We’ve got your daily encouragement, written by Andrea Johnson.
Bible Reading:
“16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Word:
God is love! When we think about the attributes of God and this statement, God is love; we understand that that love is who He is, not what he does. He can be no other way. When we speak to Him, we are talking to love; when we worship Him, we worship love!
We, too, have absolutes innate to our being because we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside. One of these absolutes is joy. Joy is not an emotion or feeling. Joy is fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22).
This joy is not a result of circumstances; this joy is a gift from God. for this reason, we can always be joyful. Moreover, with this gift, we are empowered to give thanks amid every circumstance, not necessarily for every circumstance.
We active this joy; we experience this joy by prayer! Paul says, “Always be joyful, never stop praying, (1 Thess. 5:16-17)” and again in Philippians 4:4,6, ” Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life…Be saturated in prayer throughout each day.” When we develop a habit, a practice of consistent, persistent prayer gratitude will flow. The power to give thanks in every circumstance is possible through prayer. We can be grateful every day of our lives.
Prayer:
Thank you, Father, for being my salvation, my rock of strength, my refuge. I trust confidently in You at all times. Teach me to pour out my heart before You so that I can be joyful in every season of life and grateful at all times. In your name I pray, amen!
Skillwork:
Whenever our circumstances create feelings of overwhelm and worry, this is generally a lack of trust in God and His power. In these moments, take the time to pray. Prayer is the way we active joy, and the joy of the Lord is your strength to weather any storm. Remember, prayer doesn’t always have to be formal, kneeling before God, event. It can be a quick whisper as you go through your day. He will hear your prayer and respond to your every need.
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