Tag: Encouragement

Daily Promises – August 19 – God will make us fruitful in our old age

Psalm 92:13-14 KJV

13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;


Promise #231: I will make you fruitful in your old age. 

I want to finish my life well. In Hebrews 12:1-2, we are called to throw off all the things that hinder us and the sin that so easily entangles us to run our race. I am not sure how many days I have left on this side of heaven, but I want each one of them to mean something from an eternal perspective. If possible, I want to increase in the anointing, I want to increase in effectiveness, I want to increase in fruitfulness as I get older.

Today’s promise says that fruitfulness will abound in old age for those who are sons and daughters to the Father. If you have every visited a seniors’ home, that is not always the case. Unfortunately for some people, as they get older, they experience more disappointment and disillusionment about the very meaning of life. Regret and bitterness can grow into a very bitter root.

But this is not so for those who are called by God to live a fruitful life! Let’s all claim this promise for ourselves and our loved ones today! Father, we thank you that our fruitfulness will bring glory to you, not only today, but for the rest of our lives. May fruit abound in me today! In Jesus’ name I pray.
Photo by Barry Adams

Daily Promises – August 18 – Don’t be unbelieving

 

 

 

Matthew 18:19 KJV

19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth
as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.


Promise #230: If two of you agree in prayer, I will do whatever you ask. 

In today’s promise, Jesus is speaking to his disciples and is encouraging them about their relationship with His Father in prayer. In the verse previous to this one, He tells them that whatever they bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever they loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. I wonder how the disciples reacted to Jesus’ statements? After all they were just fisherman and common folk, yet Jesus exhorted them that they had an audience with the Creator of the universe any time, night or day.

When I have reflected on this passage in the past, I have always wondered about the words ‘any thing‘. Did Jesus really mean that they could have any thing they asked for if there was agreement by two or more? It seems that He said what He meant because any thing means any thing! However, we know from other Bible verses that the things that Jesus are referring to are definitely linked to the things that are already in God’s heart.

However, this should be a huge encouragement to each one of us today! God invites us to link our hearts with other believers on earth and come before His throne room and make our requests known to God. Don’t be timid and don’t be unbelieving. Come with a heart full of faith believing that God hears your requests and has a desire to answer your prayers!

By Barry Adams

He loves you when no one else loves you

By Max Lucado

God’s love does not hinge on yours. The abundance of your love does not increase his.

The lack of your love does not diminish his. Your goodness does not enhance his love, nor does your weakness dilute it. What Moses said to Israel is what God says to us: “The LORD did not choose you and lavish his love on you because you were larger or greater than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! It was simply because the LORD loves you.” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8 NLT)

God loves you simply because he has chosen to do so.

He loves you when you don’t feel lovely.

He loves you when no one else loves you.

Others may abandon you,

divorce you,

and ignore you,

but God will love you.

Always.

No matter what.

This is his sentiment: “I’ll call nobodies and make them somebodies; I’ll call the
unloved and make them beloved.” (Romans 9:25 MSG).

This is his promise. “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With
unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” (Jeremiah 31:3 NLT).

Our love depends on the receiver of the love. Let a thousand people pass before us, and we will not feel the same about each.

Our love will be regulated by their appearance, by their personalities. Even when we find a few people we like, our feelings will fluctuate.

How they treat us will affect how we love them.

The receiver regulates our love.

Not so with the love of God. We have no thermostatic impact on his love for us.

The love of God is born from within him, not from what he finds in us. His love is uncaused and spontaneous. As Charles Wesley said, “He hath loved us. He hath loved us. Because he would love.” 1

1 J.I. Packer, Knowing God (Downers Grove, Ill,: InterVarsity Press, 1973) 112.

Taking a long time to boil

“Love is patient.”  I Corinthians 13:4

The Greek word used here for patient . . . means

“taking a long time to boil.”

Think about a pot of boiling water . . .

Water boils quickly when the flame is high.

It boils slowly when the flame is low.

Patience “keeps the burner down.”

Patience isn’t naive.

It doesn’t ignore misbehavior.

It just keeps the flame low.

It waits. It listens . . .

This is how God treats us.

And, according to Jesus,

this is how we should treat others.

~ Max Lucado

Think you’re an exception?

Those who trust in God are no longer guilty

 

For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal.

Romans 3:23 NLT

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

James 4:17 NLT

Details, please?

(1.) Remember what St. John says: “If our heart condemn us, God is stronger than our heart.” The feeling of being, or not being, forgiven and loved is not what matters. One must come down to brass tacks. If there is a particular sin on your conscience, repent and confess it. If there isn’t, tell the despondent devil not to be silly. You can’t help hearing his voice (the odious inner radio), but you must treat it merely like a buzzing in your ears or any other irrational nuisance. (2.) Remember the story in the Imitation, how the Christ on the crucifix suddenly spoke to the monk who was so anxious about his salvation and said, “If you knew that all was well, what would you, today, do or stop doing?” When you have found the answer, do it or stop doing it. You see, one must always get back to the practical and definite. What the devil loves is that vague cloud of unspecified guilt feeling or unspecified virtue by which he lures us into despair or presumption. “Details, please?” is the answer. (3.) The sense of dereliction cannot be a bad symptom, for Our Lord Himself experienced it in its depth — “Why has thou forsaken me?”

C. S. Lewis in Letters to an American Lady
Quoted in The Quotable Lewis edited by Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root (Tyndale House), p 278

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

Daily Promises – August 17 – God’s purpose will be fulfilled

Proverbs 19:21 KJV

21 There are many devices in a man’s heart;
nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.


Promise #229: Though you have many plans, My purpose will be fulfilled. 

Over the years, I have looked to this Bible verse many times. By nature I am a strategist and a planner. I like to know how to best prepare for whatever life has to throw at me. Unfortunately many of the plans that I have put into place never come to pass. That is why I take great comfort in this verse because it basically says that while we have many ideas of our own, it is the Lord’s purpose that will prevail in our lives.

The NIV Bible says it this way… Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. This promise gives a planner like me great comfort in knowing that God’s purpose for my life will come to pass because of His faithfulness, not because of my planning! What a relief! The old saying ‘hindsight is 20/20 vision’ is so true. When I look back at my life, there are so many things that I ‘planned’ that didn’t come to pass and I thank God that they didn’t now!

So today, my encouragement for you is to be encouraged that our God and Father has a plan for your life that will not be thwarted by anything! You can rest in His faithfulness to bring about His purposes for your life.

~ Barry Adams

Knitted together

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13, NIV

“Knitted together” is how the psalmist

described the process of God making man.

Not manufactured or mass-produced, but knitted.

Each thread of personality tenderly intertwined.

Each string of temperament deliberately selected . . .

The Creator, the master weaver, threading together the soul.

Each one different.

No two alike.

None identical.

~ Max Lucado

Daily Promises – August 16 – No one can stand against you

Romans 8:31 KJV

31 What shall we then say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us?


Promise #228: If I am for you, no one can stand against you.
This is one of my favorite promises of all time! If God is for us, who can be against us. I feel like there is nothing that I can add to this amazing promise. The God who created the universe, the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent everlasting Father is on your side. He is for you! He has placed all of heaven’s resources on your side simply because you are joined to Jesus Christ and are part of His family.

In this orphan world system, many things will oppose us, but none of these things can possibly stand against our God and Father for nothing will ever separate you from His love.

Nothing!

Death can’t.

Life can’t.

Angels can’t.

Demons can’t.

The present.

The future.

Nothing in all creation will ever separate you from the love that God has for you in Jesus Christ! (Romans 8:35-39)

God is for you so no one can stand against you.

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Jeanne Costello

Brag about this

“The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for bragging.”

Galatians 6:14

Do you feel a need for affirmation?

Does your self-esteem need attention?

You don’t need to drop names or show off.

You need only to pause at the base of the cross and be reminded of this:

The maker of the stars would rather die for you than live without you.

And that is a fact.

So if you need to brag,

brag about that.

~ Max Lucado

Footprints in the Sand

One night a man had a dream.

He dreamed he was  walking along the beach with the Lord.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.

For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand ;

one belonging to him and the other to the Lord. 

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,

he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of his life

there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened

at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.

This really bothered him and questioned the Lord about it. 

”Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,

you’d walk with me all the way.

However, I noticed that during the most troublesome times

of my life there was only one set of footprints.

I don’t understand why when I needed you most

you would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “my precious, precious child,

I love you and I would never leave you

during your times of trial and suffering,

when you see only one set of footprints

it was then that I carried you.”

“Footprints in the Sand”

~ Ella H. Scharring-Hausen on June 6, 1922


Unchanging

“Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.”  I Thessalonians 5:8, The Message

Don’t put your hope into things that change—relationships, money, talents, beauty, even health. Set your sights on the one thing that can never change: trust in your heavenly Father.

~ Max Lucado

Burned Biscuits


When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!

Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that ugly burned biscuit. He ate every bite of that thing… never made a face nor uttered a word about it!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I’ll never forget what he said: “Honey, I love burned biscuits every now and then.”

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she’s real
tired. And besides – a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!”

As I’ve grown older, I’ve thought about that many times. Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I’m not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults – and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences – is one of the most important keys to creating healthy, growing, and lasting relationships,  whether it is between a husband and wife or parent and child or friend-to-friend!

So, please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just fine.

And PLEASE pass this along to someone who has enriched your life.

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

My prayer for each of us today is that we will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of our lives and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He’s the only One who will be able to give us a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn’t a deal-breaker!

“Don’t put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket – keep it in your own.”

~ Author Unknown

Daily Promises – August 15 – God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness

Isaiah 40:29 KJV

29 He giveth power to the faint;
and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.


Promise #227: I will give power to the exhausted and I strengthen the weak. 

We live in an upside down kingdom where the first will be last and the last will be first. The greatest will be the least and the least will be greatest. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, the Apostle Paul says that God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 

There is something in the heart of God that rushes to the defense of those who can’t defend themselves, to those who have no illusion of their own personal power. We see that at work in Paul’s own life when he was struggling with a ‘thorn in the flesh’ that just wouldn’t go away (2 Corinthians 12:6-8). This is when Jesus appeared to Paul and said that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. 

So if you are feeling powerless today, be comforted in knowing that God gives power to the weak and those who are feeling exhausted. You are in a good place for the strength of God to be revealed in you and through you. 

~ Barry Adams

 

Daily Promises – August 14 – Rest in the Lord

 

Psalm 37:7-9 KJV

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.


Promise #226: If you rest in Me and wait patiently, you will inherit the land.

This is a call to rest and wait. In the culture that we live in, these are two of the most difficult things that we can do. Hebrews 4 speaks of a Sabbath rest that God wants us to enter into where we will cease from our own works and enter into God’s rest. While this promise seems simple enough to accomplish, there is something in the human heart that struggles to truly rest. I am not talking about having a siesta or taking a vacation, but a rest in the very core of our hearts where we cease from all striving. 

When we come to the place of learning to rest in the very center of our being, we will cease from our own human initiatives and position ourselves to simply wait for the Lord to work on our behalf. This is not a place of passivity because we have to work at entering into this place of rest. We will only allow ourselves to enter into this place when we are convinced that we no longer have to strive to find acceptance in the loving embrace of our God and Father. 

In my opinion, to truly learn to rest and wait patiently for the Lord is one of the highest forms of trust that we can demonstrate. It is in this place that we realize that we don’t have to protect ourselves, provide for ourselves, initiate for ourselves, etc., because we have a God who is head over heels in love with us and He has promised to work on our behalf. All He asks is that we learn to rest in Him and wait patiently for Him.

Today’s promise says that when we do learn to rest and wait patiently for the Lord, we will inherit the land! Not because of anything that we do, but because of the goodness of our heavenly Dad. May the Holy Spirit show each one of us how we can more fully enter in that place of rest and trust so that we can wait on the Lord and see our inheritance released. 

~ Barry Adams

 

Verse of the Day – August 12 – We are God’s Handiwork

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 NIV

Handiwork? What does that mean?

To me, it means that God,

through Christ Jesus,

took special care, time, thought,

to create me.

To fashion me out of the most precious materials

To mold me into a unique shape

To make sure He put me in just the right environment

so that I would grow according to His plan.

He sat, pondering, to give me a special kind of

heart to be receptive to the needs of others

To give me His kind of love, agape, so that

I would have an empathetic touch

and voice to minister to those I meet.

To give me the perfect mate so that I would know

that His love for me would have arms

to hold me,

joy to share with me,

patience to lift me up when I am down,

Unconditional human, yet Godly, love

that would shelter me

through all the storms of life.

To give me a vision for souls

in their lost state

and love to give everyone I meet,

and to help

lead them to His light.

Yes, He thought of all I would need

to go through life here on earth

and He gave me all the tools

to handle the journey

Some didn’t look like they were meant

for me,

but as I am drawn to minister to others

each day,

I realize that being, in the world’s eyes,

flawed,

would be my greatest gift

from my Creator

so that I could feel what they feel,

hurt as they hurt,

walk where they walk,

and know that through my reaching

out,

I have allowed God to use my arms

to wrap

His arms around His children.

a semblance of how

He would wrap His arms around them

if He were here in the flesh.

I am humbled to be

His Handiwork.

~ Sharon Rule

Make the Hole Your Goal


Posted: 12 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

By Jon Walker

[U]ntil we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13 NIV)

A hundred years ago, when I played golf, I thought I was doing well just to get the ball somewhere on the putting green.

The truth be told, my main goal was to reach the green without majorly embarrassing myself, so I was satisfied even when my ball made it somewhere near the fringes.

One day a local golf pro told me the key difference between an average golfer and one who is excellent is this: The truly great players shoot for the hole, not somewhere near the hole or somewhere on the green. They aim directly for the hole.

He told me, “You should make the hole your goal.” My intelligent, thoughtful response was, “Yeah, right! That’ll be the day.”

I didn’t think I’d ever be able to hit the hole, so I wouldn’t even try. The reason many of us are stuck, unable to move deeper into intimacy with God is because we don’t think it’s truly possible, at least for us. And so we don’t even try.

But it is possible to mature until we attain “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13 NIV). We need to practice at it, and that’s called discipleship. But the good news is this: Jesus lives inside us and is working to bring our swing into alignment with his own. May it be so. Amen.

Daily Promises – August 12 – The Gift of the Holy Spirit

Luke 11:13 KJV

13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children:
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?


Promise #224: I will gladly give the Holy Spirit to those who will ask.The Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of both God the Father and God the Son. In Matthew 10:20, Jesus tells His disciples that when they are dragged before the courts, it will not be them speaking, but the Spirit of their Father. In Galatians 4:6, the Apostle Paul says that God has given us the Spirit of His Son whereby we cry Abba Father!

The Holy Spirit is the very essence of God’s heart and in this promise, Jesus declares that His Father loves to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask! Since God’s Spirit is the very core of who He is, He is giving us everything that He has when He pours out His Spirit on us! In Ephesians 5:18, the Apostle Paul instructs us not to be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit!

The context of this verse is that being filled with the Spirit is not a one time event but is ongoing. We are called to continually be filled to overflow with God’s Holy Spirit. So my encouragement to you today is to simply ask God for a fresh infilling of His precious Spirit! Jesus says that He is a good Father and He delights to give us His Spirit when we ask.

So Father, we ask for MORE of your Holy Spirit today! Would you fill us afresh, would you pour out more of your love into our hearts through your precious Holy Spirit today (Romans 5:5). We open our hearts to you and we expect to receive because we are your kids and you delight to give us good gifts. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

~ Barry Adams
Photo by Barry Adams

Through Faith

A person is made right with God through faith.

Romans 3:28

Dare you stand before God and ask him to save you because of your suffering or your sacrifice or your tears or your study? . . .

Nor did Paul. It took him decades to discover what he wrote in only one sentence.

“A person is made right with God through faith.” Not through good works, suffering, or study. All those may be the result of salvation but they are not the cause of it.

~ Max Lucado

The Answer for Weariness

The teaching I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light. Matthew 11:30

Jesus says he is the solution for weariness of soul.

Go to him. Be honest with him. Admit you have soul secrets you’ve never dealt with. He already knows what they are. He’s just waiting for you to ask him to help . . .

Go ahead. You’ll be glad you did. Those near to you will be glad as well.

~ Max Lucado

Washed Away

The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin.

I John 1:7

The cleansing is not a promise for the future but a reality in the present. Let a speck of dust fall on the soul of a saint, and it is washed away. Let a spot of filth land on the heart of God’s child, and it is wiped away . . .

Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says, “I can clean that if you want.”

~ Max Lucado

True Wealth

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6 NIV

We usually get what we hunger and thirst for. The problem is, the treasures of earth don’t satisfy. The promise is, the treasures of heaven do . . .

Blessed are those who, if everything they own were taken from them, would be, at most inconvenienced, because their true wealth is elsewhere.

Brokenness as a Good Thing


Posted: 11 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

By Jon Walker

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. (Psalm 51:8 NIV)

In the school of Christ, brokenness is a good thing.

Here’s why: It’s impossible to become intimate with God unless we are broken of our independence, broken of our pride, and broken of our insistence that our way is better than God’s.

We must be broken of the illusion that we bring anything to the peace talks when we seek to end our war with God; the only surrender God requires is unconditional.

  • Brokenness is the last stop before we finally confess, “I can’t; God can.”
  • Brokenness is the apostle Paul confessing, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24 NIV).
  • Brokenness is the prodigal fighting with the pigs over food (Luke 15:11–32).
  • Brokenness is Joseph, still in prison, forgotten by the cupbearer (Genesis 40:23).
  • Brokenness is Jonah in the belly of a whale, confessing the consequences of running from God: “I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you” (Jonah 1:12 NIV).
  • Brokenness is Peter weeping bitterly outside the trial of Jesus (Luke 22:62).
  • Brokenness is Jesus abandoning everything to God: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42 NIV).

God breaks us so he can use us. We can smash our pride against the solid rock of Jesus, confess our sins, and admit our need for him; or the stone can fall on us, meaning God in his ruthless, loving pursuit of us will break us of our pride, sin, folly, and independence (Matthew 21:44).

Like Jesus serving bread at the Last Supper, God takes us, breaks us, blesses us, and then uses us.

Oh, Lord, may you hear our joy and gladness; may the bones you have crushed rejoice (Psalm 51:8 NIV, author paraphrase).

Daily Promises – August 11 – God is our shield and our protector

Psalm 3:3 KJV

3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me;
my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.


Promise #223: I am your shield, your glory and the lifter of your head. The Hebrew word for shield in this promise is a substance so thick that it is likened unto the scaly hide of a crocodile. God is our shield and our protector. Nothing can get through His defences. Our God and Father is also our glory, which is a Hebrew word ‘kabowd’, which means a weighty honor that He places on us simply because we belong to Him.

I love the NLT Bible translation for this verse…  ‘3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.’  God protects us, He bestows His own glory on us, and He lifts up our head when we are discouraged. When I think of the last part of this promise, I picture a child standing face to face with his father, with his head held down in discouragement. The father not wanting his child to be discouraged, gently puts his finger on the little boy’s chin and raises his head until their eyes meet.When we get discouraged, our God and Father is the lifter of our head. As the NLT Bible says, He is ‘the one who holds my head high’. If you are disappointed today, may you feel the loving touch of your Father raising your head so that your eyes meet His loving glance.

~ Barry Adams

Daily Promises – August 10 – God is our security and safe place

Proverbs 14:26 KJV

26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence:
and his children shall have a place of refuge.


Promise #222: I will be your security and a safe place for your children.

The person who reveres the Lord has the confidence in knowing that God will be a place of safe for them and a place of refuge for their children. The NIV Bible says Proverbs 14:26 this way…  26 He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.

God is our secure fortress. Nothing can penetrate His walls. We are safe and secure in the center of His heart. While this is good news for us, it is a promise for our children as well. In a world that seems to always be on shaky ground, this is a promise that we can rely on.

For those of us who have children, this is a promise that we can claim for them! Our own three children are adults now and are dealing with the pressures of this world just like everybody else. While sometimes I wish I could protect them like I used to when they were young, I am encouraged to think that God is still their safe place, no matter what struggles they go through. May each one of us claim this promise for ourselves and our loved ones today!
Photo by James Jordan

Daily Promises – August 6 – Do not be afraid of what others can do to you

Psalm 56:11 KJV
11 In God have I put my trust:
I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

Promise #221: Trust in Me and do not be afraid of what others can do to you.

Fear of man is a powerful debilitating force in our world today. It will keep us from taking risks and it will keep us from being the person God made us to be.

If we are afraid of what others think, or what they will do to us, we are kept in a prison of their control.
God wants us to be free and He does not want us to live in fear.

The only way to deal with fear is to embrace the love that God has for us and allow perfect love to drive all fear away. (1 John 4:19)

Trust is the key. Knowing that our God and Father has our best interests at heart all the time.

In this promise, the psalmist makes a declaration that he will put his trust in God and not be afraid of what man can do to him. May faith rise up in our hearts today and agree with Romans 8:31, where the Apostle Paul declares “If God is for us, who can be against us?”. 

May each one of us grow in the incredible freedom of the children of God that we were intended to walk in and not live the place of being afraid.
Photo by Jeff Epp

Daily Promises – August 7 – We can BOLDLY approach God

Ephesians 3:12 KJV
12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Promise #219: Through faith in Christ, you can boldly approach Me with confidence.

The NIV Bible says Ephesians 3:12 in this way… ‘In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.’ What a glorious promise! Through our new life in Jesus Christ, we have complete and unrestricted access to our heavenly Father. Though angels bow down in reverence to Almighty God, we can call Him our Abba. Though He holds the earth in the palm of His hand, He calls us His little ones.

Praise God for giving us an amazing salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In the great exchange that happened at the cross, Jesus exchanged His life for our life. We no longer live apart from Christ (Galatians 2:20), so being in Christ, we have full access to our Father just like Jesus does. As a matter of fact, in Colossians 3, Paul says that we actually are hid with Christ in God, seated in the heavens!

As a father, I would be disappointed if I felt that my children were afraid to come into my presence. They are my children after all! They are welcome any time, night or day! If we as dads are intended to be a shadow of the perfect Father (Matthew 5:48), how much more does He desire that we come boldly into His throne room with freedom and confidence?

May each one of us be encouraged today to come into our Papa’s presence with a new boldness. Not because of anything that we have done, but because our big brother, Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, has made the way for us to approach God with a confident expectation that He will receive us and put us on His lap, day or night.

~ Barry Adams

Achieving Success

An excerpt from
Goals
by Gary Ryan Blair

The odds that you’ll succeed without taking action are about the same as winning the lottery without buying a ticket!

For those times when you feel trapped, stressed, or in a prison of your own making, take purposeful action. It’s your Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card.

In real estate, it’s location, location, location. In goal-setting, it’s action, action, action.

You can’t just stick out your thumb and hitchhike your way to success, you’ve got to roll up your sleeves and do the work that needs to be done.

Be seduced by the attractiveness of your goal. Inaction leads to impotence. Taking purposeful action immunizes you from “Goal Parkinson’s,” a long, slow goodbye to your dreams, talents and destiny.

A quality life is accomplished when thoughtful attention, goal setting, and purposeful action click into position. Whether your dream is to be or not to be is largely dependent upon your actions.

The cure for the ills of procrastination is a heavy prescription of action, until the day arrives when your dreams and their achievement are one in the same. When that day arrives, dream bigger dreams and take more action.

A good plan will almost always get you in the door, but it is action that seals the deal. So you want a guarantee? Well here it is: Without purposeful action, the only guarantee is failure and mediocrity!

Don’t tiptoe toward your goal, walk confidently before it waltzes off into the arms of neglect. Dreams become reality through one simple mode of transportation: purposeful action.

The continuation of bad habits, such as procrastination and poor follow through, is like having an addiction to weapons of mass destruction.

It is tragically un-hip to procrastinate. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people never display their true potential; it never has an opening night…never makes a debut.

The bulk of potential resides deep within each individual just waiting to come out, and it stays there because people are afraid. The mechanics of achieving a goal makes it easy for people to relate t the necessity of action. But when action is not purposeful, it can be an Achilles heel.

When we operate without planning, we remain forever scattered and confused. You’re always busy, but not much gets accomplished. Without a deeper appreciation and application of planning the most you can expect is marginal improvement.

Intimidate your fears through purposeful goal-directed activity. Since when is being the underdog any reason for not pursuing your dreams? Remember, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight…it’s the fight in the dog!

Don’t just pursue your goal…inhabit it. Wear it, act it, live it, taste it! Get committed – take action. Life is not a scratch-and-sniff test!

When you set a goal, there’s a distance between your current reality and desired reality. Procrastination increases the distance and minimizes the chances of achievement. Procrastination is the mother of regret. It postpones the future, aborts liftoff at the last minutes.

Unless you take action to achieve your goals, life becomes a constant series of postponements, cancellations, and missed opportunities.

You will never attain your goals simply by thinking and talking about them. You must take action as all success comes down to execution.