Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Trust

God’s Will Gives Us Peace

Trust

“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:25‬

The reason that Jesus could endure the suffering of the cross was because He knew it was God’s perfect will. He also knew that He would be raised from the dead.

There is perfect peace that comes from being in God’s will and power in knowing that you have eternal life in Heaven.  It is God’s will that everyone know and confess Jesus as Lord.

We may never have all the answers to life’s problems but we do have a cure for our sin problem. It’s Jesus Christ. It’s forgiveness and grace. He is the One who saves us from all of our sins.

Even though Christians continue to sin we have forgiveness, mercy, and grace. And it is a result of the obedience and compassion of Jesus. We won’t fully comprehend what salvation means until we are in the presence of Almighty God. It will be at that time that we fully understand the love of God.

God wants the best for you. He wants you to prosper and succeed in this life, but it must be according to His will. God reveals His will to us through His Word. We will never know what we must do until we hear His voice.

God’s Word speaks to us and gives us wisdom to choose what is right. We will never know His will for our life until we submit and obey His commands. Have you ever found it difficult to know what God’s will is for your life?  The answer lies in the fact of hearing and doing His Word. If we only hear His Word and not act upon it we are simply rejecting His great blessings. But when we hear and do His Word we are blessed.

Pray

Lord, You are my Savior and I submit to You and follow Your direction. Speak truth into me today. Give me wisdom to choose what is right.

Are You Spiritually Disciplined?

Encouragement, Trust

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:11‬

What are your personal spiritual disciplines? Have you disciplined yourself in God’s Word?

Spiritual disciplines are similar to dieting. When we are selective and mindful of the nutritional foods we eat, the results are beneficial to maintaining good health. Eating healthy food produces a healthy body.

Indulging on junk food may satisfy you temporarily but it’s not going to return good health. In fact many Americans are overweight and unhealthy because we are not disciplined with what we eat.

Maybe you have great self-control when you see a warm, freshly baked chocolate cake with chocolate icing sitting on the counter next to a glass of ice cold milk. (The struggle is real!)

We may not be tempted in the same way but you know what tempts you to steer away from healthy eating habits.

In the same way we must be disciplined to feeding our souls. We are tempted spiritually everyday. The devil will do whatever he can to make you stumble. Especially when you’re not spiritually disciplined.

Spiritual disciplines help us to maintain righteous living and be healthy servants for God. When we pray without ceasing, we are mindful of the things of God. When we meditate day and night on the Word of God, we feel closer to God. When we worship regularly with other Believers we are more aware of other’s needs than our own. Giving and serving produces joy in our hearts.

The Bible has no comprehensive “spiritual disciplines” list we should practice, but it does give us commands to do certain things on a regular basis. And when we do, they produce good fruit in our lives.

Pray

Lord, help me to stay spiritually strong and keep me from evil desires. Help me to create healthy spiritual disciplines that will incorporate Your standards into my life.

A Forgiving Heart

Faith, Trust

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:32‬

Is there someone you are having a difficult time forgiving? We’ve all had people that did something against us to makes us bitter.

Maybe it was a false accusation or someone stole something from you. Maybe it’s your spouse, a family member, a co-worker, an ex-employer, or even yourself. We must come to the point of forgiving that person and that offense.

We should know what the Bible says about forgiveness. But do we do it? The Bible says to forgive others just as Jesus has forgiven you.

How many times have you asked for forgiveness and recommitted the very same sin? Over and over we sin against God but He is gracious to forgive us.

The reason we must forgive others is to show the love of Christ that is living inside our hearts. When we don’t forgive we are storing up bitterness and anger which will eventually pour out like water.

If you don’t forgive that certain person you will eventually become a miserable person. Just save yourself the time and energy and start practicing forgiveness.

Sometimes forgiveness can be a difficult task. There are some very cruel people in our world that do cruel things. But here’s the thing… we cannot let someone else’s action dictate who we are or who we become. We cannot let a bad situation control our lives and make us live in agony.

The power of forgiveness is beautiful. It releases the turmoil that has been living in your soul and gives you freedom to live in peace.

Pray

Lord, help me to understand true forgiveness and mercy. Help me to have a forgiving heart that shows others Your grace. Forgive me of my sins.