I can do all this through him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13
We all are faced with difficult situations in life. Often we feel that if it’s tough, it’s probably because we out of God’s will. Sometimes this isn’t the case. Often God calls us to do things that will require us to trust Him to accomplish it. While in the process it can be challenging but God will give you the strength to get through it victorious.
Remember that never having problems isn’t victory. Trusting God to help you through difficult situations is.
Today, lean on God’s strength. Trust in Him to help you in whatever you might be going through.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. – Colossians 3:15
I noticed recently that I hadn’t had a lot of peace. I’d been stressed out about my job and relationships and there was absolutely no peace ruling in my heart. I wanted to curl up in bed and not come out for a long time.
You’ve probably faced circumstances like I have that made you want to tune everything in the world out. Maybe an assignment, teacher or tough relationship has been stressing you out. It’s hard to have peace in your heart when it seems like so many things are against you, externally.
Today’s Bible verse says something interesting about peace. At the end of the verse, it tells us to be thankful. How do we practice being thankful when things are going so wrong? I believe it’s by starting to be thankful. Even when things are hard there is something you can find to be thankful about. When you focus your energy on being thankful, even for the smallest things, it’s a lot easier to be at peace.
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Do you feel angry with your parents a lot? If so, you’re not alone. Anger at your parents often comes when you feel misunderstood. And while it’s ok to have those feelings, God wants us to develop, grow, and become mature in Him.
We can do that by focusing in on the fruit of the spirit. God tells us that He’s given us the Holy Spirit to produce those fruit in our lives.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, – Galatians 5:22 (NLT)
So while our natural reaction might be to snap at our parents, we have to realize that we’re filled with the Holy Spirit. So we need to begin to tap into the Holy Spirit and let the fruit He produces flow out of our lives.
This isn’t to say you’re going to be perfect at self-control. No. We all mess up, lose our cool from time to time. However, we should be striving to be more like Christ and to let the fruit of the spirit flow out of our lives.
Have you noticed how easy it is to lose self-control? One minute you’re happy, a minute later, the kid on your bus spits his gum onto your backpack and you become full of anger toward him.
The truth is, God wants to turn us from angry, upset, stressed-out people to those full of self-control.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, – Galatians 5:22 (NLT)
Even if the idea of developing self-control in your life seems kind of hard, boring or scary, in reality it’s not that bad. Today’s Bible verse gives us the key.
It says the Holy Spirit produces those fruits in your life. That means that you don’t have to work hard to produce them. Instead, you have to realize that you’re full of the Holy Spirit and tap into His help.
Think of it this way. Let’s say your mom has a bag of snacks in a bag at your house. The snacks are there for you. You have every right to go grab a snack out of the bag. The snacks have been provided for you, it’s just up to you to go get one.
When it comes to self-control the same is true. The Holy Spirit is producing self-control in your life, you’ve just got to choose to use it.
So today, if you’ve struggled with self-control, be encouraged. Don’t look at all the ways you’ve failed, but rather realize that the Holy Spirit is working with you to develop self-control in your life.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” – Psalm 91:2
What do you think of when you think about trust? Do you think of someone always having your back? Do you think about someone who does what they say? What does trust mean to you?
When it comes to relationships, most of the time trust comes with time. As time passes, you see the person in a variety of different situations and you begin to see who they really are. You begin to see how they think and respond to situations. And over time, you begin to trust that person. You begin to know if what they say is true and if they’ll follow through.
Today’s Bible verse is all about trust. Can you say that God is who you trust? Have you spent time getting to know Him, getting to see how He responds in different situations, and building trust with Him? God is someone you can rely on and trust in, but to build that trust, you’ve got to spend time reading your Bible. That’s one of the best ways you can get to know God. You begin to see in the Bible how God responded to different people throughout history. You can see that God always comes through and is faithful. To build trust in God, you’ve got to spend time reading the Bible.
So challenge yourself today to spend time getting to know the God of the Bible. Take some time out of your day to read some of the great stories in the Old Testament of how God came through for His people. As you do, you begin to realize that He will do the same for you!
What is a Bible verse that has helped you trust God more? Leave a comment below and let us know!
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. – 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
For most of us, the school year has been going now for a few weeks. Whether you’re meeting at home, online or in person, the newness of it has probably worn off. Now you’re faced with homework, sports, friendship drama and lots of other stressors.
It’s easy when life starts getting full and busy and maybe even a little crazy to begin to get stressed out. The truth about stress is that it’s really a form of fear.
Stress is rooted in fear.
Perhaps you’re stressed out about homework. If you’re honest, are you fearful that you don’t understand it, or that you won’t get it done in the time you have to do it each night?
Maybe relationships stress you out. Deep down, you’re afraid you won’t be accepted or that you’ll miss out on something really fun.
If we’re not careful, the stress of life will keep us from really enjoying those blessings God puts around us. So today, if the newness of school has worn off and you’re starting to feel stress, remember stress isn’t of God. God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but rather of power, love, and a sound mind!
Leave us a comment and let us know how we can encourage you. We know school is stressful, but we’re here to encourage you that with God’s help you can make it through!
Intelligent people think about what needs to be done here and now. Fools are always dreaming about faraway places – Proverbs 17:24 (ERV)
How many times have you spent hours wishing you were somewhere else. I used to always wish that I was done with high school and out of my parent’s house. I just felt that I wanted freedom and I wanted to get on with my life. However, this verse tells us that dreaming about things like that makes us a fool. To spend time thinking and wishing you were somewhere else is not productive. If you spend all your time unhappy because of where you are in life and never do anything about it, nothing will change.
Instead of spending all your time wishing you were somewhere else doing something else, choose to do what the first part of this verse says. Choose to focus on what can be done now. Think about things you can be doing now to make a difference or to help someone else out. If you spend your time doing this, then you are intelligent.
As this verse says, taking action and planning right where you are now is always more powerful than dreaming of wanting to be somewhere else. Your purpose is not fulfilled just longing for a better place to be. Instead, choose to see the opportunities right in front of you and begin making plans and taking action. You’ll be glad you did. [Tweet “Choose to see the opportunities right in front of you and begin making plans and taking action.”]
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. – Romans 10:17 (NLT)
So far we’ve talked a lot about God’s word this week. God’s word is truth. It’s the answer for any problem that you face and you should approach everything in life through God’s word.
God’s word is also helpful because reading it and hearing it produces faith in your life.
The more time you spend in God’s word the more your faith in God will become real to you. If God doesn’t feel or seem real to you, then it’s possible that you need to spend more time in God’s word.
The thing about God’s word is that it’s good news. God’s word encourages you when you’re down, helps you when you don’t know what to do. God’s word is helpful in every area of your life.
Today challenge yourself to spend some time in God’s word and see your faith in Him grow!
My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. – Proverbs 4:20-22 (NLT)
As we talk about the Bible this week, it’s easy to feel like the Bible is boring, or that it’s outdated. And while it is a really old book, it is certainly not outdated. The Bible is amazing. It has a way of showing you things and helping you grow as a person.
The Bible is also truth. Every word written in it is truth. And as Christians, we live by the truths found in God’s word.
Today’s verse says that God’s word brings life to those who find it.
God’s word exists to bring life to you. So where in your life could you use a little more life? Do you struggle feeling unloved? God’s word will show you your worth and value. Do you feel stressed out? The Bible provides so much insight on how to be at peace.
Whatever you face, God’s word is truth and it has your answer. Your challenge is to find that truth and pay attention to it.
So today, challenge yourself to Google some scriptures that apply to the challenge you’re facing right now. Think about them and see that God’s word brings life and light to your situation.
I will thank the LORD because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. – Psalm 7:17 (NLT)
Right now, being thankful may not be at the top of your list of things to do. Maybe you resent wearing a mask to school. Perhaps your school is meeting only online and you HATE it.
With all the masks, restrictions, and things going on around us right now, it can be really easy to get resentful and ungrateful.
However, harboring those feelings will only make you more unhappy in the long run. That’s why the writer of Psalm 7:17 says that he thanks the lord. It’s not that he’s thanking the Lord for everything happening around him, rather he’s just thanking the lord because God is good. God is just, and God cares for him.
The same is true for you. One of the best ways to combat unhappiness is to begin to be thankful. Even if your situation and circumstances are really bad, you can choose to be thankful in the middle of all of it. As you begin to be thankful you’ll realize that God has good things in store for you and that you really do have so much to be grateful for.
Leave us a comment and let us know what you’re struggling with the most this year. We’d love to lift you up in prayer!
