“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:1-2)

Do you feel pressured to do more for God?  Many of us do.  Deep down we know that our lives should be about serving God – that they should matter in an eternally significant way.  But our days are so full.  Work, school, family, sports, errands, gardening – we look at everything we have going on and even though it seems impossible to fit more in, we feel like we should.  We should be doing more for God.  We should be volunteering at a soup kitchen, or helping out with the Alpha Course at church, or leading a mens’ group.

I need to shift my perspective more than I need to shift my schedule.  “Set your hearts on things above…  Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.”  Paul is encouraging the believers in Colossae to see the world in a new way, to look at everything from the vantage point of heaven.  Yes, I could try to cram more into my insanely busy life.  Or, I could take Paul’s advice and shift my perspective.

Imagine what a difference this profound but simple shift could make!  We would begin to see every human encounter from a spiritual viewpoint.  Every stranger we bump into, every business meeting we attend, every customer we serve, every buddy we play hockey with would become an opportunity to express the love of Jesus.  We would begin to live a life that’s not about ourselves, but a life that’s about the people around us.

Take stock of your life.  Maybe you have plenty of time and energy to spare, and God is calling you to do something new for Him.  But maybe your schedule feels packed.  Ask God to help you look at your life with a new perspective – His perspective.  Let Him show you the needs and the opportunities that surround you all the time.  Then experience the incredible joy of joining Him in what He’s already doing.

Prayer:  God, I want my life to count for you.  Help me to set my mind and heart on heavenly things.  Help me to see every minute of my day and every encounter I have from your perspective.  Help me to shift my focus from myself to You and the people around me. Give me the courage and the faith to share Jesus – in word and in deed – with everyone I meet. Amen.

Get to know God better with our interactive study “Discover Your God”

“But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24, NLV)

What would cause someone to go against the tide of social influence?  What would make them stand up against a vast amount of their peers and refuse to go along with what they believe?  Peer pressure is a powerful force and few can stand against it.  However, there were two men in the Bible who did just that.

Caleb and Joshua were chosen, along with ten other men, to explore the promised land and give a report to Moses and the people.  When they returned ten of the spies were against conquering the land.  This is what they said, “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there.  All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” (Numbers 13:32-33 NLV)

Caleb and Joshua disagreed!  This is what Caleb said, “Let’s go at once to take the land, we can certainly conquer it!” (Numbers 13:30 NLV)  “But all the people began to cry and weep.  Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron.” (Numbers 14:1-2 NLV)

Why were Caleb and Joshua different?

What is amazing is Joshua and Caleb’s response to all of this.  By this time, you would think that they would have given in to this incredible amount of pressure but they didn’t.  Listen to what they said:

“The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land!  And if the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey.  Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the LORD is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” (Number 14:7-9 NLV)

What caused Caleb and Joshua to stand against the tide of social influence? When everyone else was trembling in fear because of the vast fortified cities and the giants in the land, they were ready to march ahead.

They knew who God was!

They had seen over and over again God’s mighty work on their behalf.  They had witnessed His constant faithfulness and they believed!  They saw the promised land through different lenses.  They understood that the God who created the Universe, who hung the stars in space and formed the land would stand with them, go before them and they had nothing to fear!

In the eyes of the Israelites, Caleb and Joshua had an outlandish faith! Their faith was wild and crazy and completely illogical.  But this wild and crazy faith was rooted in an amazing, outlandish God who had proven Himself over and over to them.

An outlandish God!

What kind of faith do you have?  How big is your God?  Do you trust Him when things seem impossible, when you can’t see what He is doing?  Are you viewing your life through earthly lenses or through heavenly ones?  Do you believe you have an outlandish God?

The only way to develop this kind of faith is to KNOW your God.  So I challenge you to get into His Word and discover who He is.  He will not disappoint!

“This is what the Lord says:  “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches.  But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLV)

Questions: How big is your faith? In which areas of your life do you need to put your hope and trust in God?

Related Articles:
Dealing with Disappointment
Anxious for Nothing

Are you lonely in your relationship? We want to pray for you.

Isn’t it exciting to have your precious little one come running into your arms with hugs and kisses?  Just as we love to have children share their enthusiasm with us, our heavenly Father rejoices when we take the time in our busy hurried life to communicate with Him in prayer. Our communication with Him is our expression of love to Him.

Prayer is about relationships – our relationship with God and those for whom we pray.

Jesus tells his disciples in John 14 and 15, “If you love me, you will obey me. . . . If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you . . . I have told you this so that my joy will be in you and that your joy will be complete.”

God gave us the gift of prayer so we could communicate with Him because He loves us and desires communication with us. God does not want us to make our prayers a production. He wants us to have a personal, intimate conversation with Him from our hearts, sharing our fears and struggles with Him.

Paul Miller writes in his book, The Praying Life, “American culture is probably the hardest place in the world to learn to pray, we are so busy that when we slow down to pray, we find it uncomfortable. We prize accomplishments, production. But prayer is nothing but talking to God. It feels useless, as if we are wasting time.”

Do you sometimes feel like you are too busy to pray?
Are your prayers hurried or repetitious?
When you pray do you find it hard to connect with God in our distracting world?
Do you feel like your prayers are useless, as if you are wasting your time?

Satan distracts us with our busy lives. He does not want us to take the time to pray for our loved ones or for ourselves. He wants to hinder our walk with God by distracting our thoughts, making our prayers shallow, hurried, or rote. We face a great deal of stress, difficulty, and disappointments in life for which we need to spend time in prayer.  However, we need to be deliberate in setting a regular time to pray for our loved ones and ourselves, not just “when I feel like it”.

We will have a calmer heart, less stress and pressure if we bring our needy hearts to God asking Him to work out His agenda in our life or in the lives of our loved ones, instead of trying to figure out our own agenda. As we see our prayers answered, we will grow into a more intimate relationship with God and experience more boldness in our praying.

Our Enemy, Satan is trying to steal our faith, along with our children and grandchildren. Satan knows a family’s faith can be lost in one generation; however, we as parents and grandparents can be defenders of their faith in Jesus Christ by praying for them.

Questions: Why do we find it so difficult to spend quality time in prayer? Are your prayers hurried or repetitious?

About the Author Lillian Penner

Do you feel hopeless and discouraged? Talk to a mentor.

I have a trashcan in my kitchen. We inherited from a previous renter years ago. I love it. It is the perfect size to tightly hold trash bags in place. It has a domed lid and a curved flap that slips back up into the dome whenever I want to throw in some garbage. Then I flip the flap back down closed and all the trashy smells are sealed inside. Works great, most of the time.

Sometimes though, the flap flips back and gets stuck under the domed lid.  Usually happens when I am in a hurry to get the trash to the curb.  It won’t flip back over the lip of the dome on its own. So, I have to ever so gently bend it this way and that so it slips up over the lip back into position. Each time, I envision the crack and rip of plastic, but it never happens. It may take a bit of effort and a lot of patience, but it always pops back into shape to work the way it’s supposed to work.

Willing to be bent

Today it happened. As I tugged at one corner, then the next, God told me, “Now you know how I feel. Are you seeing the connection?” Oh. Yeah. Now I do.

Most times, I’m doing His will. I am keeping the stinky stuff out of my life and doing the work He has called me to do. But ever so often, I flip back and become stuck. With gentle loving hands, but with enough force to do the job, God bends my will back to His. At times, I feel as if I will crack and rip, but I never do.  Eventually, I am back to doing the job for Him I was designed to do, in the position I am supposed to be in.

Perhaps, if you feel God tugging at you, He is just getting you back to where you need to be so you can do what you were purposed to do. It is His will, and to His benefit as well as yours, to get you back into shape. He wants you to be the best you can be and to have a purpose in life. He created you in just the right shape to do what you were designed to do here on earth.

Through prayer and reading His Word, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with Jesus interceding for you, your faith can stay strong and firm. Yet, your will remain pliable enough to bend in the direction He wants it to go. If you feel God is pulling and bending you, don’t resist His force. Let His caring hands do the work and you won’t crack or rip apart under the pressure. You won’t be stuck and out of shape for long. He will see to it.

Question: Are you feeling spiritually out of shape? What will it take to bend you back?

About the Author Julie Cosgrove

Are you too busy to pray? Here is a study to help you consider the wise use of your day.

Prayer is about relationships – our relationship with God and those for whom we pray.

Jesus tells his disciples in John 14 and 15, “If you love me, you will obey me. . . . If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you . . . I have told you this so that my joy will be in you and that your joy will be complete.”

God gave us the gift of prayer so we could communicate with Him because He loves us and desires communication with us. God does not want us to make our prayers a production. He wants us to have a personal, intimate conversation with Him from our hearts, sharing our fears and struggles with Him.

Paul Miller writes in his book, The Praying Life, “American culture is probably the hardest place in the world to learn to pray, we are so busy that when we slow down to pray, we find it uncomfortable. We prize accomplishments, production. But prayer is nothing but talking to God. It feels useless, as if we are wasting time.”

Do you sometimes feel like you are too busy to pray?
Are your prayers hurried or repetitious?
When you pray do you find it hard to connect with God in our distracting world?
Do you feel like your prayers are useless, as if you are wasting your time?

Satan distracts us with our busy lives.  He does not want us to take the time to pray for our loved ones or ourselves. He wants to hinder our walk with God by distracting our thoughts, making our prayers shallow, hurried, or rote. We face a great deal of stress, difficulty, and disappointments in life for which we need to spend time in prayer.  However, we need to be deliberate in setting a regular time to pray for our loved ones and ourselves, not just “when I feel like it”.

We will have a calmer heart, less stress and pressure if we bring our needy hearts to God asking Him to work out His agenda in our life or in the lives of our loved ones, instead of trying to figure out our own agenda. As we see our prayers answered, we will grow into a more intimate relationship with God and experience more boldness in our praying.

Our Enemy, Satan is trying to steal our faith, along with our children and grandchildren. Satan knows a family’s faith can be lost in one generation; however, we as parents and grandparents can be defenders of their faith in Jesus Christ by praying for them.

Questions: Why do we find it so difficult to spend quality time in prayer?

About the Author Lillian Penner

Connie tapped on the door. A small voice called to her to come in. Connie was amazed at the tidy appearance of the old lady. The pearls and painted nails surprised her somehow. She looked little and alone. The small room in the hospital had become her home. She was grateful for a visitor.

Connie couldn’t help but notice the deep peace on this lady’s face as she told Connie, “God is so good. I’m alone now. It’s just the Lord and me, but I have a ministry here.” And she told her how she had grown to care about the nurses; how they came to put her to bed and stayed to have her pray with them. Though there was a longing to go to be with her Lord, there was also contentment. God’s peace and His love were very much alive in that little room.

As Connie started her car in the parking lot, she realized that her heart was lighter. She had gone out of duty and with a weary heart, but God had met her there and refreshed her spirit through a little granny.

Her morning Bible reading flooded back to her mind. It had been the story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. (John 13: 10-17) Jesus had demonstrated this giving task and then said,

“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them”(John 13:17).

The lesson was clear to her now. God had shown her tonight. In reaching out to others, we move beyond our own self-consumed worries and find blessing. She was glad she had gone. Nothing in her circumstances had changed. But in her spirit she had found an unexpected lift that lightened her step. Yes! God is so good!

Today, ask God who is on His heart in the circle you move in. Reach out to someone. Lighten their load with a word of encouragement or some small deed. It’s the way God works in blessing you and those around you.

Heavenly Father, You know me better than I know myself. You know that in giving I truly do receive. Forgive me for my worry. Help me to trust You to guide me through my circumstances and help me to keep an outward eye to those around me. Thank You for the happiness that comes as I reach out and purposefully touch the lives of those near me. Make me a blessing today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Questions: Who does God bring to mind that would be blessed from a visit from you?  How can we become more sensitive to the needs around us? Can you give an example of a time when you were blessed as you went to see someone even though you felt inconvenienced at the time?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, He Loves to Be With the Ones He Loves, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

As a young child I loved building sand castles. Even today, though my kids are grown, I love to sit in the warm sun, run my hands through the cool sand and let my imagination create the castle, draw bridge and even the moat. As I became older I realized I would need to start building the castle further away from the shoreline. Unfortunately, that requires sand that is wet so it can hold together, and that means building close to the shore. Such is the catch-22 of a sand castle builder.

I used to watch my daughters as they built their little sand castles, working so hard and fervently, knowing all the while that it was only a matter of time before their hearts were going to break. Sure enough, within a couple of hours the tide would start coming in. At first it would just lap the outside of their castle, just barely touching it. Then within minutes, the water would start hitting the side of their creation.

Almost immediately the walls would start collapsing and their cries followed immediately. I would run to them with a pail and try with everything in me to help save their castle. The harder we worked at scooping the water out, the faster it seemed to fill. It wouldn’t be long before we would have to stand back and watch as their little construction was washed away back into the sea.

Weak and solid foundations

I had to think, “Isn’t that a picture of how my life was?” Whether we recognize it or not, we all build our foundations on something. Some choose money as their foundation, while others might choose food, shopping, or their own self to put their trust and security in. For me it was the latter.

I would place all my trust in the Lord – up to a certain point. As long as things were going well, He had one hundred percent of me. It was when the tides started coming into my life that I felt I had to step in. I was a picture of my daughters, in their frantic attempt to save their castle. I would run around anxiously trying to save the walls of my life from collapsing. But in the end just like the sand castle, I couldn’t save myself.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve been washed away by the tide of circumstance in my life. It was only in hitting the bottom and hearing the Lord tell me that He couldn’t use sand castle builders, that I started to understand what I was doing.

Christ the solid rock

You see, sand castle followers are ones that crumble and fall apart as a result of life’s presses. If we have put our faith, trust and hope in anything other than Christ, we will trip over ourselves every time. Only the Rock, that is Christ, will endure the obstacles that chisel away at our lives.

It is Christ who will be there for us – strong and steady – when life knocks, collides, or runs us over. He is there when all others have fled. He is there when all money is gone, when all hope is lost, when we are left collapsed in the chaos we have created. He will support us when friends and family don’t.

Without God at the center of our lives, pressure from the outside soon becomes greater than power from within. We then become easy prey for the enemies of life – stress, anxiety, illness, fatigue, and other countless numbers of destroyers. Those who devote their lives to achievements, causes or possessions have built their foundations on things that are limited and changeable. The possessions that we work so hard to obtain will all erode away, as the tides of life flow in and out.

A building is only as solid as its foundation. The foundation of our lives has to be Jesus Christ; He is our base, our reason for living. Today we must ask ourselves, what foundation are we building our lives on? Are we building it on the only real and lasting foundation, or are we building our foundation on defective things such as wealth, success and fame? When the tides roll in and out of our lives, what will be left standing?

1 Corinthians 3:11-13 says, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.”

What about you? Have the pressures and demands of life washed you down? Have you been building your foundation on something other than Jesus Christ? If so, He knows and He graciously holds out open arms to receive you again. Why not pray this simple prayer and by faith ask Him take over the reins of your life? In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Lord Jesus, I need You. I acknowledge that I have sinned against You by directing my own life. Father, I thank You for forgiving my sins through Jesus’ death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled, and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus. As an expression of my faith, I thank You for directing my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, we would love to hear about it!

We encounter pressure every single day in our lives and work, and there are two main causes for it. The first is that wherever we work or live we will encounter challenges, difficulties, and obstacles.  All of these will create pressure for us. This kind of pressure is regarded as natural.  As long as the hurdles are overcome, the pressure will disappear spontaneously.

But, the second cause of pressure is not so easily eliminated. The second cause of pressure  is our own imaginings and wild flights of fancy. This pressure from our own thoughts is much more difficult to get rid of because it has no real cause.

When we feel under pressure, we should first examine our lives and work to see whether there have been any recent changes. If so, have these changes have created new challenges, difficulties, and obstacles? If there happen to be any, then it means that you are experiencing natural pressure, and as soon as the barrier is crossed, the pressure will fade naturally.

For example, as some studies have shown, our pressure index peaks when a new family member arrives, such as a son bringing in a new wife, or a mother having a baby. All of these events will create pressure, but after a short while as we accustom to the new state, the pressure will gradually fade away.

Similarly, moving to a new neighborhood or switching to a new job are all major causes of pressure. But all of these pressures will disappear slowly as we gradually become familiar with the new environment or job.

On the other hand, if we find there have been no changes but we still feel pressured, then there is a big possibility that our feelings of pressure arise from the second cause, namely our own foolish act of indulging in agonizing delusions.

If this happens, what should we do? The simplest way to deal with the problem is to transform our thought patterns and habits. In other words, we need to get a “brain transplant.”

We have had exams ever since we were kids. The tests are just there to see how much we have learned within a period of time; they do not necessarily reflect whether we are smart or stupid. Therefore we could really just have ordinary feelings about exams.

Unfortunately, we would often worry too much and become too afraid of not doing well on the tests, and we would get over-pressurized. This explains why so many people have nightmares associated with exams.  The exams themselves become the primary symbol of pressure in their subconscious.

Even though we are adults now we still feel immense pressure every time we face a challenge or an unfamiliar environment.  Often the pressure does not go away even after the challenge has been dealt with. This happens because this kind of pressure is rooted deeply in our subconscious and we have made a habit of thinking in this way.

And unless we replace our brains with new ones, it will be difficult to eradicate this type of unprovoked pressure.

If you often have anxiety, frustration, or pressure coming out of nowhere, if you were feeling fine when you suddenly became depressed because of too much pressure, then without doubt your subconscious is up to something. The best way to resolve this problem is to change your thinking habit.  Start thinking positively.  Always look on the bright side of life, and replace your old mind with a new one. And then, all your worries will be solved and all the pressures will vanish. I wish everyone a successful “brain transplant,” and let your heart be joyful and your spirits lifted.

Adversity for bean sprouts

Do you know the reason why farmers can always grow better bean sprouts than you can?  Your homegrown bean sprouts are dry and tiny while the farmers are big and juicy.  A story once published in the Chinese newspapers has this insight.  The homegrown sprouts are left to grow freely, while the farmers placed glass or slides on top of their seeds.  When the sprouts are ready to pop out of the seed casings the first thing they have to overcome is the added pressure from the glass or slides.  They must work to strengthen themselves before overcoming this obstacle.  Whenever you are eating sprouts that are large and juicy, remember to pay some respect to them as they have passed the “pressured” test by the farmers.

“Born in adversity, die in happiness and peace”

The same principle applies to transporting live fish.  Traditionally, a high percentage of fish do not survive transportation by air.  Experts believe the reason for fishes’ high fatality rate during flights is actually calmness.  That’s right, when the flight has reached cruising altitude, fishes can easily be lulled asleep and die from the peaceful feeling of the smooth ride.

Now transporters keep the fish alert by placing one of their enemies like a crab in the tank with them.  You may be skeptical about this.  But the truth is, fishes will stay alert throughout the flight because their focus is on their enemy.  They will work on strategies to avoid being attacked by the crab.  Research shows that this technique reduces the fatality rate of the fish from 40% down to only 5%.   The fish are at more risk peace rather than their enemy.  In fact, “Born in adversity, die in happiness and peace” is a famous phrase from our fine Chinese ancestors long ago.

Female professionals face more pressure than their male counterparts

According to a research study on pressures in the workplace in China, female professionals face similar if not more pressures than their male counterparts.  The study shows that fatigue is more apparent in females.  Although pressures from the workplace are probably alike for both genders, females face added pressure from home.  When dealing with pressure, females tend to feel lost, get tense and impatient, develop anxiety and have problems controlling their temper.  Compared to their male counterparts, they are more likely to “talk about their problems”, “try forgetting the whole thing”, or “give self more encouragement” to relieve the pressure.  On the other hand, men will attempt to evaluate and solve the problems themselves when they face pressure.  Before the problems are solved, they will try relieving the pressure by engaging in other activities.

Pressure is a fact of life

Life without pressure only exists in dreams.  In our lifetime, we go to school when we’re just young kids through the teenage years, then start a career, get married and then start having kids.  Pressure exists in each step of the way.  Without pressure, it is difficult for us to grow.  Nevertheless, lack of knowledge of how to deal with pressure can also take us down.  Consequently, we all should learn how to handle pressure.

1.  Step up and face it: Pressure can work against you, but it can also work for you.  It all depends on how you deal with it.  Whenever you are facing pressure, the wise thing to do is to step up and meet the challenge.

2.  Delegation relieves pressure: Our Lord once said:  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

3.  Find other activities to take your mind off of the pressure: Participate in sports, listen to music, read or pray to relieve pressure.  If you only have a little bit of time, try taking a 10 minute walk outside or even a five minute walk through your building.  Walk slowly and try to breathe deeply.

4.  Be thankful for having pressure: In Philippians 4:6-7 it says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  We’re not supposed   be anxious about anything?  That’s easier said than done.  Certainly, we don’t control in many things in life, such as illness, natural disasters, or accidents.  But we should never assume that God is helpless and cannot give us a helping hand.  As long as you deal with it with faith, along with the powers from our almighty God, you will be able to overcome it all.

God is someone who you can always count on in dealing with pressure.

My dear friends, in your lifelong journey, do you sometimes feel the pressures you face are just too much to handle?  Well, maybe you have no choice in avoiding them, but you do have a choice in how to handle them.  God is someone who you can always count on.  He loves you and will give you wisdom and strength.  I can confidently say this because I personally experienced God’s helping hand many times.

If you haven’t invited God to come into your life, maybe this is the time to send an invitation.  God is looking forward to establishing a relationship with you.  He wants to help and guide you in your journey.  He is waiting for you to make this decision.  Now is a great time to invite Him.  Praying is the same as talking to God, and you can start a relationship with him by praying this prayer:

Lord, I need you now more than ever. I want your peace of mind. In the midst of my broken heart and my pain, I turn to you. Jesus, I ask you to forgive my sins and to give me your peace and comfort. I open the door of my life and put my trust in you.

If you sincerely expressed that prayer to God, you can know that you have a personal relationship with Him. He will be your comfort in these troubled times. God promises us “peace that passes understanding” in other words peace in a world that doesn’t make sense. You can know peace even while the world is in turmoil. God does not change. Ever.