Adapted from Battlefield of the Mind

And in the fourth watch [between 3:00—6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright. But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.

Matthew 14:25-28 (AMPC)

Let’s focus for a moment on this part of a well-known New Testament story. The disciples were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee at midnight when they looked up and saw Jesus walking on the water. That is amazing, but as the story continues, Matthew wrote of the boisterous winds, yet Jesus kept walking on top of the waves.

The disciples were afraid—and that makes sense. Who would expect to see anyone walking on top of the water, even under the best of conditions?

Then Jesus cried out and told them, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! (Matthew 14:27 AMPC). This is the powerful moment in the story. What will happen now? Do they move over and give Jesus a place to sit in their boat? Should they get out and join Him on the waves? Do they huddle in fear, reminding themselves that human beings can’t walk on top of water?

Peter was the only one who responded in true faith. And let’s make no mistake here. For Peter to say, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water (Matthew 14:28) was a tremendous act of faith. You’ll notice that he was the only one who spoke that way.

That was a powerful moment of faith. It was a defining moment that pointed out Peter’s great faith and belief in Jesus, the Anointed One of God. He was so convinced that Jesus truly was the Son of God that he was ready to get out of the boat and walk on top of the water with Him.

How many of you would get out of the boat? I emphasize this because it would be easy enough to say, “Lord, I see You walking on the water, and I believe I could walk on the water alongside You.” But would you? Do you have the kind of faith that would enable you to step out of the boat? Of the 12 disciples, Peter was the only one who took that step of faith.

I’m not citing this example of faith to discourage you or to make you feel that your faith is somehow lacking. I’m simply pointing out the great triumph of a man who dared to believe! Peter believed so strongly that he took a step of faith over the side of the boat and started walking toward Jesus.

Most of us know the rest of the story. Some might even smirk, saying, “Big deal! He got out of the boat, started walking on the water, got scared, and began to sink.” And he also received a rebuke from Jesus: O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31 NIV). But think about it—Jesus didn’t say those words to the other disciples. He directed the words “you of little faith” to Peter. The implication is the others had no faith at that moment.

Think of these words not just as words of rebuke, but also as words of encouragement to Peter, the one who had enough faith to step out of the boat and begin walking on the water. But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! (Matthew 14:30 AMPC).

What if you saw this as Jesus’ great encouragement, not just to Peter, but also to you? What if you looked at this event as Jesus saying to you, “You started so well. You believed Me and got out of the boat. You did it! You walked on water just as I did. But then you allowed doubt to enter, and when that happened, you began to sink.”

This powerful story is a wonderful reminder that Jesus is always with you, and He will suspend natural laws to reach out to you and care for you.

Prayer of the Day: Lord Jesus, please forgive my lack of faith. Increase my faith in Your Word and help me to trust You enough to follow Your leading. When the circumstances around me threaten to pull me into deep waters of doubt, help me to focus on You. I ask these things in Your holy name, amen.

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Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages).

Hebrews 13:8 (AMPC)

What is the main thing you love so much about Jesus? There are many answers to that question, of course, such as the fact He died for you on the cross so you wouldn’t have to be punished for your sins; then He rose again on the third day. But in your daily relationship with Him, one of the things you will appreciate most about Him is the fact you can count on Him not to change.

You love Jesus and are able to trust Him because He is never changing. He has said in His Word, “This is the way I was, and this is the way I’m always going to be.” If you can count on anything, you can count on Jesus never changing. He can change anything else that needs to be changed, but He always remains constant.

Prayer of the Day: Lord Jesus, thank You for always being the same and for always sticking with me. When life feels uncertain, You remain constant and faithful. Help me rest in the truth that I can always count on You, amen.

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Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work.

John 4:34 (AMPC)

I believe the Lord wants us to finish whatever He calls us to do, even when it requires patience, perseverance, and hard work. God wants us to grow roots and learn to endure until the fruit of His promise is manifested.

Be willing to endure patiently to see God’s plan take place in your life. If God has given you a vision of something He wants you to accomplish, keep doing whatever He has given you to do, even when the excitement for the work is over, and all the goose bumps are gone. If you don’t have a vision, ask God to show you something that you need to do, and then commit your work to the Lord until it is completed.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please give me the patience and endurance to finish what You’ve called me to do. And when the excitement fades, help me stay rooted in Your promise and committed to Your plan, amen.

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[And I pray] that the participation in and sharing of your faith may produce and promote full recognition and appreciation and understanding and precise knowledge of every good [thing] that is ours in [our identification with] Christ Jesus [and unto His glory].

Philemon 1:6 (AMPC)

The renewing of the mind is the most important thing a person needs to do after receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior. Jesus died for our sins, and He wants us to enjoy the life He has provided. God’s Word teaches us that He has provided a good plan for each person, yet they will never experience it unless they know about it and also know how to access it (Romans 12:2). People perish and their lives are destroyed for a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Knowledge and understanding are power when applied properly.

Many fears are the result of something that happened in the past and that we fear will happen again. If a person’s mother died of cancer, she might fall prey to a fear that she will die the same way. She could become paranoid and fear that every little ache, pain, or strange feeling in her body is cancer. Fear that you will suffer causes suffering already while you are in fear. Don’t be afraid that your life will end; instead, believe that it’s just beginning.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I believe that You have a good plan for my life and that I can access it every day. Please renew my mind through Your Word. Help me overcome fear with truth, and to look to You regarding every aspect of my life and ask You to be Lord and King, amen.

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Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly].

Ephesians 4:15 (AMPC)

There is nothing more powerful than complete truth or “living truly.” The truth of God’s Word, the truth of who God says you are, the truth of healing and freedom, the truth of forgiveness and redemption—these are life-changing, revolutionary truths!

Just look at what the Word of God says about truth and how that truth can affect your life:

• And you will know the truth [regarding salvation], and the truth will set you free [from the penalty of sin] (John 8:32 AMP).
• Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6 AMP).
• The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth (without guile) (Psalm 145:18 AMP).

In your quiet time with God, as you study His Word, build your life on the truths you find there. In Ephesians 4:15, Paul encourages us that we can live in the power of God’s truth—we can be “living truly.” What a great way to live!

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me to consistently build my life on the truth of Your Word. Teach me to live honestly, walk freely, and trust who You say I am. I love You, amen.

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And He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them, And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all].

Matthew 18:2–3 (AMPC)

One of the beautiful things about children is that they are not com- plicated. They will always let you know what they need, they’ll run into your arms when they are frightened, and they’ll give you a big kiss, sometimes for no apparent reason. It is refreshing to communicate with children, because they don’t try to hide their fears or their feelings.

I believe that’s how God wants us to be when we talk with Him. He is pleased when we approach Him with childlike simplicity and faith. Just as children are naturally inclined to trust their parents completely, we can also be pure and full of enthusiasm as we trust God. Share your whole heart with God and remember: You can entrust everything in your life to Him and know that He cares.

The Lord is not looking for complicated relationships. He is looking for sincere hearts and childlike faith. You can let God know what you want (Philippians 4:6), and you can run to Him when you feel afraid (Psalm 91:1–7). God wants you to feel free to show your affection for Him and to share your heart openly with Him. The more you learn to come to God with a childlike faith, the closer you’ll grow in your relationship with Him.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me trust You with childlike faith. Teach me to come to You honestly, depend on Your care, and grow closer to You every day, amen.

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A man’s [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil].

Proverbs 18:20 (AMPC)

Words are wonderful when used with good intentions. They can encourage, edify, and give confidence. When we understand the power of words and realize we can choose what we think and speak, our lives can be transformed. Our words are not forced on us—they formulate in our thoughts and then we speak them. We can learn to choose our thoughts, to resist wrong ones, and think on good, healthy, right ones.

When you get up in the morning, if there is something you need to attend to that you’re not looking forward to, you can say, “I dread this day,” or you can say, “God will give me strength today to do whatever I need to do and to do it with joy.”

Prayer of the Day: Father, Thank You for always being ready to listen to me. Right now, I’m asking You to please help me choose words that honor You. Fill my heart with truth so my thoughts and speech bring joy, strength, and life to myself and to all the people in my life, amen.

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Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always).

1 Thessalonians 5:16 (AMPC)

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. “Well,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today.” So, she did, and she had a great day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and saw she had only two hairs on her head. “Hmmm,” she said, “I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today.” So, she did, and she had a grand day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. “Well,” she said, “today I’m going to wear my hair in a ponytail.” So, she did, and she had a fun, fun day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head. “Yay!” she exclaimed. “I don’t have to fix my hair today!”

This little story shows us a woman who was determined to have a positive, joy-filled outlook on life. Wouldn’t our lives be so much better if we followed her example?

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me choose a joyful, positive outlook no matter what happens each day. Show me how to find reasons to celebrate, even when life gets hard or frustrating, amen.

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My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, and they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water.

Jeremiah 2:13 (AMPC)

The Word teaches that God’s people dug wells for themselves that couldn’t hold water. I know what it is like to work hard with no results. I spent many years of my life digging empty wells like these, and I can tell you, it really wears you out.

You may be digging an empty well right now. You may be working on something or somebody. You may have your own little project going. You may be following your own plan, trying to make things happen in your own strength and ability. If so, it is not going to work if you have left God out of your plan. Many times, we make a plan and then pray for it to work. God wants us to pray first and ask Him for His plan. After we have His plan, then He wants us to trust Him to bring it to pass, as we follow His direction and work in partnership with Him.

Our activity birthed out of the flesh actually prevents God from showing Himself strong in our lives. The Bible describes that kind of activity as works of the flesh (Gal.5:19–21 KJV). I call them “works that don’t work.” That is not the way to live the higher life that God prepared for us.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I don’t want to dig empty wells in my own strength. Please help me seek Your plan first, and give me the trust to follow Your direction instead of my own, amen.

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Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace (the peace of His kingdom) at all times and in all ways [under all circumstances and conditions, whatever comes]. The Lord [be] with you all.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 (AMPC)

People often do things they don’t have peace about, and then they wonder why they have big messes in their lives. If we follow God’s Word and are thankful for His direction and leading, we will enjoy blessed and peaceful lives. The Bible warns us that we will live in turmoil if we follow our own will and walk in our own ways (Deuteronomy 28:15–33).

I hear people say things like this too often:

• “I know I shouldn’t do this, but . . .”
• “I know I shouldn’t buy this, but . . .”
• “I probably shouldn’t say this, but . . .”

These words reflect an uncomfortable feeling deep inside, a “knowing” that the action they are taking is not right or good for them, but they won’t surrender their wills to God’s leading. Thankfully, when we feel this lack of peace, we can decide to release our plans and submit to God’s good plan for our lives.

Prayer of the Day: I thank You, Father, that You lead me in peace. Help me be sensitive to the leading of Your Spirit as You set the course for my life. Thank You for the peace that comes with knowing You are in control and You have a good plan for me.

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Blessed [with wisdom and prosperity] is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and whom You teach from Your law, that You may grant him [power to calm himself and find] peace in the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked and ungodly.

Psalm 94:12–13 (AMP)

We sometimes reach a tipping point in our lives when we recognize we are under so much pressure that we are on the verge of losing our peace and are about to start behaving badly. In today’s scriptures, the psalmist writes of the Lord granting a person [power to calm himself and find] peace in the days of adversity (Ps. 94:13 AMP).

Here are some steps that will hopefully help the process:

• Step 1: Slow down (or stop), take a deep breath, and regroup.
• Step 2: Regain your perspective. Be realistic about what is really happening.
• Step 3: Resist the devil at his onset, when you first realize he is pressuring you.
• Step 4: Cast your care on God and let Him show you what He can do. Keep saying, “God, I let this go. I trust You!” until you feel yourself calming down.
• Step 5: Think about what you are thinking about concerning the things that frustrate you and stop thinking about it. Instead, think about something good and positive.
• Step 6: Exercise self-control and manage your emotions instead of letting them control you.
• Step 7: Ask yourself if you can delay or delegate any of the things that are causing you stress, and make a plan to do so.

Prayer of the Day: I thank You, God, for the peace You give and for granting me the ability to calm myself and find peace in the midst of troubling situations.

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Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

1 Corinthians 6:19 (ESV)

It is amazing to think that God makes His home in His children. When we receive Christ as our Savior, He comes to live in us, and our bodies become His temple. It is therefore prudent and wise for each of us to take good care of our bodies.

I am sorry to say that I spent many years pushing myself too hard and not taking care of my body, a temple of God, before I realized how important it is.

I hope to spare you the same mistakes I made. I urge you to respect your body and give it proper rest, sleep, hydration, and nutrition. God wants to not only live in you, but also to work through you. However, if you feel bad all the time because you don’t take care of yourself, He won’t be able to do that.

I encourage you to meditate on how amazing it is that God lives in you. You are the home of God. Prayerfully, this will urge you to keep the house of God—your body— in good condition. We are representatives of God, and He makes His appeal to the world through us (2 Corinthians 5:20). Let’s commit to representing Him well.

Prayer of the Day: Father, forgive me for not taking better care of myself. I want to represent You well, and I ask You to help me work with You to repair any damage done to my body. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread, that have I given to you, as I promised Moses.

Joshua 1:3 (AMPC)

The Bible teaches us that God has provided everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). He has promised, but we need to take action as the Holy Spirit leads us. It says in 2 Peter 1:5 that we must add our diligence to the promises and exercise our faith. God told Joshua that the land was his, but he needed to step out and take it. If you are expecting the promises of God to manifest in your life while you do absolutely nothing, you are mistaken.

Pray and release your faith to see God’s promises come to pass, and then do anything God shows you that you need to do.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me step out in faith and possess all that You have for me. Give me diligence to act as Your Spirit leads, trusting Your promises will come to pass, amen.

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He who watches the wind [waiting for all conditions to be perfect] will not sow [seed], and he who looks at the clouds will not reap [a harvest].

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (AMP)

Aren’t you thankful that you and I don’t have to be led by our emotions? We can be led by God’s Spirit. All we need to do is be obedient to Him. When the Lord asks us to do something, any of us can be tempted to wait for a convenient season, a time when all conditions are perfect, as today’s scripture mentions. Human nature causes us to hold back sometimes as we walk with God, wanting to wait until following Him won’t be so difficult. Our emotions find all kinds of ways to delay doing what we know we should do.

I encourage you to be unafraid of facing challenges or taking on responsibilities, so that you won’t procrastinate when God speaks. If you only do what is easy and what your emotions want to do, you will remain weak and shallow as a Christian. But as you meet resistance and overcome it, you will build your strength and grow in your faith.

God expects us to be responsible and take care of what He gives us. He wants us to use all He’s given us to bear good fruit (John 15:16). If we do not use the gifts and talents He has given us when He directs us to, then we are not being responsible over what He has entrusted to us.

If you are a procrastinator, I urge you to heed the instruction of Ecclesiastes 11:4. You don’t have to wait until everything seems perfect and your emotions are excited to obey God. Do what He says to do when He says to do it, and you will reap the blessings of obedience.

Prayer of the Day: Help me, Lord, to follow You immediately instead waiting for more convenient timing. Help me to obey You promptly when You lead me to do something.

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Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

Proverbs 16:3 (AMPC)

If we want to be in intimate relationship with God and live lives that are truly committed to Him, we have to take everything about ourselves and say to Him: “God, I give this to You. I give You this problem. I give You this situation. I give You this relationship. I completely release it and let it go. It is too much for me. I am going to stop worrying and trying to figure everything out—and I am going to let You take care of it. God, I also give myself to You because I can’t do anything about myself, either. I give it all to you.” I give you my strengths and weaknesses. I want to change, but You have to change me. It was a great day for me when I finally learned that it was God’s job to change me and my job to believe!

Psalm 37:5 says, Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass (NKJV). What does it mean to commit our ways to God? It means to “roll” them off of ourselves and onto Him. When we roll our problems and human reasonings on God, which means to trust them completely to Him, then He changes our thoughts and makes them agree with His will. In other words, His thoughts become our thoughts so that we want what He wants.

When that happens, our plans will succeed because they are in complete agreement with God’s plans. Release yourself and all your cares today and relax so you can hear God speak to you.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, I release my worries, my problems, and myself entirely into Your hands. In the name of Jesus, I ask You to change my thoughts so they align with Yours in order that I can trust You completely, amen.

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Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers—or even like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain. But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am!

Luke 18:10-13 (AMPC)

God doesn’t answer our prayers because we are good, but because He is good. Be like the tax collector mentioned in today’s scripture and ask God to have mercy on you because of your sin. Be thankful for all the grace God gives you, and don’t keep a record of your good works. Remember every good thing anyone does for you but quickly forget the good you do for others.

Don’t compare yourself with other people, especially not in a way that makes you feel you are better than they are. Paul teaches that we are not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, but to think according to the degree of faith that is given to us (Romans 12:3). If we are good at anything, it is because God has given us a gift. We should be humbly grateful, not proud, which always causes us to think more highly of ourselves than we should.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for answering my prayers, not because of my goodness, but because of Your goodness and mercy. Keep me humble, grateful, and mindful of Your grace in everything I do, amen.

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Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.

1 Peter 5:9 (AMPC)

All of us will deal with disappointments from time to time—that’s part of life. However, if we let it, our disappointment can lead to discouragement, and discouragement can lead to despair and depression.

I’ve said this for years: If you don’t let the devil impress you with what he does, then he can’t oppress you, and if he can’t oppress you, then he can’t depress you. When depression attacks, we usually feel like giving up, but how we respond to it makes all the difference.

One of the most important things we can do is resist the devil at his onset (1 Peter 5:9 AMPC). It’s so important to resist the feeling of depression immediately, because the longer we allow it to remain, the harder it is to resist.

While we can’t control all of our circumstances and won’t be completely free of pain or disappointment, we don’t have to let today’s struggles ruin our hope for tomorrow.

Prayer of the Day: God, there are times when I feel like giving up, like I can’t do it anymore, like things will never be good again. The next time that happens, help me rebuke the devil at his onset. Remind me not to be impressed by him, because the battle is Yours and You’ve already won, amen.

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By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

John 15:8 (ESV)

The apostle Paul writes that he prays for the Colossians to walk in a manner worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Col. 1:10 AMPC, emphasis mine). As our souls are healed and we become stronger, we are better able to bear the fruit He wants us to produce.

Galatians 5:22–23 lists the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Recently, we looked at the first four, and today we will look at the remaining five of these and consider how God has put them in us and now wants us to bear their fruit.

• Kindness: The psalmist says that God’s “lovingkindness is better than life” (Ps. 63:3 NKJV), and it is His kindness that leads people to repentance (Rom. 2:4). The Bible teaches us to “be kind to one another” (Eph. 4:32) and to “put on kindness” (Col. 3:12). Because Jesus lives in you, the ability to be kind is in you also.
• Goodness: The Lord is good! This is repeated often throughout the Bible (Exod. 33:19; 1 Chron. 16:34; Pss. 106:1, 107:1, 119:68). The psalmist encourages us to “taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Ps. 34:8). He also praises God by saying, “Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you” (Ps. 31:19). The apostle Paul urges us: “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Rom. 12:9). The best way I know to enjoy each day is to commit to being good to all people everywhere you go.
• Gentleness: The Scriptures compare Jesus to a lamb, which is a very gentle animal. In 2 Corinthians 10:1, Paul appeals to the Corinthians “by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” He also writes: “So, as God’s own chosen people, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Col. 3:12 AMP), and “Let your gentleness be known to all” (Phil. 4:5 NKJV).
• Faithfulness: He who calls you is faithful. When God’s presence passed before Moses, God said this about Himself, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exod. 34:6 ESV). Scripture teaches us: “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you” (Prov. 3:3 ESV), and “Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart” (1 Sam. 12:24 ESV).
• Self-Control: Throughout God’s Word, God withholds anger. Proverbs 16:32 says that a patient person is better than a strong warrior, and that someone with self-control is better “than one who takes a city” (NIV). Some people say, “I just don’t have any self-control,” but if they have received Jesus into their heart, that statement is inaccurate. They do have self-control and simply need to keep exercising it and watch it get stronger and stronger.

As a believer in Christ, you can be confident that everything that is in Him is in you. Believing this truth is the beginning of a new way of living. We don’t have to struggle as we try in the flesh to produce these things, but we believe we have them and let each one flow as needed.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me bear the fruit of Your Spirit in every area of my life. Let kindness, goodness, and self-control flow naturally through me as I walk with You, amen.

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Adapted from Battlefield of the Mind

Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.

1 Peter 5:8-9 (AMPC)

Sometimes we unintentionally give the wrong impression about spiritual warfare. We know that our enemy is the devil and that we must fight daily to win, but that’s not everything. If the Christian life were nothing but battles, it would be discouraging to fight every hour of every day.

I would feel that I could never relax because as soon as I did, Satan would sneak back again. That’s not the picture I want to present. The Christian life is one of joy and peace. God gives us a great sense of fulfillment, and we’re at rest because we know we honor Him by the way we live.

Peter wrote to Christians about their enemy—warning them and urging them to be vigilant, which is where we often put the emphasis. Just before he wrote those words, however, he said, Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully (1 Peter 5:7 AMPC). As we read that verse, it tells us that we must remind ourselves of God’s love for us—God cares. Because God cares, we can trust Him to take care of us.

We need that as part of our foundation. It’s not that we don’t have faith; it’s that Satan tries to destroy our faith with lies like: “If God really cared about you, would He make you go through this trial?” “If God truly loved you, would He treat you this way?”

Those questions that the devil throws at you are full of lies. If he can make you think you’re not loved or that God doesn’t have your best interests at heart, he can plant tiny seeds of unbelief. God wants you to remain strong and true like Abraham and other believers in the Bible.

One of the things I’ve learned from ministering to thousands of people is that the terrible and negative problems striking our lives are not what cause us to turn away from God. No, it’s our reaction to those situations that makes the difference. Think of Abraham again. When God promised to give him a son, he was an old man. He could have said, “How could that possibly be? I’m old and long past being able to father a child.” Instead, he said, “That’s wonderful! I believe.”

When struggles, trials, and hardships come your way—and they always do—you have a choice. You can heed Peter’s words and give God your cares, worries, and concerns. No matter how dark the night or how evil the situation, you must remind yourself that God is not only present with you in those situations, but He also loves you and will provide for you.

Your job is to be vigilant during those difficult times. You can rejoice in God’s love and blessings when all is going well—and that’s what God wants you to do. But in the dark moments, you need to remind yourself that the devil stalks you and wants to defeat you.

One more thing. Sometimes you may wonder why you have so many trials and problems. Is it possible that the devil may have singled you out because of God’s great plan for your life? The more faithful you are, the more you have to resist him and his lies of unbelief.

Prayer of the Day: Dear heavenly Father, the enemy often tries to fill me with unbelief and make me deny Your powerful love for me. But like Abraham, I stand firm on Your promises. Thank You for the comfort I find in Your assurance that You’re always with me, amen.

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And [so], the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed in (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on) God, and this was accounted to him as righteousness (as conformity to God’s will in thought and deed), and he was called God’s friend.

James 2:23 (AMPC)

It’s obvious some people are closer to God than others. These “close friends” of God speak of talking to Him as if they know Him personally. Their faces shine with enthusiasm as they testify, “And God told me…” while skeptical acquaintances grumble to themselves, “Well, God doesn’t talk to me like that!”

Why is that? Does God have favorites? No, Scripture teaches that each person determines his or her own level of intimacy with God, depending on their willingness to seek Him and put time into developing a relationship with Him. Everyone has been extended the same open invitation to …fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace… (Hebrews 4:16 AMPC). At this moment, you are as close to God as you choose to be.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I want to know You more deeply—more intimately. I want that close personal relationship I hear so much about. Give me the desire and discipline to seek You daily, draw near to Your throne, and grow in true intimacy with You, amen.

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