Has Your Child Wandered From the Faith?

10 Affirmations For the Parent of a Prodigal Child

Be Still

“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

Be still
and know
I am God.

Be still, quiet, 
cease striving,
wait in silence,
listen,
stop.

Know
Be aware
Understand.

I am God.
Only Me.
I reign.
I am above all.
I am in charge.
There is none like Me.
No other God besides Me.

Worship Me
Love Me
Know Me
Follow Me

I AM

Seek God

Yearn
Seek
Know
Believe
Hunger
Thirst
Search
Trust
Call
Ask
Knock

He will answer.
He will reward.
He is calling.
Listen.
Follow.

Hebrews 11:6

Inhale Peace

Be still
Know
I Am God
Breathe deep
Inhale faith
Exhale fear
Trust
I Am God
There is no other

My love is unshakable
Unchanging
The Shelter in the storm
The Rock unmovable

Living Hope
Unfailing Love
Forgiveness
Unending Grace

Know Me
Father
Creator
Jesus
Savior
King
Almighty God
Full of compassion
Holy

With Me
Nothing is impossible.

When You Feel Defeated

King David was struggling hard. He felt forgotten by God and was filled with sorrow. He feared defeat and death were imminent. Yet, he wrote, 

“But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for He has been good to me.” Psalm 13

When it seems like everything around you is crumbling and you wonder if God has turned His face from you, stand on His promises. Learn as King David did to trust in His unfailing love. 

Like a Tree

Psalm 1

Father, help me remember I will be blessed and happy if I don’t follow the counsel of the ungodly and when I don’t stand with those actively doing evil or join those who are scornful and mocking. Help me not to follow the negative patterns and influences around me.

Instead, please guide me to find delight in Your word and meditate on Your truth day and night. Thank You that when I fill my mind and heart with Your words, You promise to make me like a tree planted by a river. My roots will go down deep and I will be fruitful at the right time and I will not dry up. Thank You that You bless me in all I do when I walk with You.

Image by Bianca Mentil from Pixabay

Reasons We Don’t Need to Worry

Worry imagines the worst.

Toilet paper flew off the shelves when we heard “pandemic.” Basic items became scarce, causing many to selfishly hoard. When we’re afraid, self-preservation kicks in and anxiety rules. Feeling powerless, many of us experience sleepless nights. I’ve worried about my family, the pandemic, division, hatred, increasing violence, and the upcoming election. I find fear robs me of peace.

Worry comes naturally. Why resist? Jesus gives us the answer, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest” (Luke 12:25-26).

Jesus says we have nothing to worry about. When we grasp the truth of who God is and trust His plan, we find freedom from anxiety.

Here are 10 reasons why you have nothing to worry about:

1. God Reigns Supreme

Our all-knowing God controls the universe. He spoke to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, “I am God, and there is no other… there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning… I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please… What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do” (Isaiah 46:9-11).

God’s desires will prevail. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul wrote, “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will” (Ephesians 1:11).

While we have freedom to choose, God will use all events to fulfill His aim to glorify His name.  God’s intentions for the universe can’t be hindered.

2. Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

Believers in Jesus are secure forever. Writing to encourage early Roman believers, Paul wrote, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 38-39).

Jesus taught, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28). We’re guaranteed His love for eternity.

3. Jesus Won the Victory on the Cross

Moments before Jesus Christ’s death, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). By dying in our place and taking our punishment for sin, He fulfilled His purpose set before the creation of the world to redeem mankind. There’s no other price to be paid. We can rejoice knowing Jesus has won the victory over sin and death.

4. God Turns Our Weaknesses into Strengths

The Apostle Paul, a man with great faith who’d seen many prayers answered, suffered from an unknown aliment. He begged God three times to take it away. Instead, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul then declared, “Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). If God can turn Paul’s weakness into strength, then He’ll do the same for you.

5. God Gives Us All We Need for Life and Godliness

Joni Eareckson Tada is a great example of relying on God’s strength. When interviewed by the Christian Post, Joni said, “My weakness, that is, my quadriplegia, is my greatest asset because it forces me into the arms of Christ every single morning when I get up.”  If God allows persistent struggles, we can trust His grace will be sufficient.

We can face anything knowing He provides what we need to get through it. Peter, one of Jesus’s closest friends, wrote, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3a).

God gave us the Holy Spirit who empowers us, His inspired written word in Scripture for “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (1 Timothy 3:16), and the privilege to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:12).

6. Our Suffering Will Be Overshadowed by the Glory to Be Revealed

To reassure early believers in Rome who faced continual persecution, Paul wrote, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Paul endured torture and imprisonment for his faith. Yet, instead of being apprehensive, he focused on heaven. He continued to obey God, trusting the future to Him.

God gave these encouraging words to the prophet, Isaiah, “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17). When we enter His glory for eternity, earthly sorrows will fade.

7. We Have the Most Powerful Resource Available: Prayer

Anxiety attacks our minds. Taking back our thoughts with prayer loosens worry’s grip.

Paul exhorted, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Turn your concerns into prayers knowing God answers with what is best. Leave the results in His hands, and He’ll provide peace.

8. We Walk by Faith Not by Sight

In Hebrews we learn about the faithful lives of early believers. “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth… they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:13, 16).

Christians throughout history have remained faithful in the midst of wars, persecutions, poverty, and tragedy. They looked forward to their true home in heaven.

We can’t walk in faith and worry simultaneously. Worry wants to see. Faith trusts in the unseen.

9. We’re Never Alone

Pain, trouble, and sorrow are part of life in this fallen world. But in the beloved 23^rd Psalm, King David wrote, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). In His last instructions, Jesus gave this encouragement, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Jesus’s disciples learned about trusting Him while on a lake during a furious storm. Fearing for their lives while Jesus slept, “The disciples went and woke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm” (Matthew 8:25-26). When unexpected storms rage, He’s right beside us.

10. Jesus Destroyed Our Enemies

Great stories often end with an epic battle between good and evil. Evil seems to be winning–until good prevails. These all reflect the true battle, except in reality there’s no contest. Teaching how Jesus defeated Satan, our enemy, Paul wrote, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15).

Some worry about the rise of the Anti-Christ yet Paul recorded, “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8).

Final Thoughts

These 10 truths can help you deal with anxiety. You’ll still be concerned about the problems you’re facing, but by steadily applying these simple truths you can begin today to worry less and trust God more.

I’ve too often lived in fear, wasting time worrying about potential trouble. In 67 years, most of my worries never happened. Corrie Ten Boom who lived a life of peace until her fifties, when she suffered atrocities in a Nazi concentration camp, wrote in her book Clippings from my Notebook, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength.”

Instead of plotting how to avoid pain, try serving Him in freedom taking whatever comes with grace and peace. You’re His beloved child. He knows what you need and will take care of you.  “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Published at iBelieve

Please share any prayer requests in the comments. I will pray for you.

Faith Brings Hope

“Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because ‘the righteous will live by faith.’” Gal 3:11

I live by faith.

Faith in my Creator that He is good.

Faith in my Savior that He has redeemed me.

Faith in the Holy Spirit that He will empower me.

Faith that I will spend eternity with the Lord in heaven.

I trust Him knowing every good gift comes from Him.

He hears my every prayer.

He sees the end from the beginning and works out everything for ultimate good.

He is always with me.

Father, please help those who are suffering today. Help the one who is at their lowest point. Who wants to give up. Whose burden is so heavy they can’t go on. Please give them strength. Be their strength. Give them the faith to keep going. Enable them to endure. Help them know that Jesus understands suffering. Give them supernatural grace. Thank You Lord. We rely on You. 

What Can I Do When I Feel Helpless?

Confusion keeps stalking me. Between Covid-19 fears, election frenzy, conspiracy theories, and disrespect on all levels, I’m continually faced with contradictory messages. My mind goes back and forth on what I believe about some issues. It’s overwhelming. I don’t know who to listen to or trust. Experts on both sides give us conflicting information.

As an average woman living her life, what can I do? I don’t have power or influence over what’s happening and can’t control any of these events.

I can…

Pray. Prayer is the most powerful force available. Click To TweetGod gave believers the freedom to pray in the name of Jesus Christ knowing He will hear and answer. Jesus said if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). Praying about every doubt, fear, uncertainty, and problem that comes to mind should be my priority. I need to bring everything to Almighty God because prayer makes a difference.

Have faith. I need to focus on God. I should be looking to Him for answers and trusting Him for the outcome. Our Father possesses all wisdom and nothing surprises Him. He knows the end from the beginning. He’s aware of the results of every trial we face. God determines which rulers will rise and which ones will fall (Daniel 2:21). His purposes will be fulfilled. I place my hopes in His Sovereign care and control.

Take the next step determined for me. I listen for His guidance as I step out in obedience: whether it’s going to work, cleaning my house, loving my family, helping my neighbor, giving to someone in need, serving, or resting, I do everything for His glory. I move forward in obedience to Him allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me.

Immerse my mind with His truth. Considering all the differing opinions, it’s difficult to discern a lie from the truth. I need to saturate my mind with what I know is true: God’s Holy Word, the Bible. The Bible is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and a result of His supernatural work. Click To TweetGod’s words have the power to transform my heart and mind. They equip me for what’s ahead. In His Word, I find the wisdom I need to live this life and face whatever comes.

Love. I fulfill God’s greatest commandments by loving Him above all and loving others as much as I love myself (Matthew 22:36-40). By His grace and power, I can love others as He has loved me and show them the same grace I’ve received. God is love. When we love, we’re most like Him.

Help someone. I’m surrounded by people who need a listening ear, a helping hand, a monetary gift, encouragement, or support. I can show others who Jesus is by imitating His love for people. Often, when we’re helping someone, our own problems diminish. God comforts us in hard times so we can do the same for others.

Regardless of what’s happening in our world, God equips us as we immerse ourselves in truth, talk to Him, and take the next step to obey Him by showing love and grace to others. By trusting God, our hearts are filled with His peace. Click To Tweet

What suggestions do you have? Please share in the comments.

Which step will you take today?

First published at Wholly Loved Ministries

When Evil Succeeds

Anxiety can grip me when I watch the news too long or scroll social media for any length of time. There’s an abundance of alarming news. Especially when evil seems to be winning. God’s truth comforts me:

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it only leads to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD  will inherit the land.” Psalm 37:7-9

Fret – “to eat or gnaw into; to cause to suffer emotional strain; to eat into something; to affect something as if by gnawing or biting.” Merriam-Webster Original word: charah: to burn or be kindled with anger

David tells us in this Psalm to be still and wait patiently for God to act. To not be angry or let what’s happening eat away at us even when wicked people succeed in carrying out their schemes. Even when they succeed! When their plans are carried out—Do not be overcome with anger and rage. Wait patiently on God. Giving in to anger and rage will only lead to evil. Wait on God—evil will be destroyed. 

Jesus, help me to wait patiently on You. I know You hold all things in Your hands.