A Prayer for Overcoming Doubt with Divine AssuranceBy Laura Bailey Bible Reading"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." – 1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV Listen or Read Below: The glowing neon light taunted me from across the room at 3:35 a.m. For weeks, I'd woken up in a full sweat at the same time in the early morning hours. Knowing I couldn't get back to sleep, I threw off the covers and shuffled to the den. "You were up early again this morning," my husband commented over his first and my fourth cup of coffee. Is it still the same issue keeping you awake?" For the last few months, my faith has been plagued with doubt. How can I be 100% certain I am saved? What if I choose the wrong religion, and I am going to their version of Hell? Why can't I feel God's presence?  Why haven't I experienced a miracle?  Is God even real? My mind raced with these thoughts at stoplights as I washed the dishes, especially around bedtime. Wrestling with my faith and experiencing doubt wasn't new for me, yet this felt different-like a full-on spiritual attack. Since I was no stranger to these bouts of spiritual anxiety, I reached out to my pastor, shared my struggles with my accountability group, read Scripture, and prayed as often as I could. Over time, the anxiety and intrusive thoughts lessened but continued to persist.  One morning, in my study of 1 Thessalonians, I read these words from Paul in 5:1-11, lingering over our key verse, "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." As he often does, Paul reminds believers that they are soldiers in God's army and must prepare and protect themselves for battle. A soldier's breastplate guards their heart; our faith gives us the courage to face the prince of this world and fills us with God's love. The helmet, which he calls our hope of salvation, reminds us of the importance of protecting our minds against the devil's schemes. Satan is not unique; he uses the same strategies and spouts the same lies of old. Yet, we often fall prey to his tricks, so protecting our minds with biblical truth is important! The helmet of salvation reminds us that those of us in Christ are a new creation, and nothing can separate us from His love.  This wasn't the first time I'd read these verses; just a few years ago, we did an in-depth study on the armor of God. Yet, in that moment, I felt like the Lord was speaking these words directly to my heart. A peace that surpasses understanding filled my spirit. I felt an unexplained comfort and sense of relief.  I wish I could report that from that day on, I slept through the night and haven't experienced any bouts of doubt-that is not the case. But hiding these words in my heart and speaking them out loud when the attacks start helps to shut down the enemy, not allowing him to get a stronghold over my thoughts. Friend, if you're in a season of doubt or feel the effects of spiritual warfare, know that I pray for you as I pray for myself as you fight the enemy with the sword of truth and protect yourself with the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of faith and love.  May we remind ourselves of this encouragement in Romans 8:37,  "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."  Let's Pray: Heavenly Father, we pray that as we put on the full armor of God every day, we will diligently protect ourselves from our enemy's evil schemes. Thank you for loving us and remaining faithful even when we doubt. Lord, help us to lean into your Spirit, and may we always look for glimmers of Heaven. Let us be careful to give coincidence credit when we know that it was divinely appointed. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.  Photo credit: Unsplash/Dewang Gupta Laura Bailey is a Bible teacher who challenges and encourages women to dive deep in the Scriptures, shift from an earthly to an eternal mindset, and filter life through the lens of God's Word. She is the author of Beyond the Noise, and loves any opportunity to speak and teach women of all ages. She is a wife and momma to three young girls. Connect with her on her website,  www.LauraRBailey.com, Facebook and Instagram. Related Resource: Remember God’s Enduring Love for You in this Guided Meditation on Psalm 100! This guided Christian meditation from Psalm 100 will help you experience and praise God for his unending love for you. Become aware of God's presence with you, and praise God for his loyal and enduring love from the beginning of time and into the future. Listen to every episode of the So Much More Podcast on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! The post A Prayer for Overcoming Doubt with Divine Assurance – Your Daily Prayer – September 19  appeared first on GodUpdates.

September 19, 2024 What We Don't Trust, We Will Try To ControlLYSA TERKEURST Lee en español "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 (NIV) Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the command center aboard a ship. Toward the end of the tour, the captain asked if I would like to sit in his seat. As I sat down, I couldn't help but be amazed at all the skill and expertise necessary to safely run this vessel. My friends took several pictures of me looking like I was in control. But it was an illusion. I didn't have the knowledge or the experience to do anything helpful unless the captain instructed me. Can you imagine if I'd asked the captain, who was fully capable and fully equipped, to entrust his ship into my fully incapable hands? I can verify, without hesitation, that me being in control of that ship would have been a risk no one wanted to take. It may have felt good to sit at the controls for a few minutes, but if I wanted to return home safely, I had to trust the captain. In life, there are dangers only the ultimate Captain knows how to handle. Trying to carry the weight of holding everything and everybody together is a role God never called us to play. And it's taking a great toll on our peace. Now, I want to slow down for a minute and acknowledge how tough it is to release control - because honestly our motivation isn't just that we want to be in charge but that we want to be safe. Sometimes I catch myself mentally running into the future, where I fear there is impending doom, and then trying to make choices today to steer away from trouble. Sometimes this is wise. But while it's good to plan for the future, we don't want to obsess over the future. We can control our choices today, but we cannot fully control the outcomes of tomorrow. I don't like that last sentence any more than you do. But as I've been on a trust journey over the last couple of months, I'm learning how to acknowledge what may or may not happen in the future while choosing to live in today. This is what I can control: making wise choices right now, knowing God is a good Captain.This is what I can't control: all that happens in the tomorrows to come. Jesus reminds us of this truth in Matthew 6:34: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  The only way I have found to stop myself from reaching for control is to recognize when I'm getting controlling. And in that moment of realization, I need to pause and begin surrendering to God what I can't change: God, I'm surrendering this unexpected turn of events. Instead of panicking and missing Your provision, I'm going to look for Your provision that is here. God, I'm surrendering this tension with my friend. Instead of rushing to make judgments against her or myself, I'm going to let the Jesus in me talk to the Jesus in her through prayer before addressing this issue. God, I'm surrendering how sad I feel today. Instead of trying to numb out in unhealthy ways, I'm going to worship, listen to Your Truth, look for Your presence in nature, or process this with people who are biblically wise. These prayers are my way of acknowledging that God leads and I follow. Now, please note that I used the word "surrendering," which indicates I'm still in the process of doing this. I have in no way perfected this - but I am willing to practice it, and I hope you'll join me. God already knows how flawed our efforts will be, but any time we keep our hearts bent toward Him rather than pull away from Him, that's good progress. Heavenly Father, You know how I wrestle between trusting You versus taking control. I need Your guidance as I seek to surrender it all to You. I want to trade in the powerlessness of trying to control outcomes and people and gain the strength of surrender to You. I want to release my fears and replace them with a peaceful trust in You. I can’t do this without You. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS Trying to control the uncontrollable breeds chaos. Surrendering to the only One in control produces peace. You don’t have to identify as a "control freak" to struggle with control - debunk this myth and learn the sneaky ways control shows up in our thoughts and behaviors with Lysa TerKeurst's FREE resource "Am I Trying To Control the Uncontrollable?" Sign up now! ENGAGE Find real-life encouragement when you connect with Lysa TerKeurst here on Instagram. FOR DEEPER STUDY Proverbs 16:1-3, "To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans" (NIV). How are you encouraged to release control and move toward surrender today as you remember Jesus, the Captain, is watching over you? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2024 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post What We Don’t Trust, We Will Try To Control –  Encouragement for Today – September 19, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer for Overcoming Doubt with Divine AssuranceBy Laura Bailey Bible Reading"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." – 1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV Listen or Read Below: The glowing neon light taunted me from across the room at 3:35 a.m. For weeks, I'd woken up in a full sweat at the same time in the early morning hours. Knowing I couldn't get back to sleep, I threw off the covers and shuffled to the den. "You were up early again this morning," my husband commented over his first and my fourth cup of coffee. Is it still the same issue keeping you awake?" For the last few months, my faith has been plagued with doubt. How can I be 100% certain I am saved? What if I choose the wrong religion, and I am going to their version of Hell? Why can't I feel God's presence?  Why haven't I experienced a miracle?  Is God even real? My mind raced with these thoughts at stoplights as I washed the dishes, especially around bedtime. Wrestling with my faith and experiencing doubt wasn't new for me, yet this felt different-like a full-on spiritual attack. Since I was no stranger to these bouts of spiritual anxiety, I reached out to my pastor, shared my struggles with my accountability group, read Scripture, and prayed as often as I could. Over time, the anxiety and intrusive thoughts lessened but continued to persist.  One morning, in my study of 1 Thessalonians, I read these words from Paul in 5:1-11, lingering over our key verse, "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." As he often does, Paul reminds believers that they are soldiers in God's army and must prepare and protect themselves for battle. A soldier's breastplate guards their heart; our faith gives us the courage to face the prince of this world and fills us with God's love. The helmet, which he calls our hope of salvation, reminds us of the importance of protecting our minds against the devil's schemes. Satan is not unique; he uses the same strategies and spouts the same lies of old. Yet, we often fall prey to his tricks, so protecting our minds with biblical truth is important! The helmet of salvation reminds us that those of us in Christ are a new creation, and nothing can separate us from His love.  This wasn't the first time I'd read these verses; just a few years ago, we did an in-depth study on the armor of God. Yet, in that moment, I felt like the Lord was speaking these words directly to my heart. A peace that surpasses understanding filled my spirit. I felt an unexplained comfort and sense of relief.  I wish I could report that from that day on, I slept through the night and haven't experienced any bouts of doubt-that is not the case. But hiding these words in my heart and speaking them out loud when the attacks start helps to shut down the enemy, not allowing him to get a stronghold over my thoughts. Friend, if you're in a season of doubt or feel the effects of spiritual warfare, know that I pray for you as I pray for myself as you fight the enemy with the sword of truth and protect yourself with the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of faith and love.  May we remind ourselves of this encouragement in Romans 8:37,  "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."  Let's Pray: Heavenly Father, we pray that as we put on the full armor of God every day, we will diligently protect ourselves from our enemy's evil schemes. Thank you for loving us and remaining faithful even when we doubt. Lord, help us to lean into your Spirit, and may we always look for glimmers of Heaven. Let us be careful to give coincidence credit when we know that it was divinely appointed. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.  Photo credit: Unsplash/Dewang Gupta Laura Bailey is a Bible teacher who challenges and encourages women to dive deep in the Scriptures, shift from an earthly to an eternal mindset, and filter life through the lens of God's Word. She is the author of Beyond the Noise, and loves any opportunity to speak and teach women of all ages. She is a wife and momma to three young girls. Connect with her on her website,  www.LauraRBailey.com, Facebook and Instagram. Related Resource: Remember God’s Enduring Love for You in this Guided Meditation on Psalm 100! This guided Christian meditation from Psalm 100 will help you experience and praise God for his unending love for you. Become aware of God's presence with you, and praise God for his loyal and enduring love from the beginning of time and into the future. Listen to every episode of the So Much More Podcast on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! The post A Prayer for Overcoming Doubt with Divine Assurance – Your Daily Prayer – September 19  appeared first on GodUpdates.

September 19, 2024 What We Don't Trust, We Will Try To ControlLYSA TERKEURST Lee en español "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 (NIV) Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the command center aboard a ship. Toward the end of the tour, the captain asked if I would like to sit in his seat. As I sat down, I couldn't help but be amazed at all the skill and expertise necessary to safely run this vessel. My friends took several pictures of me looking like I was in control. But it was an illusion. I didn't have the knowledge or the experience to do anything helpful unless the captain instructed me. Can you imagine if I'd asked the captain, who was fully capable and fully equipped, to entrust his ship into my fully incapable hands? I can verify, without hesitation, that me being in control of that ship would have been a risk no one wanted to take. It may have felt good to sit at the controls for a few minutes, but if I wanted to return home safely, I had to trust the captain. In life, there are dangers only the ultimate Captain knows how to handle. Trying to carry the weight of holding everything and everybody together is a role God never called us to play. And it's taking a great toll on our peace. Now, I want to slow down for a minute and acknowledge how tough it is to release control - because honestly our motivation isn't just that we want to be in charge but that we want to be safe. Sometimes I catch myself mentally running into the future, where I fear there is impending doom, and then trying to make choices today to steer away from trouble. Sometimes this is wise. But while it's good to plan for the future, we don't want to obsess over the future. We can control our choices today, but we cannot fully control the outcomes of tomorrow. I don't like that last sentence any more than you do. But as I've been on a trust journey over the last couple of months, I'm learning how to acknowledge what may or may not happen in the future while choosing to live in today. This is what I can control: making wise choices right now, knowing God is a good Captain.This is what I can't control: all that happens in the tomorrows to come. Jesus reminds us of this truth in Matthew 6:34: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  The only way I have found to stop myself from reaching for control is to recognize when I'm getting controlling. And in that moment of realization, I need to pause and begin surrendering to God what I can't change: God, I'm surrendering this unexpected turn of events. Instead of panicking and missing Your provision, I'm going to look for Your provision that is here. God, I'm surrendering this tension with my friend. Instead of rushing to make judgments against her or myself, I'm going to let the Jesus in me talk to the Jesus in her through prayer before addressing this issue. God, I'm surrendering how sad I feel today. Instead of trying to numb out in unhealthy ways, I'm going to worship, listen to Your Truth, look for Your presence in nature, or process this with people who are biblically wise. These prayers are my way of acknowledging that God leads and I follow. Now, please note that I used the word "surrendering," which indicates I'm still in the process of doing this. I have in no way perfected this - but I am willing to practice it, and I hope you'll join me. God already knows how flawed our efforts will be, but any time we keep our hearts bent toward Him rather than pull away from Him, that's good progress. Heavenly Father, You know how I wrestle between trusting You versus taking control. I need Your guidance as I seek to surrender it all to You. I want to trade in the powerlessness of trying to control outcomes and people and gain the strength of surrender to You. I want to release my fears and replace them with a peaceful trust in You. I can’t do this without You. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS Trying to control the uncontrollable breeds chaos. Surrendering to the only One in control produces peace. You don’t have to identify as a "control freak" to struggle with control - debunk this myth and learn the sneaky ways control shows up in our thoughts and behaviors with Lysa TerKeurst's FREE resource "Am I Trying To Control the Uncontrollable?" Sign up now! ENGAGE Find real-life encouragement when you connect with Lysa TerKeurst here on Instagram. FOR DEEPER STUDY Proverbs 16:1-3, "To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans" (NIV). How are you encouraged to release control and move toward surrender today as you remember Jesus, the Captain, is watching over you? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2024 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post What We Don’t Trust, We Will Try To Control –  Encouragement for Today – September 19, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

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