The Results of Insecurity..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Results of Insecurity

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 143:8

We've already seen some of the areas where insecurity shows up. Now we need to turn our attention to its effects.

To start, insecure people have difficulty establishing good, lasting relationships. They simply cannot see how they could add value to anyone else's life. This is a tragic loss, because every single one of us needs deep and meaningful friendships to help us grow.

Also, men and women with insecurity are often seen as prideful or snobbish. Lack of confidence can cause them to withdraw from others, which can easily be mistaken for an act of arrogance. They can thereby give the impression that they simply don't want to be around others.

What's more, insecurity frequently leads to indecisiveness and fear. People can be so consumed with self-doubt that they can't make any decision at all. They wonder, What if I make a mistake? Well, so what if they do? Making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn how to do something correctly. Don't be afraid to try. Even if you don't succeed, you can at least rest in the fact that you did your best.

After a while, insecure people typically get angry. When they go so long feeling so poorly about themselves, they start to resent the success and happiness of others.

Can you see how something as subtle as a lack of confidence can have a debilitating effect on one's life? Don't allow such devastation to affect your relationships. Pray for the ability to recognize areas of self-doubt. And then start to take control today by asking the Lord to heal your insecurities.

God Encourages Us..... Craig Denison

 God Encourages Us

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

There is no better father than Creator God. He formed us and knows us. He provides for us, loves us unconditionally, and longs for real, life-giving relationship with us. He runs out to meet us in our sin, clothes us with new identity, and restores to us the abundant life he has always planned for us. As we spend time looking at the father heart of God, may a fresh revelation of his love for you guide you into greater depths of relationship with your heavenly Father.

Scripture:“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14

Devotional:

Our God is the great encourager. He takes the weak and makes them strong. He takes the hopeless and transforms them into beacons of eternal salvation. He takes the broken and heals them with his love. And he takes the fearful and fills them with powerful courage from on high.

Our heavenly Father longs to fill you with courage today. He longs to encourage you to accomplish the incredible calling for which you were created. As we look today at a powerful story of God’s encouragement, may your heart be filled with a longing and passion to seek out the entirety of God’s perfect plans for you. Judges 6:12-18 says,

And the angel of the Lord appeared to [Gideon] and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.”

God calls Gideon a mighty man of valor prior to any mighty actions Gideon had done. He commands Gideon to go out in the might to which he was called and accomplish the very work for which he was created. And when Gideon responds by asking God for a sign, God obliges him and remains with grace and mercy.

God is calling you to a life of eternal significance. He’s calling you to a life that matters. There is no weak tool in the hands of God. And there is no small calling in his perfect plans. You were created to live a life that changes the world. You were created for a destiny that draws the lost back into the fold of our heavenly Father. But in order to accomplish the life to which you were called you will need courage. You will need time spent in God’s presence being filled with his encouragement.

God is calling you a mighty man or woman of valor. He is speaking courage over you. He is near to you, ready and able to empower you. Take time in guided prayer to hear the voice of your heavenly Father. Allow his Spirit to speak to your spirit. Allow him to encourage you in his love. And follow his voice in faith that you might be used in greater ways than you could ever imagine.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire to encourage you. Allow Scripture to fill you with the truth about the life God intends for you.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

“But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.” Daniel 7:18

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

2. Where do you need courage to pursue the life to which God has called you? What is God calling you to today that seems impossible? What has God spoken over you in the past that fear has crippled you from pursuing?

3. Allow God to fill you with courage. Open your heart to him and ask him to empower you and fill you with his love. Rest in his nearness. Allow Scripture to fill you with faith to pursue to the fullest whatever God asks you to do.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” >Romans 8:31

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” >Ephesians 2:10

Don’t settle for a life of mediocrity today. God has a plan and purpose for everything you do. He longs to turn your relationships, job, finances, and passions into good works of eternal significance. His calling will satisfy your heart like nothing else. And the empowerment of his Spirit for his plans will transform you into a passionate, effective, and loving man or woman of valor. May you pursue wholeheartedly the life to which you have been called by your loving heavenly Father.

Extended Reading: 1 Peter 2

Already Approved by God..... KAREN EHMAN

 Already Approved by God

KAREN EHMAN

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)

At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, our adult son had to return suddenly to America from Australia, where he’d been living on a work visa. He moved into our home for a few months until he could make his next move in life.

We soon noticed his mail filling our mailbox. As a member of Gen Z, he became a potential client for nearly every credit card company in existence, many boasting of a zero-percent introductory interest rate and no annual fee. Stamped on the envelopes of these offers, in big, bold letters, was the phrase “NO APPROVAL NECESSARY.” Now, if only we could master this concept in our interactions with others!

Constantly seeking the approval of others — rather than resting in God’s approval — leads to people-pleasing. A few years ago, I realized that I didn’t just like to please people; I was also actually afraid of them. Maybe not afraid that they were going to harm me but afraid of what they might think of me. Or afraid of what they’d say about me. Or afraid of disappointing them. And so I fell straight in to the people-pleasing trap.

Proverbs 29:25 declares, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” You might know the definition of the word snare in English. It means “a trap,” much like one set to catch an animal. But the word as it is used in this verse carries a meaning that goes far beyond critter-catching.

In the original Hebrew, the word translated in English as snare is the word moqesh. Moqesh doesn’t only mean a trap for prey; it also conveys the concept of bait or a lure. It indicates an animal, object or person that is enticing, causing another to stop what they’re doing and insert themselves into a dangerous situation because of the “prize” in front of them. Before they know it, they’re caught!

Have you ever been enticed to say something you didn’t really mean to gain someone’s approval? Like give your coworker an insincere compliment to get on their good side? Or excessively rave about your friend’s new home decor that you don’t care for but that she’s obsessed with?

Maybe you’re tempted to say “yes” to requests when you’d much rather say “no” … just to avoid the discomfort of turning down the asker. Or maybe there’s a relationship in your life where your heartstrings are constantly tugged. And, worst of all, perhaps there’s someone with whom you have a dysfunctional relationship, and you dread making them sad or upset, so you constantly take the bait and give in just to garner their approval.

If you find yourself in any of the above situations, then you, my friend, have been caught in a moqesh.

So what are we to do to free ourselves from this snare? We wriggle free when we realize we do not constantly need the approval of others. We have already secured the greatest approval of all — that of being a child of the Most High God. He can grant us the courage to resist being caught in people-pleasing.

Second Timothy 1:7 reads, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (NASB). Let’s tap into this spirit of bravery — harnessing its power to truly love people by being honest with them, and disciplining our minds to remember that we already have God’s approval, so we don’t need to seek approval from others.

Will you dare to begin making choices based on what God wants you to do rather than on someone else’s approval? We can learn to entrust our lives to God, giving responses that line up with His Word, carried out with confidence instead of timidity.

Father, please keep me from falling into the people-pleasing trap of constantly seeking the approval of others. Remind me how much I am already loved and cherished by You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God Sees Through Our Masks.....By: Anne Peterson

 God Sees Through Our Masks (1 Samuel 16:7)

By: Anne Peterson

Today’s Bible Verse - But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” - 1 Samuel 16:7

Things look different now. Depending on where you live, some people still must put on masks when they are around others. And in some places around the world right now, people can’t even go outside. They are in complete lockdown.

With our masks on, we look the same. People can only see our eyes. Except for God, of course. He looks at our hearts.

Before masks, when we’d look at people’s faces, we’d draw conclusions. That person is smiling, things must be going well for them. The person with the scowl must be having a difficult day. And the one who won’t have eye contact, well, who knows what they are going through.

But God sees through our masks. Our cloth or paper ones, or even the masks we wear underneath our other masks. For a long time, I had learned the art of hiding behind my smile. It was not a real smile, but one I’d grab right before I’d head out the door.

God saw right through that smile of mine. People may read faces, but God reads our hearts. Even when our hearts are slammed shut. I know this because that used to be my heart after I suffered a miscarriage and then was told I had come in contact with someone who had tuberculosis. I was ordered to take INH, a slow-acting drug that I would take for a full year.

And then came the words that angered me:

“I don’t want you to get pregnant while you are on that medication.”

I could feel the anger rising inside of me, and a wall formed around my broken heart.   And no one could get in. From then on, I thought I was portraying myself the same as always. But one day, when my husband was in the army in Germany, we attended a fellowship gathering, and I met one of the new chaplains.

After talking to me for just a few minutes, Chaplain Bowker looked at me and said,

“I sense within you a rage.”

Totally exposed, I retorted, “You’ve got that right!”

I don’t know who was more surprised, the chaplain or me.

God graciously let me meet this chaplain who arranged counseling sessions with a nurse. God knew I was hurting, and he didn’t want me to stay there.

It took a while, but eventually, God healed my broken heart, and the wall I had built around it came down.

I recently heard a new song by Nathan Peterson. It’s called Masks. I cannot listen to the words of this song without picturing God himself saying these words: “You are not alone. I am here. I am here with you now.” 

Maybe God is saying the same thing to you right now.

Setting a Christian Example..... by Sarah Piper

 Setting a Christian Example

by Sarah Piper

Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4:12

Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt like you had nothing to offer or that your contributions didn’t matter? Ever had to prove yourself to others in order to gain their respect? Think back to your childhood—maybe you experienced this in a classroom or on a sports team. It’s easy to be intimidated or overshadowed by those who are older, smarter, more talented or more experienced than we are. In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul is writing to Timothy, a young believer. He encourages him not to give anyone an excuse to write him off as immature or undeserving of their attention, but instead to confidently set an excellent example of the Christian life.

Of course, Paul’s message here doesn’t apply only to Timothy, but to us as well. Even if we sometimes feel useless, God has a plan to use us for His glory in every situation. He enables us to live in a way that exalts Him and to bless others with our example.

In this verse, Paul names five specific areas in our lives that should be representative of a changed heart, the first of which is speech. This is probably one of the most difficult aspects of our character to keep in check; as James 3:6 says, “the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.” Although there’s no denying that it’s challenging, it’s vital that we learn to control what we say since it often has a huge effect on others. Thoughtful and loving words can establish relationships, but just a few angry or careless words can destroy years of friendship.

Next, Paul emphasizes our conduct. In his letter to the Philippians, he encourages them to “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” As believers, we have a responsibility to represent Christ to the world through our actions. If we wear the label of “Christian,” we must be willing to live our lives to that standard.

Perhaps the most essential aspect, love must also be characteristic of our lives. As Jesus says in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” More than anything else, our love distinguishes us from unbelievers. Christians are called to exhibit a kind of love that others would see as crazy, the same kind that Jesus showed us: unconditional, undeserved, and often unrequited—the type of love that makes people do a double take.

Next, Paul addresses our faith. As believers, “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We trust that the Bible is true, that Jesus was who He said He was, and that God has the ability to keep the promises He has made to us. This faith should give us courage to live boldly for Christ because we know God will love, protect, and provide for us no matter what.

Finally, we are called to be an example of purity. In the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:8, Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Because of our fallen nature, we can’t reach perfection in this life, but nevertheless, we are to strive to keep God’s commands as a demonstration of our love for Him and gratefulness for the saving work He’s done in our lives. As we grow in our walk with Him, He promises to purify us and make us more like Himself.

The characteristics outlined in this verse aren’t easy to perfect by any stretch of the imagination. That doesn’t give us a free pass not to work towards that goal, though. Paul challenges us to reach for a higher standard, not only to set an example for other believers, but also to make unbelievers wonder what we have that is so special that it changes everything about our lives.

A Prayer for Joy During Trials..... By: Emily Rose Massey

 A Prayer for Joy During Trials

By: Emily Rose Massey

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” James 1:2-3, NKJV

Feeling depleted and defeated was an understatement. From all of the hormonal imbalances and added stress from the severe, chronic sleep deprivation from a baby who woke continually through the night, I experienced depression on and off for months as a postpartum mother. My marriage was also under so much strain because I simply was not behaving like myself whatsoever and was on edge or emotional all the time.

As a Christian, it felt like such a fight to hold onto peace, hope, and joy. Knowing that true peace, hope, and joy are not circumstantial, I really had to lean on God’s grace to get through every single day unlike any other time in my life. I knew the Bible told me that I needed to “count it all joy” in the midst of these trials, but I needed God to give me eyes to see the why behind that and empower me to the how as well. 

We find in the opening of James’ letter to the tribes of Israel, after his initial greeting, he immediately begins exhorting and encouraging God’s people that the storms of life are not for no reason at all; there is purpose within the pain. 

James 1:2-3 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (NKJV).

James 1:3 reveals that this sharpening or testing of our faith will cause patience in us to grow and strengthen, which is a fruit of the Spirit. God will often use painful, uncomfortable, and stressful situations to sanctify us so that we are conformed more into the image of Christ. We can have joy knowing that these storms of life and difficulties are molding us into looking more like Christ.

When our lives are filled with trials, we must be able to look to the future—to heaven—to find the joy that can soothe our weary souls. Our joy must be based on looking to God and to the inheritance we will receive in heaven. This is exactly what Jesus did. He was able to endure the cross because of the joy that was set before Him (Heb. 12:2). We, too, must realize that the suffering we endure in this life cannot compare with the joy that is laid up for us in heaven. To be able to count all suffering joyful, we must be able to trust God. Even if you can’t see your circumstances changing, God is working behind the scenes always…and the most important thing is that He is changing you in the midst of it all!

Heavenly Father, 

My soul is weary, and my current circumstances feel too heavy to carry most days. I’m having trouble believing the clouds are going to part and if I will ever see the sun again in my life. But I know You are faithful, and You never leave me in my suffering. I ask You that You would use the hard times in my life to create a fountain of joy in my heart. Help me to fix my gaze on eternity and the joyful day that will be when I see You face to face. Lord, I trust You and I thank You for Your nearness. I ask that Your joy would fill me up even when I feel so empty. I cling to You always.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.