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We should never allow the amount of peace that is in our hearts to be based
upon how smooth our life is going at that moment. We should be at peace in
season and out of season, in tribulation and in the easy times. We must be
constant with our faith in the Lord and not allow temporary circumstances
to rule how our countenance will be portrayed that day, week or month.
Those who have put their faith in the Lord should have a quiet confidence
that all will be well and every problem that comes their way will be to
their benefit in the end. (Psalm 34:1-9) (Psalm 105:1-11)
When we face our problems with the knowing that we will become better, we
can face them without fear, dread or hesitation. We will be moving
through those trials confidently knowing that on the other end of that
negative situation lays our victory. Be encouraged to not change how you
act when trials come your way. Be in the same positive state of mind
whether you are in the good times or in the rough times. When you do so,
you will fully understand the scripture that says “Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.” (Job 13:15) (Isaiah 26:3)
I hope this message encourages your heart to continue to have a positive
attitude and outlook on life no matter what may come your way.
KEEP ON SWINGING
They say that opportunity only knocks once. But temptation seems to pound
on my door forever. Even opening up and letting it in doesn't seem to make
it go away. More temptations come along and the beating goes on.
Those temptations that cause me the most problems are those that pull me
away from being my best self. So I can relate to the Swiss woman who was
served dinner on a domestic American flight. She opened up her dessert - a
delicious looking piece of chocolate cake - and immediately sprinkled a
generous layer of salt and pepper over it. A shocked flight attendant
exclaimed, “Oh! It's not necessary to do that!”
“But it is,” the woman replied, smiling. “It keeps me from eating it.”
She found a way to drive temptation away from her doorstep, at least for a
while.
The most persistent temptations in my life are distractions that keep me
from doing what is in my best interest.
I forgo some much-needed exercise because I “just don't feel like it”
today. Have you ever felt like that?
You may want to quit that reading group, that difficult class or those
music lessons. It's easy to become distracted and get discouraged.
Or maybe we say we just “can't find the time” to spend with those closest
to us, such as family. We may want to do these things; it's just that
sometimes we need a nudge.
Something baseball great Hank Aaron once said can help out here. “My motto
was to keep swinging,” he said. “Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly
or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was to keep swinging.”
Sometimes we just need to keep swinging. And if we tell ourselves that all
we need to do today is to take one more swing; that may be enough. We can
always take one more swing. And who knows -- today we might hit a home run.
By Steve Goodier
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Psalm 91:9-12 “Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even
the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither
shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels
charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up
in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
Psalm 34:4-8 “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from
all my fears. They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces
were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved
him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about
them that fear Him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is
good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.”
Psalm 61:1-4 “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of
the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to
the rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and
a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever: I
will trust in the covert of Thy wings. Selah.”
Psalm 91:14-16 “Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I
deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known My name. He
shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him,
and shew him My salvation.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today's Selected Poem: AFTER THE RAIN
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem84.htm
Today's Selected Testimony: A BETTER WAY
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony22.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
God’s Work Ministry |
