 |
|
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
|
Devotional for By Minister Mamie L. Pack
"For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 Lately, I have noticed how much advertisement has been spent on trying to convince people that they can be safe, secure, and unharmed. They use these advertisements to show consumers that their money is safe in the banks; that their homes are secure with particular alarms; or even that their marriages could be “divorce proof”. Of course with the increase in identity theft, companies are even trying to promote programs that offer the sense of security protecting your name and your credit. Why are these things even necessary? What are these companies doing? It is simple. They are feeding on our fear. The fear of losing our retirement plans. The fear of being unable to pay our next months bills, especially our essential bills. The fear of someone breaking into our home to not just take the things we like, but to hurt those that we love. Unfortunately, that same fear has caused many of us to be held captives even within ourselves. We become afraid to step out in faith. We allow fear to hold on to our hearts, making us timid to believe the promises of God.
Instead, God has given us power through the Holy Spirit that is needed to exercise authority and go forward with the plan He has for us. It is through this power that we are able to forge ahead even when we are tired, to endure patiently, and to persevere. The more we trust in the Lord and walk in faith, we become more empowered to be obedient to the Word. God, who is love, enables us to overcome selfishness, greed, and fleshly desires. He is the One who loves us so much that He willingly gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, shedding His blood for our sins. His love is constant and never faltering. He has given us a sound mind that we can use to help us to be more disciplined, focused, and self-controlled regardless of the appearance of the storm that may rage around us. Prayer Our Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word which is a guide unto my feet. Thank you that you did not give me a spirit of fear. I choose not to allow the situations that surround me to dictate my emotions or my faith walk with you. Help me Lord to remember that you have given me power, love, and a sound mind. I pray that I may trust you in all things and remember that there is nothing to big that you cannot handle. Lord thank you for shedding your blood for my sins. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen. Suggested Weekly Monday Timothy 1: 6-14 Tuesday Proverbs Wednesday John Thursday Acts 1: 6-9 Friday Romans Saturday Ephesians Sunday 1 John Application Whenever you find yourself being guided by fear, remind yourself that God has given you power, love and a sound mind. About the author: As a wife, mother, educator, daughter, friend, I, Minister Mamie L. Pack, seek to be an accessible tool to the Lord. It is my desire to use my gifting of writing to reach the lost, encourage the believer, and teach the people through the Word of Jesus Christ. Click here for other writings available at the author's blog www.LifeINowLive.blogspot.com Devotional for By Minister Mamie L. Pack Truly Thankful "1) Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2) Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3) Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4) Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5) For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100 NIV This week people all across the Thanksgiving is an old tradition for our country that dates back as far as 1621, when after a year of sickness, disease and death, the pilgrims set aside three days in December to praise the Lord. Later on, President George Washington changed the date to November 26 as a national day of Thanksgiving to the Lord as a response to Christ granting them independence from Can you imagine how we would feel if people only showed appreciation for what we have done for us one day a year? How do you think that would impact your relationships? Well, why do so many of us hold on to our thanksgiving to Christ? In Psalm 100, the psalmist presents a call of worship and praise before the Lord. He challenges us to praise God in our words, in our service, and with singing. Offering praise and thanksgiving to God is not meant to be drab devoid of expression; instead it is reason for rejoicing. As I reflect on the goodness of Christ in my life, I realize just how much I have to thank God for. You see, it isn't just about praising God for the blessings or favor, but it is also about thanking Him for grace and mercy in the trying times. I realize that every time I fussed about the person who almost hit me while I was driving is a chance to praise God for protecting me. It is about praising God that when I didn't have enough, He was able to provide. Truly, it is about being thankful that in spite of who I was, He loved me anyway. So, while you find yourself preparing the turkey, driving to visit loved ones, or even watching some football, take time out throughout your day to give thanks until the Lord for He has done mighty things. Prayer Awesome and loving Father, I am always amazed at your capacity to love me. When I think of how much you continue to be my strength, my provider, my healer, I am just full of thanksgiving and praise. Lord, there are not enough words that I could say to show my thankfulness for shedding your blood on Calvary for me, but I am eternally thankful. Thank you Lord for every person who has interceded for me. Thank you Lord that you have forgiven me and created in me a new creature in Christ. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen. Suggested Weekly Monday Psalm 100 Tuesday Psalm 96 Wednesday Psalm 103 Thursday Psalm 111 Friday Hebrews 13: 5 Saturday 1 Peter Sunday Galatians 5: 9 Application Spend time reflecting and giving God praise for all He has done for you. About the author: As a wife, mother, educator, daughter, friend, I, Minister Mamie L. Pack, seek to be an accessible tool to the Lord. It is my desire to use my gifting of writing to reach the lost, encourage the believer, and teach the people through the Word of Jesus Christ. Click here for other writings available at the author's blog www.LifeINowLive.blogspot.com
Devotional for November 30- By Minister Mamie L. Pack No more lines "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday." Psalm 37: 3-6 NIV Watching my children develop has been quite an adventure for me. Recently, my two year old has been going through his independence stage. One of his favorite sayings is, "I can do it by myself." So each day, we go through a series of activities in which he wants to do it without any of my help. It is not until he has the epiphany that he is unable to complete the task on his own that he cries out for help. His very simplistic act spoke volumes to my spirit. So many of us, as believers, are often like my two year old. We have the areas in our lives in which we feel that we can control on our own. Then there are those areas that are too big for us, or are outside of our control, that we then cry out to God for help. Sadly, there should not be that distinction. We have created a line of I can do this myself and God because I can't do that I need your help. Christ wants us to put EVERYTHING in His care; not just the things we cannot handle. There is not anything too small or anything too big for Him to handle. We just need to learn how to take our hands off, stop trying to be in control, and trust that God knows what is best in every situation. Because the more we allow ourselves to foolishly think we can handle things on our own, we can allow a prideful even a disobedient spirit to creep in. We can begin to trust more in ourselves, our abilities, our credentials instead of going to God in all areas of our lives. All throughout the Bible are scriptures which encourage us to TRUST in the Lord. The more we trust in Him, the more it is Him who moves in our lives. The more we can be lead of the Holy Spirit and less on our emotions. The more we are able to live our lives fulfilling His divine purpose for us instead of seeking vain pursuits. We must make the choice to remove the line, or rather the boundaries; we place on our relationship with God. It is up to us to say Lord you are welcome in every area and allow Him into even our most secret place. When we do, He will guide us every step of the way. Prayer My loving heavenly Father, when I think how you shower me with your mercy and grace each day my heart overflows. Please forgive me for trying to handle things on my own instead of surrendering every area of my life to you. It is my desire to have you guide in all ways and to lean on you and not in my own understanding. I thank you that even when I don't understand the big picture, you already know the beginning, middle, and end of every matter. Help me to continue to trust you and to not move in fear. I thank you, in the name of Jesus, Amen. Suggested Weekly Monday Psalm 37:3-7 Tuesday Psalm 91 Wednesday Psalm 22: 4-5 Thursday Proverbs 3: 5-6 Friday Isaiah 12: 1-2 Saturday Jeremiah 17: 5-8 Sunday Isaiah 26: 3-4 Application Choose to give God all areas of your life. About the author: As a wife, mother, educator, daughter, friend, I, Minister Mamie L. Pack, seek to be an accessible tool to the Lord. It is my desire to use my gifting of writing to reach the lost, encourage the believer, and teach the people through the Word of Jesus Christ. Click here for other writings available at the author's blog www.LifeINowLive.blogspot.com
Click here to send to a friend.
|
 |
 |
|
| Site Map |