These are a few of our SOAP notes from today’s reading. We encourage you to read and journal on your own first, then join us in conversation about what God revealed to YOU today. Click HERE to go directly to the daily reading if you wish.
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Choose to Trust | Kim Chipman
S~ But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? Psalm 56:3-4 (NLT)
O~ This is written by David, who is likely in fear for his life.
A~ The first part of this verse goes through my mind regularly – “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.” This is a choice. I am not a victim of circumstances. I choose trust. Often my feelings are a big huge mess of fear and hurt and overwhelmed stress. “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.” In other words, WHEN my feelings are a big huge mess, I choose to trust You. Consciously. Choose. I choose to trust Your promises. I choose to trust You love me. I choose to trust You see me and my circumstances and I choose to trust Your authority over them…even when it hurts, even when it’s hard…”But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.”
I choose to praise You for what You have promised.
I choose to trust You, so why should I be afraid?
What can people do to me? They can hurt my feelings, they can take advantage of me, they can misunderstand me, they can dismiss me, they can lie about me, they can hurt my body or even kill me. They cannot take away my eternity with You. They cannot take away Your love for me. They cannot change my identity in You. They cannot take away the call on my life to serve You. They cannot take away the power of Your Spirit within me. No one can do that. They can try, but they cannot succeed. My identity in You is secure.
I choose trust.
P~ Thank You for Your Word and Your promises. I love You!
What You have already done……….. | guest post
S~ For You have rescued me from death; You have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in Your presence, O God, in Your life-giving light. Psalm 56:13 (NLT)
O/A~ Something about this time of year, maybe it’s just that in April we saw all the death and icky of winter fall away to be replaced with sunshine and flowers. Maybe it’s the lingering thoughts about Easter and what really happened 2,000 years ago gives us eternal hope.
David wrote this Psalm way before Jesus walked the Earth as a man, but it’s still so true today for me.
Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, I have been rescued from an eternity of weeping and gnashing of teeth. But it’s so much more than not spending eternity in hell!
He keeps my path straight and my feet from slipping. So I get help everyday (every moment) from Him! And I get to be in the presence of God! His blessings just keep flowing from Him…………
Right now, He is here sitting with me. I’m in His presence, and He’s shining His light on me.
P~ Thank You for rescuing me from death! To be free, to walk in Your light. You are freeing me from shame and guilt, making it part of my story, like the color of my hair and not what defines me. You are too good me Jesus! I LOVE YOU!
A Band of Sisters | Joni Tyner
S~ Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. Ephesians 5:4 (NLT)
O~ Paul is writing to the church of Ephesus. He was very close to these people and loved them very much. The book of Ephesians was written to encourage and strengthen the faith of the believers.
A~ Last night we had a gathering of some of the writers who contribute to the Discover One Thing blog. We meet periodically to encourage one another in our personal daily walks and make sure we stay focused on what the purpose of our ministry is.
My faith was so encouraged at the end of the night and I thought I might share a couple of nuggets that were shared from our hearts. The first one that comes to mind is related to this verse. We were discussing the culture we live in and the constant pull it has to our hearts. We discussed how many forms of entertainment can seem harmless as we are just having “down time”—yet is it really harmless? This statement stuck out to me, I hope I am sharing it correctly—
“I have decided I don’t want to be a part of ( watch, read, engage in) any entertainment
that glorifies sin that Jesus died on the cross for.”
Okay, I don’t think I quoted it exactly—but I understand the meaning. If we claim to be believers, if we want to love what Jesus loves, how can we even want to be entertained by watching (reading, doing) behavior that dishonors Jesus? This scripture is very clearly stating that believers are to set themselves apart from certain behavior. I am again convicted to stay away from conversations that do not reflect the values of my heart. This is a constant battle.
A couple other thoughts we shared…
1. Our team is passionate to love people. God has not called us, any of us, to judge others, We are called to build relationships with others. As these relationships grow, we will be begin to have opportunities to speak truth. Relationship building takes time and commitment!!!! Jesus is our Divine Mentor, we seek to emulate how He brought people to the Kingdom. He loved first. He didn’t say, “Hi, I’m Jesus, God’s only son, You are sinning by doing _____.” He loved them first.
2.God has gifted each person differently. We should strive to use these gifts with excellence to build the Kingdom.
3. We need to keep it simple. Reading God’s Word will transform our lives. When we drift from God’s Word, we start doing it our way instead of God’s way.
4. The last thing that I took away from our gathering is that we need other believers to strengthen our own walk. It’s a good thing to have friends who love us for all of our imperfections and who make us laugh. (it’s also great to have friends who like good food!!)
P~ Jesus, thank you for pursuing our hearts!! We desire to live in a way that honors You. I pray for discernment about my own personal time, please help me see clearly activities that You desire for me to not participate in. I love You!!
Our team would love the privilege of praying for you! Please share how we can lift you in prayer at prayer@DiscoverOneThing.com
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