Are you tired of living a defeated Christian life? Tell us about it.

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“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

Step 2    Keep short accounts

The simple truth of the Word of God says “do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (Ephesians 4:26). This is so profoundly elementary that we often miss it. Seeds of irritations and annoyances, not dealt with on a daily basis, grow in our hearts. When they are not dealt with as soon as we recognize them, they take root. Each subsequent encounter with that same irritation, which will always be linked to some person, will cause that root to dig just a little deeper. The deeper it goes the more bitter it gets.

Scripture tells us “a root of bitterness springs up and defiles many” (Hebrews 12:15).  When it finally spills out it hurts those around.  Proverbs 4:23 tells us “above all else guard your heart for it is the well spring of life”. It is the very source of all we are. What is in our heart spills out the mouth (Matthew 12:34). It is by our very words that we often grieve the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4:29&30). The trademark of love that identified us as His disciples vanishes and the world looking on can see no difference in us.

Guard your heart. Take stock every day. Keep short accounts for your own heart’s sake. If the root is only just beginning in your own heart and still undetected by others, go to God and ask for it’s removal. You know when it’s there. Ask for grace to be poured out in your heart so that you will have all the grace you need to deal with that particular situation and person.

2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things and at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work.” If the root has already spilled out and hurt others go and confess to them. Even if they do not receive you or do not own their part of the conflict, keep your own heart guarded and clean. You are ever only responsible for one heart…your own!  Unresolved conflict in the heart of another is God’s job to deal with.

The presence of God in a person’s life, and the truth allowed in the inner part, will be evident in the fruit of our lives. Watch the fruit in your own life and in the lives of others. The fruit always gives us away (Matthew 7:20). If you have owned your part in a conflict and others refuse to do the same, give them grace, pray for them, and, if necessary, distance yourself from the overflow of their bitter root until they allow God to do healing in their heart.

Always be alert to the seeds you allow in your heart. They eventually produce fruit of one kind or another. List the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness/humility, and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

Ask yourself the simple question:

“What fruit of the Spirit is in short supply in my life right now?”

Then take an honest look at the seeds that may have begun to take root in your heart and deal honestly with them.

Questions: What fruit of the Spirit is in short supply in your life right now? Do you struggle with seeds of irritations and annoyances that you have not dealt with? Has a root of bitterness started to grow in your heart?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Do you regret having had an abortion? Need someone to talk to?

Here are some questions we might ask ourselves:
How real has the Lord Jesus Christ been to me?
Did I seek His will when making decisions?
Was my life a good example for others?
Did I help anyone else come to Christ?
How many prayers did I have answered?
If I could do it over, would I live the same way?

We may not have last year to live over, but we do have the coming year in which to live better.

God has caused all those who receive His Son as Savior to be born into His family. He has forgiven their sins and given them everlasting life. Jesus Christ gives His supernatural peace and joy to all those who follow Him (John 14:17; John 15:11). He gives to them the indwelling Comforter to guide and teach them. But those who are not right with God do not enjoy these great and protective blessings (Ephesians 4:30-31).

Would you like to get back on track with God and have a better year that will give you the satisfaction, peace, and joy that living for Christ can? Would you like your life from now on to count for something good and worthwhile in this life and for eternity and God’s approval? Here are Scriptures that can help you do that.

“If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, NIV).

“Therefore, I urge you…in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2, NIV).

“Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness….Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:22-32).

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the whole armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10-18).

I often recommend to those who want or need to get right with the Lord this web site.

I recommend this site to those who need God’s salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

Questions: What would be one lesson that you have learned from this past year that will help you with decision making for this coming year?

About the Author Muriel Larson

Do you have situations in your life that are very stressful? Want to talk to someone?

As church pianist I started to play the introduction for the choir during the morning service. After several measures, I glanced at the keyboard and was so startled that I almost missed a beat. There, on middle D, lay a stunned cockroach flailing its legs. Obviously it had run into the path of my flying fingers.

What could I do? Gritting my teeth, I went on, gingerly trying to avoid middle D, but not always able to do so. (The choir number would be in the Key of D!) Finally, halfway through the first verse I was able to flick the now-deceased roach onto the floor. (Well, that’s one way to kill a roach!)

Some problems we may face are not so easily resolved as a cockroach on a keyboard. They might not be brushed off during the first phase of the situation. We may have to live with them longer than the first verse. But I have learned that if I just keep looking to the Lord for grace and trusting Him with a problem, He takes care of it one way or another.

Sometimes as we pray, He shows us ways to make the situation easier, as I did by avoiding the “middle” D while I played. Sometimes He shows us how to deal with the situation, as I did by flicking that roach to the floor during a whole note in the melody. (Thank heavens for piano “hold” foot pedals!)

Then during or after the resolving of the problem, there’s the cleanup.  After church I went to the rest room and washed my hands off using liquid soap.

But in dealing with life’s problems, we may often need a more comprehensive spiritual cleanup.

It may be necessary to ask the Lord to forgive us if we have sinned. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9, NIV).  We may discover a need to forgive any who have hurt us. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32, NIV).   And let’s never forget the One Who guided and helped us! Let’s thank and praise Him for His help and deliverance.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever” (Psalms 107:1, NIV).

Questions: How do you deal with the problems in your life? Why do you suppose some problems stay longer than others?

About the Author Muriel Larson

Are you struggling to understand God’s Word? Do you want us to pray for you?

On the day that Jesus spoke these things many of His disciples found it hard to receive, were offended, and went back to their old ways and did not walk with Him anymore.

We read in John 1:1 & 14 that “the Word became flesh,” Jesus is the Word. Jesus also referred to Himself as the “Bread of Life” (John 6:48). So the Bible (the Word) is like saying we have “Jesus in print.” He is the Word and He is the Bread of Life.  When we read our Bibles we are eating in of Jesus, and if you believe that “you are what you eat,” we become more like Him as we take in His Word.

Typically, as we eat in the natural realm, we become thirsty. As we eat in the spiritual realm (read our Bibles), the Word begins to reveal to us areas of our lives that need to be forgiven and changed. Here is where we drink the blood as we confess our sins and choose to receive God’s forgiveness (Matt. 26:27-28). As we eat in of His flesh (the Word) and drink His blood (receive forgiveness) we walk in the fullness of the Spirit and experience true life.

“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. (John 6:54 & 56, NKJV).

Questions: How do you understand “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you”? How does one walk in the Spirit?

About the Author Emmie Stanley

“Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me’” (Isaiah 6:8)!

God cares deeply about the lost and hurting persons around us. He has provided salvation in Jesus Christ. But He needs willing servants who will take that message to the people. I want to be that servant, don’t you?

What does it mean to be a servant of God? In earthly terms, the master tells the servant what to do and the servant goes off by himself and does it. A servant of a human master works for his master.

Being God’s servant is different, though. The servant listens carefully to what God wants to do, and then says, “Here am I. Send me.” God works through His servants. (1)
Let’s take Isaiah for an example and see how it applies to us today.

Isaiah saw the LORD high and lifted up sitting on a throne. Salvation is God’s work.

In the brightness of His holiness, Isaiah cried out, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live in the midst of people with unclean lips.” (verse 5) God chooses to work through ordinary, sinful people.

Isaiah’s confession led to repentance and cleansing. How did he get cleansed? God took the initiative: He alone has the remedy for the sin and brokenness in ourselves and others.
God still uses cleansed, obedient people to accomplish His great work on earth.

He wants to involve us in His work. What a privilege!

“Search me, Oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24).

Questions: Do you want to make a difference in the world around you? Then take these steps:
–spend time in God’s presence
–confess any sin and receive His cleansing
–listen to what God is already doing
–offer yourself and get on board.
(1) Henry Blackaby and Claude V. King, Experiencing God, page 25

About the Author Helen Grace Lescheid

Daily audio podcast: Hear today’s daily devotional, On Being Servants of God, read aloud on the Men’s Devotional Blog

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EDT.

“It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night” (Psalm 92:1-2 NIV).

“Do you want to join a Moms prayer group?” a friend asked many years ago. “We pray for our children and their schools.” I hesitated. Praying aloud made me feel uncomfortable. But my teenagers needed prayer, so I joined the group.

At the first meeting, I learned the prayer format they used which includes praise, silent confession, thanksgiving, and intercession. I knew how to confess my sins, give thanks for answered prayers, and bring my long list of requests (that’s why I came). But praising God was new to me.

As I heard other moms pray, I discovered that praising God meant focusing on Him and His attributes. It meant exalting God for who He is, not simply for what He does. In time, I learned how to praise God by praying Scripture back to Him, extolling Him from His Word.

Psalm 92:2 reveals two of God’s characteristics: love and faithfulness. We can praise Him by praying, “Lord, I praise You for Your love and faithfulness,” then add specific ways we’ve seen these attributes demonstrated in our lives. And as this verse suggests, we can proclaim His love in the morning and His faithfulness at night.

Another way to praise God is through music and singing (vv. 1, 3-4). Why not choose a favorite hymn or chorus to praise God with or include worship music in your personal devotions?

I’m glad I stepped outside my comfort zone and joined a prayer group. Learning to praise God has changed my prayer life and my relationship with Him. Although initially I attended the prayer group to intercede for my children, now, years later, my favorite part of our prayer time is praising God. Truly, “it is good to praise the Lord.”

I praise You, O Most High, for Your love and faithfulness. Thank You for the joy and peace that come from praising You. Fill my heart anew with praise and longing for You.

Questions: Why is praising God such an important part of our prayers? What are some ways that you praise the Lord?

About the Author Lydia E. Harris

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, I Was Chosen!, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30am EDT.

Frustration and even anger can play at the edge of our hearts when it seems that God does not hear us nor rescue us in situations as we think He should.

We begin to pray less.  We find our hearts have quit expecting anything from God. Trust in His goodness can melt away in the heat of our struggle and God’s silence.

Countless Christians have experienced their prayers erode to a trickle of empty words of habit or panic button prayers. Some lose faith when life’s hard circumstances make no sense and God fails to intervene as they think He should. Others simply get too busy to bother. Many experience feeling let down and disappointed by the church or other Christians and paint God with the same brush.

It’s easy to begin depending on our own best thinking when we lose heart in expecting God to answer our prayers. Trusting God, when our path in life grows muddy, is not an easy task. The mud of weariness, busyness and hurt can cause us to trip and even fall. We wonder how we will ever get up again. Faith can feel like a thread that threatens to break.

Trusting God with your life, even when it makes no sense to you, is to choose to grab hold of the pearl of wisdom. As Christian women we know the vital connection prayer is to our God, yet we can let it slip away from fingers muddy from falling. We must be deliberate in choosing to cling to it. There is great wisdom and reward in depending on our God even in the silence.

Maintaining that vital connection to God in prayer is a choice. Step by step, through the fog on our pathway, we can choose to trust that God has our best interest at heart and lean on His strength to get us through our day… or … we choose to shrug Him off with little expectation and lean wearily on our own understanding.

When we live our lives with prayer on the fringe we are really telling God that we don’t trust Him. Often with our lips we declare trust but with our lives we show that we really don’t believe He will see us through. Ask yourself the hard questions…

* Do I really trust God to have my best interest at heart?

* Do I really believe He will strengthen me today to walk where I need to walk…even in the dark and the silence?

Choose to increase your trust in God and to bring prayer into focus from the fringe of your life. These steps will help you firmly grasp that treasured pearl…and you will discover the wisdom of depending on God. Choose to TRUST.

* T – Thanks
Thank God for the things He has done in your past. Go back as far as you need to.

Begin to chart His track record in your life. Ask Him to remind you of times past when He was there for you. Then find something in your life today to be grateful for. Living thankfully is God’s will for your life.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

* R – Repent
Say you are sorry to God for intentionally allowing things in your heart and your life that you know would disappoint Him. Having a rebellious heart toward God’s ways in one area of your life can cause your prayers to hit the ceiling in other areas. Take an inward look and ask for God’s help in changing attitudes, thoughts, motives and actions that need a correction.

“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened: but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer” (Psalm 66:18 & 19).

* U – Unify
Unify broken relationships. Whether you have offended someone or have been offended, God leaves the ball in your park to seek restoration. If restoration isn’t possible give God the broken pieces and ask Him to root resentment out of your heart. Bringing peace to fractured relationships brings blessing.

“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

* S – Share
Share the journey. When times are tough and trust wears thin, find a friend to pray with you and for you. Tell someone your struggle and ask her to walk with you awhile on the road of life. Getting help in our weakness leads to healing and to power in praying.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

* T – Take time
Take time to spend with God. If your heart is dry set aside some time to listen to praise music and use the words of the songs as prayers from your heart. Till up the ground that has become hard from the worries of life. Learn to spend time in the presence of the Lord and find refreshing beyond what you can imagine.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (Psalm 91:1 & 2).

Depend on God in new ways today. Trust Him… even in the silence and in the dark. The wisdom of depending on God will bring results in your life that will surprise you.

“My God, in whom I trust”… with expectation!

Questions: Do you really trust God to have your best interest at heart? Do you need to give God the broken pieces and ask Him to root resentment out of your heart? What can you do to refresh your soul?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, The Grandest Subject, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we experienced the wonderful cleansing power of His blood, which was shed on the cross for us over 2,000 years ago. We had an overwhelming feeling of freedom and release from the bondage of sin and death when we first repented from our old lives and turned to Christ. Then, the following dilemma began to occur as the weeks and months went by – we found ourselves tempted to return to sinful patterns of thinking and acting. It became difficult to accept that we would still continue to sin because we are children of the King: righteous, new creations in Christ, called to be holy as He is holy.

But the truth is, we are still sinners and will always battle with sin in our lives because we are inwardly bent towards sin. That is the reason God says in His Word that we need to confess our sins and rely on His promise to cleanse us:

• “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’ – and you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).
• “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
• “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
• “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

These verses remind us that:

1. As Christians we will still sin.
2. Though we are commanded not to sin, there is forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
3. When we sin, there is a way to restore fellowship with God:

• Confess that sin to God and to others.
• Repent from the sin, asking God to change the direction of our lives.
• Pray for each other; ask someone to pray for us.
• Trust that God’s promises are true: He has forgiven us and no longer condemns us.

Who we still are

Sometimes pride keeps us from admitting our sin or keeps us from forgiving ourselves when we sin as Christians. When this happens we need to tell ourselves the truth about who we still are… sinners saved by grace. Don’t let pride keep you from enjoying your relationship with God and don’t believe that you are now above the need for God’s ongoing grace in your life.

You can begin living in God’s grace and accept His ongoing, unconditional forgiveness for the sins you still battle, or the memory of past sin in your life. Realize that as a Christian, you still need to recognize and confess sin in your life. You can have grace for yourself based on God’s grace and forgiveness for you when He paid the penalty for all your sins once and for all through His Son’s death on the cross 2,000 years ago.

Begin to bask in the forgiveness of Christ! You are no longer condemned. You are forgiven! You are His child. You can make a new start every time you sin… just sincerely confess it and ask God to change you from the inside out. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” If you have repeatedly fallen into the same sin such as pornography, lying, unforgiveness, substance abuse, gossiping, etc., then go to your pastor, a mentor or a Christian counselor and ask for their guidance, prayer, and instruction on how to begin to flee the temptation to sin, to be accountable and to make amends for your sin.

Memorize the following Scriptures so that you can begin relying on God’s Word and the assurance of forgiveness He offers you in Christ, rather than the self-condemnation you may be thinking and feeling.

• “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:10-14, italics mine).
• “In him (Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7, italics mine).
• “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10-12, italics mine).

Remember that God’s love “covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). We don’t know our hearts very well, but God knows us and His forgiveness is complete and eternal because Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sins and “not for our sins only, but the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2).