THE ANTIDOTE TO FEAR

By Joseph Prince – Posted March 4, 2017

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…

Experts tell us that babies have two natural fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. A study on fear was conducted on 500 adults of varying ages, backgrounds and lifestyles. The results showed that they shared some 7,000 different fears. This means that they must have learnt 6,998 fears since they were born. That is a lot of fears!

Actually, our bodies are designed for faith. Fear was foreign to man until Adam sinned against God. For the first time, Adam knew fear, and he hid from God and said, “I heard Your voice…I was afraid…I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:10)

Since then, man has been living in the realm of fear—fear of the future, fear of what others might say, fear of diseases, fear of flying…Actually, every fear is born out of the feeling of being cut off from God. If you think that God is still mad at you, that He is out to punish you, how can you have faith that everything will be all right? How can you have faith for your miracle?

But I have good news for you. There is a sure antidote to fear. The apostle John says that “perfect love casts out fear”. When you know that God so loves you that He gave His Son to take your beating so that you can take His blessings, you will stop fearing.

God so loves you that at the cross, Jesus was rejected so that you could become God’s beloved. It was not the nails that kept Jesus on the cross. It was His love for you. And if God did not withhold Jesus, why do you think that He will withhold healing, finances or a blessed marriage from you? (Romans 8:32)

Today, when you hear His voice, you will hear Him say, “You are My beloved child, in you I am well pleased.” And you don’t have to hide but you can run to Him without fear because He is not out to punish you. He is out to protect and provide for you, so fear not!

Thought For The Day

Run to God without fear because He is not out to punish you, but to protect and provide for you.

Self-Control

By Joyce Meyer - Posted March 04, 2017

And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety).  
—2 Peter 1:6 

As believers in Jesus Christ, God has given us a new nature, but at the same time, we also have to deal with the old nature. When we allow the old nature to rule, we will follow our feelings instead of operating in self-control. Self-control is a fruit of our new nature, and all we need to do is develop it. We can develop self-control by using it, just as we can develop muscles by using them.

Exercising self-control is a form of freedom. You don't have to do what you feel like doing. You're free to do what you know is wise. Discipline and self-control will help you be the person you want to be. Don't ever say, "I just don't have any self-control," because the truth is that you do have it, but it needs to be exercised in order to be strong.

Power Thought: I exercise self-control.

Your Steps are Ordered

By Joel Osteen – Posted March 4, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way."
Psalm 37:23, KJV

TODAY'S WORD:

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord! Many people today might find it difficult to see themselves as “good” in the eyes of God, but did you know that in the original Greek, this word means “strong” like a warrior? When you stand strong, when you fight the good fight of faith, you are giving God something to work with. He meets your faith and directs your steps. He’s making a way when there seems to be no way. He’s clearing a path for you, and He is delighting in you. That means He is pleased with your attitude of courage. He is pleased that you are taking a stand for what is right. He is pleased that you are putting Him first place and relying completely on Him. 

Remember, God loves your passion for Him. He loves it when you come boldly to His throne of grace. He is honored when you stand and fight the good fight of faith. If you are facing difficulty today, know that God wants to lift you up and give you His strength. Receive it by faith today. Dig your heels in knowing that He is ordering your steps; and when God is leading you, He’s always leading you in the path of victory!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, thank You for giving me Your strength. I choose to stand strong in You no matter what is going on around me. I choose Your ways and thank You for ordering my steps. I bless You and praise You for Your goodness and faithfulness in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Spring Cleaning—Conversation

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted March 4, 2017

Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.
Matthew 15:11

Critics were up in arms last fall when a North Carolina television station cut out brief parts of the audio of Dave Chappelle’s performance on Saturday Night Live. The reason: There are ten words the station refuses to air, and Chappelle used two of those words a total of nine times. Rather than being lauded, however, the station was heavily criticized and accused of censoring.

Recommended Reading: James 3:9-13

According to the Bible, our language defiles us. We tolerate too much profanity and obscenity on television and in the movies, and this is a good time to do some spring cleaning and toss out some of our entertainment choices.

Sometimes we need self-censorship to clean up our own language. And it’s not always profanity. Our tongues have a stubborn way of grumbling, murmuring, complaining, gossiping, lying, and nagging. The Bible says, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality…. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:3-4, NIV).

The world is increasingly coarse, but Jesus-followers should be like their Lord in life, in labor, and in the fruit of their lips.

Take my lips and let them be / Filled with messages from Thee.
Frances Havergal, in the hymn, “Take My Life and Let It Be”

 Read-Thru-the-Bible: Deuteronomy 33 – Joshua 4