Mending Broken Relationships

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLT) – Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

Life is short. Too short for us to hold on to past hurts. All of us have been hurt by others, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Some are deep, but if we’re being honest, some are ridiculous. How many of us are angry or annoyed with someone right now while reading this? Is it valid? Did they legitimately offend you or did they sit in “your pew” at church? Did they honestly hurt you or did they not respond or give you the attention you feel like you deserved?

Healthy relationships are one of the most important things to living a life as God intended. None of us are promised tomorrow. We never know when our “number is up.” God tells us that living offended actually gives the devil an “in” to our lives. Think right now about the people, past or present, in your life. Do you still hold grudges against any of those? Do you need to apologize for an attitude or a behavior or a decision you made that affected someone else negatively? Don’t let the sun go down today with you continuing to be angry. It can end today.

Prayer: “God, I pray you would bring to mind any person I have an offense or grudge against. I realize that continuing in this attitude is giving the Enemy a place in my life I don’t want him to have. I forgive them now in Jesus’ name and I choose today to live in peace and love. Amen.”

Keep the Focus

Proverbs 10:2 (MSG) – Ill-gotten gain gets you nowhere; an honest life is immortal.

There are many things that vie for our attention on a daily basis. For some of us it’s school, friends, work, chores and the list goes on. Many of the things we turn our attention to are temporary matters; meaning they have no eternal value in our lives. They aren’t necessarily bad things unless we put so much focus on the temporary that we lose sight of the most important, the eternal things of this world.

God says He will judge us at the end of our lives. He will not be taking into account how often we did our laundry, how quickly we got the report done at work or how many A’s we got in school. He will be taking into account whether we called upon Jesus as our Lord and Savior and what we did with the knowledge we were given about God and His plan to seek and save the lost. When we keep those two things in focus, Jesus and others, somehow all the right things begin to matter to us and the small, petty things of life begin to fade into the background.

Prayer: “God, help me keep eternity in focus. I pray that I would keep my relationship with you as the number one priority in my life. Thank you God for an eternal mindset. I love you. Amen.”

The Possibilities Are Endless

1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV) – “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

Every day is full of new possibilities. For all of us, those possibilities are endless, but not all are profitable. In life, it seems we are constantly faced with options. Where to live, where to work, who to marry, and on and on. Just because something seems like a “good idea” may not mean it’s the “best idea” for our lives. That’s why we have to make sure we filter all of our decisions through the Word of God.

Too many of us are distracted by the decisions that feed the “moment” of our desires. At the end of the day, the decisions that matter the most are made when we choose to look past our current situation and look to the needs of others. We all have a choice to make. Remember, at the end of our lives, it will be far more important who we have impacted than what we have collected.

Prayer: “Father, make me a person who makes the best decisions for my life. Help me intentionally decide to do things that are beneficial and not just permissible. May your will be done in my life. Amen.”

You Decide

John 14:27 (NIV) – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

A legacy is something that is handed down from the past. You don’t get to keep or take it with you when you go. Jesus left his disciples with a legacy of peace. He left them with the Holy Spirit who would bring peace to their troubled and afraid hearts. Jesus knew He was leaving but didn’t leave His followers with nothing.

One day we’ll all leave. How do you want to be remembered? Jesus didn’t just leave His followers with peace; He lived a life that represented peace.. If you want to leave a legacy of love, live a life filled with love for all! If you want to leave a legacy of truth, do everything with sincerity and integrity. Make a choice to live your life as the person you want to be remembered as!

Prayer: “God, thank You for leaving Your mark on this world. Help me to be the person you created me to be and live a life marked by You. May my legacy reflect who You are. I love you. Amen.”

A Legacy Worth Remembering

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV) – Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

What would happen if we truly made our main goal in live to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength? What do you think would happen to the coming generations of our families and friends? This passage expresses the importance of spreading God throughout every avenue of our lives; to write His name on our hearts, impress Him on our children, talk about Him, think about Him, remember Him, and proclaim Him. This is the legacy we are meant to create! A legacy that shouts the characteristics of the Lord and impacts the hearts of those around us.

We often forget that what we do today will determine how people will remember us. We get caught up in our own lives and forget that people around us are watching our example. So, what kind of legacy are you leaving? Love God first! He is the one we are meant to imitate, so be a person who is remembered for loving God!

Prayer: “God, I thank You for Your example. I pray that in my everyday moments of life I would remember I am creating a legacy in this world. Help me to live today the legacy I hope to leave someday. Amen.”

But What If You Didn’t Fail?

Mark 9:23 (NLT) – “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Some of the most influential people in the Bible were those who didn’t let anything stand in their way of doing great things for God. The stories of David, Esther, Joshua, and many others make us feel unstoppable! But what about the times we don’t feel unstoppable? When we feel failure, fear, and doubt creep into our lives and have no assurance of success. We have to choose to continue dreaming big!

What is your limit when it comes to your dreams? Do you only move forward when it’s safe, or do you believe that your wildest dreams could become your reality? We serve a God who is with us, and if He is with us then why do we question if we are capable? If we truly believe that God is always with us, then what are we doing to step out in that faith?

Be challenged to live a life that demands God’s faithfulness and power to be evident! The dreams and desires of your heart have been given to you for a purpose, and God wants to give them to you. Believe in the God you serve, and trust that His power is inside of you! There is so much to do in this world for Him, and He wants to use you to fulfill it. Don’t miss out on it!

PRAYER: “God, You are so good to me. I know you’ve created me to do something big! Thank you for dreaming a bigger dream for my life than I could ever dream for myself. With you by my side, I am unstoppable! I choose to walk in your passion. Amen.”

Be Calm

Exodus 14:14 (NLT) – “The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

We all have battles to face in life. Some of us choose to face these battles alone. You must know that facing your battles alone is an option but it’s not the best option. The stress caused from trying to figure out your problems alone can cause as much trouble as the initial battle itself.

The verse above was spoken by Moses to the Israelites. They had been enslaved in Egypt and God told Moses to lead them out of Egypt to a new place where they could have a fresh start. The stood with the powerful Egyptian army on one side and a sea of water on the other side. They felt trapped.

Do you ever feel trapped by your situations? Do you fell alone, ready to drown on one side or get attacked on the other? God is saying, “Stay calm and I will help you fight your battles.” When everything seems to be closing in, trust that bringing God into your situation creates a whole new set of options that only He can accomplish.

Let’s revisit the Israelites in their “impossible situation.” God did the miraculous and parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could cross to safety. With the Egyptian army trailing closely behind, He held the water until every Israelite had crossed to the other side. Then He released the water over the Egyptian Army and they were all killed. God’s plans are higher than ours. Ask Him for help in your situation. Dealing with your problems alone can lead to an impossible situation…but bringing God in can makes all things possible.

PRAYER: “God please come into my impossible situation. I feel surrounded by my problems and I need you to create a way where there seems to be no way. I trust you are the same God who parted the Red Sea and I know that you care about my impossible situation as well. Thank you God. Amen.”

Resolutions

Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) – “Now all glory to God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

It is so easy to let mediocrity creep into our lives. Mediocrity is “of only ordinary or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate.” It’s when we don’t give our absolute best. How many of us know people (not us of course) who make New Year’s resolutions, only to have broken them by January second. We don’t want to sacrifice or do the work to become excellent, but we want the payoff…the immediate gratification.

So what areas in your life do you notice laziness creeping in? What have you tried committing to, only to ignore later? Maybe change isn’t happening as quickly as we want it to or think it should. Don’t let mediocrity slip in. God is ready to do so much more inside of you and with your story than you may think. But He can’t do anything if we are living a mediocre life. Start new today!

PRAYER: “God, may I honor you in all that I do. I never want to give You less than my best. Help me get rid of all mediocrity in my life. Help me to start fresh and energized today! Amen.”

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

We all experience moments of self-examination. We look at who our friends our, if we’re happy at our job, how we’re doing in school, etc. These times raise questions: “Why am I here?” “What am I supposed to do with my life?” Moments like these can be life-changing, if they are processed and approached in the right way.

It is healthy to ask yourself these questions. There is nothing wrong with wondering why God has placed you in a specific situation. God has placed you where you are for a specific purpose. Seek what that purpose may be and find the good in every situation. Bloom wherever God has planted you.

PRAYER: “God, I pray I would take the time to notice where you have planted me. I choose to “bloom” in those areas and that I wouldn’t be anxious or stressed about them. I receive your peace and your confidence today. Amen.

Finding your “Holy Discontent”

1 Timothy 4:10-16 (NIV) – “That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

Everyone has had a moment when something makes them REALLY mad. Maybe a family member forgot to pick up their socks, or someone isn’t driving exactly how you think they should be driving. These are “selfish” types of anger. But there is an “unselfish” anger too. It’s the kind of anger the God has for injustice in the world. The kind of injustice that takes advantage of innocent people or keeps good things from happening.

The great news is that God put that passion inside of you to make a positive difference in the world! That’s what we call a “holy discontent.” What makes it “holy” is that it’s directed towards helping others and not yourself.

Maybe that deep desire inside of you is God telling YOU to make a positive change in the world. God wants to revolutionize the world with His love, and He desires to use US to make that happen. God has big plans for you. He made you passionate about causes and people and things in the world for a reason. Use your holy discontent wisely!

PRAYER: “God, show me what my holy discontent is. Show me how to be a positive change in this world. I want to accomplish the mission you have given me. I love you. Amen.”