Many personal development books and coaches emphasize the importance of controlling what we think about, because our thoughts influence what occurs in our lives. Some also say that if you dwell on your fears they are more likely to occur, and conversely if you focus on the positive, those things are likely to occur.

It is interesting that this idea has its origin in the bible. Proverbs 10:24 says, “The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted.” This ties in also with Jesus’ words in several places including Matthew 8:13, saying “..because you believed, it has happened.”NLT

Dear Lord, help us keep our thoughts on the positive; our hopes, dreams and prayers, and help us avoid negative, self defeating thoughts that lead us to question your power. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Do ever have a thought that appears in your mind, a terrible thought of revenge, rage, envy, greed, or lust, and wonder where it came from? I believe that this is one of the ways we are drawn into temptation by the devil.

Paul teaches us what to do when this occurs, in Colossians 3:5, he says, “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.”

How do we put these thoughts to death as Paul describes, we starve and suffocate them from our attention, and change our focus to something better. In Colossians 3:2 Paul says, “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” We should pray for deliverance from the temptation.

Dear Lord, we are human, subject to temptation, and routinely fail to avoid it. Help us, and give us the strength to think of the things of heaven, and kill the sinful thoughts planted in our minds. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

How often we get trapped in feeling sorry for ourselves, sour mood and attitude, mad at God or other people because we don’t have what we want. The antidote for this is written in 1 John 2:7-8, “and as we obey this commandment, to love one another, the darkness in our lives disappears and the new light of life in Christ shines in.”

By turning our attention away from ourselves and toward others, we are living the way Jesus did. Verse 6 says, ” Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did.”

Dear Lord, Help us overcome our focus only on ourselves, and focus on sharing your love with others. We will then realize the peace and joy this provides. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Jesus meets a man named Nicodemus, who is a Pharisee, one of the smart/educated men of his time, and tells him he must be “born again” to enter the kingdom of heaven. Nicodemus replies, “How are these things possible?” Then Jesus says to him John 3:8, ”The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

Jesus then said, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things?

I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” John 3:10-12

Aren’t we like Nicodemus on many occasions. Though we all know there are many mysteries in our world, we often will reject the things we do not understand. However, it is the things God tells us that we don’t understand that are the critical things to accept. Things like, Grace, Eternal Life, the Holy Spirit’s work in people, how God answers prayer, and the many miracles that occur in our world.

A book I recently read says it like this, “Failure is a blessing when it forces one to depend less upon material forces and more upon spiritual forces.” This made me stop and think that this is how God would have us live. We should depend more on God’s power than the material things we can understand.

Dear Lord, We tend to think that we must know how things work in order to accept them. But you teach us that we must put our trust and faith in something we do not understand, which is your power and love. Help us make this shift. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Many times in life there is something we know we should do, something we feel that God is calling us to do, but we are reluctant to start. We don’t start because we don’t know if we will have the time, the money, the ability, the support, or some other limitation, to make it work.

What we don’t realize, is that God may be waiting for us to move forward, demonstrating our faith in him, and then he will give us that time, money, knowledge, etc, we wanted before we started.

In Joshua 3 the Israelites are just about to cross the Jordan River and enter the “Promised Land” after wandering in the desert for 40 years. The Jordan River at that time was at its high, overflowing it’s banks.

Joshua 3:7,8, “The Lord told Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.  Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.'” verse 13 then says, “As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.”

God told them to start, and once they did, he took over. He will do this for us if we act faithfully.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the knowledge that you are always there to support us when we step out in faithful response to your call. Help us have the courage to do so. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.