds to heat her coffee. Her toe tapped as she impatiently waited.

I smiled as I watched, but then I realized that we’ve been spoiled by the word instant in our lives today. We have instant credit approval, instant oatmeal, and instant love. We’ve tried to trap God into the same way of thinking. “God, give it to me now,” we pray. Or if we don’t use those words, that’s what we mean.

One of the things I’ve learned from my years of Bible study is that we can’t hurry the Lord. He does things in His time. In earlier meditations, I’ve already pointed out the long waits Abraham and Joseph completed. Moses fled into the wilderness after killing a man and waited forty years for God to tap him on the shoulder. Rachel prayed for years to have a child, and so did Hannah, before God answered them.

When God sent Ananias to pray for the blinded Saul (later called Paul), the Lord said, “. . . Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the descendants of Israel” (Acts 9:15). After being healed, did Paul immediately rush out and preach to royalty? Years passed before God fulfilled that promise. No instant gratification there.

Many people grow impatient in waiting, and of course, the devil uses that to sneer and say, “God isn’t going to do what He promised. If He were going to do it, He would have done it by now.”

As I’ve thought about the matter of human impatience, I’ve realized that impatience is the fruit of pride. The proud can’t seem to wait for anything with a proper attitude. It’s as if they cry out, “I deserve it—and I deserve it right now.”

I want to point out two things from the words of James 5:7. First, God doesn’t say, “Be patient if you wait,” but “Be patient as you wait.” He uses the beautiful example of farmers. They prepare the soil and plant the crops, and then comes the waiting. They know that in God’s time, the crops will produce, and they also realize that it’s a different growing season for tomatoes than it is for wheat.

Second, we need to enjoy our lives now—right now while we wait. So many people complain about wasting time (which is how they talk about waiting). Instead of pacing and grumbling about how long we have to wait in line at the grocery store or the traffic congestion on the expressway, what if you said, “Thanks, God. I can slow down now. I can enjoy this moment. Every second of my life doesn’t have to be productive or bring results.”

The psalmist said it this way: “My times are in Your hands; deliver me from the hands of my foes and those who pursue me and persecute me” (Psalm 31:15). This was the prayer by a man in a desperate situation. His enemies were out to kill him. Still, he didn’t panic, but said, “My times are in Your hands.”

Isn’t that how God wants you to live? Your life and your times are in God’s hands. Doesn’t it follow then, that if you’re facing delays and have to wait, God knows? He’s the One Who controls the clock of life. “My times are in Your hands.” That’s the way God wants you to live—and to enjoy the waiting time. Don’t focus just on receiving or moving on. Focus on relishing the moments that God has given you to relax and enjoy them as a gift from God Himself.

Prayer of the Day: God, I get impatient, and I want instant answers to prayers and solutions to my problems. But that’s not Your way. My times are in Your hands. In the name of Jesus Christ, help me to enjoy the waiting time and remind myself that I’m waiting for You—and the wait is always worth it, amen.

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Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

— Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

Even people who don’t know much about the Bible often turn to Psalm 23 when they are afraid and need comfort. Fear torments, but there is an answer for it. We don’t have to fear because God is with us. When we know how much God loves us, we will believe that He will take care of us and not let more difficulty come on us than we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Although we may feel fear, we don’t have to let it rule our decisions. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is moving forward in the presence of fear. God has not given us fear (2 Timothy 1:7); He gives us courage. Fear is from the enemy, and he uses it to prevent us from making progress in life.

If you run from fear, it will chase you, but if you confront it, it will back down. Don’t allow the enemy to steal your life through negative emotions such as fear, worry, guilt, or jealousy. The best advice I know to give you is that when one of these emotions shows up (and you never know when that might be), pray and then go ahead and do what you would do if the emotion weren’t there. If you let the emotion control you, you feed it and it gets stronger. But if you don’t let it control you, you starve it and it will become weaker and weaker until it has no power in your life.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I want to replace all fear with faith in You, and I need Your help in order to do that. Teach me in this area how to not allow negative emotions to control me.

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And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

— Philippians 4:7 (NKJV)

Did you know that when you have lost your peace of mind you have the power to regain it? Anytime you find that you are worrying, fretful, or anxious about anything, release the problem to God through a simple heartfelt prayer and purposely think about something in your life that is good! Worrying is completely useless. It wears you out mentally, emotionally, and physically and it doesn’t make your problem any better at all.

Peace of mind is valuable, and it is quite impossible to enjoy life without it. Seek and pursue the peace that is yours through Jesus Christ. Don’t be deceived into believing that you can’t help what you think because you absolutely can. You can change your mind about anything! Practice “on purpose” thinking instead of being passive and merely waiting to see what thoughts fall into your mind.

I can share with you that I experience the same mental battles that many people do, and I have to practice having peace on purpose. You are a child of God, and His peace is in you. I recommend that you start recognizing the things that are stealing your peace and deal with them so they can no longer torment you.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I love You very much, and I want to enjoy peace of mind. I know that worry is useless, but I often do it and I am sorry. Work with me and teach me how to trust You enough to enjoy Your peace at all times.

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There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

— Galatians 3:28 (AMPC)

The battle for women’s rights was long and grueling, and I personally appreciate those who fought the good fight and paved the way for the freedom I enjoy today. Sad to say, though, discrimination against women is still apparent in many areas. I recently read that in the United States, women still earn only 77 percent of the salary a man does for doing the same job.

As a woman in ministry, I have dealt with my share of criticism and judgment for no reason other than because I am a woman. Because of the lingering discrimination, many women still lack confidence. They live in fear of stepping beyond what they feel is acceptable “female” behavior. I can remember feeling that I wasn’t “normal” because I was aggressive, had dreams and goals, and wanted to do great things. I kept trying to settle down and be a “normal” woman, but it just never worked for me. I am glad now that I found courage to do something radical and chase my dreams.

Bottom line: Our gender does not determine our value; our God does. We are all one in Christ Jesus, and we should treat one another accordingly.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I thank You that my worth or value is not based on men or women, just on You. Help me to experience what it means to be one in Christ, amen.

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Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men.

— Colossians 3:23 (AMP)

Whatever God has placed before you to do—whether it is working in a career, raising a family, being a friend, starting a ministry—He wants you to do it with excellence. He wants you to do your absolute best for Him.

Mediocrity is easy. Anybody can do it. But it is costly. It costs us fulfillment. And it costs us real joy. One way to find purpose and joy in life is to pray in your quiet time with God that He will always help you to be excellent in all you do each day.

This doesn’t mean you will be perfect. We all make mistakes and stumble from time to time. But with God’s help, you can learn from those mistakes and purpose to do every new thing before you with excellence in service to Him.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, I never want to settle for a mediocre life. Show me the excellent way to go, help me find my purpose and joy, and the grace to enjoy life even in my imperfections, amen.

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For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

— Romans 8:38-39 (AMPC)

You cannot trust unless you believe you are loved. To grow in God and be changed you must trust Him. Often, He will lead you in ways you cannot understand. During those times you must have a tight grip on His love for you. The apostle Paul was convinced that nothing would ever be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. You need to have that same absolute assurance of God’s undying love for you.

Accept God’s love for you and make that love the basis for your love for others. Receive His affirmation, knowing that you are changing and becoming everything He desires you to be.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me trust in Your unending love for me, as I continue to grow in my faith. Show me how to use Your love as an example on how to show my love for other people, amen.

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Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.

— Romans 5:3-4 (AMPC)

It is easy to say, “Don’t worry.” But to actually do that requires experience with the faithfulness of God. When we trust God and then see and experience His faithfulness in our lives, it gives us great confidence to live without worry, fear, and anxiety.

That’s why it is so important to continue to have faith and trust in God in the very midst of trials and tribulations. With God’s help, we can steadfastly resist the temptation to give up and quit when the going gets rough. God uses those hard, trying times to build in us patience, endurance, and character that will eventually produce the habit of joyful and confident hope.

Always remember that when you are in a battle, you are gaining valuable experience that will benefit you in the future. You will more easily trust God when difficulty comes, and you will be able to testify to others regarding the goodness and faithfulness of God. If you are in a battle right now, you can let it defeat you or make you stronger! Make the right decision and let it help bring you into a deeper level of spiritual maturity.

Prayer of the Day: Father, You are a God Who is so marvelous, and I know You can work out things for my good—those things that Satan intends for my harm. Please strengthen my faith to trust Your faithfulness, even in trials. Help me grow in patience, endurance, and joyful, confident hope, amen.

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Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them….

— Hosea 14:9 (NLT)

more to life than meets the eye—especially the natural eye. Things are not always what they appear to be, so we must learn to be discerning. Simply defined, discernment is spiritual understanding, and developing it takes practice. As we grow in our understanding of God’s Word and in our relationships with Him, we also grow in our ability to discern.

To live by discernment, we have to pay attention to our hearts. We have to know when we do not feel right about something. For example, let’s say a businessman has been looking for a certain kind of business deal for quite some time and an opportunity for such a deal finally presents itself. As he reviews the paperwork, the deal appears to be sound. But when he begins to pray about entering into the deal, he senses he should not do it. Even though everything appears to be in order, he just does not have peace about the deal. The more he prays, the more he feels he should not do business with the people involved in the deal. This man is looking beyond the natural elements of the deal and using his discernment.

The best way for me to help you learn to live by discernment is to offer this simple advice: if you don’t feel right about something in your heart, do not do it. You may discover later why you didn’t feel good about it, but you may not. Either way, you can be at peace knowing you used your discernment instead of making decisions based on your mind, your emotions, or natural circumstances. Discernment is a precious gift from God that will help you avoid a lot of trouble in life if you pay attention to it.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I pray and ask You to develop and increase my discernment as I study Your Word. And when something doesn’t feel right in my heart, help me to trust that it is You telling me it is not Your will for my life, amen.

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The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

— Psalm 29:11 (AMPC)

God has been showing me that we need to be aware of His present provisions now, and not in the future. In Psalm 28:7 (AMPC) David said of God, I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him. He did not say, “I will be helped.”

Wait on God, because God’s help will strengthen you to behave in a godly way all day long, if you trust in Him. Even while you wait on God to manifest His plan, your heart can greatly rejoice in His presence. Tell someone something good that God has done for you, and then watch Him move in the presence of your praise.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me recognize Your blessings and provision and always find joy in Your presence. Please strengthen my trust as I wait on You, amen.

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And the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in every work of your hand…If you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with all your being. For this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off…But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your mind and in your heart, so that you can do it.

— Deuteronomy 30:9-11,14 (AMPC)

Please make everything easy and simple for me, dear God. I don’t like to struggle, and I want constant victory without exerting any effort. Let me go on my way as I let You do everything to keep me secure. I’ve never heard anyone pray those words, but I have heard people pray in such a way that they were asking for an easy time in life. Too many people want victory without battle, triumph without effort, and ease without labor. God’s world simply doesn’t function that way.

“It’s just too hard.” I wonder how many times I’ve heard people talk that way. I wonder how many times Joyce Meyer has talked that way. And I did. There was a time when I’d make a firm stand for following the Lord, but in my heart (and often in my mouth) were the words that “it was just so hard.” God convicted me of negative thinking. He taught me that if I would stop looking at the hardships and obey Him, He would make a way for me. The previous verses tell us that God wants to bless us and prosper the work of our hands, but we must obey His commandments. And in verse 11, He assures us that we can do it: For this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off.

Because we spend so much time listening to the negatives and figuring out what can go wrong, too often we forget the promise that His will is not too difficult for us. Instead, it may help if you think of the obvious difficulties as blessings from God.

For instance, take encouragement from Joseph. After he spent years in Egypt and saved the lives of his family in Canaan, his brothers were afraid of him. They had hated him, plotted to kill him, and sold him into slavery. After their father, Jacob, died, they expected Joseph to punish them. He could have done that and groaned about his hard life—and his life had not been easy. Not only was he sold as a slave by his brothers, but he had been wrongly imprisoned and could have been put to death if God hadn’t been with him.

Instead of saying, “Life is so hard,” Joseph said, As for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are this day (Genesis 50:20 AMPC). He understood how God works in human lives.

Joseph didn’t look at the hardships; he looked at the opportunities. Joseph didn’t listen to the whispering campaign of his enemy; he turned his ears to the encouraging words of his God. In no place do we read of him complaining. He saw everything that happened to him as God’s loving hand upon him.

I wrote the words, loving hand even though it may not always seem that way. And that’s where the devil sometimes creeps in to say, “If God loves you so much, why are you in this mess?” The best answer I can give is to repeat the words of Paul the great apostle: Let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us (Romans 5:3–5 AMPC). God never promises an easy life, but He does promise a blessed life.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, please forgive me for complaining about life being too hard. Forgive me for wanting things to be easy. Lead me wherever You want me to go, and, in the name of Jesus, I plead that You will help me rejoice all the way—even in the midst of the problems, because You will be there to help me solve them. amen.

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I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

— Psalm 16:7 (NIV)

Having a close, personal, intimate relationship with God is wonderful. It is obvious from the Psalms that David had this kind of relationship with the Lord, and we can have it too. David wrote that even during the night God spoke to and counseled him. Most of us wake up at some time during the night, and even then, God is with us, watching us, and He may well speak to us if we are listening.

David said his eyes were always on the Lord (Psalm 16:8 NIV), and we can form the habit of always having one ear turned toward the Lord no matter what we are doing. We can always be watching and waiting for God to speak to us. This kind of intimate relationship with God gives us great confidence that no matter what happens, we will stand firm and not be upset or disturbed.

Even in difficult times our hearts can rejoice and be glad, and we can rest secure in God’s love for us. You can be assured that God will not abandon you. He shows us the path of life, and in His presence, we are filled with joy (see Psalm 16:9–11). Always keep God first in your life, and He will take care of everything else you need.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I am grateful that I can have an intimate relationship with You. Draw me to You and help me always keep You in my mind and heart. You are more important to me than anything else.

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