Don't Bathe in Manure

Surrounding yourself with negativity = a negative thought life.

Several months ago, I was immersing myself in the misery of others, and doing little to rest and recover and strengthen myself spiritually. (I didn't realize what was going on at the time.) What did I expect to come from that sort of environment? Happy thoughts? Oops.

Practical example: if I were to fill my bathtub up with manure and slide on in, would I come out clean as a whistle?

Um.

No.

I'd come out with poop clinging to my body. It'd take more than a couple of rinses to rid me of the filth, and the stench!

On the other hand, if I immerse myself in GOOD things—in God—I will radiate HIM. Over time, I will become more and more like Him!

 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” - 1 Corinthians 15:33

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  - John 15:4-5

30 Days of Love - Day 30: So, Now What?

Day 30: So, Now What?

(Click here for Day 29)

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

Here we are at the end! There’s so much more I could write to you, but this is where we’ll stop for now. God will lead you to whatever else you need, but having a plan of action has always helped me, and I believe it will help you, so here goes!

My advice to you as we close is this:

•  Keep on going (see the verse above). If you were driving down the road to your favorite restaurant, would you stop the car in the middle of the road and still expect to get there? Nope! Seriously, just keep going. Even when it feels like it’s not working, and zero results appear before your eyes, do not give up!
•  If you’re having a weak moment and you need some encouragement, you get your faith friend on the phone and let them know you could use a boost! Don’t have one yet? Throw me a comment, and I'll get in touch with you! I’m telling you now: You can do this (2 Corinthians 2:14)!
•  Always remember that God is on your side. He is not against you (Romans 8:31).
• Continue to feed on God’s Word, especially 1 Corinthians 13, as you go along. This is so, so important! We don’t expect our bodies to perform without food, but we let our spirits starve—hello!
• Know that you are loved by God, and yours truly. I may not know you, but I’ve written this book as an act of love for my King, and for you!

Be blessed (James 1:25).

Homework:

Hey, no homework on the last day of school!

Know that I’m praying for you—that you would be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10). That you would trust in Him with all of your heart (Proverbs 3:5), and know that He will never give up on you (Romans 8:38-39)!

30 Days of Love - Day 29: My Personal Experiences, Part Two

Day 29: My Personal Experiences, Part Two

(Click here for Day 28)

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” Hebrews 10:24

Several years ago, I came to a crossroads. I hadn’t really been living to serve God, and my life showed it. I was unhappy all the time, and I blamed everyone but myself. Mostly I blamed my husband. Soon we came to a point where we were very close to divorce. I was a wreck. I didn’t know what to do. I was so done with life as it had been up until that point. Only one path seemed to make sense. I cried out to the Lord. I told Him I was done. I was done trying to do things my way. I gave myself back to Him. Even though the weeks that followed were incredibly hard, my marriage was saved.

After coming so close to the brink, I was filled with a lot of fear. I was terrified that we’d just end up in the same boat again. I went looking for answers, and I’m not quite sure when God started leading me toward teaching on walking in love, but I know it happened. I learned that God’s love casts out fear:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

I started learning that the way I treated others was going to come back to me. I started learning that I had to let go of the past. I started seeing results. They were tiny at first, and quite hard to see if you weren’t paying attention, but I saw it. (My battle buddy helped me to “see” quite often—thank you, BB!)

Oh, I’ve made my share of mistakes since. I just have to remember to repent and get back to it again. There have been a handful of times where realizing how badly I’d been hurting the people I loved gave me such a heartache, but God was always there to show His mercy and show me the path out.

I’ve written this book to you because God doesn’t teach us so we can keep it all to ourselves. He wants me to help you understand that there is hope. There is a way out of your living hell. Call out to Jesus, and do whatever He says!

Homework:

For almost thirty days, because of your study, God’s love has been in the forefront of your thinking. If you’re not diligent to remind yourself of the things you’ve been learning and receiving from God, you’ll lose sight of them (James 1:22-25; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23). There are many ways you could go about reminding yourself regularly. One of my favorite ways is to print things out and put them up on the fridge. Do what works for you!

30 Days of Love - Day 28: My Personal Experiences, Part One

Day 28: My Personal Experiences, Part One

(Click here for Day 27)

“I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.” Psalm 9:1

I know that I always find encouragement in hearing how God’s Word has worked in other people’s lives, so I wanted to share some personal examples with all of you, in the hopes of doing the same!

I want to start off with what I view as the first time I realized that walking in love actually works. At the time, I just saw it as “killing them with kindness,” but even with just that, I was able to experience victory.

Decades ago, I was working in an office, and one of the girls there didn’t like me. To this day I’m not really sure why. It doesn’t matter. What does matter, is that instead of treating her rudely in return, I decided to be nice to her. I remembered Scriptures about heaping coals of kindness on people’s heads (see Proverbs 25:21-22 and Romans 12:20), and figured I’d give it a shot. (I didn't have quite the right heart attitude, but hey, I was actually trying!)

It worked. The results weren’t obvious immediately, but by the time I left that office, we actually enjoyed each other’s company. Just knowing and having faith in what God said in one teeny bit of Scripture, I got the victory, and so did she. I love how God went beyond just a more peaceful work environment and gave us each a friend. I haven’t seen here in a very long time, but the thought of her always makes me smile. Imagine what God’s going to do in your life with all that you’ve been learning?

Fast forward about a decade, and there’s this woman who is mad at me. She told other people why she was upset with me, but never came to me directly. The sad part is that her reason for being mad at me was something she had assumed to be true, but was entirely false. She thought I had slighted her, when indeed I had not. I made a handful of efforts to mend fences, but received no response. I still pray for her and love her dearly despite not having any contact with her, and I’m still open to reconciliation.

There was another office I worked at where God pointed out to me that I was talking too much and interrupting another person’s work. (Maybe this is the reason the girl from my first example didn’t like me? Moving along…) Oops! I felt bad for the many months of yakking I had put my co-worker through. Then came the challenge—the point where I actually had to change my actions. Boy, was that a struggle at first. I kept catching myself mid-blather! Again, by acting on the direction God gave me, someone else was blessed in the process—with silence. (You can laugh, go ahead!)

I’ll have some more for you tomorrow!

Homework:

I want you to take some time to think about what you want your relationships to look like in the future. Are your actions and attitudes toward others taking you in that direction?

30 Days of Love - Day 27: Faith Comes by Hearing

Day 27: Faith Comes by Hearing

(Click here for Day 26)

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17

What? I’m talking about faith now? Yes I am. Because guess what? Without faith, you can’t truly walk in the God kind of love. Faith is believing what you can’t see yet, and if you don’t have faith that God’s Word works, you won’t experience Word results. I want you to experience results, and so does God!

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

When you start walking in love, you do it because you believe (have faith) that God’s Word will work. You’ve seen how you reap what you sow on Day 4. You’ve put your faith in it. You don’t see evidence of any change yet, but because God said so, you count it as true. Faith expects to see results.

If some time has passed, and you feel your faith is floundering, then it’s time for you to strengthen your faith. Faith doesn’t come by asking God for it. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (see today’s verse). And really, to keep your faith from floundering in the first place, you should make it a habit to read and meditate on the Scriptures and listen to teaching (if you’re looking for excellent teaching and other resources on walking in love, click here). This will keep you built up—just like feeding your physical body food keeps its strength up.

Here’s another thing: the Bible says that faith works by love:

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Galatians 5:6

Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 13:2 that he could enough faith to move mountains, but if he didn’t have love, it was useless. Here he is telling us again that faith works through love. The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition says, “faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.” When we walk in God’s love, we’re walking with real purpose.

Homework:

Get your Bible and look at 1 Corinthians 13 again. Remind yourself of what God’s love is. It would be a good idea to speak this portion of Scripture over yourself frequently. Meditate on what it means. Ask the Lord to show you any areas you’ve been missing it lately, if any. Keep up the good work!

30 Days of Love: Resources

Resources

Here are a few resources that have helped me a whole lot!

Keeping the Love Command - an eleven-part teaching series by Keith Moore 

What Love Does - a nine-part teaching series by Keith Moore

Love: The Way to Victory - a book by Kenneth E. Hagin

How to Walk in Love - a mini book by Kenneth E. Hagin

Marriage specific:

All of the Marriage Meetings  taught by Keith and Phyllis Moore

Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage by Kenneth E. Hagin

30 Days of Love - Day 26: God Leads Us to the Victory

Day 26: God Leads Us to the Victory

(Click here for Day 25)

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

I want you to give your attention to one word in the verse above for now: always. God always leads us in triumph in Christ. Every time, all the time, in any event, no matter what the circumstances may be, He leads us to triumph—to victory. God will not lead you to failure. If He’s always leading you in triumph, that leaves absolutely zero room for Him to lead you to failure. Get this in your heart!

I love that it says He will lead you to triumph. Step by step, God will get you there. When you trust God and follow His plan, it will lead you to the victory. It doesn’t matter how dark or bleak the picture looks right now, you will have it.

As always with God, your victory isn’t just about you. By leading you to triumph, God is spreading knowledge of Himself to the people you come in contact with. God’s plan is to reveal Himself to the world through you. This brings us right back to what Jesus said in John 13:35—that the world would know we were His disciples by our love for one another.

Remember Day 21, where we talked about how love never fails? It's all connected! If you walk in His love—you will not fail. You will have the victory, and you’ll bring others along for the ride!

Homework:

Think about the things the Lord has directed you to do since you started reading this book. Those steps are part of your victory path, so keep going!

30 Days of Love - Day 25: Seek First the Kingdom

Day 25: Seek First the Kingdom

(Click here for Day 24)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Right before this verse, Jesus was telling the multitudes not to worry about what they would eat, or what they would wear, because their Father knows they need these things. Then He told them what they should do—seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and God would handle all their stuff.

Look at the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition’s version of this verse:

But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

Seeking after God’s righteousness above everything else means you are seeking His way of doing things. Isn’t that awesome? And that’s what this whole book is about: renewing your mind to think the way God does, so you can do things the way God wants you to do them. Let’s move on to some practical applications to help you get this.

Let’s say you finally save enough money to buy that expensive watch you’ve been drooling over for so long. It’s so shiny and gorgeous! You wear it for a day, and as you go to slip it on the next morning, you sense the Holy Spirit prompting you to give it to someone you work with. Immediately your flesh starts whining in that awful, nasally voice: I’ve saved so long! I’ve only worn it once, and now God wants me to give it away? That’s so not fair!

But, if you really believe what God says, you’ll do it. He said if you'll put His kingdom and His righteousness first, He’ll add everything else you could ever want or need. Your “Boss” has put you on assignment to bless someone on His behalf. 

Think of companies here on earth. If an earthly boss sends an employee to purchase a gift for a client or business partner, they don't expect that employee to pay for it out of their own pocket. God surely wouldn’t require it either! Give the watch. God will take care of you.

Maybe God’s calling you to fulltime ministry and you’re scared because you think you won’t have steady income. Brother or sister, God wouldn’t call you into anything without fully furnishing all you need to get it done (1 Corinthians 9:7-11, Philippians 4:19). You wouldn’t let your family starve or go without if you could help it, and I’d say that God is a much better parent (Matthew 7:11, James 1:7). He won’t let you or your family go without. He promised!

Homework:

Every time you choose to do things God’s way, including walking in love, you are lining yourself up for God’s provision. Don’t let worry, fear, or pressure from other people keep you from following after the Lord. Read Matthew 7:7-12, Timothy 4:8, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 35:27, and Psalm 37:3-5.

30 Days of Love - Day 24: Zero Strife Policy

Day 24: Zero Strife Policy

(Click here for Day 23)

“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” James 3:16 (KJV)

Strife—arguing, bickering, people getting offended over the smallest of things—seems to be the norm nowadays. It’s up to us to put a stop to it.

In the verse above, the New King James Version translates the Greek word for strife as “self-seeking,” and it still fits, because the root of any strife is people seeking to push their own thoughts, needs, or agendas. Also, the Greek word for “strife” here means “electioneering for office,” “a desire to put one’s self forward,” and “partisanship.”

Think about presidential campaigns you’ve kept an eye on. They’re all about the candidates putting themselves out there. While it’s important for them to let us all know what they stand for, most candidates rarely mention their opponents unless it’s to smear them. It can leave you wondering if they really do want to help their country, or if they’re in it just for the bump in their own status (pride).

Don’t we oftentimes behave this way in our relationships? We put ourselves center stage, make everything about us. When we do, we’re letting strife through the door. 

If that isn’t enough to convince you that strife is a really nasty thing, you need to grasp that strife isn’t just strife. It isn’t just being selfish. The Bible says that when strife is present, confusion and every evil thing come along with it. (Have you ever noticed that you feel confused when you’re upset about something?) Strife is how minor arguments turn into major blowouts, abuse, and even murder. (Yes, murder. It has to start somewhere, right?) It’s because it brings every other evil thing along with it.

You need to adopt a “Zero Strife Policy.” If you’ll refuse to allow strife into your life, you are also refusing to allow confusion and everything else that’s evil into your life.

So how do you stop strife? Submit to the Lord, and resist the devil.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Submitting yourself to God by choosing to walk in love rather than strife will stop the mess before it gets started. If someone’s rude to you and you sense your emotions getting fluffy about it, submit yourself to the Lord. Refuse to obey your flesh. Don’t let one person’s moment of fleshiness ruin the entire day for either of you. God had plans for this day, and you have the power to make sure the devil doesn’t get you, or anyone else, out of those plans. Let the Lord deal with the other person’s heart. You are only responsible for your actions.

While strife can enter your life through other people, you also have to pay attention to the things you read, watch, and listen to. I had to stop watching the news so much. It got to the point where all it would do was make me mad, which was affecting the atmosphere of my home. It had to go! So if there’s anything that causes strife in your life continually, it’s time to cut it off. If it’s a person causing strife, pray about it. The Lord may want you to put some distance between you and that person.

Homework:

Make a list of things that tend to aggravate your flesh the most. Ask the Holy Spirit to talk to you about your list. Write down the direction you receive for each item on your list. Do whatever He leads you to do. 

30 Days of Love - Day 23: Speaking the Truth in Love

 Day 23: Speaking the Truth in Love

(Click here for Day 22)

“But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.” Ephesians 4:15

Love isn’t always about saying things that are encouraging or easy to hear. Speaking the truth sometimes involves speaking it to someone who may not want to hear it, or speaking something that seems harsh. (Parents, you can dig it. We love 'em, but love also means we have to correct them, at times! [Proverbs 3:12]) But, speaking the truth must always be done in love. There is to be no telling someone what you think just because you think they need to hear it. We need to be very careful to follow the Holy Spirit and not sail off on our own. This will keep us from creating an even bigger mess.

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Ephesians 4:29

Speaking the truth in love is to be done for someone’s edification—to build them up. God will never direct you to speak to someone in a way that tears them down or belittles them.

Sometimes it is a very fine line between corrupt speech and edifying speech. Jesus often had not-so-nice things to say to the religious leaders of His day. He called them a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 23:33) and “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27). He even said they were of their father, the devil (John 8:44)! That’s all pretty harsh, isn’t it? But yet, Jesus didn’t sin once when He was here on the earth, so we know that He didn’t step out of line when He said those things (Hebrews 4:15, 2 Corinthians5:21).

What you didn’t find Jesus doing was telling them that God hates them. So, please know that God will not direct you to tell anyone that. God loves people. He doesn’t like the sin they get entangled in, but it is His will for them to get out of all that mess and get into His Kingdom. This is why it’s so important for us to be led by the Spirit. God knows exactly what to say, when to say it, and how to say it, to give any person what they need to hear at that point in their life.

We are told throughout the Scriptures to exhort one another. So if you feel that the Lord is prompting you at times to speak something, but you think it’s too hard, please don’t ignore it just because of that. You check with the Holy Spirit about it, and you speak it when you get the go ahead! Your obedience may be what the Lord uses to deliver that person from disaster.

Now, if a brother or sister says something to you that stings a bit, don’t get offended. It may very well be that the Lord led them to say that to you. Check with Him on it. Be quick to repent if you find it was Him, and make sure to thank the person who helped you when the time is right to do so. Just because something doesn’t make us feel good right away doesn’t mean it wasn’t the Lord.

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12-13

Homework:

Read Ephesians 4:1-16, Titus 2, Hebrews10:19-25, and Hebrews 12:1-11.

30 Days of Love - Day 22: How Your Daddy Loves You

Day 22: How Your Daddy Loves You

(Click here for Day 21)

“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” John 17:23

When I was first born again, I heard that God loved me. I found out that He loved me enough to send His son Jesus to die for me. I was fully convinced God did love me. What I didn’t realize then was just how much He loves me. One day years later, my attention was directed to the verse above. Look at it closely. Read it a few times out loud. I’ll wait. 

Okay, so did you catch it? If you did—you may not even need to read any further right now. If you didn’t, well let me help you! Jesus said “that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

God loves you just as much as He loves Jesus! 

And how much does the Father love Jesus? Well, the Bible says that when John baptized Jesus, a voice was heard from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

You are beloved of God, and He is well pleased with you! You are God’s favorite child! He wouldn’t have sent His son to die for you if He didn’t think you were valuable. You are priceless to God. Don’t let the devil, the world, or any person tell you otherwise.

If you’ve been living your life thinking that you aren’t worth much, take hold of this right now. God loves you. On top of that, He loves you as much as He loves Jesus. 

I want you to get in the habit of saying out loud: “God loves me just as much as He loves Jesus.” You don’t even have to believe it quite yet. Just meditate on it and let it sink into your heart.

If I came to you and offered you, as a gift, every last thing you’ve been wanting, wouldn’t you get excited? God has done that for you. He went all out for you by sending Jesus.

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:32

Here’s something else to consider: Jesus said that He only did what He saw His Father doing (John 5:19), and we’re told in Hebrews 1:3 that Jesus is the express image of God. Often times we separate the Father and Son in such a way that the Son is the one who is loving, while the Father is the stern one. Not so. Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing. He healed the sick (Matthew 4:24, and time and time again throughout the Gospels). He protected the life of a woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-12). He was gentle with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42). He sacrificed Himself for you (Matthew 26:47-54, John 19:17-18).

Your Father loves you just like that.

Homework:

Go back into the Gospels and take another look at how Jesus interacted with mankind. As you read, remember that the Father loves you just the way Jesus loved those He came into contact with when He was here on the earth.

30 Days of Love - Day 21: Love Never Fails

Day 21: Love Never Fails

(Click here for Day 20)

“Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:8

If someone invented a car that never breaks down, you’d want one. If someone figured out how to get a toaster to toast your bread evenly every single time, you’d be all over it. If a mother in Idaho decided that she was done with the never-ending cycle of clean and dirty laundry, and found a way to get the clothes to wash, dry, and fold themselves, you’d be willing to part with a good chunk of change to get it for yourself. (There's apparently a machine that folds them now—gasp!)

All of that stuff, while possible, seems like so many pipe dreams. But there is one powerful tool we Christians have available to us that doesn’t wear out or need replacement—the love of God. The Bible says that it never fails.  If you do things God’s way, it will never, ever fail. Never!

Are you excited yet? You should be! You have access to something that will never. Fail. Okay, okay…so how about this: Let’s say you could get an entire wardrobe that would never fade, wrinkle, or go out of style? Preposterous, if you’re talking about physical clothes, absolute fact if you’re talking about putting on God’s love (Colossians 3:14). Check out 1 Corinthians 14:8 in the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition:

Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].

You want to have a better marriage? God’s love never fails!

You want to see your relationship with your brother or sister restored? God’s love never fails!

You want to be able to work in peace, but you have this one coworker who just gets at your every last nerve? God’s love never fails!

Woot!

Homework:

Today, take some time to think about situations and people in your life in light of what you’ve read. No matter what the circumstance, God’s love will never fail!

30 Days of Love - Day 20: Believing the Best

Day 20: Believing the Best

(Click here for Day 19)

“Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].” 1 Corinthians 13:7 (AMPC)

I love the way the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition puts this whole verse, but I want to focus in on “Love…is ever ready to believe the best of every person.” How many times have we approached a particular someone in our lives with a negative mindset, automatically assuming that they’re going to be grumpy, lie to us, or say something rude? It’s easy enough to prepare for the worst when those people usually act a certain way, but God’s love calls us to a higher way of living.

Instead of assuming the worst in people, we need to be a beacon of hope. Everyone needs someone to believe in them, and we would do well to realize that every single person on this planet was created for a purpose. Some have chosen not to walk in God’s plan for their lives, and many do so because they don’t know how, or feel that it’s too late…that their lives can’t change. We know better than that, and we need to stop allowing ourselves to be mouthpieces for the enemy’s lies, and let God use us to encourage others.

This brings us to a crucial matter—not judging other people. Jesus said that the way we judge is how we’ll be judged (ouch, and that’s found in Matthew 7:1-2, by the way). Paul said in Romans 2:1 that when we judge, we’re guilty of the same things we’re judging them about!

But wait! There’s more!

Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. Romans 14:4

Who are we to judge someone else? It’s God they answer to, not us. Then, Paul caps that off with the beautiful statement that God is able to and will make them stand.

Be that ray of hope someone else needs today. Don’t pay any mind to what they look like, how they talk, or anything else you can see with your eyes. Ask the Lord to help you express His love toward them and to use you to lift them up. People can pick up on our attitudes, so let them pick up a good one!

Homework:

Our goal in this life is to reach the world for Jesus, and ministering to those without hope is a huge part of that. Determine today to quit judging people and instead carry the love of God to them. You are an ambassador for Christ! Read 2 Corinthians 5:20. Oh, and say this out loud: “I am always ready to believe the best in every person!”

Also remove this sentence, or anything like it, from your speech: “They’ll never change.”

30 Days of Love - Day 19: Praying for Others

Day 19: Praying for Others

(Click here for Day 18)

“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Colossians 1:9

There have many times in my Christian walk when I didn’t quite know what to pray for someone. I used to just throw around kind of vague prayers for them that mostly consisted of asking the Lord to bless the person I was praying for. I believe God honored those prayers while I was in the process of growing and learning, but I also believe that He took my prayer life up a level when He showed me what I’m about to tell you.

Praying in the Spirit is crucial to praying effective prayers (see Ephesians 6:18). Praying in the Spirit means you’re praying from your spirit, led and directed by God, and it doesn’t necessarily mean praying in tongues. As you enter into God’s presence, He may stir you to pray a particular Scripture over a person’s life, or to bind Satan from hindering them—anything that the Holy Spirit directs you to pray is “praying in the Spirit.”

If you need some good starting ground when it comes to praying for others, you can’t go wrong with the will of God as it is revealed in the Word of God. There are a few prayers found in Ephesians and Colossians in particular that I pray for people. You can find them in Ephesians 1:15-21, Ephesians 3:14-21, and Colossians 1:9-14. Reading these lines alone should show you why these passages make for excellent prayers:

 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Ephesians 1:17

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man. Ephesians 3:16

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Colossians 1:9

If you knew someone who was going through a trial of whatever type, praying that God would strengthen them through His Spirit in their inner man (their spirit) would be an excellent thing to pray, wouldn’t it?

If you’re wondering just how you go about praying Scripture, you just have to make it personal. I’ll use my own name as an example:

“Father, I know You know what’s going on with Tammy. I ask you to give her the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you. Flood the eyes of her understanding with light!”

Homework:

Take some time today to read the prayers I wrote about above. Get in the habit of praying them over yourself and others.

30 Days of Love - Day 18: Forgive

Day 18: Forgive

(Click here for Day 17)

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25

“I’ll forgive, but I won’t forget.” I used to say that. But, according to God’s way of love, that’s not really forgiveness. When God forgives, He forgets. He doesn’t hold us accountable for that sin anymore. I know this may be tough for you to read, but truly forgiving means forgetting.

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Hebrews 8:12

The Greek word for “remember” in this verse means to remind, remember, or be mindful of something. God said he would not remember or be mindful of our sins anymore. Again, if God’s love works this way, then this is how we should be too. 

Those people who have hurt you or offended you in some way—have they falsely accused you to the extent that you were found guilty of blasphemy or treason, whipped, and then hung on a cross? No? That’s what happened to Jesus, as you already know, and here’s what He had to say to the Father about them:

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34

Is that not amazing and humbling? I’m not even going to say any more about it. I’m just going to let that sit. You can read on when you’re ready.

When you forgive someone for something they’ve done to you, you don’t have to feel forgiving. If your flesh is still steaming mad, it doesn’t matter at all. You just take it to the Father, forgive, and let it go. The faster you deal with it, the better. Don’t give the devil anymore playtime. He will try to bring it back up, even decades later, but you just tell him, “No, devil, I’ve forgiven that.” This is where the "forgetting" part comes in. As time goes on, the memories of wrongdoings will fade. When they come up, it'll feel almost like it happened to someone else. 

Another point for you to understand is that forgiveness doesn’t mean you must have a relationship with those people. You can have nothing but love in your heart for someone, but be forced to end the relationship in order to protect yourself and those in your care. There are people even now as I write that I have had to maintain a certain distance from. I’m not mad at them, I hold no ill will against them, and as a matter of fact, have nothing but love for them, but God directed me to stay away. So I do.

Lastly, Mark 11:25 says that you need to forgive so that your Father can forgive you. Don’t keep yourself from God’s best by refusing to forgive.

Homework:

Read the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35.

30 Days of Love - Day 17: When You Hit a Wall

Day 17: When You Hit a Wall

(Click here for Day 16)

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13

There will be times when you feel like you’ve hit a wall, spiritually. You’ve prayed, but no new direction or wisdom from above has come to you, and nothing seems to be changing. You’ve decided you’re not going to give up now, but you’d really like to move forward already!

In my experience, hitting a wall usually means one of two things: you need to stand where you’re at until your victory comes to pass in your life, or there’s something that the Lord directed you to do, but you didn’t do it.

Let’s talk about the latter first. If you feel stuck, it may just be that the Lord gave you a specific bit of instruction, but you failed to follow through. God can’t bring you to the next step of your victory without you taking the step He gave you before. Ask Him if there’s something you haven’t acted on. If there is, repent, and then do whatever it is He told you to do.

If you’ve done all that you know to do and all that God has directed you to do, then it’s time for you to simply stand your ground. Keep on doing what you’ve been doing. If nothing appears to be changing in your circumstances or with the people you love, don’t allow yourself to get discouraged. If you keep standing, you will get the victory.

If you plant tomatoes, are you going to get upset when the fruit isn’t quite ready to pick yet? Are you going to rip the whole plant out of the ground before it’s time? No! You’ve fed it, you’ve watered it, you’ve carefully dug up any weeds that came up around it—now it’s time to patiently wait for the harvest to be ready.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9

If we really believe what the Bible says—that we will reap a harvest—then we won’t lose heart or grow weary.

Here’s another excellent verse on not growing weary:

But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded! 2 Chronicles 15:7

Don’t let yourself get weak! Your work—all that love you’ve been planting—shall be rewarded!

Homework:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you anything that the Lord directed you to do that you didn’t follow through on. Be quick to repent and then get it done. I encourage you to keep it up! You’re doing awesome!

30 Days of Love - Day 16: How Jesus Loved – Part Two

Day 16: How Jesus Loved – Part Two

(Click here for Day 15)

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

Doing things God’s way can take some effort. Jesus wrestled with doing what God wanted Him to do in the Garden of Gethsemane to the point where He began sweating blood. Let’s look at what the Bible says about what Jesus went through at that moment in time.

Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful and deeply distressed, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” Matthew 26:38

Jesus said that His soul (mind, will, and emotions) was exceedingly sorrowful. So fierce was the fight to resist temptation and keep on His path to win our salvation, that He began sweating blood.

And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:44

I know that I haven’t resisted temptation to the point that I started sweating blood. I’ve given in to temptation over far lesser things than Jesus was facing at that moment. Yet, He rose up from that place and allowed Himself to be arrested. What was it that kept Jesus from running from the plan for Him and thus sealing our doom? It’s the same thing that will keep us from yielding to the temptation to quit.

Hebrews 12:2 says that we are to “look unto Jesus.” Why? Well, for one, because He resisted sin to the point of bloodshed. He went through every temptation imaginable, and yet came out victorious—He never gave up. So we should know how He was able to do that! It says He endured the cross “for the joy that was set before Him.” He knew that His life and death on this earth would accomplish His Father’s will—to bridge the gap between humanity and Himself by means of His son.

My dear brothers and sisters, this is how we overcome. We keep our eyes on Jesus; keep our focus on Him and the end goal. If we keep our eye on the prize, so to speak, we won’t let anything encroach upon our faith in God’s Word. So, if you’re feeling discouraged, depressed, or disenchanted, it’s because your focus has been off. You might have started off well, but as time has gone on, the problems have slowly become forefront again. Get your eyes back on Him!

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3

The first part of that verse reminds me of God’s peace guarding our hearts and minds as Philippians 4:7 says. When we keep our focus on God’s Word, rather than the problem, the Bible says that God Himself will keep us in perfect peace!

That doesn’t mean the enemy will just quit trying to get your focus wonky again. He most certainly will. You just stomp your foot and tell him no, all right?

Homework:

Read Luke 22-24 and be reminded of what Jesus endured. Also read Hebrews 12:3-4. Keep in mind as you read what made it possible for Him to keep going—His focus was on the end result, not the pain He was going through. Just as Jesus had the victory in the end, you will too, if you don’t lose heart. Take some time to thank Him for not giving up!

30 Days of Love - Day 15: How Jesus Loved – Part One

Day 15: How Jesus Loved - Part One

(Click here for Day 14)

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” John 15:13-14

Jesus said there was no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends, so I’m going to go ahead and take Him at His Word. I’ve believed that Jesus laid His life down for me since becoming a Christian decades ago. What I didn’t see back then was that He laid down His life every single day, not just when He let them nail Him to a cross.

And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Luke 2:49

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” John 5:19

Jesus, as a choice of His own will, not only allowed Himself to be crucified, but lived His entire life to serve God. He didn’t do anything unless it was what the Father wanted Him to do. Before you start thinking “Yeah, but that’s Jesus! He’s God, you know!” Yeah, I know. But the Bible also says that He laid all of that down when He came to live here among us in the flesh.

“But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:7

That phrase “no reputation” in the Greek actually means “to empty” or “make empty” (and the same Greek word is used for “made” in that verse as well).

When Jesus cast out demons, turned water into wine, and healed the sick, He did it as a human being. He was able to do all of it because the Holy Spirit had come upon Him, empowering Him (see Matthew 3:13-17). After Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent The Comforter—the Holy Spirit—to empower us too (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7; Acts 1:8; 1 John 4:13)!

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. John 14:12

If that doesn’t toss that “Yeah, but that was Jesus” line out the window for you, I don’t know what will! If He had just said “The works that I do he will do also” I’d have been convinced. But He took it one giant leap further by saying that we would do even greater works! Hello!

Now let’s backtrack a bit to our main verse for the day. Jesus said that someone who really loves will lay down their lives for their friends. Then He follows that up by telling us that we are His friends if we do whatever He says—if we make the choice to lay down our lives to do what He tells us to do. When we do what He says, it’s proof that we love Him. Isn’t that awesome?

Homework:

If there’s some part of your brain telling you that serving the Lord is drudgery, rebuke it. Tomorrow we’re going to see how that is a total lie. Before then, I want you to read some of the Gospel accounts of Jesus. Try to pick out any times when Jesus seemed depressed because He’d been serving God so hard.