“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

By Joseph Prince – Posted July 12, 2017

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…

Before you were a Christian, when something sad or bad happened to you, you cried until you had no more tears left. Your heart simply broke into pieces, and you felt trapped, depressed and totally defeated.

But after having become a Christian, when something bad happens to you, you may still cry, but you feel comforted inside. You are sad outwardly, but your heart isn’t heavy. You don’t understand why, but deep down inside you, there is something lifting you up. That something buoyant, which is rising from the inside of you, is the life of Christ in you!

You cannot be completely distressed because Christ in you is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) who says to you, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Yes, it may be a bad situation and you are in a tight spot, but Christ in you is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), and He says to you, “It will all be all right. I will provide a way out for you.”

You know you are not defeated because Christ in you is your victory (1 Corinthians 15:57) and He says to you, “You are not fighting for victory, but fighting from victory because you already have the victory in Me.”

Before you knew Christ, when you were down, you were out. But now, when you are down, you are not out because Christ in you is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) “Hope” in the Bible means a definite, positive expectation of good.

So Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of a glorious marriage! Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of a glorious family! Christ in you is the definite positive expectation of glorious health! Christ in you is the definite positive expectation of a glorious life!

My friend, Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of all the glories of God revealed to you. No bad circumstance that you are in can or will ever cause you to be destroyed or forsaken by God!

Thought For The Day

Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of all the glories of God revealed to you!

Works That Work

By Joyce Meyer - Posted July 12, 2017

For 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

I believe one of the biggest ways people waste time is by doing what the Bible calls "dead works." I like to define a dead work as a "work" that doesn't work! That means that you are trying to make something happen, but no matter what you do, it simply does not work. When that happens, the reason is that the work is yours and not God's. When you stop planning and striving, and come to the end of yourself, then God will begin to move. That doesn't mean you have no responsibility; it simply means your work needs to be inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit, not conceived in your natural mind and fueled by your natural strength. 

There are many different kinds of dead works. For example, anything we do with a wrong motive is a dead work. Another type of dead work would be the efforts we make without asking God to get involved. Take another look at today's Scripture and imagine how frustrated you would be if you spent all day digging a well, thinking you would get water, and at the end of the day, tired and worn out, your only result was a big hole. 

Things we do outside of God's timing or His will are also dead works. Learn to discern when you are working on something that is not working and refuse to do anything that is not in God's will and timing. 

Love Yourself Today: What do you need to stop doing so you can use your time more wisely? 

 The Gift of Today

By Joel Osteen – Posted July 12, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
(Psalm 90:12, NIV)

TODAY'S WORD:

Sometimes, our days can be so full and busy that we forget how precious and fragile our time on earth really is. It can be so easy to allow little things to creep in and steal our peace and joy. Maybe something didn’t go your way, or someone said something upsetting. Even traffic can cause us to get our focus off if we let it. But, we have to remember that each day is a gift. If we choose to focus on what’s wrong, we’ll miss out on the beauty that each day has to offer. 

I encourage you today; don’t let the precious moments of life pass you by. Don’t wait for holidays and birthdays to show people that you care. Remember, each day is unique and irreplaceable, a gift from heaven above. You have been given time that can be invested or wasted; hours that can be used or misused. That’s why the psalmist prayed to God, “Teach us to number our days.” He was saying, “Teach us to value every moment we’ve been given so we can live a life pleasing to You.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of today. I choose to focus on the blessing of each moment instead of allowing the little things to steal my joy. Keep me close to You always as I submit every area of my heart and mind to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Fear Not

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted July 12, 2017

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7

Recommended Reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-7

In her book The New Spirit-Controlled Woman, Beverly LaHaye wrote about a friend of hers who was very fearful and introverted. The woman’s friends didn’t realize her inner turmoil, for she hid it and rarely spoke of it. But one day this woman simply fell apart and confessed all her anxieties to Beverly. She explained how fearful she was of other people and how inadequate she felt. She had turned down opportunities to serve at church because she felt so apprehensive.

Beverly sat down and read 2 Timothy 1:7 to her, explaining that our fears control us when we aren’t filled with the Holy Spirit. When the friend confessed her sin in prayer and asked to be filled with the Holy Spirit, her heart and personality began to change. Beverly later wrote, “I have watched (her) turn from a woman paralyzed by her own fears to a beautiful example of the Spirit-filled woman.”¹

If you are controlled by fears, confess your unbelief to God and ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit. The Bible is filled with “fear nots.” God doesn’t want us to live in anxiety, dread, fretfulness, or insecurity. We have to cast out those attitudes. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Fear not tomorrow—God is already there.
Anonymous