Years ago, when I was flying in the military, I remember being, “number one for takeoff” which is the first airplane next to the runway waiting. While waiting, a B1 Bomber was on the runway taking off. As it accelerated for takeoff with afterburners lit on its four engines, producing 120,000 lbs of thrust, the ground shook from the amazing power.

Paul writes about God’s power in Ephesians 1:19, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead.” he goes on in verse 22, “God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.”

The most powerful thing we can imagine, like that B1 aircraft, is insignificant compared to the power of God who created everything. Even more amazing, is that God offers this power to each of us. The power to give us eternal life, and the power to overcome any challenges we may face in our lives.

Dear Lord, we cannot comprehend the magnitude of your power, but how grateful we are that we can call on you in our times of need. Help us remember to do so. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

If you have read many self-improvement books, you have probably come across a concept that is instrumental in helping achieve earthly success, that being the belief in a world of abundance. The concept is that there is abundance for all who believe it is possible, and that believing in limits to abundance is a self-fulfilling limit on our success.

In a similar way Jesus says in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” The Living Bible translation writes it like this, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” Clearly Jesus is talking about more than just our life on earth. We know our entire faith is based on the eternal life we have in Jesus Christ. I think, however, He also intends to bring an abundant life of peace, joy and hope here on earth to those who believe and put their trust in Him.

We can put limits on this abundant life, if we choose to, or we can have the abundant life God promises if we believe.

Dear Lord, thank you for the promise of an abundant life. Help us to truly believe your promise and live our lives expecting and grateful for this abundance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Fear and anxiety are the conscious or unconscious feelings about an imagined or unknown future experience. This imagined future experience causes fear and anxiety when we feel that is too difficult, uncomfortable, or painful for us to handle.

Think about this, however, fear is not “real”. It is manufactured by us in our minds.

The antidote is realizing and believing that we can handle any future event.

Why can we believe that we can handle any future event. Because we are told so in the Bible. Hundreds of verses tell us to “fear not.”

Some of those we can keep in mind are:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13

Be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8:38

Most of the time, the thing we fear never happens anyway, but if did, we could handle it.

Dear Lord, thank you for knowledge that you are always there with us, giving us the power to deal with any situation in our lives. Help us remember, to send the fear and anxiety away by remembering your promises. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have you noticed how much your “state of mind” affects what you think about events, your expectations, and how you treat others. For instance, if things are going well for, you may tend to have a positive “state of mind,” have positive expectations, and tend to be upbeat and positive with other people. When you are in a negative “state,” just the opposite tends to occur.

I would argue that we can control our “state of mind” by taking control of our thoughts. For example, our state of mind can quickly change when something tragic, or something fantastic occurs in our lives. So if some external event can change our thoughts, our own conscious choice to change our thoughts can do the same.

Paul writes in Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

I use two steps to try to get myself into the right state of mind when events are dragging me down. I first look at all the things for which I have to be thankful, and they are many. It is nearly impossible to be in a bad state when we are truly thankful. Then I pray and put my trust in God to lead me through my challenges.

The Bible tells us these things in many places. Here are a few to lean on.

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

“Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10

“Cast all your cares on him for he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Dear Lord, Help us take control of our “state of mind” with thankful hearts and confidence in your unlimited power to overcome any challenge we face. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Paul says in Romans 15:13, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

I think this verse supports a view I have which is that hope helps strengthen our faith and our faith is demonstrated through expectation.

Think of a time where things felt hopeless. At that point it was very difficult to have faith in a positive outcome, and without faith it is much more likely we expect a negative result.

In contrast, when we have hope we can build our faith on that hope, and expect a positive result.

This is very true about hope, faith, and expectation of salvation, but I believe it is also true in the practical parts of our lives. When we can truly feel hopeful that a difficult issue will be resolved, our faith in God’s work in our lives grows and we expect a positive result. As Paul writes, God is that source of hope that sparks our faith which we demonstrate with the “confident hope” and expectation.

Dear Lord, thank you for being the source of hope so that we can live our lives with joy and peace trusting in you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.