Overcome by: Learning Wisdom
Read: Proverbs 13:20 and SOAP: James 1:5
Truth: If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 NLT
Some of us may not think of ourselves as wise. Fortunately, wisdom is a trait we can develop. Scripture mentions a couple of ways we can grow in wisdom.
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Read: Ephesians 6:11-17; SOAP: Ephesians 6:11
TRUTH: Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 NLT
Ephesians 6:11 NLT
Since we must fight for truth, how are we to overcome the lies of this world? One powerful way is to arm ourselves with the armor of God.
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Sometimes, I wonder how much we, as Christians, recognize the spiritual battle raging daily in our midst.
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The link shared below is something I found both encouraging and helpful. I wanted to share it with the hope that it will also encourage you to spend some quality time with God. I will preface it with this … prayer can also be spontaneous which Scripture supports in Colossians 4:2, where it tells us to pray continually or devote yourselves to prayer as some translations say, painting a picture, not of praying once a day, but praying throughout the day.
However, as Pastor John teaches in this devotional, Plan for Prayer, prayer is also meant to be a time planned or set aside to spend purposefully with God – for the specific purpose of praying. I will also add – we should set aside time to spend in His Word – the two can be combined but neither should be neglected or we cheat ourselves out of one of the greatest privileges of our salvation – a personal relationship 💗 with the True and Living God💜 . This includes entering into His presence boldly and with confidence both to talk to and to hear from God (Ephesians 3:12 and Hebrews 4:16 [14-16]), knowing that we have been brought near through the blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:13 [11-18]), and believing He wants us to understand His Word and know His will for us (Luke 24:45, Romans 12:2, and 2 Timothy 2:15) – May this add strength and encouragement to your day and blessings to your weekend 😊
This is a segment of “Solid Joys” from Desiring God, a site I follow by John Piper
Plan for Prayer
Read: Psalm 68:3, 144:15, 146:5; Hebrews 1:9 and SOAP: Psalm 4:6-7
Truth: Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, LORD. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.
Psalm 4:6-7 NLT
Psalm 68:3 declares that the righteous will be glad and celebrate because of God. He is the reason for our joy and our salvation. He gives us purpose and life. Those who do not believe often try to fill their lives with other things, but they ultimately are unsatisfied. –
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Think about your life, or more specifically your day, and make a list of things that make you happy. Now, what if all those things were stripped away from you, could you still be happy? Would the day be a good day, or a bad day? Would life still be worth living? I fear that many of us would answer those questions with an unapologetic, “no.” –
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Read: James 1:2-4 and 12, Romans 5:3-5, 1 Peter 4:12-13 and SOAP: James 1:2-4
Truth: Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
James 1:2-4
Most of us do not sing praises when a nail punctures the tire of our car on the drive to work or when we lose a job. Instead, we get frustrated at our situation. Yet, we can experience joy in trials. –
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Read: Proverbs 31:30, Psalm 39:4 and SOAP: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Truth: So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.-
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NET
On average, an American woman spends $313 per month on her appearance. However, this high price of vanity does not guarantee happiness. Proverbs 31:30 tells us that our beauty fades. We cannot trust in it to bring us everlasting joy. –
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I would never tell Him that He made a flower the wrong color or made a mountain too tall or too wide but yet I looked at myself and could only see the flaws. –
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Philippians 4:4-8 has long been a favorite of mine and admittedly because I used to deal with crippling anxiety. This was the first resource God gave me to overcome it. Actually He gave it to me quite a few years before I even began to deal with anxiety. Today’s focus verse (4:4) reminded me that I have through the years become so enamored with the peace of God that I lost sight of the first part of Paul’s instruction – “Rejoice in the Lord Always”. This is a necessary and great reminder that if our joy and delight are not found firmly grounded in the Lord we will be wishy washy with our emotions – anxiety, anger, bitterness, disappointments, fears and more will overwhelm us and we will miss out on the blessing of what God’s doing and the peace He wants to give us in Christ. The peace of God that passes all understanding and guards our hearts and minds, as we live in Christ, will elude us – when our joys and delights are rooted in the circumstances of life rather than in the Lord. So my friends – let’s rejoice in the Lord always and let’s remind each other as Paul did –
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice. –
Philippians 4:4
So what exactly does this mean? Well, first of all rejoice is a verb, an action word. It isn’t something we simply ‘feel’ but something we do – either by experiencing or by showing our joy and delight in something or someone. In others words we will either actively experience joy and delight or we will actively express joy and delight. We must understand this to fully grasp and apply the instructions Paul gave to the believers at Philippi. Those instructions were to
In life we will find many things to rejoice in – such as sporting victories, a new job, a good time with friends, good grades, and so much more. These things will come and go having us on a mountaintop one day and a plateau or even a valley the next … But Paul’s message – to those “in Christ Jesus” is to – “rejoice always in the Lord”. Keep in mind Paul wrote these words while he was a prisoner – which is not exactly a situation to rejoice in. Yet, his example and his words teach us that when we find our joy and hope in God they will not fluctuate according to circumstances. Life may not always seem good but God is always good. If He given us a job He is good, and if He withholds the job He is still good.
Father you are Good – always good, help my joy and delight be in who You are and not simply the circumstances of my life – so that I will rejoice in You always.
Read: Ecclesiastes 3:11, Luke 12:15 and SOAP: Matthew 6:19-21
Truth: Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Matthew 6:19-21 NLT
– the items we accumulate do not fill our spiritual void. Jesus taught on maintaining a proper perspective of possessions. Ultimately, our wealth and our lives belong to God.
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Read: Ecclesiastes 5:10, Hebrews 13:5 and SOAP: Hebrews 13:5
Truth: Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!
(Hebrews 13:5) NLT
King Solomon, the wealthiest and wisest king of Israel, said in Ecclesiastes 5:10 that the person who loves wealth will never be satisfied. How much do you rely on money for your own satisfaction?
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People like money, but it can only bring superficial, temporary happiness. It cannot bring joy or contentment. And, money can too easily be a stumbling block for us and become an idol in our lives.
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Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!
During a time David spent in the wilderness he wrote that God’s love is unfailing and better than life! With those two declarations He was moved to praise Him.
I remember the first time I read this verse, or actually heard it read during a Sunday night service – shortly after I had lost a baby and nearly my life through a ruptured tubal pregnancy. The words were like a soothing balm then and continue to be a calming source of comfort and joy every time I read or hear them.
I hope they are a blessing to you as well – as you picture His love flowing deep and wide all around you – whether life is filled with joys or full of heartache and despair – God’s love never fails and it truly is better than life itself! You’ll find the whole passage below to give you a fuller picture of David’s thoughts (and mine that first time I heard them) –
O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in Your sanctuary and gazed upon Your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise You as long as I live, lifting up my hands to You in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise You with songs of joy. I lie awake thinking of You, meditating on You through the night. Because You are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. I cling to You; Your strong right hand holds me securely.
Psalm 63:1-8 (NLT)
Whether I am in a “wilderness experience” or rejoicing on a mountain-top I have learned – it is good to stop and remember the height and depth, and length and width of God’s love and give Him praise!
Me from the Insideout –
Me From the Inside Out 