 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
Empathy is defined as the ability to sense other people's emotions, feelings, and see their views from their perspective. Some children were playing one day at the edge of a pond in which lived a family of Frogs. They amused themselves by throwing stones into the pond so as to make them skip on top of the water. The stones were flying thick and fast and the children were enjoying themselves very much; but the poor Frogs in the pond were trembling with fear. At last one of the Frogs, the oldest and bravest, put his head out of the water, and said, "Oh, please, stop skipping rocks! It may be fun for you, but one of us could get hurt or die!" It is so important that we pause and consider the weight of what we are doing and saying. One wise person said, ”If you feel you just have to say it, then perhaps that’s a sign you shouldn’t.” “All things are lawful for me; but not all things are expedient.” (1 Corinthians 6:12) GiGi❤️
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 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
Sometimes the slightest thing can disrupt our peace. An unkind word, how something was spoken to us, or even a look. But the Word of God provides us with the encouragement we need to maintain our peace. “Ah, how insignificant a matter will mar our peace of mind: some little thing that happened— some trifling incident…may, like dust in your eye, cause you the greatest distress. Such poor creatures we are that we may lose our peace of mind even by a word or a look. If you want to have peace of mind, make God your joy, and place all your joy in God. You cannot rejoice in yourself, but you ought to rejoice in God. You cannot always rejoice in your circumstances, for they greatly vary, but the Lord never changes. ‘Rejoice in the Lord alway.’” Rejoicing in the Lord helps us to maintain focus. Even if we get off kilter, like the groove in a gear, we get back on track again by rejoicing. GiGi❤️  And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. (Luke 9:23-24, ESV)
The new nature which God implants in his people is directly the opposite of the old one. As the old nature comes of Satan, being defiled and depraved by the fall, so the new nature comes direct from heaven, pure and without spot. As the old nature is sin, is essentially sin, so the new nature is essentially grace—it is a living and incorruptible seed which lives and abides forever, a seed which cannot sin, because it is born of God. When these two come into conflict, it is as fire and water meet—either the one or the other must die. Now the old nature was here before the new nature; it is like a tree well rooted—it has been there twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or sixty years, according to the date of conversion, and it is not easily torn up by its roots. Even when grace comes into the heart and makes sin to fall, the stump is left, and there is enough vitality in that old stump still to breed the pain of old experiences and negative messaging that we have endured. Charles Spurgeon Every day we will have to subdue the flesh anew. GiGi❤️  “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
“Healthy striving focuses on you. It occurs when you ask yourself, ‘How can I improve?’ Perfectionism keeps the focus on others. It occurs when you ask, ‘What will they think?’ Research, unfortunately, shows that perfectionism hampers success and often leads to depression, anxiety, addiction and missed opportunities, due to fears of putting anything out in the world that could be imperfect or disappoint others.” Brene Brown Having a relationship with Christ offers us the opportunity to live abundantly. We just need to let go of the old messaging and information and replace it with the power of the word of God. Transform, “I am nothing” into, “I am more than a conqueror..” Transform, “I am a failure” into, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Personal transformation is the key to abundant living. Let us focus on God so that we can have positive outcomes. “You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” Joyce Meyer GiGi❤️  “And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey.” (Mark 1:6)
If we live long enough, one thing we learn is that life can be both bitter and sweet. Life will bring us both joy and pain. A recent study indicated that “culturally, although more Americans view pain as a misfortune, many still perceive it as a sign of weakness.” John the Baptist understood the value of eating both honey and locust. He understood that pain was a necessary part of life. There was the sweetness of the honey, but the locust provided him with the necessary protein needed. Life has its honey and life has its locusts. Yea, life has its sweetness, and life has its wounds…not wounds that weaken but wounds that strengthen.” (Maurice McCarthy) Lord, help us to be grateful for the locusts just as much as we are for the honey. GiGi❤️And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey.” (Mark 1:6) If we live long enough, one thing we learn is that life can be both bitter and sweet. Life will bring us both joy and pain. A recent study indicated that “culturally, although more Americans view pain as a misfortune, many still perceive it as a sign of weakness.” John the Baptist understood the value of eating both honey and locust. He understood that pain was a necessary part of life. There was the sweetness of the honey, but the locust provided him with the necessary protein needed. Life has its honey and life has its locusts. Yea, life has its sweetness, and life has its wounds…not wounds that weaken but wounds that strengthen.” (Maurice McCarthy) Lord, help us to be grateful for the locusts just as much as we are for the honey. GiGi❤️ “And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey.” (Mark 1:6) If we live long enough, one thing we learn is that life can be both bitter and sweet. Life will bring us both joy and pain. A recent study indicated that “culturally, although more Americans view pain as a misfortune, many still perceive it as a sign of weakness.” John the Baptist understood the value of eating both honey and locust. He understood that pain was a necessary part of life. There was the sweetness of the honey, but the locust provided him with the necessary protein needed. Life has its honey and life has its locusts. Yea, life has its sweetness, and life has its wounds…not wounds that weaken but wounds that strengthen.” (Maurice McCarthy) Lord, help us to be grateful for the locusts just as much as we are for the honey. GiGi❤️  “He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” (Daniel 6:10b)
The combination of prayer and praise is powerful as it allows us to connect with the Lord on a deeper, more personable level. Our relationship with God is nurtured through the gift of prayer and thanksgiving. “All of Daniel’s prayers were mingled with thanksgiving. Do observe it, for so many forget this, ‘He prayed and gave thanks to God.’ Surely, it is poor devotion which is always asking and never returning its gratitude! Am I to live upon the bounty of God, and never to thank him for what I receive? Surely, prayers in which there is no thanksgiving are selfish things: they rob God; and will a man rob God — rob God even in his prayers— and yet expect that his prayers should be successful? Have I not often said in this place that prayer and praise resemble the process by which we live? We breathe in the atmospheric air, and then breathe it out again: prayer taken in deep draughts of the love and grace of God, and then praise breathes it out again.” Charles Spurgeon “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” (Psalm 103:1) GiGi❤️  “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, that at the mention of the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, those on earth and those under the earth and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)”
To pray in his name is to ask by his authority; and to ask by his authority is to ask in accordance to his will as revealed in his word. Smith Wigglesworth shared a story about a priest who lay in bed sick. He recalled reading about a group of men who had successfully prayed for the healing of the sick and called for them to pray for him. “They anointed him according to James 5:14, but, because he had no immediate manifestation of healing, he wept bitterly. The six people walked out of the room, somewhat crestfallen to see the man lying there in an unchanged condition. When they were outside, one of the six said, “There is one thing we might have done. I wish you would all go back with me and try it.” They went back and all got together in a group. This brother said, “Let us whisper the name of Jesus.” At first when they whispered this worthy name nothing seemed to happen. But as they continued to whisper, “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” the power began to fall. As they saw that God was beginning to work, their faith and joy increased; and they whispered the name louder and louder. As they did so the man arose from his bed and dressed himself. The secret was just this, those six people had gotten their eyes off the sick man, and they were just taken up with the Lord Jesus Himself, and their faith grasped the power that there is in His name. O, if people would only appreciate the power that there is in this name, there is no telling what would happen.” Jesus' authority rested with his submission to the Father, so our authority rests with our submission to him. To ask in his name is to ask according to his nature, and his nature is one of submission. GiGi❤️  “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:27)
Intercessory prayer may require us to give up something, time, pleasures, and/or comfort for the sake of crying out to God on the behalf of others. Intercessory prayer is taking the place of someone else and pleading their case before God. “Remember Moses, the most royal of men, whether crowned or uncrowned; how often did he intercede! How frequently do you meet with such a record as this "Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before God!" Remember that cry of his on the top of the mount, when it was to his own personal disadvantage to intercede, and yet when God had said, "Let me alone, I will make of thee a great nation," yet how he continued, how he thrust himself in the way of the axe of justice, and cried, "Spare them, Lord, and if not," (and here he reached the very climax of agonizing earnestness) "blot my name out of the Book of Life." Never was there a mightier prophet than Moses, and never one more intensely earnest in intercessory prayer.” Charles Spurgeon “There is not a single child of God who does not plead with God for his children, for his family, for the church at large, and for the poor ungodly perishing world.” GiGi❤️  “When thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees."
2 Samuel 5:24. It is tempting to charge a path and make decisions without talking to God. Those ventures have never turned out well, “Lord should I go or should I stay?” It serves us well to check in. Spending essential time with God will help us do that, like Daniel who prayed three times a day, keeping our lifeline with God fine tuned. David’s greatest blunder in life is when he made a decision without consulting God. Spurgeon wrote: He would wait until God's sign was given; he said, "I will not lift my spear nor my hand till God hath bidden me do it, lest I should go to war at my own charges, and lose all I have obtained." My brethren, let us learn from David to take no steps without God. The last time you moved, or went into another business, or changed your situation in life, you asked God's help, and then did it, and you were blessed. You have been up to this time a successful man, you have always sought God, but do not think that the stream of providence necessarily runs in a continuous current; remember, you may tomorrow without seeking God's advice venture upon a step which you will regret. I beseech you, do not go before the cloud. If Providence tarries, tarry till Providence comes, never go before it. He goes on a fool's errand who goes before God but he walks in a blessed path who sees the footsteps of Providence. Listen to the sound of the mulberry trees and do not go before the cloud. GiGi❤️ |
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