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| "'...The word of our God stands forever.'" Isaiah 40:8 NKJV
For the next few days let's renew our minds with some of the wonderful promises God has given to us through His Word. Let's not just read them casually, but process them slowly, deeply, prayerfully and repeatedly, letting the truth of them change our thinking and strengthen our faith.
(1) 'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord?' (Isaiah 54:17 NKJV)
(2) 'The Lord ...is with you; never again will you fear any harm... He is mighty to save. He will "deal with all who oppressed you"' (Zephaniah 3:15-19 NIV)
(3) 'Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king... With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us...fight our battles' (2 Chronicles 32:7-8 NIV)
(4) 'My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my fortress, I will never be shaken' (Psalm 62:1-2 NIV)
(5) 'Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all He has done. Then you will experience God?s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand?' (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)
(6) 'For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.' (Romans 8:38-39 NKJV)
Soulfood Bible Readings
Is 49-52, Matt 12:1-14, Ps 107:33-43, Pr 3:27-28
"'...The word of our God stands forever.'" Isaiah 40:8 NKJV
Are you ready for more of God's wonderful promises?
(1) 'Let all those who...put their trust in You rejoice...because You...defend them; let those also who love Your name...be in high spirits.' (Psalm 5:11 AMP)
(2) 'The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you...' (Deuteronomy 33:27 NKJV)
(3) 'The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.' (Nahum 1:7 NKJV)
(4) 'Fear not...for I am with you...I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you...I will hold you up...with My [victorious] right hand...' (Isaiah 41:10 AMP)
(5) 'You protect them by Your presence from what people plan against them. You shelter them from evil.' (Psalm 31:20 NCV)
(6) 'Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.' (Psalm 23:6 NLT)
(7) '...The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength...The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom...' (2 Timothy 4:17-18 NIV)
(8) 'Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.' (Psalm 9:10 NIV)
(9) 'This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.' (Lamentations 3:21-23 NKJV)
(10) 'I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.' (Psalm 4:8 NIV) | | |
| 1 John 4:18 Perfect love casts out fear.
When your mate looks into your face, what does he see? Does he see acceptance or rejection?
Whether you realize it or not, you are a mirror to your mate. The amount of confidence he has as he deals with people and life is in many ways influenced by whether you accept or reject him.
Self-image, self-esteem, self-concept-these three terms are used to describe not only how your mate mentally sees himself, but how he feels about himself and what value and sense of worth he has internally.
Your mate's self-image is central to all he is and everything he does. It will either hinder or enhance his ability to learn, make decisions, take risks and resolve conflicts with you and others. Your spouse's self-image will either restrain him or refuel him.
When a person has a low self-esteem, he or she often views life through the eyes of fear. The fear of rejection is one of the most powerful forces motivating and controlling people today.
If you want to see your mate's self-image strengthened, then begin to recognize that the fear of rejection is your enemy. Fear will begin to dissolve in your mate under a steady stream of authentic love.
Love is the most powerful agent for change in the universe because love casts out fear! Perfect love-God's love-is more powerful than the fear of rejection. Perfect love that accepts and embraces another, even in his or her weaknesses, will win the power struggle against fear every time.
Prayer: That God would use each of you to cast out fear through your love. | | |
| What a comforting thought - it inspires me and spurs me on.
"'...I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt...'" Jeremiah 31:4 NKJV
Don't allow anybody but God to tell you what you're worth. That's too much power to give anyone. If people can label you, they can limit you. Until you know how God feels about you, you'll know neither your worth as an individual nor your life's purpose. You'll worry about how you look, what others think, and whether or not you're going to succeed in life. But when you believe God's promise, '...I have loved you with an everlasting love...I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt...' (Jeremiah 31:3-4 NKJV), you're free to focus on improving and reaching your God-given potential. What life has torn down, God can rebuild.
Today, if you're suffering from lack of self-worth, here's a prayer to help you: 'Father, sometimes I think I'm of no use, that I can't do anything right, that nothing I do is ever good enough. But I know that when You look at who I am, and who I can be, You see Jesus. And He is good enough! It's good enough that He shed His precious blood to cover my unworthiness. Good enough that He paid the price for every sin I would ever commit. Good enough that He's working to perfect me each day. Good enough that He sees me as 'righteous' in Him. Good enough that He's interceding for me at the throne of God right now. Good enough that He's mending the broken areas of my life and making me whole. Good enough that His love for me is everlasting and guaranteed. Thank You, Father, that everything Jesus does is good enough, and that in Him, I am good enough too!'
Soulfood Bible Readings
Ex 30-32, Matt 7:1-14, Ps 74:12-23, Pr 2:7-8 | | |
| Here's a message I picked up from Crosswalk.com, something so true in today's world. Makes me wonder why kids can be so cruel and if their parents are even aware their kids are behaving that way?.... Its a gentle reminder to me not to mock others, to watch my tongue and to learn to use words to edify others rather than tear down.
Proverbs 17:5 (NIV) He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker.
When I was in first grade, a few friends and I began to choose who would be "in" and who would be "out." One of the first "outs" was Lois. She came from a poor family and couldn't dress as well as the others. She was also slow in class, which didn't help. So we quickly excluded her.
The "in" group rejected Lois as a person-slowly at first, but ruthlessly as the years passed. By the time we reached high school, she was the butt of countless jokes. When we were seniors, she had such an inferiority complex that I don't recall seeing her look up from the floor that entire year.
Years later I recognized my false values and my haughty, foolish evaluation of Lois. I wept when I thought about my cruelty to her. I asked God to forgive me for my arrogant, childish behavior. She was made in the image of God every bit as much as I was.
Peers can have poisonous tongues. William Hazlitt wrote, "A nickname is the hardest stone the devil can throw at a man." Some never forget the names they have been called.
Here are a few nicknames we've come across: Dummy, Pit-i-ful Paul, Messy, Fatso, Peewee, Runt, Brick-Brain, Ornery, Grasshopper Brain, Yo-Yo, Troublemaker, Slow Learner, Bones, Motor-Mouth, Sloppy, Sleepy, Devil's Daughter, Nerd, Turkey, Lardo, Bird Legs, Space Cadet, Rebellious, Simple Sally, Buzzard-Beak, Metal-Mouth, Freckle-Face, Weirdo and Geek. Names like these can really hurt.
The way your mate views himself today was heavily influenced by his peers as he grew up. Even today, your mate may be very peer-dependent. He may self-consciously wonder if he's wearing "just the right" outfit or using "just the right" lingo. He may doubt his ability to relate to your friends.
As we've said elsewhere in this devotional, you are a mirror to your mate. You can still stop those condemning voices from his past by replacing them with positive words in the present.
Prayer:
That you will take the opportunity to build your mate's self-esteem with positive words.
Discuss:
How did your peers view you as you grew up?
What were your nicknames as you grew up?
Share any feelings about those experiences with your spouse. | | |
| Dear God, Thank you for always being with me. Please help me, and remind me, not to react to situations in a fleshly manner. When I am faced with vicious gossip or wrongdoing against me or something I strongly disagree with, please help me to remain silent when I should and to speak with calm wisdom when called for, but to never lose my temper or just "react." I want to act like a Christian should act. I want to be a testimony for my Lord and Saviour. I want to remain faithful in whatever circumstance. May You be glorified. Thank You so much for Your guidance, patience, and love. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. | | |
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