“I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, The Living Translation)

Recently much of the eastern United States endured flooding as a result of heavy rains after a hurricane. Roads were washed out and people were stranded far from help. Small streams became raging torrents, ripping houses from their foundations. Electric power was nonexistent for hundreds of thousands of people. As one woman discarded spoiled food, she said, “I feel like a fish forced into a river.”

Where do fish go in a flood? Are they swept away to sure destruction? If they survive, how do they survive? One conservation specialist says that many fish go deep into the river to sit on the bottom where the current is least strong, the muddy, opaque water concealing them. Some simply adjust to go with the flow, enduring the stress but with only short-term storm effects.

While not everyone experiences a watery flood in his or her lifetime, similar devastation comes into the lives of everyone. A previously healthy, active child is suddenly diagnosed with cancer. A young adult son with a promising future suffers a deadly accident. The well-planned career is snatched away without warning. Divorce unexpectedly shatters a family.

Where does the Christian go in a flood? Many of us have learned to go “deep into the river to sit on the bottom.” We cannot avoid the swirling tempest, but we get into the quiet space with God where we can hear His whispers. Life demands that in one respect we “go with the flow,” tending to the demands of everyday responsibilities, but because of that deep place with God, the storm only alters us, but does not destroy.

Questions: Where do you head when you’re feeling overwhelmed? Is a time of flood an experience that strengthens your faith?

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What Are Your Priorities?

If life is crazy right now and you could use someone to talk to, we’re here. Contact a mentor today.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with life today and unsure if you will be able to cope, let God’s word settle over your heart and bring you peace.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

Father God, thank you that Your word is truth. Thank you that You have promised Your divine power to flow to me and through me … enabling me, TODAY, to have all that I need for life and godliness.

Right now, I ask that the power of Your Holy Spirit would fill me afresh and enable me to deal with what is in front of me. Thank you that with Your divine power in me, I can face what today holds.

Today I need help coping with ____________________________. Pour Your power into me to help me. Thank you that You have given me EVERYTHING I need today. May I trust You completely to help me step by step through this day.

I praise You for Your love and faithfulness to me and ask for courage to walk in this truth today. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Questions: Are you feeling overwhelmed with life? How has God’s Word helped to bring peace to your life?

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, in order that you may know…his incomparable great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:18-19, NIV).

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by your weakness? You wonder how you can keep going? Let me tell you about a source of power that is available to you.

Here at Eurardy, a Bush Heritage reserve in Western Australia, we’re many miles from the nearest town and well off the grid.  Still, the homestead is fully equipped with electric light and all the modern kitchen appliances.  We even have air conditioning, television, internet, telephone and it’s all because of solar power! Amazing!

I wondered, “How does it work?”

As we walked over to the solar panels Matthew explained. The panels catch the sun’s energy which is then converted into electricity and sent along an underground cable to a shed that houses 28 batteries. The batteries are charged up and the electricity is stored as a backup so that, even when there is no sunlight, we can still have electric power in the house.”

He points to a sprinkler system on the lawn which operates directly by sunlight. When the sun goes down, the sprinklers turn off. As soon as the sun shines brightly, the sprinklers spring to life again.

“To get the most benefit of the sun, solar panels change their positions throughout the day,” Matthew continued. “At the base of each panel is a pipe with water in it. As it heats up, some water turns to steam and forces the remaining water into a pipe that leads to the other panel. With the exchange of water and steam, the panels go up and down like a slow moving see-saw.”

I see a spiritual lesson in all of this.

Paul tells us in Ephesians that as Christians, we have at our disposal the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. But how many of us use it? Too often we act like it all depends on us. It doesn’t. “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us,” Paul says in 2. Corinthians 4:7.

How does Christ’s energy become real and practical in our daily lives? Like the solar panels, we must position our hearts so that we can receive the Son’s energy and make use of it.

Thank you, Father, that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Amen.

Questions: Why is it that many Christians do not experience the abundant life that Christ talks about?  What happens when one who has received Christ tries to live the Christian life in his own strength?

About the Author Helen Lescheid

Are your days filled with loneliness? Do you dread getting up and facing another day?

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1, NIV).

In Psalm 136, David outlines in a sentence the different things God has done for both Israel and the world, followed by the words “His love endures forever”. The Psalm consists of 26 verses, each ending with the same four words. But how powerful those words are! God’s love didn’t vary with the changing circumstances Israel was in, or by what He decided the world needed.  It remained the same, immeasurable and mighty. And most importantly, it endures forever.

When we are faced with challenges, large or small, it’s important to remember that while our problems in the world may seem big, God’s love endures forever. Like the 26 sentences in the Psalm, each describing something different, our situations and environment change. Whether it is a new job, a new school, or something bigger like bad news from the doctor or a devastating discovery, our lives change and we’re taken in many different directions.

The only thing that won’t ever change is God’s love for you.

Whatever you may be dealing with, whether it’s something huge and frightening and you feel completely overwhelmed or something tiny and you just need rest, God loves you. He is there for you, always has been, and always will be. That truth will never change, even when the world seems to spin in the opposite direction. He will get you through your pain in a way that will help you grow in Him, mature in Him, and bring Him glory.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” What an amazing Father we have! He is so good that He is with us even in our trials, knowing our limits and providing a way out of our suffering.

Remember, even though the sentences in the psalm are all different, the end result is the same – God’s love endures forever, including His love for you.

Heavenly Father, thank you for holding us in times of trouble. You know our situations better than we do Lord, and we thank You for Your awesome might, glory, and power that overcomes all tribulation. You uphold us with Your righteous right hand. Help us to draw close to You, each and every day. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Questions: Why do life’s problems seem to make us forget God’s love and strength? What helps you to remember?

About the author Megan Demelo

Are you tired of living a defeated Christian life? Why not check out this video.

What adjective would you use to describe yourself? Think about it for a moment.

Would it be “joyful” or “worried”, “fearful”, “encourager”, “perfectionist”? God tells us that our joy will increase as our trust in Him increases. This is something beyond the happiness and delight or pleasure found in a particular circumstance.

True joy is a deep and abiding assurance rooted in hope. If worry, fear, nagging, or feeling overwhelmed is what characterizes you on a daily basis, you know your trust in God has probably faded and your hope begins to feel slim.

Listen to God’s promise to you…

“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” ( Romans 15:13, NIV).

When hope has disappeared off your horizon, check honestly to see where your trust in God is at. Ask Him to increase your faith. Ask Him to grow your faith to believe that…

• He will act on your behalf.

• He will give you strength and wisdom where you are weak and confused.

• He will supernaturally fill you with the power of His Holy Spirit.

• He will increase your hope in Him in every circumstance of your life.

The hope you have in God increases as your trust deepens. This hope becomes an anchor for your soul. It will bring with it a deep source of victory and joy as God works in you and through you to bring His hope to you in your day-to-day world. Depend on His Holy Spirit to fill you with increased faith today.

Father God, I ask today that You will increase my faith in You. I want to trust You with every aspect of my life. I need the power of Your Holy Spirit to work in me to trust You fully for the hope of my future. Help me to move from worry and fret to hope and joy. Fill me today so that I can actually overflow with hope by the power of Your Spirit. Thank you for Your amazing grace in my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Questions: How would you describe your self as far as your “joy” is concerned? How can one have this deep-rooted joy that Jesus talks about?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

“And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today… The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward’” (Exodus 14:13-15 NJKV).

Some days it feels like there is no way out! Israel had a mountain on each side, the Red Sea in front, and an army coming up behind. When attacks and blocks are coming at us from every direction we can get overwhelmed, desperate, and even panicky, but Moses’ word to them was “Stand still.” I believe his point was “Focus! Get your eyes off the circumstances and get them fixed back on God, what He has promised to you and called you to do, and then ‘go forward!’”

It can be like walking a tight wire, don’t look down, don’t look to the distractions on the right or the left, just concentrate and keep your eyes fixed on what you have been given to do.  God will shine His lamp on your path to lead you one step at a time, and one day at a time. Stay the course, the Lord will fight for you, subdue your enemies, and open up the way of escape.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let my foot slip, He who watches over me will not slumber. The Lord watches over me. The Lord is my shade at my right hand; The Lord will keep me from all harm, he will watch over my life; The Lord will watch over my coming and going both now and forevermore” (Psalm 121:1-3,5,7,8 NKJV).

Questions: How does focusing on God instead of your circumstances help you in times of distress?

About the Author Emme Stanley

Why did Peter deny Jesus? He confidently declared “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” (Matthew 26:35, NIV). But only a few short hours later, Peter did the exact opposite. He denied he knew Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted. We don’t have to imagine Peter’s sorrow.  We’re told plainly that afterwards “he went outside and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75, NIV).

But this doesn’t answer the question of why Peter denied knowing Him. Part of it was fear: fear of losing his reputation by being associated with a man accused of being a criminal, fear of his responsibilities, fear, perhaps, for his own life. But another reason that Peter ended up denying knowing His Lord is because he was away from Him.

Peter lost sight of his Lord. It wasn’t until “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter” (Luke 22:61, NIV) that Peter came back to his senses and realized what he had done. After losing sight of Jesus, Peter had been trying to do things on his own strength. Rather than trusting God, he was trusting in himself.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV).

Peter himself explains the immanent danger of trying to do everything ourselves God: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NIV). The apostle James advises us: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:7-8, NIV). While even the strongest of men and women are no match for Satan’s temptations on our own, with God we have nothing to fear.

We can stay near to God by reading His Word, by speaking and listening to Him in prayer, and by living in community with His sons and daughters. Stay near to God, and you will never be overwhelmed.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NIV).

Questions: Why do we so often give in to fear? How can we remain close to God and not be overwhelmed?

About this Author Darren Hewer

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Running Back to God, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

Please excuse the repetition, but I want this article to score highly in Google searches.

You see, Google Zeitgeist, the mega-search engine’s report on its most popular search topics, says the heiress scored number one on 2006 Google News searches. The report presents a glimpse of the “spirit of the times,” giving clues to websurfers’ interests.

In news (yes, I said “news,” not “entertainment”) searches, Paris beat Orlando Bloom, cancer, podcasting and Hurricane Katrina. Borat and Hezbollah topped “Who is” searches. Among U.S. searches for “Scandal,” the Duke Lacrosse episode took three of the first four slots.

What else do people want to know about? Google’s top-ten lists in various categories include MySpace, Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney, Pamela Anderson, Reggie Bush, and Clay Aiken.

Why do celebrities and entertainment rank so high? Perhaps it’s the desire to connect with something larger than ourselves. Maybe boredom explains some celebrity obsession. And don’t rule out diversion.

For some – maybe many – daily life ranges from harried to overwhelming: soured relationships, job conflict, financial pressure, health distress. Diverting focus can ease your troubled mind, at least temporarily.

Of course, everyone needs mental and emotional breaks. Diversion can be a healthy coping mechanism – until it becomes obsessive. Then it can lead to denying reality, perhaps obscuring genuine wants and needs.

Suppose we had a mind/heart/soul reader to discover what people really want once their basic physical needs are met. What would we find? Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s renowned hierarchy of basic needs includes safety, love, esteem and self-actualization.[i] Perhaps our soul reader would detect desires for acceptance, thriving personal friendships, peace of mind, health, security.

Maslow also realized that several profound fears – including the fear of death – trouble humanity.[ii] Our soul reader might find that people also want an answer to death.

Anthropologist Ernest Becker argued in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Denial of Death,[iii] that much human behavior can be explained by a deep desire to deny death’s reality, to repress “the terror of death.” No wonder. Which would you enjoy more, right this minute: contemplating your own death and its aftermath … or reading, exercising, web- or channel surfing, conversing, partying, working, shopping, etc.?

If we don’t have a solution to fear of death, we can invent ways to avoid thinking about it. Alas, attractive and even worthwhile pursuits can become enslaving. Amassing the most “toys”; rat-race schedules; obsession with career, job, education, sports or even friends can insulate people from facing their own mortality.

The biblical book of Hebrews presents a similar analysis of the human dilemma, reasoning that people “have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.” [iv] It claims that Jesus died to “deliver” people from this slavery so they might connect with God in time and eternity.

It seems morbid to always be thinking about your own death. But could avoiding it altogether constitute unhealthy denial? Could excessive focus on certain pursuits become risky diversion from life’s real issues, like personal meaning, personal worth, fulfilling relationships, and what Sigmund Freud called “the painful riddle of death”? [v]

Could obsession with Paris Hilton and her Google Zeitgeist pals conceal deep longings, insecurities and fears in individual websurfers and in society at large?

As the esteemed British philosopher and rocker Sir Mick Jagger famously counseled, “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime … you just might find you get what you need.” [vi] A friendly question for my fellow websurfers: Is what you want, what you need?