Then you will prosper if you are careful to keep and fulfill the statutes and ordinances with which the Lord charged Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage. Dread not and fear not; be not dismayed.
- 1 Chronicles 22:13
Recently a group of pastors asked me a question: Besides God Himself, what one thing had helped me get from where I started in ministry to the level of success I currently enjoy? I immediately said, "I refused to give up!" There were thousands of times when I felt like giving up, thought about giving up, and was tempted to give up, but I always pressed on.
Don't let life defeat you. Face it with boldness and courage, and declare that you will enjoy every aspect of it. You can do that because you have the awesome power of God dwelling in you. God is never frustrated and unhappy. He always has peace and joy, and since He lives in us and we live in Him, surely we can attain the same thing.
When you are in pain, you don't have to dwell on the pain and let it ruin your day. You can still accomplish what you need to do by God's grace, and you don't have to fear and dread that you may feel that same way tomorrow. I have ministered to others many times while I was in pain myself. Whatever we go through, God will always be with us. Choose to believe that Jesus is your Healer and that His healing power is working in your body right now!
When tempted to worry, Dave always says, "I am not impressed." He believes we should be more impressed by God's Word than our problems. He says if we don't get impressed, we won't get depressed, then oppressed, and ultimately perhaps even possessed by our difficulties.
No matter what you are facing right now, God has a great life planned for you. It includes prosperity and progress in every area of life. It includes great peace, unspeakable joy, and every good thing you can imagine. Refuse to settle for anything less than God's best for you!
Trust in Him: Trusting God means believing He lives in you, and all that is His is yours. Be strong and courageous and never give up, and you will have everything He wants you to have in life.
The Evil of Presumptuous Boasting
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.”
James 4:13–16
In June of 1812, Napoleon launched his invasion of Russia. With nearly 700,000 soldiers under his command, the French leader was confident of victory. It is said that before the war he boasted so strongly of his coming triumph that one hearer cautioned him, “Remember, Sire, man proposes but God disposes.” Napoleon responded that he did both. Yet six months later as the French retreated in disarray through the harsh Russian winter, fewer than 30,000 of Napoleon’s troops were still able to fight. Not even a powerful emperor was immune to weather or the hand of God in human events.
The illusion that we are in charge and have things under control may be an attractive and comforting one, but it is far from reality. The truth is that despite all our plans and goals, we have no way to know what even the next day will bring, let alone what may happen further into the future. “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).
The sin of presumption is the sin of self-reliance and self-focus. Rather than submitting to God’s will, boasting about what we plan to do reveals that our goals are set on the wrong things. Instead of thinking we are in control, we should rest in the certain knowledge that God is, and that we can always trust Him.
James 4:13–16
In June of 1812, Napoleon launched his invasion of Russia. With nearly 700,000 soldiers under his command, the French leader was confident of victory. It is said that before the war he boasted so strongly of his coming triumph that one hearer cautioned him, “Remember, Sire, man proposes but God disposes.” Napoleon responded that he did both. Yet six months later as the French retreated in disarray through the harsh Russian winter, fewer than 30,000 of Napoleon’s troops were still able to fight. Not even a powerful emperor was immune to weather or the hand of God in human events.
The illusion that we are in charge and have things under control may be an attractive and comforting one, but it is far from reality. The truth is that despite all our plans and goals, we have no way to know what even the next day will bring, let alone what may happen further into the future. “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).
The sin of presumption is the sin of self-reliance and self-focus. Rather than submitting to God’s will, boasting about what we plan to do reveals that our goals are set on the wrong things. Instead of thinking we are in control, we should rest in the certain knowledge that God is, and that we can always trust Him.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Rather than boasting of our plans and ambition, we should humbly trust God for the future.
Face Life with Boldness and Courage
by Joyce Meyer - posted August 06, 2017Then you will prosper if you are careful to keep and fulfill the statutes and ordinances with which the Lord charged Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage. Dread not and fear not; be not dismayed.
- 1 Chronicles 22:13
Recently a group of pastors asked me a question: Besides God Himself, what one thing had helped me get from where I started in ministry to the level of success I currently enjoy? I immediately said, "I refused to give up!" There were thousands of times when I felt like giving up, thought about giving up, and was tempted to give up, but I always pressed on.
Don't let life defeat you. Face it with boldness and courage, and declare that you will enjoy every aspect of it. You can do that because you have the awesome power of God dwelling in you. God is never frustrated and unhappy. He always has peace and joy, and since He lives in us and we live in Him, surely we can attain the same thing.
When you are in pain, you don't have to dwell on the pain and let it ruin your day. You can still accomplish what you need to do by God's grace, and you don't have to fear and dread that you may feel that same way tomorrow. I have ministered to others many times while I was in pain myself. Whatever we go through, God will always be with us. Choose to believe that Jesus is your Healer and that His healing power is working in your body right now!
When tempted to worry, Dave always says, "I am not impressed." He believes we should be more impressed by God's Word than our problems. He says if we don't get impressed, we won't get depressed, then oppressed, and ultimately perhaps even possessed by our difficulties.
No matter what you are facing right now, God has a great life planned for you. It includes prosperity and progress in every area of life. It includes great peace, unspeakable joy, and every good thing you can imagine. Refuse to settle for anything less than God's best for you!
Trust in Him: Trusting God means believing He lives in you, and all that is His is yours. Be strong and courageous and never give up, and you will have everything He wants you to have in life.
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