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Proverbs 14:22

Do not those who plot evil go astray?
But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.

Who is more important in your life? Do you turn to your friends and loved ones or that person who is a thorn in your side? Who is always there for you? Who sticks by your side through thick and thin? Who will be with you years from now and still be a prominent part of your life? Who will fade away, even if they don’t go away the pain and issues lessen over time?

Now, let’s talk about our responsibility specifically. How can you make these feelings go away? When you are in the middle of pain and even anger, how do you survive? You may not like the answer. Instead of praying that the other person goes away, changes, or heaven forbid stricken down with a bolt of lightning, pray that God will change you. Yes, you read that correctly. I know the other person is causing all the issues, but you are the one in control. You have two choices. You can stay enslaved to the evil plotting against that person or you can let it go and find the love and faithfulness God has to help you get through it.

You will be amazed what letting go does for you. It really is freeing. You can look at that person and say to yourself I really don’t care. When you do that, you stop playing the victim in the story and become the victor! So, let those evil plots go away. Let God crown you with His love and faithfulness. Hear Him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant!”

Lord, I am letting go! I am done being the victim. I want to be the victor! ~amen

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1 John 4:11

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

It is time to take the blinders off today. This may be a little painful. Hang in there. Take a moment and take an honest look at yourself. Think about all those shameful things of your past. Now, don’t let them overwhelm you. Remember those are in the past. You are not who you were yesterday. You have been saved by grace. WAIT! There it is! You have been saved by grace. No matter how bad that past you was or even how bad those slip-ups are today or tomorrow, GOD LOVES YOU! Even though each of those things brought pain to God, just like a parent feels pain when their children make a mistake, He still loves you.

OK, time to get out of your past mistakes. Time to offer some of that love that you did not deserve but got from God anyway. Look around you. Who is causing you pain? Please don’t try to give, “Yeah but I am not as bad as they are” excuse. God didn’t use it with you! Don’t try the, “You have no idea what they did to me” one either. People beat and killed Jesus and He still loved them. No one is saying you have to be besties and hang together. No, you have to love them enough to forgive and move on from them. Let go. God loves you enough, don’t you think you should pass that on?

Lord, help me let it go and pass on Your love to others today. ~amen

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Philippians 4:13

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Can I really do ALL things through Christ? Did you ever notice that is not what the New International Version says about this verse? It says, “I can do all this.” Now I am not here to argue which version is better. You read the translation you like and speaks God’s word to you. I pointed the NIV out because it makes sure you don’t take this verse out of context. You see by reading the NIV in this case you have to go back and read the verses before it.

In verses 11-12, Paul is talking about how he has learned to be content in whatever his circumstances might be. “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (verse 12). I think what Paul was saying in verse 13 was God is going to get me through whatever circumstance I am in and I will be OK.

The best example I can come up with is the sports players that wear this verse. I don’t believe because they are wearing it they will win. No, they wear it because win or lose they will get through it and glorify God at the end of the game. You see with God no matter what at the end of the day it is a WIN!

Lord, no matter how my day turns out, I know it is a win with You! ~amen

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Romans 8:37

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Romans 8:37 begins with the word ‘No’. It is written this way because the verses before it are asking if there is anything that can separate us from Christ. Are there any hardships, persecutions, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword that can come between us? Paul gives a resounding “NO!” However, I like to read this verse with the word ‘know’. I think it is important to know this deep down in your heart that nothing will ever come between us.

You must know you are more than just a conqueror. You will not only get through or survive what is going on in your life. You will conquer it. The word conquer means to successfully overcome AND take control. This is not we just won another game. No, this is we won the championship 500 to 0!!!! You come out as the best of the best in this competition. Let me put it one more way for you. You are not only going to defeat Satan, you are going to chew him up and spit him out!

Please KNOW this today! God loves you! Through Him all things are possible. No matter what weapon Satan is throwing at you right now, You are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you!

Lord, because of You and through You we are much more than conquerors. We are CHAMPIONS! ~amen

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Jeremiah 31:25

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.

I am sure we have all been weary and felt faint. One of my Mom’s favorite verses that I heard repeated from her all of the time was Isaiah 40:31, “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” As a matter of fact, we used to sing it at church followed by the words, “Teach me Lord, Teach me Lord to wait.” It is always that last piece that makes life difficult doesn’t it? That four-letter word ‘wait’! Why does such a small word cause so much pain?

I have a plan to help you get to Isaiah 40:31. It is simple, use Jeremiah 31:25. You may not be ready to soar on wings like eagles are run and not grow weary. Right now you just might need a refreshing to keep going until you can do that again. Jeremiah is giving you the what to do while you wait. While we wait we can depend on the Lord all the more. God will see you through even while you are waiting on Him to come through. I know that sounds funny, but think about it for a minute. If you are on a journey, there is a destination. Along the way, you have pitstops, exits, and sightseeing. Those are God’s ways of refreshing you along the journey as you wait to reach your destination. So go ahead, get refreshed while you wait!

Lord, I am so grateful for Your spots of refreshment along the journey. ~amen

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Proverbs 16:3

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

So, here is how I am pretty sure most of us have had a conversation in our heads or intentionally with God.

Me, “OK, Lord here is my plan. I think I will . . .”
God, “How do you think that will turn out for you?”
Me, “Oh it will be fine I have researched it. I talked about it with several friends and thought a lot about it while tossing and turning and not sleeping. It will all be great!”
God sighs and even may giggle a little.

A few days later . . .

Me, “God, where were You? Why didn’t my plan work?”
God, “Exactly when did you think it was really going to work? I mean when exactly did you take the time to ask me what to do instead of telling me what you were going to do?”
Me, “Sorry, Lord. Will you help me get out of this now and send me on the right path?
God, “Of course I will my child. I love you. We will get you back on track.”

Yep! I have been in this conversation several times and probably will be again if I am honest . . . LOL!

Sorry, Lord! I know Your plans are better and I need to bring my problems to You and then wait for Your answer instead of running out on my own. ~amen

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1 Corinthians 13:1

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

OK, so today is an honesty moment with me that I am not so proud of. Yesterday was NOT a great day. My husband came home in a mood and I was not in the mood to play the victim. I was not in the mood to play the peacekeeper. I was not in the mood to walk around on eggshells until he got himself back together. Nope, I was in attack mode. I was ready to chew him up and spit him out. OK, so maybe I was in a little bit of a mood too. . . LOL!

To keep from killing each other we chose our corners of the house and stayed there. He slept it off. Me? I brewed. I mean seriously, dark roast all the way! Every time I thought I was doing better and wanted to go check on him, the Holy Spirit checked me. Even if the words I was going to use were kind and concerned, the disdain in my voice conveyed the lack of love in my heart right then.

Thank goodness several hours later, we were able to curl up on the couch and watch TV together giggling and smiling. Yes, once again our voices reflected the love we had for each other. There were no more resounding gongs or clanging cymbals.

Lord, thank You for prompting me to stay put until my heart matched my words. ~amen

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Ephesians 4:29

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Does unwholesome talk mean we can’t say anything because it may offend someone? I don’t think so because of the second part of that verse that seems to get overlooked. We are to use words that are “helpful for building others up according to their needs, that may benefit those who listen.” We must choose our words wisely but it doesn’t mean we are only to spout rainbows and unicorns. We are not to only tell people what they want to hear. We are not to tickle their egos. No, we must help build them up which means encourage them to grow and become better.

What makes you grow? What makes a plant grow? It has to fight and struggle to break through the ground. What about a butterfly fighting its way out of a cocoon?

Let’s talk sports for a minute. Do you think all those famous players spend their days at parties, driving those fancy cars, and lying around those beautiful homes? NO! To be their best they must practice hard. They battle other teams. So, why do you think you or anyone else can be given everything just because you are breathing?

News flash we are not ENTITLED to anything. Sometimes, we even deserve to have our toes stepped on in order to learn how to grow and become better. Yes, we need encouragement to keep going, but we also need the building up by showing us where we need to work. So, don’t get offended, get encouraged!

Lord, I know I can’t always hear how well I am doing. I also need to hear where I need to work in order to grow. ~amen

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Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Have you ever sat in church listening to a sermon and felt your pew heating up? As the sermon went on the pew got more and more uncomfortable. All of a sudden there it was, “Ouch!” The knife went straight through the heart. Yep! That was that double-edged sword going right through you. Don’t fight it! Face it!

In Harry Potter, there is a red envelope that arrives for Ron. It is called a howler. It is always bad news and as Neville reminds him, you don’t want to ignore it or it will explode! Well, let me give you a clue. Don’t ignore this pricking from the Lord, or it will just keep getting worse.

Yep, your pride is going to get hurt. Yep, you may have to make some amends to someone around you. However, it is growth. It is like the potter mushing and prodding on that piece of clay getting it to form into a beautiful teacup or vase. Seriously, do you want to stay as a big lump of formless clay or become a beautiful work of art?

Next time you feel that little prick, don’t ignore it and let it blow up in your face. Take the poking and prodding so you can become a beautiful and useful piece of art!

Lord, thank you for working on me and creating something beautiful and useful. ~amen

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Romans 5:3-5

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Have you ever heard of reframing a situation? We talk a lot about it when working with students. Such as, LD actually stands for Learning Disability. I would always tell my students you just Learn Differently. Then there is the student who cannot stop arguing with you. You look at them and see the next great lawyer. Basically, it is taking what some people would see as a weakness and turning it into a positive.

Paul was doing that in Romans 5. We are always going to face suffering in our life. We can’t avoid it. It isn’t the suffering or even the amount of suffering that makes the difference. It is what you do with that suffering that counts. We can let it beat us down or we can go through the process and learn something. Paul pointed out the greatest lesson was learning perseverance which builds character that leads to hope. Hope is what gets us closer to God and His love.

So going back to my students I told them they would face failure in life, but what they learned from that failure was the important part. Then what they did with that new knowledge was what made it all worth it. So what lesson are you learning today?

Lord, thank You for the lessons you teach me through my suffering. ~amen

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