Author: Minister Bev

Today I choose to be free to love you, to serve mankind and be my genuine self.  God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) Therefore I have the power to live for God in a productive fulfilling way, to freely share the love of Christ and to practice positive thoughts.

God’s spirit of power helps me to avoid feeling timid, His spirit of power is my source of strength, and it enables me to do right things right. I will not fear what man can do to me because I know I serve an all-powerful God who can turn it for my good. The spirit that he has given me to love supplies the grace I need to overcome the challenges of offense, and to be kind to my fellowman. It urges me to look for ways to be a blessing to people around me, and to give an encouraging, uplifting word to anyone when the opportunity presents itself.

I thank God for a sound mind, which empowers me with self-control, and self-discipline. I will use my inner resources to help avoid moving on my emotions, and take the time to consider the word of God before I act in any situation.

Today I live unafraid to be who God called me to be.

2 Timothy 1:7  ^“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Romans 12:2 “Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change (transform) you inside with a new way of thinking.” This thought intrigued me as I meditated on it for a while.  Becoming “transformed” is fundamental to our faith. It is the change of our hearts and minds to be more like Christ. 

Looking deeper into this transformation, I realized some amazing things.  Not only should our thoughts and actions be changed, but those changes are an offering to God.  The Matthew Henry Commentary says that they are a “sweet smelling fragrance” to the Lord. As we understand more truth from His word and respond by applying those truths to our lives, our thoughts improve, and we are changed.

The transformation of our mind includes adopting new attitudes and dispositions, developing new compassions, rectifying old thoughts, and living by new principles.  It involves dying more to our old ways and allowing Christ’s ways to increase in us. As God turns us, he supplies grace for us to change.  When we submit to His turning, we are transformed. 

We are living epistles, as we are encountered by the world, let’s allow our transformation to be clearly apparent. “It is no more I, but Christ who dwells in me.” Galatians 2:20

I have experienced heartbreaking and in many instances life-changing trials that caused me to feel helpless and all alone.  I struggled early in my Christian walk to understand how this could happen.  If God delivers, why was this heartbreaking episode happening to me?  If he heard my prayers, where was my answer?  Didn’t He know how much this hurt?  Only in hindsight could I realize that He did hear me, see me, watch over me and the answers I sought were clear to see.

When we are in pain questions rage through our minds in rapid succession.  As a novice Christian, it is hard to fathom how a good God could allow this onslaught of pain.  As a seasoned Christian who has studied to know her God, I understand that the trials that I have endured have made me stronger and brought me closer to God.  It was God who extended more grace for me to endure the hardship. I have learned to trust his silence and lean on His strength.  On the other side of my pain was a new me.  One who is resilient and wiser than before.  One who can be trusted as a guide for others making their way through pain.  He was with me all the time to shepherd me through those times, to watch over me as I made my way through difficulties and emerge from those difficulties with His grace.  

He is strong where I am weak, He is full when I am empty.  “He knows the way that I take so that when He has tried me I shall come forth like pure gold.”  Job 23:10

There are times when you can feel empty and alone.  You can experience a sense of isolation that permeates your being and even if you are not lonely, there is no sense that God is present.  The stillness of your prayer time does not assure you that God is there listening and hanging on your every word.  It is easy in those times to think that maybe you are being ignored for something you said or did, or even perhaps because you are not sincere enough in your approach to Him.

In still quiet moments when God seems absent it is important to remember who we serve.  God is an ever-present, all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful God who is full of grace. He hears and answers prayer. (1 Peter 3:12) We are never to rely on feelings, but fully stand on every word of God.  When our answers do not come as we desire, we do not let our feelings cause us to doubt.  We rely upon and trust in the fact that he knows my life and my future well enough to grant my request quickly or delay the request for my good.  Trust that God is present even when we cannot feel His presence, and he hears even when all we feel is stillness.  Relax in His stillness and experience the peace that passes all understanding.  Trust that the problem that you need so desperately to be solved, will be solved in due time.  Embrace the still moments and worship our God who is our total source.

Proverbs 3:26  For the Lord shall be thy confidence and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Have you ever allowed your mind to create a scenario based on someone’s actions only to discover that you were utterly wrong?  You thought they had slighted you, or intentionally insulted you, or ignored you in some way only to find out later that none of what you believed was true?

There is a danger in allowing your thoughts to run rampant and unchecked.  We must be vigilant in the guarding of our thoughts.  The book of 2 Corinthians 10:15 admonishes us to “capture” our thoughts.  When we allow our thoughts to travel into places that only breed ill content and grief, we are guilty of not bringing our thoughts subject to God’s word.  It clearly tells us to think about whatever is good, lovely, true, and admirable. 

Sometimes our past experiences influence the way we think and feel about situations.  This happens almost automatically without any effort on our part.  It takes only a moment to change a negative thought to a positive one! To forgive and apply grace.  Today whenever your thoughts start to drift towards the negative, bring them back to the good positive side of life!

Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Our minds are wonderful organs that operate our lives and bodies without the slightest effort.  We make decisions all day without very much effort. These thoughts range from moving our fingers this way or that to ways to distribute hundreds, thousands, or even millions of dollars.  This is all done using our ‘thought process.”  No matter what we are doing, our minds churn out thoughts all day and during our waking hours all night.  Some of those thoughts are valid, and some are just “static.”  Old memories of bad moments of our lives, embarrassing moments, foolish decisions, good moments, and sometimes things that have not, and never will, happen.  Those thoughts are what Richard Carlson, Ph.D.,  in his book “You Can Be Happy No Matter What,” calls “static.” 

You can change your mood, feelings, and attitude by recognizing when your thoughts are just unnecessary “static” and return to the present moment.  Change the low, dark thought to a happier one, and your day will change to a brighter, happier one. So, enjoy your day today, dismiss any static thoughts, and trust God’s plan for your life.

The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments, and we tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ. 2^nd Corinthians 10:4-5

Philippians 2:13 Yes, it is God who is working in you. He helps you want to do what pleases him, and he gives you the power to do it.

Great gestures are not always the ones on which you spend a significant amount of money.  We are God’s hands on the earth. The good things we do reflect the Father who sent us.  Jesus spoke of little things that were actually significant. He taught about the grain of mustard seed that turns into a great tree, the widow’s mite, which He considered a substantial gift, a cup of cold water that yields a reward, and one lost coin whose purpose is unfulfilled, that is sought after diligently.

What would the world be like if we all practiced little gestures of goodness daily?  How would life change if we prayed for our neighbors and those less fortunate than us? What impact could we have on the world if we purposely did one good deed every day?

Indeed, the world can be changed by great benevolent gifts or mega food giveaways, but it can also be changed by small gestures. I challenge you to do one good deed today. The kingdom of Heaven is expanded when we do good in the earth.  Our capacity to do good expands as we exercise it.  Remember, God is working in you to help you do what pleases Him, and He gives you the power to do it. 

Jesus talked a lot about peace.  He said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)  There is so much in our world that disturbs our peace.  We have family issues, work disturbances, money concerns, friendships to attend to, and enumeration of other matters that push against us during our daily lives.  There are times that we become so consumed that we forget that God is never surprised by our challenges. He already knows our “ending from our beginning,” and He promised that all things would work together for our good. 

Social construction has programmed us to want comfort and good times.  That is when we believe that life is going well.  However, in the midst of our problems, we encounter the God who uses those problems to transform us.  It is when we are in our weaknesses that His strength shines like a beacon.  When we seek the light of His word, God brings us through things that we thought we could never live through.

Jesus lived with an assurance that God was in Him, with Him and watching over Him even when he faced dissension and death. We should operate our lives with the same confidence.  He knows tomorrow, we only know yesterday and today.

Surrender your troubles to Him and let peace from Christ rule in your heats.  (Col. 3:15)

Fear is an unpleasant emotion that can blindside you and obstruct your progress in life. I allowed fear to trap me and grip me in an emotionally paralyzing way. It was like a wall that I could not see over, the “thing” that could, and would, derail my success. A simple class that I needed to take sent my blood pressure soaring. I soon realized that this irrational emotion could undo and disrupt the success I sought. Fear can cloud possibilities and stop you from seeing solutions to your dilemmas.

I turned to God, who is my total source, and He helped me to see that it was I who had erected the “wall of fear” in the first place, and I could remove it. When I yielded to Him, who has all power, and stopped relying on my own strength, everything turned around. The great lesson I learned is that with God, I could face any situation with confidence. I am capable of making rational decisions and finding solutions to any problems that confront me. He is with me, and the part that I need to play is to move forward in faith. I may not see the remedy right away, but He already has a plan for my life. (Jeremiah 29:11) I had to relinquish fear to walk in faith. Once I acknowledged that the terror I felt was my own creation, God gave me the methodology to accomplish the things I needed to do. God is always with me, I need not fear.

Then I will lead the blind along a path they never knew to places where they have never been before. I will change darkness into light for them. I will make the rough ground smooth. I will do these things for them; I will not abandon my people. Isaiah 42:16 (ERV)

The parable of the sower describes various soil types. The soil on the wayside was exposed and vulnerable, the rocky soil was without much depth, the soil surrounded by thorns was choked, and good soil that reproduced as much as one hundred-times. The problem was not with the sower or the seed; the problem was with the soil. We have a responsibility to be good soil.

Being good soil is to hear the gospel message, absorb that message and reproduce in kind. The parable of the sower describes our human response to God’s word. It is about our understanding, reactions, motives, and the depth of our faith. It speaks to short attention spans, lack of dedication, the company we keep, and lastly, it tells us what happens when we listen and engage the word. We are responsible for hearing with our hearts and not just our auditory senses.

What happens when we hear and practice God’s word? We produce the light that lights the world and the salt that seasons the earth. We become the city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. When we take our responsibility seriously be be “good soil,” we become the hands of God in the earth to do good. Jesus is the sower, the word is the seed, and we have the responsibility to be “good soil.” Matthew 13:3-9