Emotions: October 14, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY OCTOBER 14, 2016.

EMOTIONS

DEFINITION:

A state of mind in which feeling, sentiment, or attitude is predominant; a specific feeling such as love, joy, hate, fear, or grief.

SCRIPTURE:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. Psalm 23:1-2.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The book of Psalms is the book of human emotions. The Psalms is a collection of Hebrew poetry, songs, prayers and praises that express the deep emotions and feelings of the writers. Over the centuries these Psalms have been a source of comfort to Christians, in their times of distress and heartache. All the shades of emotion that surge in the human soul are reflected in the Psalms. Included in the Psalms are words of encouragement for us that will lift our spirit and bring us hope.

These Psalms were the hymnbook of ancient Israel. Many were written to be sung in public. David is the author of about half of the Psalms. God gave this shepherd-king the inspired gift of capturing the rich emotions of his experiences. Other Psalms were written by Moses, King Solomon and King Hezekiah, to name a few.

Without feelings and emotions life would be dull and humdrum. Emotions are what motivate us to act. Some emotions motivate us to do things that are right and good. Some motivate us to do what is wrong and evil. Love, joy and compassion are what motivate us to do good. Emotions such as hate, envy, pride, jealousy and anger are motivating factors in vicious acts that cause great harm.

Envy motivated Cain to kill Abel. Jealousy caused Joseph’s brothers to sell him as a slave. Anger motivated Sara to mistreat Hagar. Anger caused Esau to plot to kill his twin brother Jacob. Bad emotions are emotions that need to be controlled.

Controlling bad emotions is most difficult. The Lord experienced emotion and He understands our emotions. Believers have the Holy Spirit within them to convict them when emotions tempt them to do evil. When a believer experiences emotions like depression, sadness, discouragement and loneliness they have a caring Savior who desires to comfort them and cheer them through His written Word.

We want to share with you words of encouragement and inspiration from the book of Psalms that relate to some of the emotions we all feel at one time or another.

If you are happy and want a Psalm to express your joy, read Psalm 92.

If you are grateful and want to express your thankfulness to God, read Psalm 40.

If your heart is full of praise and love for God, then read Psalm 84 and 116.

If you are troubled by fear and dread, read Psalm 56 and 23.

If you are discouraged read Psalm 42.

If you are lonely read Psalm 62.

If you are angry read Psalm 13.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 20:29.

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

PRAYER:

Whether I am emotionally up or emotionally down, whether sad or glad, keep me faithful in reading Your Word and give me a song of praise in my heart. Thank You for the words expressed through David that lift me up filling my heart with joy, peace and happiness.

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Doubt: October 13, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 13, 2016.

DOUBT

DEFINITION:

To lack confidence in; to lack trust in; an unsettled state of opinion; indecision; uncertainty.

SCRIPTURE:

O you of little faith, why did you doubt? Matthew 14:31

Be merciful to those who doubt. Jude 1:22.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Why do we doubt? This is the question that Jesus asked Peter on the Sea of Galilee and a question each one of us must answer. Doubts come from the great deceiver, the “Father of lies,” Satan himself. Satan uses false teachers to deceive believers in Jesus by planting doubt in their minds. Doubt is Satan’s tool. If our faith is little, it is easy for doubt to cause uncertainty and destroy our faith.

Jude, in his book, deals with the issue of doubt and weak faith that believers have to deal with. Jude tells us (above) that we should be “merciful to those who doubt.” He wants us to be understanding and not judgmental toward those who struggle in their faith.

Instead we are to witness to them with compassion and kindness and patiently correct misconceptions they may have concerning the truth of God’s Word and the certainty of Salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Believers are often critical of other believers. A person who has questions or doubts about his Christian faith should not be condemned or shunned as an enemy of the faith. Jude tells us that rather than condemning such people we should show them compassion and endeavor to bolster up their faith so that they can be strong and secure in their trust in the Lord.

Not only does Satan use others to deceive us and bring doubts about our faith, but he uses fear that comes when we face difficult circumstances and life gets scary.

In the verse above from Matthew, we read the account of when the disciples were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee being tossed by the waves and saw Jesus, not knowing who He was, walking on the sea. The disciples were troubled feeling it was a ghost that they were seeing and cried out with fear.

But Jesus spoke to them, “Be of good cheer, it is I; do not be afraid (or doubt).” Peter responded by asking if the person they saw was the Lord and if it was to command him to come to Him on the water. Jesus said, “Come.” Peter responded and began walking on the water toward the Lord. At that moment Peter was fearless. He was focused only on seeing Jesus.

The wind became boisterous and the waves became huge. Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the waves and became fearful. He focused on his own circumstances and fear so overwhelmed him that it caused Peter’s faith to grow weak and doubt began to take hold of him. Peter began to sink and cried out, “Lord save me.” Jesus held out His hand and His words to Peter are so relative for us today “O you of little faith, why do you doubt.”

As believers when we have doubts because our faith is weak the words of Jesus challenges us to reach out to Him and focus on Him, not on our circumstances. When the troubles around you cause you to fear, remember that Jesus is the only one who can really help. You need to do as Peter did and cry out to Jesus, “Lord save me.” Keep your eyes on Jesus and you will not be overcome with doubt.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 20:29.

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

PRAYER:

Help me to eliminate doubt in my life by keeping my eyes on Jesus no matter what circumstances I am in. May our family learn to keep our lives centered in Christ so that we can stand strong in our faith and reach out to strengthen the faith of others who are dealing with doubt.

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Conversion: October 12, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 12, 2016.

CONVERSION

DEFINITION:

Change into something of different form or properties; to change from one belief or view to another.

SCRIPTURE:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I Peter 1:3.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

As young people we both can remember hearing adults, youth and even children giving their testimony of accepting Jesus as their Savior. Many had been saved out of a life of great sin and spiritual darkness and they would say, “The greatest thing that ever happened to me was the day I met Jesus Christ.”

We were both raised by Christian parents and neither of us had a shattering emotional experience at our conversion even though it was an experience we never have forgotten. It was a response to the moving of God’s Holy Spirit in our life. We look back now on all that has happened to us during our lifetime and without a doubt, the decision we made as young children to accept Jesus as our Savior stands out today as the greatest decision of our lives.

Peter in I Peter chapter one deals with the subject of conversion. The words “begotten us again” means a rebirth or born again. Some translations read, “He has given us new birth into a living hope.”

In verse three Peter tells us why the experience of the new birth is so important. First, it gives us a hope of heaven when we die. And secondly, our conversion gives us a living and lasting hope to carry us through this life because Jesus conquered death. He was resurrected after he died on the cross and He is alive today. He is working in the lives of believers today to change and convert them into a new person.

In the gospel of John, third chapter, Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. The Pharisees thought of Jesus as an enemy therefore Nicodemus came to Jesus by night so that his fellow Pharisees would not know about his visit. He said to Jesus that he knew that He was a teacher come from God because no one could do the signs He had done unless God was with Him.

Nicodemus had knowledge about Jesus but knowledge does not save. Nicodemus came seeking, probably out of curiosity, to learn more but did not know what he was seeking. Nicodemus had not really asked a question but Jesus who knows the heart of all of us knew what Nicodemus was seeking.

Jesus answered his question saying: “I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus and Jesus had a lengthy conversation about being born again or conversion (verses 4-15).  In the 16th verse Jesus said what many feel is the most significant verse in the Bible. This verse concisely tells us of God’s plan of salvation: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16.

We are all sinners but God loves all of us and loves us so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins so that we can have eternal life if we believe in Him. This is the only way we can have a spiritual conversion. It is God’s act of spiritual regeneration in us whereby we receive eternal life.

If you are a Christian parent reading this devotional, have you been teaching your children God’s plan of Salvation and leading them to know and love Jesus plus the importance of having them give their hearts and lives to Him?

In recent weeks we have had numerous of our friends who are reading our devotionals ask how they can know Jesus or expressed that they want to become a Christian. If you want to know more about how to have a personal relationship with Jesus, just drop us an email and we will send you scripture helps that will help you understand how to accept Jesus as your Savior and make Him part of your life.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 20:29.

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

PRAYER:

Thank You for Your mercy that saved me. In these troubled times never have I been more thankful for the certainty that I have knowing personally my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I praise You that my conversion process that changed my life is real and ask that You will enable me to spread Your message of love and saving grace.

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Cares: October 11, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY OCTOBER 11, 2016.

CARES

DEFINITION:

Protects; provides; has affection, loves and shows concern for. Also a word for undue anxiety or worry.

SCRIPTURE:

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. I Peter 5:7.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In today’s world people are concerned only about themselves. The result is when those who do not care for others need to turn to someone to care for them, no one is available. Those who are suffering and in need wonder if anyone cares. This is a result of the “ME” generation that we live in.

As believers in Jesus we need to remember that God cares for us under every circumstance. He cares about all of our anxiety. He cares for us when we are lonely, hungry and hurting. There is not a situation that you may face that our God will not take you through it and care for you.

Peter wrote these words in I Peter from the ancient city of Mesopotamia known as Babylon. Christians were living under dire circumstances. They were suffering from severe persecution because of their faith. They had been forced to flee for their lives, leaving everything behind: homes, jobs and possessions. They had only what they could carry by hand and they fled to wherever they felt safe.

They were, so to speak, an underground people, having to live, work, and worship in secret and to find housing and food wherever they could. They never knew when they would be discovered and have to flee again. Unfortunately, there are people today in our world living under the same circumstances and persecution.

Imagine the agony, anxiety, the pressure, tension and stress being experienced by these believers. It is in this setting that Peter wrote these words that we have written in the verse above. He was assuring the believers of that day as well as believers today, that there was great help available for them. God was available to help them. All we have to do as believers is to ask by faith.

If God could take care of these people in the terrible persecution and situations they were facing, surely He will care for you in whatever situation you may be facing.

You need to note that the verse above as written by Peter is not merely what he advises us but he clearly states it is a command. The word “care” in Greek is “Merimna” and means anxiety. He is saying as a command: cast all your anxiety upon Him, for He cares for you. God did not promise us that we would not suffer or go through difficulties. He promised to be there in the midst of our troubles.

When we cast all of our cares upon Him, His mighty hand will save and deliver us, look after and care for us, strengthen and secure us, provide and protect us, and give us assurance and confidence. What more do you need?

In the prior verse, I Peter 5:6, Peter tells the believers and us that to prepare for casting all of our cares upon our Lord that we need to: “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” We are given a pre-requisite to accomplish before we cast our cares before the Lord. We are to humble ourselves.

There are three reasons for this. First, God is to be feared, for He resists and stands opposed to the proud. Pride keeps us from God. The proud cannot admit that they need God.

Secondly, we need to humble ourselves under God because He is going to exalt the humble. The proud exalt themselves.

Thirdly, we should humble ourselves because God cares for us. By comparison to God’s greatness and goodness we are nothing. Why should God care for us? It is indeed humbling to know that in spite of all our sins and shortcomings He does care for us.

When you face the problems of life, remember this verse and cast all your concerns and cares upon your Lord because He does care for you.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 20:29.

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

PRAYER:

It is my prayer today that in my times of need, help me to learn to cast all my cares upon You. Help me to realize that I cannot get through many of the situations that I face on my own strength and that I need your strong and faithful hand. Give me also a heart that cares for others as Your representative in their time of need.

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Complaining: October 10, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2016.

COMPLAINING

DEFINITION:

Expressing dissatisfaction, pain, resentment; find fault; protesting.

SCRIPTURE:

Do all things without murmurings (complaining) and disputing so that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. Philippians 2:14-15.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We have discussed before in these devotionals the blessings and the failures of the Children of Israel on their difficult journey to the Promised Land. Not all went well during their 40 year trek. Many scholars estimate that there were well over two million people walking together through the wilderness. During those 40 years roughly 1.2 million people died. That is an average of 82 deaths a day.

The journey in the wilderness was a long march of grief and loss. Every day there seemed to be complaining and resentment because of the hardship of the journey and the uncertainty in their minds if they would ever reach the Promised Land.

In Numbers chapters 11 through 21 we read that something goes tragically wrong. It was a time of rebellion and willful disobedience against God. The rebellion started according to the scriptures with murmuring and complaining. Whenever you find yourself beginning to complain against your circumstances, consider this: You are on the threshold of rebellion. This is because rebellion always begins with complaining.

In this account the people began by complaining against their circumstances. The Israelites were called the “children” of Israel. They were chosen by God to be His representatives and as His children they were under His fatherly protection. Unfortunately, they acted like children that we know today and whined and complained about everything.

God had given them manna and quail meat to eat and water to drink. But they complained because they did not like the taste of the meat and there was not enough water. The people got tired of the manna. God never intended for them to be this long in the wilderness but their complaining and turning away from God lengthened there journey He intended them to move on into the land of Canaan but they continually rebelled against God.

They did not like God’s way so they stood in God’s way and prevented Him from doing His will in their lives. It wasn’t God’s will for them to wander 40 years in a barren wilderness. The wandering was a consequence of rebellion and disobedience.

Whose fault was it that they rebelled? It was not God’s fault because it was His plan for the people to possess a land of abundance and fulfillment. The people chose to turn their backs on God.

As bad as their life had been in Egypt they looked back on it and wailed out, “We were better off in Egypt!” Numbers 11:18. When we turn our backs on God we can only look backward on old ways and we are not able to look forward and move on to the new life that God wants to lead us into. The rebellious generation of Israelites died in the wilderness and missed out on the blessing and bountiful provision that God had waiting for the next generation in the Promised land.

The people complained not only about their circumstances but also against the blessing of God and His provisions for them. Then they complained about the leadership of Aaron and Moses who had been chosen by God. They judged themselves by their own standards and rebelled against the properly, God ordained, constituted authorities in their midst.

These are characteristics of defeated Christians today. They begin by complaining because their evil thinking differs from God’s. Then complaining turns into rebellion against God. Take a good look at all times when you begin to complain. Are you complaining because of your standard of what is right or wrong or what is good or bad? Most likely you are. Let go of your complaint and pray asking God to do His will in your life in His way and in His perfect timing. Complainers cannot be what God wants His children to be. We are to be blameless and without fault so that we shine as bright lights in a crooked and sinful world. To be a bright light we must be morally and spiritually different from unbelievers.

Never turn your back on God but keep your eyes on Jesus and move onward to seize onto the blessings that God has in store for you.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 20:29.

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

PRAYER:

Help each member of our family to learn from the example of the Israelites and the consequences of complaining and being in rebellion against God. May we learn not to complain, especially about the small things in life, but may we give our concerns to the Lord and ask Him to change our complaining to rejoicing. Let us seek to keep our eyes on Jesus and follow Him so He can lead us onward to a new life filled with His blessings. Help us to be morally and spiritually right so we shine as bright lights in this sinful world.

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