God is not the author of confusion but of peace.—1 Corinthians 14:33 (NKJV)
WHEN LIFE SEEMS to be spinning out of control, focus on this verse. Ask the Author of Peace to help you regain your sense of calm. Take a deep breath and rest in the understanding that God provides peace above and through the confusion.
Heavenly Father, when I keep my eyes on You, I can relax knowing You have everything under control.
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.—Isaiah 60:1 (NIV)
LIFE CAN FEEL dark sometimes, just like a cold winter morning. When this happens, ask God to help you have the strength to start the day. Invite His glorious light in your life. He has plans for you. He wants you to embrace the life He has set before you.
Dear Lord, thank You for the warmth and light You bring to my life.
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.—Isaiah 53:3 (KJV)
IN THE ABOVE verse Jesus is “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” If you are facing loss, and grief, know that God understands the pain you are feeling. Bring your heartache to Him and take comfort knowing He fully understands what you are going through and will support you and guide you to the other side of grief.
Lord, when no one else understands how badly I hurt, You do! You are my comfort and my healing source; I know I am not alone in my pain.
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.—Proverbs 21:1 (NKJV)
TODAY ON PRESIDENTS’ Day ask that God direct our President with spiritual wisdom and understanding to lead our nation. Surround him with wise counsel of men and women of integrity. Give him depth and insight into all situations. Ask for His mighty arms to protect our nation, our military and our leaders and hold us safely in His care.
Lord, remind me to keep our president in my prayers not just on Presidents’ Day but throughout the year.
Speaking to the people, He went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”—Luke 12:15 (MSG)
WE ALL NEED to heed Jesus’s warning in the above verse. Life is not defined by what you have–and sometimes our stuff actually becomes a trap, taking you away from your true self and making you believe that you are what you have. If you start judging yourself by your material possessions, ask God to open your eyes to His truth.
Dear Lord, if I get caught up thinking that a material object will make me happy, guide me back to what really matters. Guide me back to You.
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.—John 14:26 (NIV)
WHEN YOU FACE the winter of life, the Holy Spirit is a warm blanket for your soul. When you are stressed or depressed, He reminds you to cast your cares on Jesus. When you are overwhelmed and feeling stuck not knowing what to do He whispers, “You’re not alone. You can do this.”
Heavenly Father, thank You for being my Counselor on this journey of life.
I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.—Psalm 119:11 (NLT)
SCRIPTURE IS ALIVE. It is “sharper than any two-edged sword…and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Know that His Words are transformative and powerful. Make time to study the Bible. Keep a list of favorite verses and others that you need to study more.
Lord, I am so grateful for Your Words that guide and shape me, that comfort and protect me, that lead me close to You.
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.—1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)
LOVE IS THE greatest value in life. Stop for a moment and truly take this truth into your mind, body and spirit. Live with love in your heart. Do everything you can to help human sorrow. Loving others will make you spiritually victorious—able to rise above all difficulty. Fear will be crowded out of your life and replaced with love.
Dear Lord, today on Valentine’s Day, continue to let me feel Your comforting love in my life—and guide me to extend Your pure and beautiful love onto others.
I have tried hard to find you—don’t let me wander from your commands.—Psalm 119:10 (NLT)
SOMETIMES WE PLACE roadblocks on our prayer journey. We make excuses about being too busy, too tired and too distracted but the truth is all of these things can be a springboard to prayer. Whatever is stopping you from spending more time on your faith, reach out to God and ask for His help.
Heavenly Father, give me the grace to change and help me to remember what an amazing gift it is to spend time with You.
But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.—1 Kings 12:8 (NIV)
GOD GAVE US His Spirit to nudge us in ways we can’t always explain—a gut feeling, a phone call at exactly the right time, an email subject line that speaks directly to our problem. When we immerse ourselves in the Word of God, we grow more connected to Him and it becomes easier to know when He is leading us.
Heavenly Father, You always speak to me when I need guidance. You are the best counsel I can have.
Good sense makes a man slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.—Proverbs 19:11 (ESV)
DR. NORMAN VINCENT Peale said that when anger surges inside you, remind yourself that getting mad will get you nowhere except into trouble. He advised that you talk yourself into being sensible. Slow down your anger and rise above provocation. Build up a habit of becoming “slow to anger” (James 1:19) by letting faith guide your thinking.
Dear Lord, help me resolve differences with love and compassion and always work towards peace and harmony.
I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.—John 14:27 (NLT)
TRUSTING JESUS COMPLETELY and obeying Him consistently is a lifelong process. As you enjoy His gift of peace more often, you are more able to live in the present and depend on Him to comfort and encourage you through the His Word and prayer.
Heavenly Father, because of You, no matter what’s going on around me I am calm. Your peace lives deep inside my heart.
Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly…—1 CORINTHIANS 9:26 (NIV)
Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.—PROVERBS 12:25 (NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God— this is your true and proper worship.—Romans 12:1 (NIV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.—Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.—Lamentati ons 3:23 (NASB)
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish.”—Esther 4:14 (NIV)
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.—Matthe w 5:48 (NIV)
The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.—Proverbs 27:9 (NLT)
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.—1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.—Psalm 66:10 (NIV)
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.—Hebrews 6:19–20 (NIV)
“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”—Isaiah 44:22 (NIV)
But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.—Jeremiah 10:12 (NIV)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?—John 11:25–26 (NIV)
They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left.—Mark 15:27 (NIV)
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.—Matthew 12:40 (NIV)
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”—Galatians 5:14 (NIV)
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.—John 15:12 (ESV)
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.—2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV)
My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul.—Psalm 108:1 (NIV)
