Lord, I know that Satan created the spirit of fear, anxiety, doubt, and worries to torture and entrap my mind and rob me of my joy, peace, and sleep. When what-ifs wake me in the dark of night, please help me to denounce Satan and remember 1 Peter 5:7 where you say internal peace is as simple as casting all my anxiety on you because you care for me.
I am comforted that you see into the depths of my heart and the intricacies of my mind where unhealthy fears dwell. You already know what’s troubling me, but you want to hear me share my concerns with you to release the stronghold grip they have on my thoughts and emotions.
Father, I trust that you don’t want me to waste a moment of my life fretting. Please calm my racing heart and fill my troubled mind with hope and my spirit with peace. Assure me that no weapon formed against me will prosper and you have a plan and a purpose for me in this time of turmoil.
Show me your ways Lord and grant me the courage to follow where you lead. Amen.
Faith pleases God more than anything else. The Christian life is dependent upon faith. We stand on faith; we live on faith. Faith is loved and honored by God more than any other single thing. The Bible teaches that faith is the only approach that we have to God. No man has sins forgiven, no man goes to heaven, no man has assurance of peace and happiness, until he has faith in Jesus Christ. You may be saying, “God, I believe you are a great person, but I do not believe your Word; I do not believe what you say.” In order to please God, you must believe Him. Perhaps your faith is small and weak. It does not matter how big your faith is, but rather, where your faith is. Is it in Christ, the Son of God, who died on the cross for your sins?
Prayer for the day
Lord Jesus, may my faith in You and Your abundant promises be ever increasing each day.
May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! — Psalm 20:1 NASB
Unemployment, wars, terrorism, natural disasters, leaders’ poor decisions — times are hard.
But as our older relatives will tell us, hard times are nothing new. Flip through old family photo albums or history books, and see how difficult life was. Against the background of diseases, droughts, and financial depression, we see men and women of deep and abiding faith.
Turn in the Bible to the book of Psalms. There we hear the cries of God’s people in times of trouble. We also hear echoes of our own frustration, our own fears, and our pleas for help from the only One who understands, the One who can best respond.
When the troubles of this world crash in around you, flip through the pages of that photo album to gain some perspective. Then open the Psalms and find words of encouragement and peace for your weary soul. God is faithful, He understands, and He hears your prayers.
Excerpted with permission from 365 Devotions for Peace by Cheri Cowell, copyright Zondervan
God, thank You for believers in ages past who struggled in times of trouble yet held fast to their faith. Help me to be able to hold fast to my faith. Amen.
Lord, we are thankful that you have blessed us with being a mother. Give us the strength for the task– and we ask for peace in or hearts, homes and in our relationships with our husband/partner and with our children.
“Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.” Psalm 107:28 – 30
Anxiety. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed people who were worried about their basic needs being met (Matt. 6:25-34). He assured them of divine provision if God’s kingdom was their top priority.
Fear. When a storm arose, the disciples were afraid even though the Creator of the wind and the sea was with them, asleep in the boat (Matt. 8:23-27).
Focus. As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he had faith to walk on water. But when he focused on his circumstances, he began to sink. (Matt. 14:24-33).
Forgetfulness. Despite the feeding of thousands, the disciples failed to remember Christ’s past provision in their current situation (Matt. 16:5-12).
Inadequacy. Although Jesus had given His disciples authority to cast out demons, they felt inadequate and lacked divine power when faced with a particularly difficult situation (Matt. 17:14-20).
In each case, the wrong mindset resulted in a lack of confidence in Christ. Diminished faith begins not with circumstances but with our thinking and focus. Therefore, if we want to increase our trust in God, we must fill our minds with the truth of Scripture, remember our Father’s faithfulness to us in the past, and look for His hand working in our present situation. When our minds are renewed, our faith will be also.
I leave you peace; My peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid. — John 14:27 NCV
Imagine being in the middle of a lake. The boat you’re sitting in has sprung a leak. The lake is deep, the shore is distant, and your boat is filling fast. You know what it feels like to be “troubled or afraid”!
What you need is a bucket to bail the water out — or do you? A bucket will only do so much. Sooner or later the water will come in faster than you can bail it out. You realize that if you want to stay afloat, you need to fix the hole in your boat.
When life is difficult, much is out of our control, and we feel ourselves sinking, we need to recognize that we aren’t able to bail ourselves out. We won’t find peace, much less our way back to shore, on our own. We need to fix the problem at its source—and only Jesus can do that. The peace as well as the guidance and help He offers will keep us afloat.
So the next time you reach for a bucket, consider reaching out for Jesus instead.
Lord, thank You that You give me not only the strength I need for the challenge, but also guidance, help, and peace when I’m sinking. Amen.
Excerpted with permission from 365 Devotions for Peace by Cheri Cowell, copyright Zondervan.
The peace that Jesus came to bring was not the peace of appeasement, or the peace of compromise and conformity. It was a spiritual peace. The world doesn’t give peace, for it doesn’t have any peace to give. It fights for peace, it negotiates for peace, it maneuvers for peace, but there is no ultimate peace in the world. But Jesus gives peace to those who put their trust in Him. If you have received His peace, then you are in His camp. But if you have rejected it, then you are against Him. His peace is available to everyone who will receive it.
Prayer for the day
Deep down I feel Your peace, Lord Jesus, and the storms of my life are abated.
Fear is a powerful human emotion that can cause us to respond inappropriately or motivate us to take positive action. Or fear has the ability to paralyze us from taking any action.
Fear can even stop us from turning to God, our Rescuer, who knows every personal and world disruption we will face. His timeless Word, the Bible, has all the answers and antidotes to keep us calm, cool, and collected.
He assures us, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
We want to trust God but there are times when peace eludes us. We’re worried and anxious. We don’t want to be brave this time. Then God reminds us, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
