Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: jesus

Anger Makes You Foolish

Encouragement

Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
Ecclesiastes 7:9

People are entertained by conflicts. Especially when it’s reality drama. They are thrilled when someone gets what they deserve. It’s very sad but it’s true to say that some people like to watch others suffer. That’s why TV drama series are so popular.

It’s easy to get angry and lash out toward others. We see people act like fools because of their anger and bitterness. We must be careful that we never let our anger get the best of us.

As Christians we are called to be set apart from the rest of the world. However, if we fill our minds with the filth and garbage of reality TV, gossip, and drama, we tend to engage upon it.  There comes a point in time when the Holy Spirit urges us to stop feeding on the negativity and start feeding on positive thoughts and actions. 

Evil surrounds us in every direction and it will eventually entice us if we allow it. Evil thoughts and actions result from a heart full of anger and an unforgiving attitude.

But on the opposite spectrum, when we fill our hearts and minds with encouraging and uplifting spiritual things we produce holiness and righteousness. 

If you want to have less anger in your life you need to feed your heart and mind with grace and truth. The more you mature in the Word of God the more you will control your emotions of anger.

Instead of dwelling on the things that make you angry try focusing on the good things God has done for you. When you count your blessings one by one the things that make us angry will fade away.

Prayer

Lord, take my focus off the negative things of this world and allow me to see the great things You are doing in my life.  Help me to resist the temptation to sin in my anger.

In It To Win It

Encouragement

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
II Timothy 1:7

This one verse is given as a message of hope. God’s design for human life is for us to succeed and not fail. However, fear will keep a person from accomplishing the best things God has to offer.

Satan uses fear and doubt to keep us from doing and witnessing extraordinary things.  Satan does not want us experiencing God’s power and love. Instead, he will try to paralyze our faith.

God gives us power, love and a sound mind to do things that will allow us to succeed.  We are capable of doing powerful things through Jesus when we put our faith to the test. Without Him we are nothing.

If we fall into Satan’s trap of fear we will give up and give in and Satan wins. God has given us everything we need to win. We have victory through our faith in Christ.

Is there any fear that is keeping you from living an extraordinary life? Is your unbelief keeping you from witnessing God’s great things? Remove that spirit of fear in Jesus’ name.

Prayer

Lord, I pray in the Name of Jesus to have all fear, unbelief and doubt removed from my mind and replaced with God’s power, love and truth. Give me the knowledge of what I can do through Jesus.

Our Living Hope

Encouragement

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
‭‭I Peter‬ ‭1:3‬

Are you living in the hope of Jesus Christ? We have hope through Jesus’ death and resurrection because he defeated sin on the cross.

The hope that we have is based upon Jesus coming back for what we call the Second Coming of Christ. When Jesus comes all things will be made new. This earth will be dissolved and a new earth will be created for our good. Until Jesus comes back we patiently wait for the glorious day to appear. 

Some days we let the worries of the world get the best of us. We sit and sour over things that sometimes are meaningless. If we dwell in the living hope of Jesus our mindset will give us a positive outlook on life. Our hope in Jesus will give us courage to face opposition of the enemy.

Until the day Jesus comes back we honor and praise His wondrous name. We live our life in a way that brings glory to God. We set ourselves apart from evil and resist the devil. We live every day like it is our last day here. We desire to hear Jesus say, “good and faithful servant.” 

You may be faced with a dilemma today but rest in the blessed hope of Jesus. He will see you through to the end. It may not be the outcome you were expecting but God has a purpose and a plan just for you. Will you trust in His blessed hope today?

Pray

Lord, thank you for giving me hope and assurance. I praise you and honor you for who you are. As I go through this day, help me to see what you have in store for me.