9/16/2020 0 Comments Giving Up ControlFor most of us, giving up control can be very scary. These verses tell us not be anxious about anything. Instead we are to give all our concerns to God through prayer, petition and thanksgiving. The result of doing that is the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. That does not seem like a natural thing to do, but we are promised when we do, we can have peace. We still do not know how things are going to work out, but God does.
Questions for further thought: 1. What issues are you facing right now that need God’s intervention? 2. What have you been doing to fix them? Challenge: Ask God to help you release your issue to him. Pray about it daily and claim the peace of God.
0 Comments
9/15/2020 0 Comments Taking ChargeGod had promised Abram offspring numbering greater than the stars in the sky. Abram’s wife Sarai was becoming inpatient waiting to have children through God’s blessing, so she took matters into her own hands. She asked her husband and her maid servant to produce a child. Things did not go well after that - big surprise. We see in the scriptures that follow the natural consequences of that sin. As humans, it is so easy to think we are in control and that we have better ideas than God.
Questions for further thought: 1. Describe a time you went against your parent’s guidance. 2. How did things turn out? Challenge: Are you experiencing the natural consequences of your choices? Confess that to God and ask for forgiveness. 9/14/2020 0 Comments Trusting GodIs it easier to trust or love someone? Placing trust in another requires belief that the other person has your best interest at heart. It requires knowing the other person very well. Do you know for certain they are reliable and dependable? It certainly requires a step of faith. This scripture tells us to trust God completely, to surrender to him and he will direct our paths.
Questions for further thought: 1. How easy is it for you to trust? 2. Who can you identify that you trust? Challenge: Reflect on areas in your life that you have a need to control. Begin to pray about one thing you can trust to God. 9/11/2020 0 Comments Live Your Life as Christ DidTo the sinners who are feeling condemned and who have given up hope, John’s words offer reassurance. Jesus Christ has already suffered your penalty in your place. United with Christ, you are as safe as He is. Don’t be afraid to ask Christ to plead your case – He has already won it. He can stand before God as our mediator. To walk today as Christ did, we must obey His teachings. We must follow His example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people.
1. How can you be sure that you belong to Christ? 2. What does Christ tell us to do? Challenge: Make Jesus your primary focus today. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Turn to Jesus in everything that comes at you today. 9/10/2020 0 Comments Genuine WisdomTrue wisdom can be measured by a person’s character. Are you tempted to escalate the conflict or spread the gossip? When our speech is motivated by Satan, it is full of bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, earthly concerns/desires, unspiritual thoughts/ideas, disorder, evil. When our speech is motivated by God and His wisdom, it is full of purity, peace, consideration for others, mercy, goodness, impartiality.
1. What would it look like for you to be a peacemaker? 2. How will you guard yourself from being drawn into the pressures of society? Challenge: Make Jesus your primary focus today. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Turn to Jesus in everything that comes at you today. 9/9/2020 0 Comments A Prayer for DefenseThe teachings of Jesus are in constant conflict throughout the world, it seems. Hate speaks louder than love. When protesting, do we really know what we are protesting for? It could be easy to unknowingly land on the wrong side of the line. In this Satan dominate period that we find ourselves, it is paramount that we know who we are living for. That we are seeking only God’s counsel and not that of the world.
1. Who are you living for? 2. In what ways are you seeking God’s counsel versus the world’s? Challenge: Make Jesus your primary focus today. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Turn to Jesus in everything that comes at you today. 9/8/2020 0 Comments Me vs. YouJesus tells us to, “love your enemy.” This seems like an impossible task for our nation. Black lives vs white lives, masked vs un-masked, Democrat vs Republican, Fox vs CNN. We are a nation divided that doesn’t reflect the teachings of Jesus. I realized today that I haven’t been kind or open minded with my thoughts and opinions. Jesus calls us to love our enemies. I may or may not wear a mask, but I don’t need to be snide or judgmental about those of the opposite. My opinion to mask or not mask is irrelevant. I also believe that all lives matter, but sharing that belief with a BLM supporter isn’t going to be well received. We must love the person on the other side of the ‘vs’, especially in our current climate of hate.
1. Why is it so hard to love your enemy? 2. What would it look like for you to love your enemy in our current climate? Challenge: Make Jesus your primary focus today. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Turn to Jesus in everything that comes at you today. 9/7/2020 0 Comments Change My FocusI am selfish, unkind, controlling, argumentative. I don’t admit when I am wrong. I am not respected. I ruin relationships. I worship idols. I don’t put Christ first. I haven’t even been worshiping Him regularly. My list goes on and on. Today, Satan convinced me to give up on an important relationship in defeat of my incurable shames. Within the same hour that I believed that lie, I was overwhelmingly reminded that Christ is bigger than all of my deficiencies. Christ is the solution to my problem. He is the cure! My downfalls are not what defines me; they are merely symptoms of my sin. All of these things will be remediated and relationships can heal when my focus changes to Jesus instead of myself.
1. What lie(s) are you currently believing? 2. What can you do to stop believing the lie? Challenge: Make Jesus your primary focus today. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Turn to Jesus in everything that comes at you today. 9/4/2020 0 Comments Face UpIt may be time to pay the piper, own up, face the music and deal with the hurt your words and actions might have caused. There are too many stories of mothers no longer speaking to their daughters or sons no longer speaking to their fathers and best friends becoming enemies. Confession to each other brings healing. When we say we are sorry it should not just be a word but it must demonstrate what you did wrong, what you want to do differently and then asking for forgiveness.
Question 1 - What people do you need to confess and ask for forgiveness? Question 2 - What people do you need to forgive? Challenge - Unforgiveness is a prison. Break free by doing the work of confession and forgiveness with the names you wrote down. Be free indeed! 9/3/2020 0 Comments You Need a Close Friend and a Mentor…Wisdom and a Viewpoint you do not possessGuess what...you don’t know everything! Shocking, I know! This is why we need others. Sometimes we can’t see a situation clearly and we need the help of a friend to give us perspective as well as encouragement to do the right thing. We do life better this way, we make better decisions and we stick with the positive changes we want to make, much more consistently, when we have someone who is encouraging us along the way.
Question 1 - Who is someone that you can turn to in your life? Question 2 - Who is someone you can be this type of person to in their life? Challenge - Ask someone you respect to mentor you. It may seem risky but people rarely say no to a request like that. Take the risk, you’ll be glad you did. |
AuthorThis devotional is written every week by Hillcrest members. Archives
April 2024
Receive this devotional in your inbox every Monday - Friday.
|