Read 2 Corinthians 9:10-15 Cast all your anxiety on [God] because he cares for you. ~1 Peter 5:7~ Following the birth of my first child, I had postpartum depression, and my husband was facing unemployment. It became clear that a career change was on the horizon for him, which added to the uncertainty we felt about the future. My husband and I both felt anxious about what was next for our family; we even thought we might need to move to another state. One morning my son was cr

THANK ME FOR YOUR PROBLEMS. As soon as your mind gets snagged on a difficulty, bring it to Me with thanksgiving. Then ask Me to show you My way to handle the situation. The very act of thanking Me releases your mind from its negative focus. As you turn your attention to Me, the problem fades in significance and loses its power to trip you up. Together we can deal with the situation, either facing it head-on or putting it aside for later consideration. Most of the situations t

Read John 14:1-4 Jesus said, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” ~John 14:2~ Three days before Thanksgiving I was feeling the full effects of my chemotherapy treatments. My mother called, full of excitement that my husband and I were coming home for the holiday. I told her how awful I felt, but she told me she would prepare my room for me and give me the best medicine in the world — a

DON'T BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF. I can bring good even out of your mistakes. Your finite mind tends to look backward, longing to undo decision you have come to regret. This is a waste of time and energy, leading only to frustration. Instead of floundering in the past, release your mistakes to Me. Look to Me and trust, anticipating that My infinite creativity can weave both good choices and bad into a lovely design. Because you are human, you will continue to make mistakes. Think

DO NOT LONG for the absence of problems in your life. That is an unrealistic goal since in this world you will have trouble. You have an eternity of problem-free living reserved for you in heaven. Rejoice in that inheritance, which no one can take away from you, but do not seek your heaven on earth. Begin each day anticipating problems, asking Me to equip you for whatever difficulties you will encounter. The best equipping is My living Presence, My hand that never lets go of

By obedience the people were to give evidence of their faith. So all who hope to be saved by the merits of the blood of Christ should realize that they themselves have something to do in securing their salvation. While it is Christ only that can redeem us from the penalty of transgression, we are to turn from sin to obedience. Man is to be saved by faith, not by works; yet his faith must be shown by his works. God has given His Son to die as a propitiation for sin, He has man

THIS IS WHAT I SAY—I who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid. I have always been involved in your life, even before you were born. Because you are Mine, purchased with My own blood, you can count on My promise to help you as you journey through this world. This is how you gain victory over fear; through trusting in My ever-present help. The problem arises when you gaze too long into the future, trying to visualize and take control of

Read Philippians 4:6-9 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. ~James 5:16~ One evening as I was preparing supper for the family, a saucepan full of boiling milk poured out onto my right leg — from my knee down to my foot. I cried out and ran to put my pain-wracked leg under running water. When I remembered that I was scheduled to speak the very next day at church in my

MEET ME IN MORNING STILLNESS, while the earth is fresh with the dew of My Presence. Worship Me in the beauty of holiness. Sing love songs to My holy Name. As you give yourself to Me, My Spirit swells within you till you are flooded with divine Presence. The world’s way of pursuing riches is grasping and hoarding. You attain My riches by letting go and giving. The more you give yourself to Me and My ways, the more I fill you with inexpressible heavenly joy. ~~Psalm 29:2; 1 Pet

One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. ~John 1:40~ Andrew introduced his brother Peter to Christ, and Peter turned out to be the leader of the disciples. But all of that happened because of what Andrew did. Andrew was an unsung hero among the disciples. The Bible certainly has its "star players," the ones we hear about often in the Old and New Testaments. Our role in serving God may receive lots of attention, and there's nothin

Read Galatians 6:1-6 Like living stones, let yourself be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ---1 Peter 2:5 As an Upper Room intern who is blind, I have shared laughter and tears with our Braille readers. While I initially contacted them about subscriptions, together we found an unbreakable bond in Christ Jesus. These conversations reminded me that we are called to be a holy priesthood in

‘If any man serve me, let him follow me: and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. ~John 12:26~ This scripture tells me that when we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father will honor us. It is awesome to realize that God will honor us for serving his Son. There are many ways to serve Jesus. Serve means "to be of service or use." People who are involved in church service in the areas of praying, greeting, ushering, singing

WHEN SOME BASIC NEED IS LACKING---- time, energy, money----consider yourself blessed. Your very life is an opportunity to latch on to Me in unashamed dependence. When you begin today with inadequate resources, you must concentrate your efforts on the present moment. This is where you are meant to live--- in the present. It is the place where I always await you. Awareness of your inadequacy is a rich blessing, training you to rely wholeheartedly on Me. The truth is that self-s

Read 2 Kings 4:1-7 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands— O prosper the work of our hands! ~Psalm 90:17~ Since I am a freelance writer, my income is not always steady. When my finances tighten, it can be embarrassing to admit that I can’t afford certain necessities. The last thing I want to do is make my need known to those around me, but that is exactly what Elisha instructed the indebted widow to do in today’s reading. By ask

Read Matthew 6:9-15 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matthew 6:12 I could not understand how someone I trusted could have committed such a horrible offense against me. That person had broken my trust so much that it seemed that everything I believed about the relationship was wrong. I was devastated and angry. Alone in my room, I tried to pray. "Dear God," I began, but I couldn't finish. The only thing I could do in my anguish was cry and moan. I s

COME TO ME with empty hands and an open heart, ready to receive abundant blessings. I know the depth and breadth of your neediness. Your life-path has been difficult, draining you of strength. Come to Me for nurture. Let Me fill you with My Presence: I live in you, and you live in Me. My power flows most freely into weak ones aware of their need for Me. Faltering steps of dependence are not lack of faith; they are links to My Presence. John 17:20-23; Isaiah 40:29-31 Jesus is

WELCOME PROBLEMS as perspective-lifters. My children tend to sleepwalk through their days until they bump into an obstacle that stymies them. If you encounter a problem with no immediate solution, your response to that situation will take you either up or down. You can Iash out at difficulty, resenting it and feeling sorry for yourself. This will take you down into a pit of self-pity. Alternatively, the problem can be a ladder, enabling you to climb up and see your life from

Read John 6:25-35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” ~~ John 6:35~~~ My parents were great people, but when I was young they weren’t Christians. They hadn’t been raised in Christian homes, and they had a lot of questions. Even so, my mother found a place to have me baptized, and my brother and I were taken regularly to Sunday school. Mom later came to Christ after becoming a

REST IN THE STILLNESS OF MY PRESENCE while I prepare you for this day. Let the radiance of My Glory shine upon you as you wait on Me in confident trust. Be still, and know that I am God. There is a passive and active side to trusting Me. As you rest in My Presence, focus on Me, I quietly build bonds of trust between us. When you respond to the circumstances of your life with affirmations of trust, you actively participate in this process. I am always with you, so you have no

I AM THE ONE AND ONLY who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. I came from Him and I returned to Him because I am God — the second Person of the Trinity. I entered your world to provide a way for you to have a living, eternal relationship with your Father-God. People who do not know Me have often stated that there are many ways to God. But this claim is absolutely untrue: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. I come to