1Peter 5:6-7  ” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  (NIV)

Promise:  God promises to lift me up, care for me and take my problems as his own.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed:  His Might, Sovereignty, Omniscience, Omnipresence, Accessibility, Care and Comfort.

Promise provides me with: assurance that He is in control of all circumstances that come into my life, God does not want me to be anxious or worried, God desires that I approach him with humility, ask him for help and then trust Him to take care of the situation.

I don’t know about you but my first reaction to a problem is often fret or worry. I have to say that I am getting better at this since writing and working though Fearless Living, but it is still a struggle.  Why is that?  My guess is that our independent spirit says ‘I can do this myself’ or “I want to be in control”. The first response God wants is for us to turn to him with an open and humble heart seeking his will and direction instead of worrying about things or people.  We can’t change the outcome by worry but God can!  Let your first response be prayer this holiday season as you run short of time, have way too many trips in traffic, puzzle over what to give or what to make, wait in long lines and perhaps need just that extra time to bake or wrap.  God is concerned about our lives and wants us to live stress free.  Seek him first with a humble heart and lay your concerns, even your schedule, before Him.  Spending those few minute in prayer will open up your day and lead you to glorify him with all you say and do!   Don’t be anxious, Be prayerful!

Blessings,

Linda

Zephaniah 3:17  “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”   (NIV)

Promise:  God promises to be with me, provide salvation, take delight, quiet, love and rejoice over me.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed:  He is Omnipresent, Savior, Creator, Love and Joyful.

Promise provides me with: assurance that God is always with me and that I can never be truly alone, knowledge that God has a plan to save me, hope as he takes delight in me, loves me and will quiet me when I am distressed or in need of peace, and I smile because God delights in me.

Can you even comprehend that the great God and Creator of the universe would take delight in you?  That is what scripture teaches, that God takes delight in us.  Wow! I feel so unworthy of his delight.  I am also awed by his great care which He extends to us through His love, peace, comfort, joy, salvation and constant presence with us.  James 4:8a says “Come near to God and he will come near to you”.   Come near to God today.  Look for his comfort, peace, presence, love and joy as you go through this day.  Think about how you can appropriate his joy and peace today.  You’ve got it so now give it out to others and let them see Jesus at work in your life.

Have a blessed day,

Linda

 Habakkuk 3:17-19   “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.  The Sovereign LORD is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.”     (NIV)

Promise:  God promises to be my strength, joy and enable me to endure life’s trials no matter what it looks like around me.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed:  He is pure Joy, Hope, Savior, Sovereign, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Protector, Provider, Pure energy and strength.

Promise provides me with:  assurance that God is in control no matter what the circumstances may look like to me, joy, strength, hope, protection, salvation and will enable me to overcome with joy though dependence upon Him.

Habakkuk the prophet was trying to give a very bleak picture here of things that could go wrong and would go wrong in the Israelites agrarian society.  We can easily translate those concerns into worries of our own- should the stock market crash, the floods, drought and storms increase, should I lose my job, not have enough money to buy food, suffer poor health…. our list can go on and on.  Then Habakkuk gives us words of hope when he focuses on the strength to be found in the Lord.  Depending upon the Lord is a surety and will produce joy, strength, hope and a way to rise above the trials that come into our lives.  As we remember those that died in WWII and especially at Pearl Harbor today, we can depend upon the Lord to see us though difficult times and help us to rise above devastation.  Look up today and see the possible heights God wants to guide you toward.  God is sovereign and knowing that will give you peace,confidence and joy as you trust Him.  Praise God!

Blessings,

Linda

Hebrews 11:6   “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”   (NIV)

Promise:  God promises to reward my faith and diligence in seeking Him.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed:  Faithful, Rewarder, Self-Existent, Eternal and Sovereign.

Promise provides me with:  the knowledge that my faith pleases God, that my faith is essential to a relationship with God, that I will be rewarded for my faith and that I must seek God with diligence.

Have you felt God’s reward in your life for your diligence in seeking him?  I know I have as I read and study His word, go to Him in prayer, praise Him in worship and fellowship with other believers.  God provides me with a fullness of life, a hunger for his word, peace in prayer and support from other believers.  It is a rich relationship based on faith as I know He exists and cares for me personally.  How about you?  If your faith is shaky or you are doubting, why not seek Him diligently and ask Him to increase your faith, show you in His word His great promises and truths and be open to His rewarding.  I am confident you will be rewarded for your seeking with greater knowledge and faith of our Almighty God.  Seek him this season!

Blessings,

Linda

Ephesians 2:8-10   “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand, that we should walk in them.       (ESV)

Promise:  God promises that I am saved through faith in Jesus and not by any work I’ve done or will ever do.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed:  He is Redeemer, Savior, Provider, Creator, Eternal and full of Mercy and Grace.

Promise provides me with:  a way to salvation through Jesus, eternal plans for my life, work for me to do for Him, knowledge that I am a created work of God with purpose, that I am a recipient of God’s grace through Jesus, and the gift of salvation is free not something that I have to earn.

How have you appropriate God’s grace in your life?  Have you accepted salvation through faith in Jesus?  Have you acknowledged that God has a plan for your life and that He created you with purpose?   Knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior brings fullness, purpose and hope into your life.  Knowing that I am valued by God and that He wants to use me is something that gives self-worth to my being alive and hope to my struggles each day.  Knowing that I can’t earn God’s favor or save myself though doing good works leads me to Jesus.  Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”   As our verse says today, by his grace we are saved.  Praise God for His wonderful grace!

I pray that God’s grace will fall afresh upon you today and that you will seek His eternal plan for your life.

Blessings,

Linda

   Isaiah 40: 28-31   “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”       (NIV)

Promise:  God promises that placing my hope in Him will result in renewed strength, the ability to soar above my problems and to be able to endure the path of my life without growing weak or fainthearted.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed:  His strength, sovereignty, omnipotence, comfort, guidance, salvation, caring and his eternality.

Promise provides me with:  courage, endurance, knowledge that God is greater than any circumstance I face, guidance in life, strength to live each day for Him, comfort and HOPE.

I love this image that God will help me to soar above the problems and stresses of life that would pull me down.  He reminds me that his endurance is eternal and everlasting.  I don’t need to worry that God will run out of energy  or grow weary of helping me.  He wants me to live with hope in Him knowing that he cares for me.  As you go though your day, keep the image of God enfolding you in his arms and lifting you above all your earthy concerns.  Place your HOPE in Him and know his care today!

Blessings,

Linda

 

Romans 8:35-37    “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long;  we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.  No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  (NIV)   

Promise:  God promises us victory though Christ’s love.

Why it is important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed:  Omnipotent, Sovereign, Love, Eternal, Immutable, Victor, Savior and Hope.

Promise provides me with:  hope in the future, knowledge that I am his eternally, constancy of God’s love, his unchanging character that I can depend upon each day, knowledge that God is in control of all things that happen in my life, and I will always be victorious in and through Christ’s love and care for me.

I love this portion of scripture.  Whenever I am plagued with doubt, fear or uncertainty, I feel renewed and encouraged when I read these verses.  Paul knew what it was to stuffer for the Lord and he endured incredible hardships.  See 2Corinthians 6:3-10.  No matter what, Paul was convinced that nothing could ever separate him from Jesus’ love.  We know God does not change as Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  He is eternally true and faithful for God does not change with the times, trends or fashions.   Jesus also said in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble. but take heart!  I have overcome the world.”   What better assurance can we have of victory though Christ’s love?    Claim victory over your doubts, fears, pressing problems or seemingly unsolvable circumstances today in His name and  and know that nothing can separate you from His love.  Praise Him today for his victorious love!

Blessings,

Linda

         “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”   Philippians 4:6-7    (ESV)

 Promise:  God promises to give me peace, guard my heart and mind and relieve my anxiety when I pray with a thankful heart.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed:  His accessibility, compassion, sovereignty, protection, peace and comfort.

Promise provides me with:  peace within for both my body and mind, relief of anxiety, assurance of his sovereignty in all the circumstances I face, accessibility through prayer to the creator and God of the universe, and results.

So often in this hectic season, we crave just a little peace!  I love this promise as it assures me that if I approach God with a heart filled with thankfulness I will receive peace.  Why a thank filled heart?  Thankfulness takes the focus off of all the needs and wants we are facing and retunes us towards God.  He has made all that there is and knows what we are facing.  Turning to God in thankfulness ‘reboots’ our hearts and minds to be open to his work and peace in our lives.  Try it today- list things you are thankful for before you petition God for what is bothering you.  He promises that it will result in peace of mind and body.  Good news for this busy season!

Blessings,

Linda

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to  take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son.  And he called his name Jesus.       Matthew 1:20-25       (ESV)

Promise:  God promised a savior would be born of a virgin, dwell with man on earth and  save his people from their sins.

Why is this promise important?

God’s character is revealed:  His sovereignty, omnipotence, love, compassion, forgiveness and hope.

Promise provides me with: forgiveness through Jesus, His desire for a relation ship with me (dwelling with me), knowledge that God has a plan to save me which is through Jesus His son and God’s control and planning of events are to result in my salvation and his glory.

December 1 has a special significance for me as on this day in 1982 my daughter, Liz, arrived from Korea.  She was a long awaited and longed for child that has brought me much love and joy these last 30+ years.  Just like the children of Israel, I did not think the day would ever come that I would hold my own child.  They had waited centuries for the Messiah, Jesus, to come and save them from their sins.  They expected a king not a humble baby and many of them missed his arrival and the work he did on the cross.  Don’t miss His coming this year.  Look for Jesus and claim the promise of a savior this advent season.  Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Have a blessed day!

Linda

I pray that you had a blessed Thanksgiving. Our celebrations was filled with lots of family, fun, laughter and way too much food.  Now we turn our thoughts and activities towards Christmas.  I have been pondering how to best focus on the birth of our Savior and not be caught up in all the festivities and actions of the season both religious and secular.  It can be difficult to keep the primary reason for the season, which is the coming to earth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I remembered how much my grandson and before him my children loved the advent calendar I posted each year.  We would tie a new ornament on the calendar each day and watched the tree fill as we neared Christmas.  It heightened our awareness and excitement as Christmas approached. Using that same idea, to help myself and you, my readers,  to keep our focus centered on Christ I will be posting a promise each day from God’s word to keep in mind and reflect on during your hectic days.

Promises help us to know assurances that we have from God’s word and to keep the world that swirls around us in focus.  I have been working on my next book, Promises for Dynamic Living, and have seen what a great blessing focusing on God’s promises can have in my daily life.  I pray that a promise a day will keep you living fearlessly this holiday season and more that ready spiritually when Christmas Day arrives.

        2Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Blessings,

Linda