Trusting God Day by Day

[Aeliana]

Don’t Leave God Out of the Loop

I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!
PSALM 91:2

When we are frustrated, it is often because we are trying to do something in our own strength, instead of putting our faith in God and receiving His grace and help. Let us learn to pray for what we would like to be changed, and then cast our care on God. If He leads you to take some kind of action, then do it; but if He doesn’t, then wait with peace.

I had to practice trusting God for a lot of things, but particularly finances. At one point in the beginning of my ministry, God asked me to trust Him to provide for my family financially without my working outside the home. I knew that I needed time to prepare for the ministry He had called me to. And working full-time in addition to being a wife and mother to three small children didn’t leave much time to prepare to be an international Bible teacher.

As an act of faith, and with my husband’s consent, I quit my job and began learning to trust God to provide for us. Dave had a good job, but his salary was forty dollars a month less than our bills. This meant we had to have a miracle from God every month.
I remember what a struggle it was to not go back to work—after all, I was a responsible woman and wanted to do my part. But I knew that God was asking me to keep preparing for the ministry He was calling me to and to trust Him for provision. Each month, He provided for our financial needs, and seeing His faithfulness was exciting, but I was accustomed to taking care of myself—all this “walking by faith” was crucifying my flesh big time.

Trusting God for the forty dollars a month we needed to pay our bills and for anything extra we needed was often difficult, but it helped us gain a strong foundation of faith that has helped us throughout our lives. I strongly encourage you to obey God and trust Him in every area of life. Each victory you have will increase your faith for the next challenge you face.

Trust in Him Little faith can become great faith when we see the faithfulness of God as He meets our needs. You can become a person who enjoys great peace by trusting God.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

The Beauty of Submission

Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ…
EPHESIANS 5:21

My husband, Dave, is anointed to be the head of our family, but if I have a negative and rebellious attitude toward Him, I will miss God’s best for my life. However, if I stay under Dave’s covering, pray for him, and respect his authority, God will be able to bless our entire family. God’s Word says that where there is unity, there is blessing (see Ps. 133).

Let’s learn to pray for those who have authority over us, rather than being angry and rebellious. James 5:16 says, “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]…” Just think of it—tremendous power is made available when we pray! Imagine the peace and content we would enjoy in our lives if we were to consistently pray for those in positions of leadership.

In the workplace, picture what could happen if we prayed for the boss instead of murmuring, faultfinding, and complaining about him or her, the way the company is run, or how underpaid we think we are! What if our prayers resulted in the boss being so blessed that he or she became a happier, more content person… and all that happiness and content filtered down to us. What glorious, joy-filled lives we could have if we were to live as Jesus instructed.

I believe there is beauty in godly submission. Even when we disagree with someone, we can learn to disagree, agreeably. We can show respect for them and their position of authority even when they do something that we think we would do differently. I believe a rebellious attitude is a very dangerous one, and I urge everyone to submit first to God and then to the authority He has placed you under.

Trust in Him Pray for the authority figures in your life—whether it be your parents, spouse, boss, or pastor—and trust God to bless you through them.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

The Spirit of Grace

As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
2 CORINTHIANS 6:1

One of the spiritual laws of the kingdom of God is, “Use it or lose it.” God expects us to use what He gives us. When we use the grace offered to us, then more and more grace is available.

In Galatians 2:21 Paul stated, “I do not frustrate the grace of God…” (KJV). What did he mean by that? To find out, let’s look at what he said in the preceding verse in The Amplified Bible: “… It is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Then he followed with his statement about not frustrating the grace of God. You see, it would have frustrated the grace of God if Paul had tried to live his life on his own, but he had learned to live by the power of Christ residing in him, which we know is the Holy Spirit.

I am sure most of us know how frustrating it is to try to help someone who keeps pushing us away. Imagine a drowning person who frantically fights and resists the lifeguard who is trying to save him. The best thing that person can possibly do is totally relax and allow the lifeguard to bring him to safety; otherwise, he may drown. You and I are often like the drowning swimmer. The Holy Spirit is in us. As the Spirit of Grace, He tries to aid us in living our lives with much greater ease, but we frantically fight to save ourselves and keep our independence.

Let us be wise enough to take full advantage of all that is offered to us. Let us welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives daily. By doing so, we will be letting Him know that we need Him and that we are very, very glad He has chosen us as His home.

Trust in Him Don’t act like a drowning person, fighting the One trying to save you. Instead, trust God with your life and let Him bring you to safety.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

The Spirit of Love

No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!
1 JOHN 4:12

First John 4:12 is one of my favorite Scriptures. I love to read it and just take time to think about it: God’s love is brought to completion in us! This Scripture helps me understand why I felt as if I had been filled with liquid love at the time of my baptism in the Holy Spirit. At that time, an extra measure of God’s love was poured into my heart (see Rom. 5:5). I had to receive that love for myself, then I could begin returning it to God, and then, finally, I could start letting it flow out of me toward others.

We cannot give away what we don’t have. It is useless to try to love someone else if we have never received God’s love for ourselves. We should love ourselves in a balanced way, not a selfish, self-centered way. I teach that we should love ourselves but not be “in love” with ourselves. In other words, believe in the love that God has for you; know that it is everlasting and unconditional. Let His love affirm you and make you feel secure, but don’t begin to think more highly of yourself than you ought to (see Rom. 12:3 KJV). I believe loving ourselves in a balanced way is what prepares us to let love flow to others around us.

Walking in love is the ultimate goal of Christianity. That should be the primary thing we all strive for. Jesus gave the command for us to love one another as He loves us. When I think of what I can do for myself or how I can get others to bless me, I am filled with me. When I think of other people and how I can bless them, I find myself filled with the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of Love.

Trust in Him When the Holy Spirit comes to live in you, love comes to live in you. Trusting God’s love for you will enable you to love yourself in a healthy way and let love flow through you to others.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

God Has Given You the Ability

As for you, be calm and cool and steady, accept and suffer unflinchingly every hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fully perform all the duties of your ministry.
2 TIMOTHY 4:5

I think a lot of people have ability because God has given them gifts, but they don’t have stability, and so God cannot use their gifts publicly in ministry or business. They would end up hurting the cause of Christ because of their unpredictable behavior. I believe stability releases ability.

We can’t be stable only when we’re getting our way. We have to also be stable when we’re having trouble and trials, when people are coming against us, or criticizing us. In the Scripture above, Paul knew a lack of stability would hurt Timothy’s witness and anointing. Instability would prevent Timothy from hearing from God, so Paul instructed him to be calm and steady. We don’t enjoy life unless we develop an ability to remain stable in the storm.

When we’re upset, we are usually not listening. People don’t hear because they don’t get quiet enough to hear what God is saying. God isn’t going to yell at you. He usually speaks in a still, small voice, and to hear Him, we must maintain an inner calmness. Actually, peace itself is a guideline for what God is approving and disapproving in your life. We must all learn to follow peace if we intend to follow God.

You have to choose purposely to stay calm, to put your confidence and trust in God, and to be a ready listener for His voice. Then you have to be willing to make whatever adjustments are necessary to have peace in your life.

Some people might say, “Well, it’s not fair for me to always be the one who’s changing and adjusting to keep harmony with everyone else.” It might not seem fair, but God will bring justice in your life if you do what He’s asking you to do, and your reward will be worth the effort you made.

Trust in Him Are you able to be stable through the storms of life? Choose to stay calm, keep your trust in God, and lead a peaceful and blessed life.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

 

[Aeliana]

Trust God’s Perfect Timing

But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!
HABAKKUK 2:3 TLB

I’m sure that you are like most people—you want good things to happen in your life, but too often you want them now… not later. All of us tend to feel that way, but when the good things we desire don’t happen in what we consider to be a timely manner, we are tempted to ask, “When, God, when?”

Most of us need to grow in the area of trusting God and shrink our focus that is on the “when” question. If your mind feels worn out all the time from reasoning, you are not trusting Him.

I spent a large part of my life feeling impatient, frustrated, and disappointed because there were things I didn’t know. God had to teach me to leave things in His hands. I finally learned to trust the One Who knows all things, and I began to accept that some questions may never be answered. We prove our trust in God when we refuse to worry.

Trusting God often requires not knowing how God is going to accomplish what needs to be done and not knowing when He will do it. We often say, “God is never late,” but generally He isn’t early, either. He uses times of waiting to stretch our faith in Him, and to bring about change and growth in our lives. We learn to trust God by going through many experiences that require trust. By seeing God’s faithfulness over and over, we gradually let go of trusting ourselves and place our trust in Him.

Looking at it this way, it is easy to see how timing plays an important part in learning to trust God. If He did everything we asked for immediately, we would never grow and develop into the people He wants us to be. If you are waiting on something right now and you feel frustrated, learn to be happy “not knowing.”

Trust in Him If you want peace, you need to trust God with when and how He will move in your life.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day

 

[Aeliana]

Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs

Blessed and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him.

ROMANS 4:8
The Bible says, “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him” (Rom. 4:8 NIV). That does not mean that God does not see the sin. It means that because of love, He does not hold it against the sinner.

Love can acknowledge that a wrong has been done and erase it before it becomes lodged in the heart. Love does not register or record the wrong; this way resentment does not have a chance to grow. Why not get out all the past-due accounts you have ever kept on people and mark them, “Paid in full”?

Some of us worry about our memory, but to be truthful we probably need to get better at forgetting some things. I think we often forget what we should remember and remember what we should forget. Perhaps one of the most godlike things we can ever do in life is to forgive and forget.

Some people say, “I will forgive them, but I will never forget it.” The reality of that statement is that if we cling to the memory, we are not truly forgiving. You might ask how we can forget things that have hurt us. The answer is that we must choose not to think about them. When those things come to mind, we must cast down the thoughts and choose to think about things that will benefit us.

Clearing all your records will produce good results. It will relieve pressure and improve the quality of your life. Intimacy between you and God will be restored, and your joy and peace will increase. Your health may even improve, because a calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body (see Prov. 14:30).

Trust in Him If you are keeping records of others’ offenses against you, make the choice to mark them “Paid in full.” You can trust God not to charge you for your sins. If He is willing to forgive yours, you should be willing to forgive others.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day

 

[Aeliana]

Love Is Patient

Love endures long and is patient and kind…
1 CORINTHIANS 13:4

The first quality of love listed in Paul’s discourse in 1 Corinthians 13 in the Bible is patience. Paul writes that love endures long and is patient. Love is long-suffering. It remains steady and consistent when things are not going the way you wish they would.
I have been practicing being patient with clerks who are slow, who can’t find prices for items, who run out of register tape, or who linger on the phone trying to calm down an irate customer when I am standing right there, waiting to be helped. I have had several store clerks actually thank me for being patient. I am sure they take a lot of abuse from frustrated, impatient, unloving customers, and I have decided I don’t want to add to the problem; I want to be part of the answer.

Sure, we are all in a hurry and want to get waited on right away, but since love is not self-seeking we must learn to put how the clerk feels ahead of how we feel. Recently a store clerk apologized for being so slow, and I told her that nothing I was doing was so important that I could not wait. I saw her visibly relax, and I realized that I had just shown her love.

We are encouraged in the Bible to be very patient with everybody, always keeping our tempers in check (see 1 Thess. 5:14). That is not only good for our witness to other people, but it’s also good for us. The more patient we are, the less stress we have! Peter said the Lord is extraordinarily patient with us because it is His desire that none of us perish (see 2 Pet. 3:9). That is the same reason we should be patient with one another—especially with those in the world who are looking for God.

I urge you to pray regularly that you will be able to endure whatever comes with a good temper and patience. Trust me, things will come that have the ability to upset you, but if you are prepared ahead of time, you will be able to remain calm as you face those things.
Trust in Him God is extraordinarily patient with us. Trust Him to help you be extraordinarily patient with others.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day

 

[Aeliana]

Love with Your Possessions

Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one of them claimed that anything which he possessed was [exclusively] his own, but everything they had was in common and for the use of all.
ACTS 4:32

Everything we have came from God, and in reality it all belongs to Him. We are merely stewards of His property, not owners.

Too often we grasp onto things too tightly. We should hold them loosely, so if God needs them, they are not difficult for us to let go of.
Paul told the Corinthians that their gifts to the poor would go on and endure forever throughout eternity (see 2 Cor. 9:9). Let’s keep reminding ourselves that possessions have no eternal value. What lasts is what we do for others.

God wants us to enjoy our possessions, but He does not want our possessions to possess us. Perhaps a good question to ask ourselves regularly is: “Do I possess my possessions or do my possessions possess me?”

Sometimes I go on what I call a “giving rampage.” I have a desire to be a blessing and want to use my possessions as a tangible way to show love, so I go through my house, my drawers, my closet, and my jewelry chest to find things I can give away. I never fail to find things. But it amazes me how I am tempted to hang on to them even though I may not have used an item for two or three years. We just like to own stuff! But how much better is it to use our possessions to be a blessing for someone else and make them feel loved and valuable?

If you are having difficulty seeing what you have to give, ask God to help you, and you will quickly find that you have a wealth of things that can be used to show love to hurting people.

Trust in Him Are you able to use what you have to bless people, or do you find it difficult to let go of things… even things you are not using? Show yourself to be a good steward of God’s possessions and trust Him to bring into your life gifts for your own use and things you can share with others.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day

 

[Aeliana]

The Key to Happiness

External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.
JAMES 1:27

I went to church for thirty years without ever hearing one sermon on my biblical responsibility to care for orphans, widows, the poor, and the oppressed. I was shocked when I finally realized how much of the Bible is about helping other people. I spent most of my Christian life thinking the Bible was about how God could help me. It’s no wonder I was unhappy.

The key to happiness isn’t only in being loved; it is also in having someone to love. If you really want to be happy, find somebody to love. If you want to put a smile on God’s face, then find a person who is hurting and help them.
Be determined to help someone. Be creative! Lead a revolt against living in a religious rut where you go to church and go home and go back to church, but you’re not really helping anybody. Don’t just sit in church pews and sing hymns. Get involved in helping people who are hurting.
Remember the words of Jesus:

“ ‘I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
“Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ” (Matt 25:42–45 NKJV)

Trust in Him Are you ministering to Jesus? Jesus said ministering to others ministers to Him. Trust His life on earth to be an example of how you should live your life—going about doing good for others in need.


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day

 

[Aeliana]

December 24

Recognize What Steals Your Peace

… Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 CORINTHIANS 13:11 NLT

To enjoy a life of peace, you will need to examine your own life to learn what is stealing your peace. Satan uses some of the same things on everyone, but we also have things that are specific to each one of us. We are all different, and we must learn to know ourselves.

I can endure things better when I am not tired, and the devil knows this, so he waits to attack until I am worn out. I learned by pursuing peace what Satan already knew about me, and now I try to not get overly tired, because I know I am opening a door for Satan when I do.
Keep a list of each time you get upset.

Ask yourself what caused the problem, and write it down. Be honest with yourself, or you will never break free. You may have things on your list like this:
• I didn’t get my way.
• I had to hurry.
• I became impatient and got angry.
• Financial pressure upset me.
• I was too tired to deal with anything.
• I had to deal with a certain person who always frustrates me.
• A friend embarrassed me.
• I had to wait on a very slow clerk.
• A friend disappointed me.

You will have a lot of different things on your list, but it will help you to realize what bothers you. Remember, we cannot do anything about things we don’t recognize.

Trust in Him I strongly encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to you about you, and it will be the beginning of enjoying a life of peace. Take responsibility for your reactions, trust God, and pursue peace!


Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day