Honest Reflections

One-minute read.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

2 Timothy 1:7

Paul, writing to Timothy, takes the place of a father figure for his young disciple, raised by his mother and grandmother. The letters to Timothy hint at a naturally timid nature, and Paul wants to encourage him. God gives us the power of the Holy Spirit to help us complete our mission. Boldness comes from within our spirit as we trust the Lord for power, love, and self-control. Self-discipline helps us nurture the gifts God gives us as we study His word and apply it to our lives. Like Timothy, we can overcome our fears by relying on our faith.

Fears can cripple people; anxiety can trap its victim. Without faith, I would never have married Ron because I would never have had the strength to start the relationship. After many heartaches, I didn’t want to experience what I had in the past. But when I placed my faith in God and trusted Him to guide me, I overcame my fear of relationships. What I learned, following Jesus, helped me develop healthy connections. Putting God’s principles into practice gave me the power, love, and self-control to open my life to someone else.

Faith overcomes fear as we put our confidence in the Lord instead of ourselves. We make poor decisions because of our limited perspective, but with God’s broad view, He leads us on the path of victory.   Live life fear-free following Jesus, tapping into His power, love, and self-control.

Journaling Questions:

What fear or anxiety keeps you from enjoying life thoroughly?

How can you lean into the Holy Spirit’s guidance today?

What does knowing God gives you power, love, and self-control do for you?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to help us overcome our fears and find victory in You.  As we tap into Your power, love, and self-control, help us use it wisely, drawing others to You.  Let us honor and serve You well in all we do.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus wants us to bring our burdens to Him, lay them at the foot of the cross, and receive rest. Pharisees, the religious leaders of the time, burdened the people with their impossible expectations of fulfilling the law. With over 600 rules to follow, no one could keep them all. Initially, the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments for people to live by, but over time, those commandments grew. Since we could not keep the first ten, trying to keep them all burdened people.

Christ gave us a new commandment that we can summarize in four words: love God and others (Mark 12:30-31). Placing our faith in Jesus admits we can’t keep all the religious laws, and we no longer need to feel burdened by them because of His actions on the cross. Taking the Savior’s yoke upon us means accepting His grace and mercy, recognizing we can do nothing to earn the gift. God offers us rest through Jesus, not only for the world to come but for today’s troubles. Let the Savior rescue you from your burdens. Put on His yoke and find rest.

Look to the cross for help with today’s struggles. Give your worries to the Savior and allow Him to fight your battles. Focus on loving God and others with the gift of grace Christ offers. In Him, you will find rest.

Journaling Questions:

What burden do you need to give to the Lord today?

How has putting on Jesus’ yoke helped you in the past?

What problems have you given to Jesus, then taken back?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us relief from our burdens. Help us lay our struggles at the foot of the cross and leave them there. Let us put on Christ’s yoke and discover the rest He offers. Give us new life in Jesus as we follow Him.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23

Keeping a vigilant heart means guarding what we let into it. Life begins in the heart, the origin of our activities; it determines the course of our life. If we feed our souls with uplifting and encouraging things, our actions will reflect the positive input. But if we feed our hearts negativity, it will produce adverse actions.

Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, knew how to guard her heart. When a friend asked her about an offense that happened to her years before, Clara responded:

“I distinctly remember forgetting it.”[i]

In other words, Clara guarded her heart by not feeding it with negative emotions. She had a choice of handling the offense, becoming bitter or better. Clara chose better by willingly forgetting the offense, acting as if it had never happened. By doing so, her heart healed as forgiveness mended the injury, erasing it from her heart. If Clara had chosen to meditate on the offense, bitterness would have taken root, and she would have had a different attitude.

Choose to focus on the positive things in life and let go of the adverse events that serve no purpose and only cause bitterness to grow. Produce loving actions by guarding your heart, healing from hurts, and becoming better, not bitter.

Journaling Questions:

What negative things have you fed your heart?

How can you guard your heart from negative emotions?

What can you do to become better instead of bitter?

Prayer:

Thank You for teaching us how to guard our hearts and become better instead of bitter. As negative emotions try to overtake us today, please help us identify them and not let them take root in our hearts. Keep our hearts pure as we pursue You.

IJNIP. Amen

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[i] https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/forgiving-and-forgetting

One-minute read.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 12:12

Maintaining fervor following Jesus takes effort. When we first become believers, discovering the grace of the Lord and accepting it into our lives brings with it an ardor as we enjoy forgiveness and a reset for the future. But as time progresses and trials pop up, a danger can arise of slipping back into our old ways as spiritual fervor wanes. At times like these, we must push through, and Paul tells us how: rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer.

Pushing through takes determination, discipline, and effort. Coaching a young student and developing her serve, after our last lesson, she told me about a tournament she entered. I challenged her to use the new serve and not revert to her old one, even though she would probably lose points and maybe even the match. Typically, when a player gets in a pressure situation, they revert to what they know instead of pushing through, using the new technique. Like tennis, to reach the next level, we must persevere in the new way of life and not revert to our old habits when life’s pressures close in on us; otherwise, we’ll never grow and never get better.

Revive your soul by rejoicing in hope, practicing patience, and constantly connecting with God through prayer. When you do, you will develop a new way to respond to life and discover a continued zeal for the Lord that only comes from walking closely with Him.

Journaling Questions:

What causes your spiritual fervor to wane?

What do you do when you feel distant from God?

How can you rejoice in hope, practice patience, and pray constantly today?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us a recipe for success in our spiritual lives. Please help us keep our fervor strong as we attempt to rejoice in hope, practice patience, and constantly connect with You.  Energize our souls as we seek You.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Phil. 4:8

Centering our minds on exalted things helps us radiate positive energy as we practice what we learn from Jesus. We can choose what we think about at any moment. As a friend told me, we can restart our day anytime. So, if you find yourself heading down a negative path, stop and refocus your mind. Think about whatever is honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable. Change the direction of your thoughts by changing the focus.

“Keep the Son in your eyes” remains one of my favorite ways to redirect my thoughts. I first heard the phrase from Pastor Sam at JCC3 in Williamsburg, and I’ve never forgotten it. Anytime my thoughts distract me, the six words help me to think about what I’m thinking about and refocus my thoughts on Jesus, who possesses all the qualities Paul describes in his letter to the Philippians. To control our thoughts, we must give them over to God, submitting them to Him.

Maintain a positive attitude today by thinking about what you think about. Replace negative mantras with honorable and just thoughts. When you look for the good things in life, you will find them. Sometimes, we must dig to find the gold in our lives, but we will discover the payload when we do. Look for things worthy of praise and think about those things.

Journaling Questions:

How often do you think about what you’re thinking?

In what ways can you change your thoughts today?

What do you have to praise God for today?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us honorable, just, and excellent things to consider. Please help us keep the Son in our eyes as the day unfolds, focusing on praiseworthy things, not things that will steal our joy. IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

Proverbs 1:10

Peer pressure makes us do things we wouldn’t otherwise do. Saying no can seem impossible, but not giving consent keeps us from getting into trouble. During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, his wife Nancy started the “Just Say No” campaign, which educated children on how to avoid drugs. The program used role-playing scenarios, allowing kids to practice saying no. By teaching students skills to resist peer pressure and other social influences, the program became an effective tool in the fight against drugs.

No matter what their age, everyone experiences some peer pressure. Maintaining a healthy weight and not eating snacks at night helps me accomplish my goal. But my husband loves to snack, so I battle the temptation not to eat. Shopping with the girls can entice me to spend money I don’t need to spend. And driving with the flow of traffic can make me want to speed. Temptations come in all shapes and forms, some worse than others. If we don’t think ahead and practice saying no, we’ll find ourselves in trouble.

“Just say no” seems easier said than done. Like the students, we must practice saying no to peer pressure, whatever form it takes. Looking ahead and anticipating situations that will entice us help us prepare for them. We can say no and not consent when enticed with things that would cause us harm.

Journaling Questions:

What type of peer pressure causes you problems?

How can you practice saying no to peer pressure?

How can you prepare ahead for potential peer pressure situations?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us ways to say no to temptation. When people try to entice us to do things we shouldn’t, help us stay strong and stick to our principles. Give us opportunities to practice saying no and become better at avoiding temptation.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.

Proverbs 4:14-15

As a person who constantly pushes the limits, I envy my friends who follow the rules, no matter what. In college, my girlfriend and I ran into a bunch of cute guys at a convenience store who asked us for a lift. I immediately said yes. However, my friend said no because her dad told her she couldn’t have more than two people in her car. As the driver, I had to submit to her, but I thought we missed our chance to meet guys.

Actually, she did the right thing, and I respect her for it now more than I ever did then. You won’t walk in evil ways if you never start down the wrong path. My poor judgment regarding men took me down many wrong paths and caused me heartache. However, my friend avoided those issues because she followed her father’s rules.

Our heavenly Father gives us guidelines by which to live. When we follow and obey Him, we’ll turn away from evil paths before we start down them. Not submitting to peer pressure becomes more manageable when we don’t put ourselves in a position for them to tempt us. Just like my friend didn’t get sucked into the boy’s ploys, we’ll avoid trouble by obeying our heavenly Father. Don’t enter the path of the wicked; avoid walking with the evil, turning away to a more abundant life in Christ.

Journaling Questions:

When did you enter a wicked path?

What rules of God do you need to apply to your life?

How can you become more obedient to God?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us guidelines to apply to our lives and helping us not walk down wicked paths. Let us avoid the way of evil by staying on the straight and narrow, following You closely. Let us honor and glorify You in all things.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 2:15

John’s addressing the Gnostic-type opponents and their untrue assertions. Gnosticism developed in the 2^nd century and taught that salvation came through secret knowledge, defining Jesus as spiritual and not human, the physical world as evil, and the spiritual world as good.[i]  Gnostic means “to know” or “knowledge,” not intellectual but mythical and tells the secret of salvation. 

Where Christianity believes all who call Jesus Lord experience salvation, Gnostics believe salvation only comes to the enlightened, a select few. Gnosticism caused heated debates within the church and eventually a separation. John warns believers not to follow these false teachings because they are of the world and not of Jesus. Anyone who loves the world doesn’t have God’s love in them.

Staying focused on the truth of Jesus will dispel any lies. Studying a dollar bill so well lets you immediately notice slight differences in counterfeit bills. False teachers often have similar teachings to Jesus but with subtle differences. The more we study Christ’s life and ministry, the faster we will identify false teachings. God’s light shines through those who follow Him; false teachers live in darkness, shedding no light on the world around them.

Journaling Questions:

When have you experienced false teachings?

How can you identify false teachings quickly?

How does Jesus’s light shine through you?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for exposing false teachings in our lives. As we study Jesus’ life and ministry, help us quickly identify the lies we believe. Let the truth of the gospel illuminate our lives and expel any darkness.

IJNIP. Amen

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[i] https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-gnosticism-700683

One-minute read.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:1-2

Opening the book of Psalms, “Blessed is the man,” evokes joy and gratitude as the Psalmist praises the Lord for His provision.  Living a devoted life to the Lord means seeking wise counsel from God and not taking bad advice from someone with wicked intentions. Meditating on God’s word helps us discern which path to follow, walking straight and serving the Lord with all our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls. 

Mockers do not regard the Lord and His commandments, ignoring instruction and stirring up strife with their words.  Devoted to themselves and not interested in others, mockers cause harm wherever they go. Christ’s follower’s delight comes from studying, knowing, and memorizing God’s Word and then doing it.  Unlike mockers, they put God and others first, leading with love and looking out for the best interests of others.

Putting God’s word into practice refreshes our souls as it becomes our chief desire.  Fearing the Lord’s opinion more than people starts the journey.  Growing and maturing in Christ brings joy as we become more like Him.  Living a righteous life develops a strong character as we continually follow God’s command and delight in His law.

Journaling Questions:

When has bad advice caused you a problem?

What does it mean to you to delight in God’s law?

How can you meditate on God’s word more?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us Your word as a guide to live our lives. Help us meditate on it day and night, applying it to our lives and living righteously. Let us become more like Jesus as we pursue You wholeheartedly.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

Loyal friendship comes from unexpected places. Some people only last a season, but others go the distance, traveling through life with us, our connections closer than that of a brother. I met one of my dear friends while working as a game room attendant in high school. Video games lined the walls of the ski lodge, and I would hand out change from my little office to the patrons. 

“Hi, I’m Laura.”  When my now lifelong friend introduced herself to me, I had no idea what journey we would go on together. Car accidents, boyfriends, husbands, children (hers), ministry issues, losing our parents, her first grandbaby, we had no way of knowing what life held for us that long ago summer day when she introduced herself to me and our friendship began.

According to the Pew Research Center, 8% of people say they have no close friends, only 38% say they have five or more, and 53% report having 1-4 close friends.[i]  Our technological world gives us many internet connections, but our physical friendships dwindle. Everyone needs friends and close relationships that support and help us through life, both the good and bad. Following Jesus teaches us how to have strong connections with God and others. Practicing what the Savior commands and loving God and others will help you develop friendships with people who stick closer than brothers.

Journaling Questions:

How many loyal friendships do you have?

Who sticks closer than a brother in your life?

What can you do to develop loyal friendships?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us friends that stick closer than a brother. Help us develop relationships that last a lifetime, creating loyal connections that we can count on in times of trouble. With You at the center of our relationships, we can have the three cord friendships that don’t break.

IJNIP. Amen

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[i] https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/10/12/what-does-friendship-look-like-in-america/#:~:text=A%20narrow%20majority%20of%20adults%20%2853%25%29%20say%20they,in%20the%20number%20of%20close%20friends%20people%20have.