On Trial
Matt. 1:18 “This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit”
The first joy killer in our lives during Christmas and beyond is anxiety, and the second is resentment over hurt or bitterness. When Mary told Joseph that she was pregnant, Joseph was hurt because he knew the baby was not for him. So, what did Joseph do when he was hurt? Read the rest of this entry
For Nothing
Philip. 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (NKJV)
We are going to be looking at the things that attempted to steal the joy from the hearts of some people who were present at the very first Christmas. We will look at Mary, Joseph, and the wise men and what tried to steal their joy. Read the rest of this entry
Met In Him
Heb. 10:23 “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”
Do you believe that the Lord will do what He has said? Elizabeth said something that is hugely profound to Mary in Luke 1:45 “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” (emphasis added). Read the rest of this entry
His Guarantee
Ps. 56:3-4 “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…” (emphasis added).
To defeat and overcome fears, the first thing I need to do is to surrender my life to Jesus. The second thing is to stop listening to the voices of fear. The third thing is, I Sing Of God’s Goodness. All these things are in the Bible, in the Christmas story. Read the rest of this entry
The Right Kind
Ps. 16:3 “And these God-chosen lives all around—what splendid friends they make!” (MSG)
To defeat and overcome fears, the second thing is, I Need To Stop Listening To The Voices Of Fear. We need to stop listening to the voices of fear. Be careful about what you listen to and who you listen to so that you do not become paranoid. Read the rest of this entry
Cede Control
Job 11:13-18 “Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer. . . Then… you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away… and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. Then you’ll rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry!” (CEV, emphasis added)
Yesterday, we looked at the woman of Shunem and how the fear of disappointment would have stopped her from receiving God’s blessings for her. However, Elisha said to her, whether you believe it or not, whether you like it or not, you will have a boy next year. Read the rest of this entry
New Chapter
Isa. 43:18-19 “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (NKJV).
Mary had the fear of inadequacy and God said to her, ‘fear not’. Joseph had the fear of disapproval and God said to him, ‘fear not’. The shepherds had the fear of sudden change and God said to them, ‘fear not’. Herod had the fear of losing control, Read the rest of this entry
Secure?
Ps. 46:1-2 “God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven help in time of trouble—more than enough and always available whenever I need you. So we will never fear even if every structure of support were to crumble away…” (KJV)
We pick up today’s devotional from our final thought yesterday, which is, as a leader, you have to be careful how you handle fear. Why was Jerusalem afraid? What was their fear? Their king, Herod was afraid, and so everyone was in fear. Read the rest of this entry
Align With God
Isa. 8:13 “Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” (KJV).
Mary had the fear of inadequacy. Joseph had the fear of disapproval. The shepherds had the fear of sudden change. Luke 2:8-10 “That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. SUDDENLY, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.” (emphasis added). Read the rest of this entry
