Tag: Faith

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As Many Times As It Takes

AUGUST 17

MATTHEW 6:31_Therefore take no thought…

How many times will Jesus teach to stop worrying? How many times will He point out it begins in your thought process? 

As many times as a parent teaches a child to tie a shoe, or ride a bike – as many times as it takes.  

Jesus’ repetitiveness is for you to follow. The longer you follow, the more you understand the heart of God – which increases faith. Eventually, it will make sense that God takes care of you! You begin to see that when you go through tough struggles, not only is Jesus with you, but a host of other believers have followed the same path. (Study George Washington at Valley Forge for one example).

Rather than allowing the deceiver to fill your thoughts with doubts and fear, begin to take Jesus at His word.  Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV), “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Simon Peter caught on to how to deal with worry: I Peter 5:6-7 (KJV), “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

PRAYER

Loving Jesus, Please teach me how to wear Your yoke and not worry. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ gives His followers rest—He will give it to me

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Doubts

AUGUST 16

MATTHEW 6:30_shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

The basic purpose of Bible study is to get to know God, to learn how He thinks, to learn His heart. The last part of verse 30 teaches something about God. Another part of the I AM. The words much more describe God’s heart perfectly.

A heart which not only sends grass what it needs to survive, but dresses it up as well. Wouldn’t that heart care much more for a human – created in His own image? This is a heart you feel safe to trust. A heart that makes you feel more than just loved, but special.

You can gain understanding of God’s love and provision for His creation right from the get-go – in the very beginning. Genesis 1:28 (KJV), “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

God loved all of His creation and considered it good, but He set people above anything else. Just like with the animals, God had already created what people would need to live and enjoy the earth. 

Life brings confusing days of doubts. Doubts come from the devil. Don’t listen, don’t be of little faith. 

PRAYER

Omnipresent God, Thank You that if You care for nature, You care more for me. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ gave people dominion on earth—He cares for me!

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Can You Trust God?

AUGUST 15

MATTHEW 6:30_which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven…

The life span of grass sounds pretty brief – maybe it is. Regardless of how brief, during its time on earth, God gave it soil, rain, and sun. And beyond the basic needs, God added beauty. This is not to say a field of grass does not have beauty of its own – it surely does. But, God loves to add beauty in life. This kind of beauty is a fringe benefit of a life of faith. Faith in the true God – not just a god.

This is the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The God who gives provisions. God’s supplies to His creation include beauty – amazing beauty. Even the wealthy, resplendent King Solomon had no match for God’s beauty in nature. 

Jesus wants you to see how much God cares for and about you. Jesus helps with trust. Can you trust that the God who takes care of grass is concerned about every aspect of your life? Psalm 16:11 (KJV), “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

God wants you to stay on His path. He wants to fill you with joy. God wants to stretch forth His hand and give you pleasure.        

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I praise You that only You can give me fullness of joy. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ is the fulfillment of joy—He fills me with it!

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In the Son

AUGUST 8

MATTHEW 6:29_the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.

Now that you know how to consider, note accurately the growing process of lilies. 

A field full of flowers of any kind is beautiful – that includes wildflowers. A field is an area of open land. A piece of land which is open to the sun. Free from the presence of anything which might hinder the sun’s rays. From my experience of growing lilies in my yard, they like and need sun. Sun makes them happy. When they are happy, their colors are vibrant and especially lovely. True lilies, Oriental or Asiatic, are also very fragrant. 

What have you learned as a disciple by considering the growing process of lilies? You grow spiritually stronger (and wiser) when exposed to the Son – free from hindrances which block His rays. In the Son, you vibrate with His presence. In the Son, you are filled with the fragrance of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control.

This kind of life brings freedom from toiling and working to try to make yourself good. Staying in the Son allots time to God and His Word.

Any work of transformation to be done, God will do.   

PRAYER

King of All Kings, Teach me and help me to stay in the Son. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ wants me to grow in Him—I want to!

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The Bottom Line

AUGUST 5

MATTHEW 6:27_can add one cubit unto his statue?

Does worry do any good at all? If so, what kind of good? Does it change anything? If you need money and worry about it night and day, will that bring you money?  If you’ve lost your job and worry so much you can’t sleep, will that get you a job?

Why do you worry? Does it make you feel better?  You may think so temporarily, but the truth is it makes you sick. Or maybe you feel obligated to worry. After all, you need to do something about the problem, but it is out of your hands – so you worry.

Worry requires a lot of energy. The bottom line according to Jesus is worry won’t change a single thing. It is not simple to turn off worry. Everyone struggles with worry. It is certainly something to learn to lay at the feet of Jesus.   

Use your energy to praise the mighty God of the Impossible! Don’t be timid to say out loud, “God will help me!” When you’re in that prayer closet talk out loud. Let God know you believe! Show some faith! Ask God to release you from fear of the unknown. Ask Him to give you faith in His power.

If you get to the place you replace worry with praise – you are free from one less bondage.

PRAYER

God of My Faith, Please replace my worry with Your praise. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ wants my praise—I will give it to Him!