Author: mary

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Verse of the Day

Ephesians 4:31

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

Ephesians 4:31

Rid Yourself of Evil

Even after a believer comes to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ, evil can still seep into their lives. So, it is important to always be aware of your thoughts, words, and your actions, so you will not give in to the enemy’s schemes. He cannot capture your heart as a believer, but he will do everything in his power to pollute your mind. This is why God‘s Word says to take every thought captive, so you will not give in to his tricks. What kinds of evil does he try to put into your mind? Bitterness, which can only tear you apart instead of heal you, rage and anger that can destroy your life, harsh words that can create a downward spiral, and slandering others which can create hostility in your life. These are the things that the devil would love to do in your life so that you cannot be a light for Christ.

Be on guard and always look to the Lord for His wisdom. Fill your thoughts with things of God, make sure your words are gracious, and your actions point toward Him instead of yourself.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Protect me from the evil schemes of the devil. May my thoughts be pleasing to you, my words bring you praise, and my actions glorify you and bring others to your saving grace. Amen.

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Today’s Truth

Daily Truth: God of Wrath and Love

Some people only see God as a God of wrath. They see the bad things that happen in the world or they read about the destruction and how He had to tear the people down. Other people only see God as a God of love. They think that His love covers all and there are no consequences. They think that they can live however they want because God loves them. Both of these types of people miss the point and do not understand the God of the Universe.
This was a lesson that God taught the nation of Israel throughout the Bible. He delivered them from the hands of Pharoah and out of Egypt because of His love. However, the people griped and complained when Moses led them to the wilderness. They thought God had led them there to die and they began to make their own gods and idols instead of trusting in the Lord. So a whole generation of people had to die in the wilderness before God led them to the promised land. Then, out of His love for them, He helped them defeat the people who were living there. It wasn’t long before the people disobeyed again and turned to worthless idols. God had to destroy the nation, but out of His love for them, he delivered them into the hands of their enemies. God’s ultimate act of love was sending His son to die on the cross for the people.

This is what discipline looks like. It is a combination of love and accountability. There are consequences and restoration. This is the God of our fathers and the God of Christians today.

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Verse of the Day

Jeremiah 30:17

I will give you back your health and heal your wounds,” says the Lord. “For you are called an outcast—‘Jerusalem for whom no one cares.’”

Jeremiah 30:17

The God who Heals

In this scripture, Jeremiah is telling the people that God who has been their king, will restore them as a nation. They will be broken down because of the sins they have committed, but God will save them once again. He promises that He will give them back their health, heal their wounds, and care for them like no one else could. They had become an outcast overridden by their enemies, a desolate nation, but God would bring them back stronger than before.

What a beautiful picture of what God does for us. He heals our wounds, and this doesn’t necessarily mean our physical, but can be mental and health wounds that we have experienced. But He can also heal our physical wounds. He gives us back our health, spiritual, physical, or emotional. He restores us and rescues us from the pit we have gotten ourselves into. God cares about everyone, especially the outcast and those who feel like they have been cast aside. He is a great King and worthy of our praise.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You are my king. You are the ruler of my heart. You restore me to good health and you heal my wounds. You care for me like no one else. Thank you. Amen.

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Today’s Truth

Daily Truth: Broken Road

God intended us to follow Him and live a life in His will; however, sometimes we go astray and pursue another way. We think we know better, or we try to do it on our own. We fall down on our faces, and He picks us up again. He puts the pieces back together and leads us down His road again. Still, we choose the broken road again and again. God is a loving God who disciplines us and restores us when we go astray.

A parent’s goal with their children should be to train them up to be adults who love the Lord and contribute to society. However, the road to this goal can often bring heartache, bad decisions, and restoration. But a good parent does not disown their children when they make mistakes. They restore them, teach them, and help them get back up on the right track. This is what God, the Father, does with us as His children. He restores us back to our right relationship with Him, He teaches us in His Word how to follow Him, and He leads us down the right path again. Just as a child does not always know what is good for them at the time, we as Christians do not always know what is good for us until later.

It is a wonderful thing to look back and see what God has done in our lives, how He restored us, how He taught us, and how He led us back to Him.

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Verse of the Day

2 Corinthians 6:14

Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?

2 Corinthians 6:14

Unequally Yoked

This is a difficult scripture to digest for the believer, but it is a necessary one to understand. If we look at the original intent for marriage, God wanted believers to come together and glorify him with their relationship. So the best option is to be yoked with a believer because together, you can bring honor to the Lord in your relationship with Him and your relationship with each other. Paul understood that being yoked with an unbeliever would bring hardships for the believer, which is why he gave this advice. Light cannot live with darkness and righteousness cannot live with wickedness, so it is understandable that a believer cannot live with a nonbeliever and glorify God together. Does this mean there is no hope for a marriage that is unequally yoked? Absolutely not. The believer can still glorify God in their marriage by trusting God, praying for their spouse, and always living for the Lord in everything they do. The believer can be a witness for God in their marriage. While being unequally yoked is difficult, God can still work in and through that marriage, so the marriage can glorify Him. There is nothing in this life that is without hope, and a marriage that is unequally yoked is also not without hope. God can do amazing things when His people trust in Him. Nothing is impossible for Him.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
I know you are at work in my marriage. I trust that you will continuously bring glory and honor through my relationship with you. May my spouse glorify you as well. Amen.

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Today’s Truth

Daily Truth: Sanctification

Sanctification is the cleansing process that God uses to grow us in the face. It is the transformation that continuously takes place from the moment of salvation until we go to heaven. Sanctification is an act of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. We must trust God in the sanctification process and know that everything we experience is to grow us spiritually and bring us closer to Him.

Look at the life of Peter. Jesus sought Peter out and made him a disciple. He wanted to train Peter up so that he could face anything after He was gone. Peter walked with Jesus for many years before His death on the cross. Even though Peter knew the words of Jesus and loved Him with a fierce love, he still failed Jesus before He died and denied Him three times to the people around him. Yet, Peter learned from his denial and became a great missionary for the cause of Christ after Christ’s ascension into heaven. In our Christian lives, we will fail sometimes; however, God can pick us back up and start again if we trust Him. It is all part of the sanctification process.

God can restore us and reconcile us back to Him. Not only that, but we can learn from our mistakes and become stronger Christians for it. Sanctification is not always a pretty process, but it is a necessary process to grow us in our faith.

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Verse of the Day

Philippians 4:6

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Philippians 4:6

Parents, Pray about Everything!

You have probably heard this verse over and over again. Do not worry, but instead pray about everything. Everything means being intentional and praying for our children. It means that just like God protects us and loves us, we can protect and love our children by trusting in Him. DO not worry, and instead bring up your requests before the Lord. He created and knit our children together before they were born, so we can trust that He will take care of them. Does this always mean we will get the answers we want? Not necessarily, but it does mean that we are not alone in this parenting job.

Whether you were a single parent or two parents trying to work together, you are not alone. God can offer up His wisdom because He is a good Father, and He knows how to parent His people and love His people. So, we can trust that He can give us the advice we need when it comes to parenting. Worrying will not fix things with your children, but trusting in the Lord will. Whether your child is grown and on their own or is still growing, you can bring your requests before the Lord on behalf of your children. It is one of the greatest things we can do as parents.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You are a good, good Father and I know that you have the best wisdom when it comes to my children. May I be the kind of parent you are to me, and may I trust that you give good wisdom, not for harming, but to better my children. I trust in you. Amen.

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Today’s Truth

Daily Truth: Sorrow and Love

There are many verses in the Bible that speak about how God is close to the brokenhearted and cares for His people in their time of need. In this life we will have troubles and sorrows. We will have great moments of grief, but God is faithful and will tend to His flock. He is a good shepherd. Look how He cared for Ruth.

Ruth lost her husband and father-in-law and had a choice to make. She could stay in her own land and possibly find a husband of her faith and culture, or she could follow her Christian mother-in-law back to Judah and the God of her husband’s family. She chose to follow Naomi and she even said, “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” (Ruth 1:16-17). She loved Naomi and her God and wanted to follow them into the unknown. She showed great faith and trust in the Lord. God took care of her and led her to Boaz and the two of them would be part of the line of Jesus Christ.

Sorrow and grief can weigh on the soul, but God always tends to His flock and cares for His people. If we continue to follow Him through our grief, He will lead us back to the promised land and a life of great blessings.

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Verse of the Day

Lamentations 3:22-23

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23

His Faithfulness Never Ends

This is a great verse that we can also apply to parenting. God‘s mercies are new every single morning. That means that when we run to Him and ask for forgiveness, He is faithful and will offer that forgiveness to us time and time again. He is steadfast and patient with us. This is how we should be with our children. They are young and learning, so they will not always know the right thing to do. It is something we must teach them so they can grow in the Lord and understand right from wrong. Just as God forgives us when we ask Christ for His forgiveness, we should forgive our children when they wrong us. And they will because they are young. We must teach them right from wrong and also extend our grace even when they do not deserve it.

We did not deserve the grace of the father and yet he still poured out his grace and mercy upon us. So we must do the same for others and especially those in our household.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Thank you so much for the grace and mercy you have extended to me, Lord. Help me extend the same grace and mercy and forgiveness to my children. Help me teach them right from wrong according to your Word. Amen.

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Today’s Truth

Daily Truth: Clinging to the Future

One area that can be difficult for the Christian is allowing God to be in charge of their future. They would rather try and control the outcome of some situations than trusting that God knows what is best for their lives. In a world that tells you that you control your destiny, put your hope in the God who sees the future and acts on your behalf.

Abraham is one example of someone who wavered in his trust of the Lord. He knew that God had promised him he would be the father of nations, but his wife was barren. He could not see any physical way for this to happen, so he and his wife Sarah decided to take matters into their own hands and he slept with one of the maidservants. She became pregnant and bore Abraham a child. Sarah treated her poorly, so she ran away. However, God saw her and told her that he would take care of her and he did. He saw her future and she trusted him. God knew Abraham and Sarah’s futures as well. Soon after, Sarah bore a child as well and Abraham became a father again, but this time to the promised child. This would be how he would become the father of nations, not the way he tried. Abraham may not have shown faith then, but he trusted in the Lord after when God asked him to sacrifice his child. God spared the child because of the faith of Abraham.

God is trustworthy; he knows our futures and will work for our good if we allow Him to be in charge. Trust Him with your future today.