Please open your Bible and read Mark 4:35-41.

When we read the story of Jesus calming the waves, there are a lot of things we could focus on, but I’d like to focus on how the disciples responded. After “the wind died down and it was completely calm,” Jesus asks the disciples “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples’ recorded response tells us something about them: “They were terrified.”

These disciples were not supermen. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen, while Matthew was a hated tax collector. They were regular people, selected not for their great knowledge of the scriptures, nor for their political acumen or even for their exuberant faith … mostly because they possessed none of these qualities.

Imagine a company conducting interviews to hire someone for an important job position. Then imagine the company selecting a woefully underqualified person instead of a someone who’s much more experienced. Unlike the other applicants, the chosen person didn’t have a resume full of impressive achievements. Would you wonder what the HR department was up to?

When we read the gospels, we don’t discover disciples who are described in piously unbelievable tones; they are described as authentic (and authentically flawed) human beings. If they were at a job interview, they wouldn’t have much previous experience. But Paul notes that “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:27) And God, able to know the depths of your heart, is more concerned about you than your resume.

God is patient, and God is kind, because God is love. (1 Corinthians 13:4, 1 John 4:16) Whenever you feel inadequate, like you want to ask “Who am I, Lord, to be chosen for this task?” just remember the disciples, terrified on a boat in the middle of the lake. In reality they were always secure because they were with their Lord. Embrace your role as an everyday disciple in your daily journey with Jesus, who is with you always!

Question: How can you be an “everyday disciple” today through your daily activities?

“My grace is sufficient for you” 2 Corinthians 12:9

We live in the fitness age. For the body, we have gyms and diets. For the mind, we can choose from myriad how-to books as well as seminars about thinking positively and ridding ourselves of bad habits. The truth is we all have one, two, or more weaknesses to confront. In the Bible, we find wise counsel for how to handle these areas of our life.

If you look honestly at yourself, you can identify what you think is your weakness. It could be physical disability you were born with or developed, or it could be emotional, mental, or spiritual. Whatever it is, Paul’s words apply to you. The first thing to do is acknowledge the presence of the weakness. Secondly, it is important that you recognize the purpose of frailty. Paul says his thorn in the flesh was given to keep him from exalting himself. His weakness was preventive maintenance on the part of God, who knew that dependence kept Paul’s pride in check.

We should consider what our weakness says about us. For example, if a person struggles with dishonesty, a close analysis of his thinking might reveal that the real problem is a fear of rejection. To protect himself, he will lie his way out of threatening situations. But by giving in to his weakness, the dishonest man reacts improperly. Other wrong responses to weakness are ignoring it, denying it, or excusing it. The only right response is to remember the promise of God, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). His words to the apostle Paul are meant as an encouragement for every believer.

Question: What is one of your weaknesses that God may actually use for His own great purposes?

Can we pray for you?

Your weakness is the very entry point of God’s strength. Invite Him into your weak places today and watch the truth of His word become real.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

“As a man thinks in his heart, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7).

Thank you, Heavenly Father, that Your amazing grace is ENOUGH to cover all the weak areas of my life and character.

Thank you that my weaknesses, though hard to admit to, are the very entry points of Your grace and power.

Help me to change the way I view my weaknesses and rather than shrink from them and try to hid or cover them, may I bring them to You to fill with Your power.

Thank you that as I take my thoughts captive and bring them into alignment with the truth of Your word, You will change me from the inside out.

Today I choose to put my faith in You and to bring you my weakness of ________________________.  May Your strength be made perfect in this very place of my weakness.

I look with confident expectation for Your help and Your hope.

With thanksgiving I pray this in the powerful name of Jesus, amen.

Questions: As you think about a weakness in an area of your life, how do you think God is planning on using it? How do you view your weakness?

“For he [Satan] is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44)

God is truth and speaks the Truth. Satan lies and is the father of lies.

A few days ago, over a breakfast meeting, we were discussing the awesome miracles of God. There were many, and we both felt so privileged to be called to serve Him. During the discussion, we also touched on fact that the enemy keeps whispering lies into our thoughts and when we are not alert, we can easily start believing them.

He seems to know our weaknesses and attacks our minds in those areas. For example, I told Shirley that Satan often begins to tell me, “You are too old to put up another website. People will laugh at you for building a website; what do you know about the Internet? You will not be successful.”

But God tells me, “In your weakness I am strong. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. I called you and I will be faithful to do it. Because I am your shepherd, I am everything you need.”

Years ago, Dr. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, International explained this battle for our minds this way. As Christians, we have both a spiritual nature and a carnal nature, and each has its own channel. Our spiritual nature listens to the Holy Spirit channel, while our carnal nature listens to the enemy channel. Many times a day, we have to decide whom we will listen to: the Holy Spirit and truth, or the enemy and lies.

When the enemy begins to torment you with lies, or when he tries to make you feel unworthy, turn the channel of your thoughts to the Holy Spirit channel and begin quoting Scripture to the enemy. That is what Jesus did when the enemy taunted Him, and the enemy had to go away.

~Father God, You are Truth. There are no shadows with You. You are Light and Joy. Make us alert to the enemy’s lies and turn our thoughts toward heaven. We love You. Amen

Question: What malevolent tactics does Satan use to try to usurp control over your life?

Are you feeling emotionally fragmented today? If so, consider this …

“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” Romans 8:14

Sometimes, as believers, we can find ourselves being dragged around by our emotions rather than allowing the Spirit of God to lead us through our days.

How does one practically apply steps so as not to be caught on an emotional rollercoaster today?

- Pay attention to what is going on in your heart and mind.
- Acknowledge your emotions.
- Look at the circumstances or the reasons causing your emotion.

If there is something you can physically do to help your situation, then ask for God’s help and do it. If there is nothing you can actually do about your situation, tell God you will trust Him to be your strength and your supplier. Ask Him to give you peace in your heart and direction in your steps. Every weakness you have is an opportunity for God to show His strength in your life.

Today let your emotions be a guide, or a tool, to push you back to your God and His strength in your times of weakness. Catch the downward spiral before you get caught in it. Ask His Spirit to guide you to solutions, wisdom, insight, help and strength.

If you are at the bottom of the spiral, tell God you need His help to get up. Ask for His strength to fill your weakness. If you need to talk to a trusted friend to find help and counsel in the journey, then make that call for help. God wants His children to be led by His Spirit, not dragged by their emotions.

You can also contact us here at TruthMedia and we will put you in touch with an email mentor – someone who can offer encouragement and pray for you.

Father God, I thank You that You are there to help me in every step I take throughout this day. I offer my emotions to You and I ask for Your help in managing them and in seeing them as a tool to help me understand what is going on in my heart. I declare that I want to be led by Your Holy Spirit and not tossed about by emotion. Give me understanding and Your help as I keep my heart and mind guarded today. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Questions: How are emotions a gift? How can they become a stumbling block? Where do you feel needy today, and how can we pray for you?

About this Author: Gail Rodgers

Are you feeling emotionally fragmented today? Talk to us.

Sometimes, as believers, we can find ourselves being dragged around by our emotions rather than allowing the Spirit of God to lead us through our days.

How does one practically apply steps so as not to be caught on an emotional rollercoaster today?

* Pay attention to what is going on in your heart and mind.

* Acknowledge your emotions.

* Look at the circumstances or the reasons causing your emotion.

If there is something you can physically do to help your situation, then ask for God’s help and do it. If there is nothing you can actually do about your situation, tell God you will trust Him to be your strength and your supplier. Ask Him to give you peace in your heart and direction in your steps. Every weakness you have is an opportunity for God to show His strength in your life.

Today let your emotions be a guide, or a tool, to push you back to your God and His strength in your times of weakness. Catch the downward spiral before you get caught in it. Ask His Spirit to guide you to solutions, wisdom, insight, help and strength.

If you are at the bottom of the spiral, tell God you need His help to get up. Ask for His strength to fill your weakness. If you need to talk to a trusted friend to find help and counsel in the journey, then make that call for help. God wants His children to be led by His Spirit, not dragged by their emotions.

You can also contact us here at TruthMedia and we will put you in touch with an email mentor — someone who can offer encouragement and pray for you. Click here.

Father God, I thank You that You are there to help me in every step I take throughout this day. I offer my emotions to You and I ask for Your help in managing them and in seeing them as a tool to help me understand what is going on in my heart. I declare that I want to be led by Your Holy Spirit and not tossed about by emotion. Give me understanding and Your help as I keep my heart and mind guarded today. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Questions: How are emotions a gift? How can they become a stumbling block? Where do you feel needy today, and how can we pray for you?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Please open your Bible and read Exodus 18:17-21

People oftentimes develop a desire for something that is not in God’s plan for them. When they fail to attain what their heart is set on, the desire can build into intense, unrelenting pressure.

Christians who are consumed by covetousness have ceased to depend on God. To reach our goal, we can manipulate circumstances because we have lost faith in the Lord’s ability to know what is best and provide it. Such behavior indicates that we reject the sovereignty of God. Then fear fills our life as we chase harder and harder after the things we desire.

The consequences of covetousness are painful. Our sensitivity to God weakens to the point that we cannot hear when He speaks to us. As we distance ourselves from Him, our envious attitude breeds ungratefulness. We can no longer be thankful for what we have, because our focus is on what we do not possess.

Covetousness leads to a life of tension and worry. Jethro wisely advised his son-in-law Moses to search for assistants who hated ill-gotten gain. These men were more interested in what God provided for them than in what they could acquire for themselves. If we want to be like them, we must focus on God’s purpose for our life. When we are sensitive to His voice, He will teach us to distinguish between desires falling within His will and those that lie beyond. As believers, we have the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us resist the lure of wrong desires. Covetousness does not have to be our downfall.

Question: How does our dependence on God reduce our urges toward covetousness?

About this Author: Charles Stanley

Take action: Want to grow in your relationship with our great and glorious God? Explore our online interactive studies about “Learning About God“.

You said it: This week Kaddee shared on the Is God Still Talking? women’s devotional, saying “I love how God confirms what I am believing in my heart! So many times I want to make decisions about life’s situations and am not sure which way to go then seeking Gods direction makes me wait to hear from Him …” Read the rest of the comments on Pray God’s Word into Your Darkness, and join the conversation on Devotional for Men and Devotional for Women, each updated daily!

Blog: Tithing in Tough Economic Times
Should Christians reduce tithes in a tough economy? When money is tight, doesn’t the church also need funds just as desperately? Read more

Devotional: The Danger of Strength
Success and strength can become dangerous when uncoupled from reliance upon our Creator God, when we assume autonomy instead of recognition that all we are and all we accomplish are from the hand of a gracious God. Read more

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “What Does It Mean to Have Faith?” Join us in the chat room October 25th 2009 @ 9:00pm EST for this chat or see also our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

Please open your Bible and read Colossians 1:9-12.

Throughout our lives, a sense of insufficiency will crop up, but we have the power to combat the feeling through the Holy Spirit. Like the many insufficient but willing saints who have gone before us – Moses, Paul, Oswald Chambers, Billy Graham, and more – we can turn inadequacy into victory.

First, acknowledge your weakness. Suppose a neighbor walks across the yard and tells you about his sister’s life – threatening illness. He is upset and scared, wondering what comes after death. You clearly sense God speaking in your heart, urging you to explain His saving grace to the man, but inadequacy nearly drowns Him out. Feeling unsure is a normal human reaction, and following God’s directive requires that we acknowledge our fear: “Lord, I don’t feel capable of witnessing to my neighbor.”

Second, pray for strength. “Father, I know this is what You want me to do, so I am trusting You to be true to Your Word. You said You would make me adequate in Christ Jesus.” The Lord assumes responsibility for enabling you to know what to say, how to say it, and the spirit in which to deliver His message.

Finally, step out in faith. Do something that propels you into the God – given opportunity, allowing Him to prove His power and your adequacy when you rely upon Him.

Let the Lord turn your inadequacy into victory – He delights in proving Himself in our lives. The key is to look beyond our limitations to Jesus Christ’s total sufficiency. Only then can we live joyful and confident lives, even when we are painfully aware of our personal shortcomings.

Question: Which of the steps listed above can you commit to doing today?

About this Author: Charles Stanley

“Everything on earth has its own time and its own season” Ecclesiastes 3:1, CEV

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” Job 1:21

When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers—so you’ll know He exists. But as you grow in faith, He will wean you of these dependencies.

God’s omnipresence and the manifestation of His presence are two different things. One is a fact; the other is often a feeling. God is always present, even when you are unaware of Him, and His presence is too profound to be measured by mere emotion.

Yes, He wants you to sense His presence, but He’s more concerned that you trust Him than that you feel Him. Faith, not feelings, pleases God.

The situations that will stretch your faith most will be those times when life falls apart and God is nowhere to be found. This happened to Job. On a single day he lost everything: his family, his business, his health, and everything he owned. Most discouraging—for thirty-seven chapters, God said nothing!

How do you praise God when you don’t understand what’s happening in your life and God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they’re full of tears? You do what Job did: “Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised’” (Job 1:20–21).
Tell God exactly how you feel. Pour out your heart to God. Unload every emotion that you’re feeling. Job did this when he said, “I can’t be quiet! I am angry and bitter. I have to speak!” (Job 7:11, TEV).

He cried out when God seemed distant: “Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house” (Job 29:4).

God can handle your doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, and questions.

Question: How do you see the relationship between faith and feelings?

About this Author: Rick Warren