God Transforms Us Through Suffering

I don't like the word suffering. I can't even begin to understand how that kind of word earn a right to be in the dictionary.
Even when I hear the word in a sentence makes me look around and wonder if the shoe is going to drop on my head and if so, how long will it last.
Personally, I think suffering she be banned or against the law but God seems to think suffering will make us a stronger and more effective person. We can agree to disagree on this, Lord knows I tell Him about it, yet, somehow He always seems to win the fight.
Yes, for me, suffering is a fight. A fight to see the good in it. So when I came across this little devotional, I suck up life, and get back in the race for I know, suffering may have me for a moment, but I'll be an overcome for eternity. Let is good enough for me.
God Bles.

God Transforms Us Through Sufferingby Kenneth D. Boa from Once-a-Day 40 Days to Easter Devotional
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the one Israel praises. In You our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were saved; in You they trusted and were not put to shame. - Psalm 22:1-5
Meditation
God never promised that we would be exempt from affliction; rather, suffering is part of our lot in a fallen world.
However, there is hope because, though He does not always deliver us from suffering, He promises to deliver and transform us through it if we rely on His resources instead of our own. In such times of suffering, we can know for sure that we are not alone.
In the midst of our pain, God promises to never leave us or abandon us.
Therefore, when we grieve, we do not grieve like the world does; we grieve with hope, knowing that God is often revealed most clearly in the midst of our trials. God will never despise us or hide his face from us. When we cry for help, He will hear and will enable us to endure. The certainty of His companionship in the midst of our afflictions allows us to view them as a means to a greater end. Our suffering is accomplishing something in us, forging within us the character of the One in whose image we are made. Because of Christ, even our catastrophes have purpose. God is preparing our character for the time when we will see Him face to face.
Prayer
Lord of all creation, You have shown me that I will have tribulation in this world. But You have counseled me to take courage because You have overcome the world and have promised to never leave or forsake me. Grant me the grace to hold fast to the truths of the gospel, to the Person and work of Christ, and to the power of the Spirit. May I hope in Your promises, confessing that I am but a stranger and exile in this world, reveling in the love you have shown me and extending that love to others. Teach me to exult in my tribulations, knowing that difficulties bring about perseverance, character, and a hope that does not disappoint. And may I always remember that I am headed for a glorious and eternal future with You that cannot be compared to the temporary struggles of this world. In Your steadfast name I pray. Amen.

Give It Up

There is nothing like a Joyce Meyer devotional telling you like it is or making you see the error of your ways and causing the heart to do better.

And this little devotional does just that. She holds nothing back in trying to stir your heart to be less one minded but people minded.

If your people minded, you won't be a problem for carrying put God's plan. In fact, you will become a yes, Lord kind of person without to much thought or hassle.

So it comes down to this, Lord, I give up. I surrender myself to your will. Use me Lord to show the goodness of who You are.

God Bless.

Give It Up!
by Joyce Meyer

Unto You, O Lord, do I bring my life.
—Psalm 25:1

This is a very short but powerful verse. In fact it gives you the answer for your whole life: give it to the Lord.

This doesn’t mean you should bring Him just your worries and problems. It means bringing Him your entire existence and everything it entails. Grasping that truth will set you free from weariness and a feeling of wanting to give up.

I used to get worn out preparing for my meetings. I would get so intense about it and work so hard at making sure everything was right that I worked myself into exhaustion. Then I learned that all I have to do is give Him my life and everything in it. As we yield to Him, His peace fills us.

As you pray tonight, give your entire life to God and experience the freedom of knowing that whatever you face—good or bad—He has it under control.

Do Your Best

I remember when I was little, mom would say it didn't made how you did as long as you did your best.

Okay, she still has a habit of saying it and if I'm completely honest, I hated her saying it then and I hate her saying it even worse now!

I'm a pleaser. But not necessary in the way one might think. I only look out for myself. I have a tendency to think of only myself but the word of God tells me to think otherwise. There lies the struggle.

If I am suppose to think of others than I go the extra, unnecessary mile on making sure they are happy in every area of their lives. Overboard becomes my second nature.

But it's not my job to make sure people are happy. It's my job in making sure I've done everything possible to ensure they will spend eternity in the right place and I accomplish my task by being and doing the best I can with what I have available because there are people unknowingly counting on me.

God Bless.

Do Your Best
by Joyce Meyer

But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Father— [it is] Jesus Christ . . . And He [that same Jesus Himself ] is the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours alone but also for [the sins of ] the whole world.
—1 John 2:1–2

You are responsible to people, but God has not made you responsible for their joy. You may have children, or siblings, or a spouse God has given you to love and nurture who seem uninterested in your testimony. Some people just refuse to be happy, so don’t let them steal your joy.

You cannot fix anyone, and you shouldn’t take the blame for everything that goes wrong in someone else’s life. Obviously, you cannot make everybody you know believe in Jesus. But you can get up every day and do your best, and then trust God for the rest.

Develop Your Potential And Do Something Now

Just subject alone got my heart pumping. But after reading this little devotional, I seemed to emerge from it pumped up and ready go....and to do something.

Life seems to be all about finding your potential and gifting and that is all well and good but when your a person like me who has a life that seems to get in the way, well, let's just say one might need a little encouragement to keep going and fighting the good fight.

So, I need all the help I can get and this little devotional does just that and if it encourages me, how can I not share it with a friend.

God Bless.

Develop Your Potential and Do Something Now

You may know that God's created you with great potential, but you can't stop there. You have to develop your potential.

I believe that many people are unhappy because they aren't doing anything to develop their potential. If you want to see your potential developed to its fullest, don't wait until everything is perfect. Do something now. Start laying your hand to whatever is in front of you.

You must give your potential some form by doing something with it. You will never find what you are capable of doing if you never try anything.

Don't be so afraid of failing that you never take a chance. Don't stay in the safety zone. You may feel safe, but you will never succeed at developing your full potential or being fulfilled in what you are doing. Step out into what you feel God is leading you to do, and you will soon discover what you can and cannot do.

You are full of God-given potential, and He wants to do more through your life than you could ever imagine, but it requires your cooperation. Step out and serve Him wholeheartedly today.

Prayer Starter: Lord, in everything I do, I want to serve You wholeheartedly. Thank You for encouraging me to step out and take action, developing the great potential You have given me.

Joyce Meyer Ministries

Say It Out Loud

We all know the saying, 'we are what we eat.'

Or maybe you can relate to the saying, 'you are what you think.' 

But have we ever thought of we are what we Say? I think not. Most of the time, we just let our mouth do the talking and we fund ourselves in trouble most of our lives from our own making.

We allow open doors for sin, doubt, and every evil work to enter if we don't get the tongue under control.

It is time we try a new thing and allow the word of God to take over and stop the madness that comes from a tongue that is allowed to run a muck and just maybe, the world will become a better place.

God Bless. 

Say It Out Loud

by Joyce Meyer

I am alert and active, watching over my word to perform it. —Jeremiah 1:12
Today I want to share with you some powerful truths that are based in God’s Word. I encourage you to confess these words over and over, so they will change your thinking and become part of your belief system about yourself. As you confess them with a heart full of faith, doing your best to believe them and act on them, you’ll be well on your way to a healthy self-image.
1. No matter how often I fail, I will not give up, because God is with me to strengthen and sustain me. He has promised to never leave me or forsake me (see Hebrews 13:5).
2. I like myself. I don’t like everything I do, and I want to change—but I refuse to reject myself.
3. I am right with God through Jesus Christ.
4. God has a good plan for my life. I am going to fulfill my destiny and be all I can be for His glory. I have God-given gifts and talents, and I intend to use them to help others.
5. I am nothing, and yet I am everything! In myself I am nothing, and yet in Jesus I am everything I need to be!
6. I can do all things I need to do, everything God calls me to do, through His Son Jesus Christ (see Philippians 4:13).
Love Yourself Today: Review the list of six confessions that will help you gain a healthy, biblical self-image. Which one do you need to focus on most today?

Grave

I hate death. There's absolutely no good that comes from it. And if one more person tells me, that time will heal the pain from the loss, I think I may puke right on their shoes.

Sure, their comments come from a concern for you but unless your right in the thick of it, you don't want to hear anything about death or what good can come from it...absolutely nothing.

The only time, and I mean the only time something good happened from death is when Jesus conquered it and raised from the grave and we no longer have to put up with it or be defeated by it and to this I say...JOY TO THE WORLD!

God Bless.

Our experience tells us that people do not return from the grave. At the heart of our desolation when death strikes is the awful certainty that in this life we will not see our loved ones again. We attend funerals to honor their memory and grieve our loss, but we do not expect to be greeted at the door by the person who has died. 

In light of this, it should not seem surprising that Jesus’ disciples were reluctant to believe that He had risen from the dead. Following the testimony of the women who had seen an angel, an empty tomb, and Jesus Himself (Matthew 28:1-10), “the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!” (vv.16-17). 

-Author Unknown

Distinguishing Ourselves

As believers we should be influencing every aspect of the world. I could agree more with the first line of this little devotional.

Yet I know, we are nowhere near achieving any part of the sentence either. We, are a mess. The world is a mess. So I guess the question is, which one is going to rise up and change the world?

Father God, may it be your people.

God Bless.

Distinguishing Ourselves

We become influencers, knowing that God has called us to be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath (see Deuteronomy 28:13).

As believers we should be influencing every aspect of the world. We are to not only rise above adverse circumstances but also to be leaders in a lost world. We are to be light in the darkness. If we are the head and not the tail, we should be leading in all aspects of society. But how do we distinguish ourselves in this way? Through God’s incredible grace.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us… (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV)

We know God is able. That’s what Paul told us in Ephesians. If God is able, why aren’t we automatically head and shoulders above everyone else? It’s because of what we choose to believe about ourselves. God places us right where we need to be, and He has given us the tools to excel. But these tools must be accessed by His power—which is His grace.

You might say, “But John, I’ve been trying to do well and other people are still doing much better than I am!” It is not by our works that we succeed but by God's power at work within us, and that power is accessed by faith. Faith is like a container for grace. God’s grace will only fill whatever container we bring to Him. If we bring Him a bucket, He will give us a bucketful. But if we believe for grace in the measure of an ocean, then He will supply an ocean of His empowerment to us!

Do you believe God promises you only what it takes to get by, or do you believe that His grace can position you to excel and succeed? Are you ready to tap into the full potential of grace and have significant influence on everyone around you?
-Author Unknown