Stop fighting it.  Why do we do that?  We wake up worried, fretting over what might happen today.  We are anxious that what we want to change may never change. 

God is asking us in Psalm 46:10 to be still.  Stop fearing.  Wake up and acknowledge who your God is.  Be in awe of the creator of the universe who molded you in your mother’s womb.

The phrase “be still,” in this case means look to God for answers.  Look to God for refuge.  Listen for God, watch Him move in your life.

The second part of that sentence “and know that I am God,” implies that we can trust Him and surrender to His plan because we understand who He is.

I’ve experienced a peace that happens when I surrender my worries and problems to God.  I have felt the security in times of trouble.  It’s hard to explain this to an unbeliever because they’ve never experienced it.  It’s unworldly and so amazing when it happens.  I always know that it’s no other than God moving when this takes place.

Experience the fullness of God by letting go of control.  Surrender your will to God’s will.  Trust Him.  This will open the door so that you can experience the fullness of all God wants and has for you.

Let go and let God in.

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

When you become a Christian, you have a new character.  The old temptations you used to have are not as desirable as they once were.  When you embrace where you are and what God has done for you, it makes God more desirable than any temptation the world has to offer. This is what it means to love God.

It’s not just the verbal agreement that Jesus is the Son of God that shows others our faith.  It’s embracing the significance of that truth.  When you come to a point in your life where you can grasp and understand who God is and what He stands for, it’s then that you know without a shadow of a doubt that God is real.  He sent His Son to come down to earth to be born, to live as a man, and to die on a cross, for our sins.  And to be raised on the third day.  This is the power of God.

Embrace where you are today.  Life may not be as you want it to be, but know this: God is good and He wants nothing more than to give you the best life. 

You are where you need to be.  God planned it. Engage in the life God wants you to have today.

James 1:2-4 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Whether you believe this or not, God has plans for you.  Before you were born, He knew exactly your journey in life. He knew the family you would be born in, the people who would come into your life and the many trails and detours you would be taking along the way.

If you’re a Christian, God has so many blessings prepared for you. If you stay in faith, and keep honoring God, one day you will come into what already belongs to you.  It’s called a prepared blessing.

God is working behind-the-scenes, arranging things in your favor.  You can’t make these things happen on your own.  None of us deserve the next breath, but God gives it to us.

I’ve noticed in my life and have heard this from others, that it seems at times that God just doesn’t give me things because I ask or that’s what I want.  I have had to wait at times for the blessing to come.  This is where God is watching closely.  He wants to see how my faith is.  He wants to see if I trust Him in the wait.

You may not be where you want to be right now, but don’t worry, your blessing is being prepared.  God wants you to prosper and to have a good life.

Trust God’s timing on His blessings!

Deuteronomy 8:7-9 – “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.”

Faith is simply believing what God says.  This type of faith is not temporal.  It’s not mere head knowledge.  It’s trusting in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life.

When you hear a message on Sunday morning from a pastor, do you take that message and act on it?  Or do you just check it off your list of religious duties you were a part of that week?

Having faith and believing in what you’re doing must have action to complete it.  Otherwise, it is dead and meaningless faith. 

We are saved by faith, not works. We live out our faith by loving others and caring for their needs.

The next time you hear a message on faith or the fruits of the spirit, or something similar, don’t just forget about it once you leave the church premises.  Act on it.  Intentionally seek someone in need and give them your time. Show them you care.  Show love by visiting someone in the nursing home or visiting an elderly shut-in.

Show your faith off by acting in love!

James 2:18 – “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.”  Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

It’s been said that there are 365 ‘Fear Nots’ in the Bible, one for each day of the year.  There are actually more than 365 verses in the Bible showing us how to deal with fear.

Fear can cripple you.  Fear can hinder your life and cause you to hide away from other people.

The key to overcoming fear and anxiety is found by renewing your mind in Scripture.  In this world there is so much to be fearful of.  But as a Christian, we are taught in Scripture to fear not because we are a child of the King.  We are taught that instead of being anxious, to pray, give thanks and ask God for peace.

God takes care of the birds of the air.  Don’t you think that if He can take care of the birds, He can also take care of His children who know Him by name.

God’s perfect love for us removes fear.  I have seen in my Christian walk, so many times when fear has tried to invade my thoughts, and that’s when I go to the Bible, read His Word, let the words infiltrate my mind and before I realize it, the fear is gone.  Fear is replaced with good thoughts.  God wants us to cast our cares, anxieties, worries on Him.

Fear is not a bad thing.  To fear God is to begin on wisdom’s journey.

Believing in God’s grace is truly a hope against all hope.  Fear not my friends.  God is for us.  Tell Him your cares.  He will remove the fear if you trust in Him.

1 Peter 5:7 – “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Bullying is defined as a person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable.

Back in the 1970’s when I was a teenager bullying was going on then, but few seemed to label it as bullying.  They called it teasing, annoying or badgering, just to name a few.  I remember I was called a name from one of my classmates that made me cry.  It wasn’t a curse word and it wasn’t even a word that related to me or my personality.  Since my name was Dianne, this boy thought it would be cute and call me ‘diapers.’  Even though nothing was done to resolve the situation, it was a name that tormented me at the time. 

Bullying is an every day issue for some people.  In addition to physical or verbal bullying, now there’s social bullying.  This is where someone gets on social media and say basically anything they want to put down or lie about another person.

Bullying is never okay.  If you see someone bullying another person, notify the proper authorities.  Believe it or not, this is not just happening to kids, it’s happening to a vast majority of adults also.

As Christians, we need to have courage and stand up for those who can’t or won’t defend themselves.  The Bible is full of lessons on how to react to this unnecessary crime.  Never try and get back at a bully or seek revenge.  God is the judge of all.  God sees all and knows every bullying situation.

Bullying is wrong.  As Christians, we are called to act in love and kindness to everyone, including those who wrong us.

1 John 5:18 – “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” 

In the Bible, God commands us to love one another.  If love were just an emotion, God couldn’t command it.  Love is an action.  Love is also a behavior.

If you consistently speak one way and act another, you won’t fool people for very long.  You will be found out.  The world loves it when they see a news report about a well-respected church leader caught in a scandal.

As a Christian, Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world.  Our love to others shows our respect to God and conveys His love for us.

We’re all sinners.  We’re born into this world as sinners.  As sinners, our love will always be imperfect.  Satan has a way of condemning us when we don’t love as we should.  But we have a choice to love and serve our creator.  We have a choice to love others, even those who are unlovable.

Let Jesus’ love and forgiveness motivate you to obey His commands and do what pleases Him. 

Show kindness and compassion to others.  This is what Jesus wants from each of us.  Act out in love today!

1 John 3:18 – “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

Did you know that Jesus wants to be your friend?  God created us so that we could have a personal relationship with Him.

We can acquire friendships with people we go to school with, people we work with.  And for those of us who are fortunate enough, we can have a friendship with our children or our parents.  This same type of friendship is what God desires from each of His children.

In order to keep a friendship going and thriving, you must communicate.  It’s hard to keep a relationship going without some type of communication.  Our relationship with God is the most personal relationship we can ever have.  But God is a jealous God.  We cannot let anything or anyone come between our relationship with God and us.

As a Christian, we must lay down our life, our old ways and live for Jesus.  Be a faithful friend to Jesus today.  As a lifetime friend of Jesus, we will share in His glory throughout eternity.  How’s that for a friend?

John 15:15 – “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”