Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering. Inspired by Hebrews 13:3
Panic Not
This morning I asked the Lord, “Help me not to panic.” I was immediately reminded of the disciples reaction during the squall on the Sea of Galilee. These seasoned fishermen panicked because the storm threatened their lives. Jesus seemed unconcerned. “That’s it! I want to learn to be unconcerned of the threats in life that cause anxiety, panic, and alarm. I want my reactions to the storms of like to be like Jesus!”
Lord, help my unbelief. Help me to trust you when the storms in my life threaten to destroy me or the ones I love. Unlike the disciples who relied on a physical Jesus to assist them–I have your Holy Spirit within me to call upon for assistance. Lord, You control the storms of nature and the storms of my troubled heart. Don’t ever let me discount Your power Lord. Forgive me when I forget Who is inside of me or see only my resources available to help me in the storms. You cannot be defeated Lord. Help me to pray when the storms are raging. Prayer will confirm my hope in you Lord whereas panic only confirms my hopelessness. I will panic not.
Mark 4:35-41
1 Samuel 13:6
Daniel 2:16-18
Make me more like Jesus
Creating God, complete in me what You have begun. Sweep away the darkness, wash away my sin, and carve from my heart those things that are not like You. Let Your Holy Spirit shape and make me like Jesus. Philippians 1:6
Merry Christmas!
God is with us; as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah, approximately 700 years before the birth of Jesus. He will be called Immanuel, which means God is with us. (Isaiah 7:14)
Not to be confused by the name Immanuel versus Jesus; God is, and always will be with us through Jesus—which means the Lord Saves. (Matthew 1:21)
God is the only one who can save us from sin, and He did so through His Son Jesus our Savior today! Our Savior, by the very nature of His Name, is with us, Always. Think about how God has been with you today from last Christmas until this Christmas. Rejoice! In knowing that God’s Word is true! Jesus is with us when rejoicing is all around us and He is with us when the shadows come near—He is with us! Rejoice! God is here!
Don’t miss God by looking for someone great amongst you today. Welcome those low in status, the humble. God uses the weak things to shame the strong. Jesus was crucified a criminal yet He is Savior! (1 Corinthians 1:22-27)
Lord, help us share Your love with the weak amongst us today. We have those— just like Joseph, Mary, and Jesus among us; seeking a safe place to stay. Don’t let us turn our backs on them. Help us share our homes, our country, and our hearts with them. Just as You gave the best gift to us; Your Son, Jesus—Let us give our best to the weak, lowly, hungry, lonely, and lost around us on this Christmas Day. Welcome someone into your home! To your dinner table! So share Jesus with them! Merry Christmas!
Thwart
To prevent someone from accomplishing something or to stop something from happening; To stop or hinder a plan.
No one or nothing can thwart God’s plan for you. Your current situation or circumstances do not mean that God’s plan for your life has changed or been delayed. God is still in control. Believe.
Jesus wants to be King of your life…He does not want to take life away from you. He wants to give you abundant life, eternal life–and it begins right now. Christ gives you freedom from sin, joy and peace in Him. However, you must make Him King of your life. Your situation or circumstances do not mean that God’s plan to save you has failed. Believe.
God’s plan for you can not be stopped. Joseph might have thought that God’s plan for him had been delayed or stopped when he was rejected by his brothers, kidnapped, enslaved and imprisoned in Egypt. However, God had a plan to make Joseph ruler of all Egypt. Do not give up hope, God has a wonderful future in store for you. Believe.
Herod tried to thwart God’s plan by killing all male children two years of age and younger, in an attempt to kill Jesus. However, God warned Joseph in a dream to leave Bethlehem and go to Egypt so that the life of Jesus was spared. Herod did not stop or delay a God’s plan through Jesus. Believe.
So no one or nothing can stop God’s plan for your life. “For I know the plans, I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
You may be in a place right now where God needs you to help when the need arises. You are in that job, living in the city you are in, holding the position you are holding, for a reason. God is in control. Believe.
Jesus’ death did not thwart God’s plan, but rather His death and resurrection were the biggest parts of His plan to forgive us of sin and to make it possible for us to have eternal life. The cross was the extension of Christ in bringing us back to God. It bridged the gap between our separation from God, because of sin, to eternity with God through Jesus’ death on the cross. Believe.
The plan to keep you from hearing the truth about God’s purpose for your life today…right where you are has been thwarted. Believe today that that no situation, no circumstance, no condition can thwart God’s plan for you today. God is still in control. Believe.
Holy Father, I believe that no one or nothing can stop or hinder the plan that you have for my life today. All I have in life today, I offer to You. I will proclaim today, despite the heaviness of my circumstances that your plan for my life will succeed…just as it has for the life of many others, including Jesus. Thanks for helping me believe in You today Lord. Amen.
Genesis 45:4-8
Matthew 2:16
John 10:10
Jeremiah 29:11
Luke 23:7-8
Options…
“Okay, I’ve narrowed it down to one or two options” …Before you make what may seem like the “right” decision, ask God if He has an option you should consider. God’s guidance will help us make the “best” decision.
In Isaiah 55:8-9, we are told that our thoughts and ways are not God’s thoughts and ways. We cannot fit our plans and purposes into God’s plans. However, we can always fit God’s plans into our plans. The Bible tells us to trust in Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will guide you in making the best decisions.
Take your decision to God in prayer and ask Him to guide you through the Bible, in making the best decision. God often has more options for us to consider that we never thought possible.
At Christmastime I am reminded of Joseph, in Matthew 1: 18-25 when he had a decision to make about his is pregnant, virgin, wife to be. Joseph likely thought he had two options, go ahead and marry her and then divorce her quietly. Alternatively, have her stoned. However, God had another option, “Just marry her and be her husband.” Seek God’s options today that you may make the “best” decisions. God often has more options for us to consider.
God Sees Someone Different!
God does not see you for who you were or even who you are today. He sees you for what He created You to be!
Don’t hang your head down, don’t feel hopeless! We often consider ourselves unfit for any “good” purpose because our past, or present is shameful, ugly, disgraceful, sinful. However, God created every one of us for a purpose. So you have a purpose in God’s Kingdom today. Your purpose can begin right now. In Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord says it this way, “For I know the plans that I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” There is hope for you!
God used murderers, prostitutes, liars, and thieves in the bible. If He can use them, He can use you too! All it takes is for you to know that God still has a purpose for you! If you are reading this message today, it is not too late for you!
Dear Lord, I thought there was no hope for me. My past is disgraceful and sinful. I do not even deserve to be loved or given another chance. However, You said that you have a plan for me. Take me as I am. Forgive me for who I am today and what I have done in my past. Help me to live a changed life. I want to live the life that You planned for me. Clean me up so that I may be acceptable for your use…I cannot do it by myself. Thank You for giving me hope today to see myself as You do…someone who can be used for Your Kingdom.
Resistance may mean running away…
Any temptation can be resisted. God will help you resist temptation by helping you to (a) recognize those people and situations that give you trouble, (b) run from anything you know is wrong, (c) choose to do only what is right, (d) pray for God’s help, and (e) seek friends who love God and can offer help when you are tempted. 1 Corinthian 10:13
Running from a tempting situation is your first step on the way to victor. 2 Timothy 2:22
Ask…and God will do it. John 14:14
When Jesus says we can ask for anything and He will do it…we must remember that our asking must be in His name—that is, according to God’s character and Will. God will not grant requests contrary to His nature or His Will, and we cannot use His name as a magic formula to fulfill our selfish desires.
You must know the character of God in order to make right requests of God. Some of the characteristics of God are love, power, gentleness, strength, patience, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness. We have to trust God and know that He is always in control. That means He’s Sovereign. If you’ve grown to know God’s character in areas of your life, John 14:14 awaits you…Ask God’s will to be done.
Cry out to God…and praise Him! Psalm 77
We certainly know how to cry out to The Lord when we are distressed. However, in our distress, shift the attention away from ourselves and focus on God’s greatness. Remember past victories and praise God for them! Our focus will shift from our situation to worshipping God!
Thank God for what he has done in your life in recent days. If you cannot recall his actions and blessings, try keeping better records! I journal, I text, and I tell of God’s victories, over and again. Are you sharing what God has done in your life?
Brenda Messervy 