Feeding Your Spirit
Are your days filled with loneliness? Does doubt, discouragement, depression or fear dominate your mind? Would you like someone to pray for you?
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Have you thought about what you are feeding into your spirit lately? We each feed our spirit by the things we dwell on in our mind. When praise and thanksgiving dominate our thoughts we find joy, even in uncertain circumstances. Yet when doubt, discouragement, depression or fear dominates our mind, they can drag our spirits to the depths. It’s important to look at what paths our thoughts have been running down.
God knows us so well. He knows the tendency we will have to sometimes settle into the depths of despair. He gives us 5 verses in Psalm 103:1-5 to address this very thing. Turn your thoughts to God’s Word and choose to lift your eyes off yourself and raise them to Heaven.
“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.”
Sometimes it may take everything in you to turn your eyes to Heaven and to offer the sacrifice of praise from a heavy heart, yet it is the most important thing we can do.
“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits”
Praising the Lord for all He is changes our outlook on our circumstances and our day. Praise causes us to look at all God offers. Listen to the refreshing, life-giving things God asks us not to forget and make them your prayer today:
- Who FORGIVES all your sins
Thank you, Lord, that I am forgiven. Fill me with the wonder of a clean heart. Help me to declare my forgiveness when I am tempted to wallow in the pit of despair over my past, my failures or my weaknesses. I am forgiven!
- And HEALS all your diseases
Lord, I thank you that You know every ache and every concern I have regarding my physical body. I ask You to touch me with Your hand of healing. Give me wisdom and understanding of what to do physically. I also bring the diseases of my heart to you. Lord, remove all bitterness and pride and show me the things that erode my spirit and my body.
- Who REDEEMS your life from the pit
Lord, I am amazed at the fact that You reach into the pit that I even sometimes dig myself… and You lift me up. You bring beauty out of ashes as I trust in You. You buy back all the broken pieces and give me new life! Thank you! Keep my eyes focused on You today.
- And CROWNS you with love and compassion,
Lord, Your care and tenderness to me is a constant surprise even though I know You love me. Thank you for the attention You give to the details of my life as I offer it to You.
- Who SATISFIES your desires with good things
Thank you that Your plans for me are to find my fulfillment in You as I offer myself to You. You made me and You know how to grow me into all I ever wanted to be.
- So that your youth is RENEWED like the eagle’s.”
Lord, when I see how You forgive me, heal me, redeem my life, crown me with Your love and satisfy me, I am truly renewed in my Spirit.
Thank you for this wonderful view of Your desires for me.
I WILL praise You with everything that is within me.
“Praise the Lord O my soul, all my inmost being, praise His holy name.”
Questions: What kind of thoughts are you feeding your spirit? Is your spirit dragged down to the depths of dispair? How can we turn our heavy hearts to hearts full of joy?
About the Author Gail Rodgers
Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Grow in Grace, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog
Hi Loreli this is Linda R I some how found this through Google. I know since I originally wrote your husband has passed away but I want you to know I think about you and pray for you and your family every day. Please don’t think you are forgotten because you’re not. Hugs, Love & Prayers, Linda!!!
i am a little behind in reading some of the devotionals but dear anon. i just said a special prayer for you and will keep praying
Hi Loreli! Missed you. How is your husband doing? I continue to pray for him, you and your whole family, don’t be a stranger hugs and prayers Linda!!!
Gail what a Wonderful Women of God you are and what a privilege and honour I feel it is to have you as one of the writers on this site as God sure does use you in powerful ways and today’s Devotional was definitely one of them. May The Lord Richly Bless You and Continue to use you for His Glory! Hugs Linda!!!
Wow Gail (& others), Thank you so so much for that powerful prayer. I know God heard it, and I prayed it for myself. I really did need such a specific prayer. I pray God will continue to do that, & also bless you sisters here on this blog. Thank you so much for being a woman of God & calling out to others in His name when they need it. I will keep this prayer as a reminder of faith. God bless all of you.
what a passionate, powerful devotional. thank you Gail. as for feeding my spirit?——my hunger is insatiable.
Father in Heaven,
Today I come before Your throne of grace to join this dear sister is asking You for blessing on her life in this new year. Thank you for her heart that seeks after You. Thank you for the teaching opportunity you have given her in her own homecity. Lord, this is an appointment from You. As she prepares for her classes, as she interacts with her students, as she engages with the other staff members, I pray that You would anoint her with gifts of discernment, knowledge, extra grace and divine wisdom. Walk with her through those halls every day and give her a special sense of Your presence with her. Cause her work to prosper, Lord, and grant her favor with those in charge and with her students in this setting. May You be lifted higher there because You have brought her to walk there.
And Father, the commute is long and tiring. Will You please give creative ideas and resources to this dear teacher so she will find inspiring ways to feed her spirit on this journey. May she reach her destination in the morning and returning home at night with freshness rather than weariness because You have given her ways to come into Your presence, ways to feed her heart and mind with Your truths and ways to refresh her spirit.
May she look back on this year and know it as a year of blessing. May she grow in You in new ways and may Your Spirit infuse hers as she trusts You each day. I pray this in the strong name of Jesus, amen.
Here is a verse of Scripture for you for this year….
“May the God of peace… equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).
God bless you as you go.
Warmly,
Gail
Hello, Thank you for this amazing devotional! I really needed to hear this, and I love when there are specific prayers we can pray.
If any of you sisters can (and have so faithfully before as well, thank you!).. can you lift up a prayer for blessing for this year for myself? I am an older graduate student, beginning to teach this year in New York City (my hometown). My commute 1-way is close to 2 hours, so it is hard physically. I pray for God’s grace & provision to do all He wants me to do, and be where He wants me to be. Thank you & God bless!!
Hi Loreli,
Good Morning!
Is anyone on the blog today?