"But the Lord was with Joseph." Ge 39:21To reach his destiny, Joseph went through betrayal, temptation, slander, and wrongful imprisonment. But he came out on top. Here is what Joseph recognized that you need to recognize too: (1) God knows what you're going through, and He cares. There is a key phrase found five different times in the story of Joseph: "But the Lord was with Joseph." Even when everything was going wrong, Joseph never doubted that God was with him.(2) You have been given freedom of choice.God gives you freedom to choose how you will react to your circumstances: faith or doubt, joy or despair, patience, or impatience, etc.When you choose to ignore what's right, God won't force His will on you. Sometimes we bring problems on ourselves and then blame God. We say, "It must be God's will," as if God gets pleasure out of planning our mistakes and miseries! The truth of the matter is that God's will isn't always carried out. Yes, He has a plan for our lives, but He has also given us free will. And because He has also given others free will, their mistakes and decisions can hurt us as well. (3) God is in control of the final outcome. He can take every negative circumstance in your life today and turn it around for your good. In the end, Joseph could say, "You meant it for harm, but God meant it for good" (See Ge 50:20). And while God was working to bring good out of his situation, Joseph had to keep trusting Him, even though at the time he did not understand what was happening -and you must do that too.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"You will be strong and free of fear." Job11:15 NLTWhen you ignore the warning signs, chronic stress can take a toll on your body. So what are some of the signals? Well for starters, your stomach churns at any form of disagreement. When you can't find an outlet for pent-up frustration, you resort to overeating, smoking, drinking, drugs, and generally abusing your body. You isolate yourself, which affects your loved ones.Debora M. Coty writes about what she terms the "Three Fs: outward fussing, inward fuming, and chronic fatigue." She jokes, " knew it was time to address my stress issues when my growl grew louder than the dogs, and my family tactfully suggested I get a rabies shot." However, it's the signs you don't see that can do the most damage. Cortisol, a hormone our bodies release in the grasp of stress, adds to out-of-control feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. And studies verify that over time, stress raises your blood pressure, contributes to migraines and tension headaches, and results in the plaque that leads to heart disease. Chronic stress has been observed to increase cardiovascular risk by almost 50 percent! Not to mention documented connections to alcoholism, anxiety attacks, asthma, cancer, colds, depression, flu, insomnia, obesity, strokes, and ulcers. And those uncontrolled crying spells you encounter when you're exhausted are no coincidence. Stress lowers estrogen levels, which can activate emotional outbursts. If this describes you, take action!Rearrange your priorities, slow down, start taking control of your life, and turn to God.When you "prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer...You will be strong and free of fear" (vv. 13, 15 NLT).Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me." Jn 16:33 NLTStress is like kryptonite (Superman's nemesis), and it's out to knock off your cape and diminish you to a heap of trembling, useless mush. What should you do? (1)Immerse your exhaustion. Try a bubble bath.Even simply standing in the shower can assist in washing away fatigue and reviving your breathless body tissues and brain cells. Feel the moment and focus on the water's invigorating sensory contribution to your skin; allow it to spread resilience to your spirit. You say, "That doesn't sound very spiritual." Job's friend Zophar would disagree with you. Listen to what he told Job: "You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away" (Job11:16 NLT). (2) Request help! Allocate responsibilities and chores. When everyone does their portion, no one is left depleted."Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble" (Ecc 4:9-10 NLT). (3) Release perfectionism. Nobody is perfect but Jesus, and you're not Him. Let some things go. Tomorrow, give up a few more. Over time, those chores will stop nagging at you, and you will truly feel the stress in the pit of your stomach disintegrate.You will never be totally free from stress, but you can learn to cope with it and conquer it.Jesus said, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world" Jn16:33 NLT).Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"Get ready to cross...into the land." Jos 1:2 NIVThe words for you today are (1) Get ready. For forty years, Joshua had served Moses and been mentored by him; now he was ready to lead Israel into the promised land. This raises the all-important question: Are you ready for the success you seek? The frustrating thing about preparation is sometimes it takes more time than the event you're preparing for. Are you self-disciplined? Are you up to date on your career or calling? Do you have the right relationships in place? Is your homelife in order? Do you have strong character? As the old saying goes, "You can claim to be surprised once; after that, you're unprepared!" One author writes: "Talented people are sometimes tempted to take shortcuts. Character prevents that. Talented people may feel superior and expect special privileges. Character helps them to know better. Talented people are praised for what others see them build. Character builds what's inside them. Talented people have the potential to be difference makers. Character makes a difference in them. Talented people are often a gift to the world. Character protects that gift." (2) Go! God told Joshua, "I will give you every place where you set your foot" (v. 3 NIV). Don't be like Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland who asked the Cheshire-Cat, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. "I don't much care where-" said Alice. "Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat. To succeed, you must do the right things, moment by moment, day by day, following through with them in a consistent way.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"The eyes of man are never satisfied." Pr 27:20 NKJVWhen you're controlled by materialism. The flawed philosophy behind materialism is "more, more, more!" And it's the result of "eye trouble." The Bible says, "The eyes of man are never satisfied." It's okay to want a nice home, a reliable car, and financial security-and God will provide those things when you're a good steward of what He has already entrusted you with. But when you want more than you need or more than what's required to fulfill His will, the Bible calls it vanity. The word could be defined as being empty, hollow, or without purpose. Solomon writes, "He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity" (Ecc 5:10 NKJV). So before you ask God for prosperity, ask Him to reveal your life's purpose because they're directly linked.Jesus said, "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Lk 12:15). God uses a different "able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work... Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and. your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God" (2Co 9:8, 10-11 NIV). Is God willing to bless you financially? Yes, but only when you are willing to be a conduit and a distributor of His blessings.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"I have blotted out. your transgressions, and..your sins." Isa 44:22 NKJVWhen you have a hard time forgiving yourself.There is only one unpardonable sin named in the Bible (See Luke 12:10). And as a believer, you probably haven't committed it, so God will forgive you for everything else. However, when God says He forgives you and you refuse to forgive yourself, it's like opting to stay in prison after the judge has expunged your record and set you free. And worse, you're committing the sin of pride. How come? Because when God forgives you and you refuse to forgive yourself, you're putting your opinion above His. If you're having trouble forgiving yourself, stand on God's Word: "I...am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins" (Isa 43:25 NKJV). "1 have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and. your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you" (Isa 44:22 NKJV)."Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and...will abundantly pardon" (Isa 55:7NKJV). 'Never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,' says the Lord" (Eze 16:63 NKJV). "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1Jn 1:9). "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Ro 8:1 NKJV). Are you"in Christ Jesus?" Then rejoice; you no longer need to struggle under the weight of condemnation. God has totally forgiven you, so forgive yourself and move on.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"Teach children in a way that fits their needs." Pr 22:6 ERVHave you ever wished for a parenting do-over-a second chance to raise your kids? With hindsight and insight, you think you would do it right this time! Parenting is both rewarding and guilt inducing. It's rewarding because we love our children and they bring us joy. It's guilt inducing because we blame ourselves for their shortcomings and misfortunes. "Where did I go wrong as a parent?" There is no perfect parent, and there is no universal blueprint because every child is born unique.Psychologists told us our children were born a "blank slate," waiting for us to write life instructions on them. Not so! Babies are miniature people, "born in sin and shapen in iniquity" (See Ps 51:5). They are given to us to figure out as we try to mold them spiritually, morally, socially, and intellectually. By age seven, they have learned about 75 percent of everything they will ever know. But although there is no one-size-fits-all formula for success, there are God-given principles that work whether you're a new parent or a grandparent. "Teach children in a way that fits their needs, and even when they are old, they will not leave the right path" (Pr 22:6 ERV).Notice some keywords here. "Teach," which implies imparting information in a consistent, understandable way. Toddlers learn better with pictures. Older kids need us to use contemporary language. If they don't "get it," we probably didn't teach it well enough!"Children" means old enough to understand."A way that fits their needs" implies knowing their personality and abilities and tailoring your teaching to fit them. When God's principles fit the child's unique characteristics, they're more likely to adopt and follow them.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"Children are a gift from the Lord." Ps127:3 NLTOver the next few days, let's look at some practical areas where we as parents are often confused. Guidance versus criticism. If you have a placid, agreeable, and compliant child who enjoys school, homework, and doing household chores, bringing "them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" will be a joy! (Eph 6:4 NIV). Many of us, however, are given assertive, strong-willed kids with their own agendas. These kids know what they want, and when and how to get it. They also know what they don't want to eat, wear, hear, say, and do! And parents of these kids need help in building the kind of relationship that creates trust and allows for mutual discussion and respect in a tug-of-war atmosphere. In such cases giving guidance can easily become criticism, constantly emphasizing the child's faults: "You look ridiculous in that... you're never on time...why can't you be like...A much better approach is to point the kid to the solution. Even valid guidance offered negatively will damage self-worth, breed resentment, and destroy the possibility of building mutual respect. They need to hear you say, "I'm not on your back-I'm on your team!" When normal conflict arises?and it will?it's tempting to become overbearing or frustrated. When you shout, insult, or humiliate the child, you lose sight of your parental goal of guiding and training. This leaves them feeling angry, disempowered, uncertain of themselves and you an invitation to rebellion. But if you guide your child as one who is on their team, with patient practical help, links will be forged that encourage cooperation, trust, and mutual respect.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"Do not embitter your children." Col 3:21NIVAnother point of parental confusion is this:Bitter versus better. What is bitterness? It is strong resentment or cynicism. How do parents create bitterness in their children?Consider the following triggers: (a)Inconsistency. This happens when you are autocratic and authoritarian one day and permissive the next. What brought a strong rebuke today brings a smile of leniency tomorrow. So, your child never knows what to expect. (b) Moodiness. Today you're fun and enjoyable to be with; tomorrow you're irritable and distant. (c) Unreasonableness. There is no room for discussion, no opportunity for children to explore their feelings. "Just do as I say because I say it!" So, the kid is never given the chance to think through the reasoning process. (d) Abusive behavior. It might be physical or emotional (withholding your love, the silent treatment, rejection). Or it might be verbal (yelling and using words that wound). (e) Failing to walk your talk-saying one thing but doing another! You profess certain beliefs but don't practice them. You expect your kids to be respectful while you display disrespect to others. You expect honesty from your children, but they see you cheat and lie your way through life.Children are keen observers-they may not say anything, but not much that you do escapes their attention. They see your inconsistencies-when what you say doesn't line up with what you do. All of these behaviors can make them resentful. "Do not embitter your children." Don't set them up to become discouraged.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"They will become discouraged." Col 3:21NIVEmbittered children ultimately become discouraged. A discouraged child is less hopeful, less enthusiastic, lacking in determination, and easily led astray. By destroying your child's hope, you're undermining their God-given temperament.Children are born with optimism, inspiration, anticipation, and possibilities. Without hope, there is nothing to inspire them.Hopelessness brings depression and darkness of heart and soul. When you embitter your children, you undermine their hope. When you demoralize them, you destroy their confidence, leaving them afraid, insecure, and unable to face life. Self-confidence is necessary for a healthy self-image, for relating to others, for succeeding in their education and a career. Adisheartened kid loses certainty and becomes a broken spirit. The spirit is the center of the being. A broken spirit produces a broken person. "A broken spirit saps a person's strength" (Pr 17:22 NLT), leaving a child with their core disabled. Our streets are full of broken kids. Broken-spirited kids lack the resolve to achieve in life, to set goals and reach them. "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Pr 29:18). It's your vision that gives you the inner strength to see something through to its accomplishment in spite of the obstacles encountered. It takes an intact, resilient child to overcome life's hurdles. How can you help them? "Instead [of breaking their spirit], bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Eph 6:4 NIV). You must cherish them, teach them God's Word even when they seem indifferent, practice what you preach, be consistent with your rules, let them see you reading God's Word and praying regularly. Always encourage them and never, never give up on them!Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"Trust in the Lord." Pr 3:5 NIVWhen you honestly evaluate your worries, you will find you are doing these: (1) Forgetting that God is your friend. The psalmist said,"The Lord is a friend to those who fear him"(Ps 25:14 NLT). Friendship with God is built by sharing your life's experiences with Him-every activity, every conversation, every problem, and every thought. When you don't, you end up unaware of His presence, oblivious to His voice, resistant to His correction, and out of sync with His timing.And when you live that way, there is one inevitable result-worry! (2) Taking on things you shouldn't. Peter Marshall prayed:"Father...check our impulse to spread ourselves so thin that we're exposed to fear and doubt, to the weariness and impatience that makes our tempers wear thin; [that] robs us of peace of mind; that makes skies grey when they should be blue; that stifles a song along the corridor of our hearts." You lose your song when you add the unnecessary pressure of maintaining your exterior image, increasing your pace to keep up with the  Joneses, and trying to fix everybody or live up to their expectations. (3) Failing to understand the difference between the secular and the sacred. Either Jesus is Lord over every area of your life, or He is not Lord over any of it. We tell ourselves certain parts of our lives lie in the realm of God's concern, but not others. The Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" (Pr3:5-6 NIV). To live any other way is to live a worried life!Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"She came and has continued from morning until now." Ru 2:7 NKJVAfter ten years of sorrow and hardship in which she lost her husband and her support system, God introduced Ruth to her new husband, Boaz. Where? In the field where she worked each day. Who was Boaz? The owner of the field. One of the things that attracted Boaz to Ruth was her work ethic. The servant in charge of his reapers told him, "She came and has continued from morning until now." As a result, she ended up married to the boss.That's why the Bible has so much to say about the difference between laziness and hard work, sloppiness and excellence, tardiness and punctuality, honesty and dishonesty, a positive attitude and a negative one. Someone is always observing you who is capable of blessing you. Read these three Scriptures: (1) "Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men" (Pr 22:29 NKJV). (2) "The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich" (Pr 13:4 NKJV). (3) "He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich" (Pr 10:4 NKJV). Notice the phrases "a slack hand" and"a lazy man." By expecting much and giving back as little as possible in return, you don't just shortchange the company you work for, you shortchange yourself. Why? Because God promises to honor you when you give your best. His Word says, "Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another" (Ps 75:6-7).Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." Ac 11:26 NKJVDid you know that the word "disciple" occurs 269 times in the New Testament, whereas the word "Christian" is found only three times?The word "Christian" was first introduced to describe who they were, disciples of Jesus Christ! Dallas Willard uses the illustration of the automobile: "The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian-especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He or she stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God." Becoming a Christian is the work of a moment; it happens when you place your trust in Christ. But becoming a disciple is the work of a lifetime; it calls for denying yourself and saying yes to the will of God every day of your life. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Three things: (1) To listen to Him and learn. That calls for reading, studying, memorizing, verbalizing, and applying the truths taught in the Scriptures to your life each day. (2) To follow Him wherever He leads. This may call for changing your plans, forfeiting some of your relationships, and giving Him access to things you would like to hold on to. (3) To be devoted to Him.One day Jesus said to Peter, "Do you love Me more than these?" (Jn 21:15 NKJV). Note the word "more." To be a disciple means to love Jesus more than anyone or anything else. And it's the most fulfilling and rewarding life you can live!Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus." Heb12:1-2 NKJVThe men and women who made the greatest impact on the world were those who were totally focused and sold out to their vision.John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, once said, "If I had three hundred men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and were determined to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, I would set the world on fire." Jonathan Edwards, whose ministry sparked the Great Awakening in America, made this his life's motto: "Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I will." C. T. Studd, one of England's greatest athletes, shocked the world when he gave up fame and fortune to be a missionary to China."If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him," he explained. Missionary Jim Elliot, who died as a martyr in South America, said,"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." The day you were born, God had a track for you to run on. But to win, you must get rid of (1) anything that weighs you down, and (2) anything that trips you up. "Let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus" (vv. 1-2 AMPC).Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." Jn 15:3God's Word is like a prescription from your doctor. You don't have to understand how the medication works-you just have to faithfully keep taking it. Something amazing happens when you feed regularly on God's Word.Temptation begins to lose power, and overcoming strength begins to replace it.Each time a Scripture opens up and becomes real to you, your desire for God's Word increases. But that means reading your Bible even when you don't feel like it, or think you don't have time to do it, or you don't seem to be getting much out of it. The Bible says: "As the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay upon the ground to water the earth, and cause the grain to grow and to produce seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry, so also is my Word...it always produces fruit.It shall accomplish all I want it to" (Isa 55:10-11 TLB). You don't have to have certain sensations to know that God's Word is working in you. Indeed, Bible reading will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from Bible reading. After his affair with Bathsheba, David wrote, "I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin" (Ps 119:11 TLB). Jesus said, "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." Are you tired of living in defeat? Then bathe your mind each day in God's Word. Let it flow over you until every vestige of sin and carnality is washed away.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"Leave them; they are blind guides." Mt15:14 NIVThere are plenty of good leaders around-don't be afraid to follow them. But what about the "blind guides" that Jesus talks about?Here are some signs to help you identify and avoid them: (1) Inflexibility. True leaders have a teachable spirit and a servant's heart. They rejoice in your growth and aren't threatened by your development. They won't try to "keep you in the nest" when it's clear that you're ready to fly. (2) Elitism. Look out for the "we-alone-are-right" attitude. When someone can't acknowledge and fellowship with other members of God's redeemed family, something's wrong. The word exclusive is often another word for paranoid. (3)Moneygrubbing. Here is God's standard for leadership: "Not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve" (1Pe 5:2 NIV). The Bible also says good leaders are "worthy of double honour" (1Ti 5:17), which means twice as much. But look out for those who teach that you must only sow your seed into their field, and nowhere else. (4) Accountability. Beware of the untouchable, "-am-God's-anointed" types. No matter how gifted we are, we all have blind spots and need to be confronted and counseled from time to time. Solomon said, "Pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up" (Ecc 4:10 NIV). Here is what Jesus said about the religious leaders of His day: "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit" (Mt15:13-14 NIV). When choosing a leader, you don't need a blind prima donna; you need one with a servant spirit.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"Teach them to your children and your grandchildren." Dt 4:9 NKJVLet's read what God said to the parents who entered the promised land: "Take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren" (v. 9 NKJV). Notice the progression here. First, "take heed to yourself." Next, "teach them to your children." Your ability to influence and mold your children is based on your credibility with them. When the principles you live by produce joy, peace, strength, kindness, discipline, and success, your children will begin to take you seriously. And you have a limited window of opportunity. There are skills that can be learned during early childhood that become much more difficult later on.Have you ever wondered why it's so simple to teach preschoolers any language they hear?And they can learn it perfectly, without even a trace of their own accent. Fifteen or more years later, they will have a much harder time attempting to make those same sounds. This is explained by a process called "phoneme contraction." The larynx of a young child assumes a shape needed to make any sounds he or she is learning to use. It then sets in those positions, making it impossible or challenging to make other sounds in later years. A child's attitude toward parental leadership is similar. That's why it's essential to "shape the will" during the preschool and early years by balancing unconditional love with consistent teaching and firmness at home. If you miss that opportunity, the adolescent years can be rougher than they need to be.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"The seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how." Mk 4:27NKJVHave you sown a "seed" of faith, and now you're wondering when you will reap the"harvest" God promised in His Word? If so, read on: "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come" (vv. 26-29NKJV). Before you reap the harvest of blessing God promised, you go through certain stages. First there is the "not knowing" stage. Your seed is buried in the ground. How and when your harvest comes is entirely up to God. But you must believe that it will happen. Next comes the "blade" stage.It's just a tiny blade blowing in the breeze, but it's enough to encourage you and let you know your harvest is on the way. Next comes the "head" stage. The seed has started to sprout and look like what you prayed for. This is when you must water it with prayer, fertilize it with God's Word, and protect it from anything or anyone that would uproot it through doubt and unbelief. Finally you enter the "full grain" stage, when the grain ripens and you immediately reap a harvest.Whatever stage you're in today, stand fast and keep trusting God. Your harvest is on the way.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"He does our praying in and for us." Ro8:26 MSGLife can wear you down. You can get to the place where your anxiety runs so deep, or your stress levels increase so high that you can't think clearly. The problem or pain you're experiencing is so overwhelming that you can't put it into words. Good news: That's when the Holy Spirit living within you prays for you and through you. As you bring your burden to the Lord and kneel in His presence, a wonderful thing happens. In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases it this way:"God's Spirit is right alongside helping us...If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves...That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good" (vv. 26-28 MSG). Because prayer is relational, the Holy Spirit will communicate your heart to God and His heart back to you. When you don't know how to pray-stay. Just remain in God's presence with your heart open, and He will communicate with you. "You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things" (1Jn 2:20 NKJV). Before God puts the answer in your head, He puts His peace in your heart. That's why prayer cannot be rushed. It's why taking the time to meditate and be still before God is so important. It allows the Holy Spirit to share God's thoughts with you so that you begin thinking His way.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

"With favor You will surround him as with a shield." Ps 5:12 NKJVTo have job security you should: (1) Increase your visibility in your industry. Establish contacts and relationships with others outside your company by attending local industry gatherings wherever possible. Your goal should not merely be to know enough to get by but to develop your skills so that you will get noticed and get ahead. When the time is right and you're ready, God will open doors for you. "For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield" (v. 12 NKJV). (2) Maintain a divine perspective on your job. Remind yourself that it is not the source of your security but simply one of many channels God can use to provide for you. Read the story of Elijah the prophet and how God miraculously provided for him through a raven, a brook, and a single mom with just enough food for one meal. God used four different streams to water the garden of Eden. So when you have an unmet need or a financial shortfall, ask Him to reveal different streams of income to you. And stand on these two promises: "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Php4:19). "God has not given us a spirit of fear [of losing your job], but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2Ti 1:7 NKJV). Fear and faith are powerful forces that seek to rule your life. One will take you in the wrong direction, the other will take you in the right direction. So, strengthen your faith by reading God's Word, praying, and entrusting the outcomes of your life to Him.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!