In Jonah 3:1 we see that the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, and it was no different from the first time (recorded in Jonah 1:2). God told him to go to Nineveh and preach to the people there. God gave Jonah a second chance.
No matter how long we avoid God's instruction, it is still there for us to deal with when we stop running. Eventually we see that being in God's will, not out of His will, is what brings peace and joy to us. We have to surrender our own wills because walking in our self-centered ways keeps up unhappy.
Running from difficult things never works in the long term. I know a woman who ran from everything in life that was difficult. She ignored things she needed to deal with, including abuse in her home. She lived in fear and had a very miserable life. She ultimately carried so much turmoil, she had a complete mental and emotional breakdown. Pretending that her problems did not exist did not make them go away. They were there, pressuring her all the time. God was trying to lead her to deal with her conflicts, but she would not trust Him enough to do so.
God never leads us anywhere He cannot keep us. If God is leading you to deal with a unpleasant situation in your life, do not run from it. He promises to be with you at all times and never to leave you or forsake you.
Surrender to God can be frightening when we first begin to practice it because we do not know what the outcome will be if we yield ourselves to God's will. However, once we have surrendered and begin to experience God's faithfulness and the peace that passes understanding, we learn quickly that God's way is better than any plan we could ever devise.
Not knowing exactly what will happen in the future, but trusting God to take care of us and enjoying peace, is far better than erroneously thinking we have life all figured out while continuing to live in fear and anxiety. To enjoy peace with God we must become comfortable with not always knowing what the future holds.
There is no such thing as trust without unanswered questions. If God is leading you to do something difficult, just begin to take baby steps of faith, and after each one He will show you what to do next. We do not have to have a entire blueprint for the future; we do not need to have all the answers. All we need is to know the One Who knows, and that is Jesus Himself.
Page 1408 The Everyday Life Bible
The Power of God's Word for Everyday Living
Amplified Version
Featuring Notes and Commentary By: Joyce Meyer
Please always remember God loves you, with a unconditional , unchanging, everlasting love. Always run to God, trust Him with you life. have faith in Him.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
God's Good Plan
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Then you will call upon Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you. Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. {Deut. 4:29-30.]
Jeremiah 29:11-13
(Life Point) pg. 1193
The Lord sees not only what you are right now, but also what you can become. He knows the plans He has for you, and, according to Jeremiah 29:11, they are good plans for progress and success, not defeat and failure. Let me encourage you to give God everything about yourself. He will be patient with you as He works His good plans in you.
God's good plan Page. 1193
According to Jeremiah 29-11, God has a plan for each of us, a plan that should give us great hope for our future, It is our destiny. But that plan is a possibility, hot a "positively."
If someone prophesies over us wonderful things in the name of the Lord, what they say to us may express the heart, the will, and the desire of God for us. But that does not mean it is positively going to happen just as it is prophesied. This is because it cannot and will not come to pass if we choose to refuse to cooperate with God or to stray away from His will.
God does have a plan for our lives, but we have to participate in that plan for it to come true. God is not likely to do anything in our lives without our cooperation.
We need to cooperate with God every single day of our lives in order for our potential to be developed. Every day we ought to learn something. Every day we ought to grow. Every day we ought to discover something. Every day we ought to be a bit further along than we were the day before. We should be "lifetime learners."
We must understand that no other human being on the face of the earth can develop our potential for us. We must each discover our own God-given gifts and talents, what we are truly capable of, and then put ourselves to the task of developing those gifts, talents, and capabilities to their fullest extent.
God has a plan for each of us. It is a good plan, an uncommon plan, a grate plan; it is not an average, mediocre plan. I encourage you to seek that plan and cooperate with God so that it will be wonderfully fulfilled in your life.
(Life Point) Page. 1194
Jeremiah 29:13 is an awesome promise; God says, "Then you will seek Me, inquire for , and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." Notice that we are to require God "as a vital necessity." In other words, the wonderful life Jesus died for us to have depends on our personal relationship with God. We need Him just as we need food, water, and air to breathe.
When you spend time with God, everyone knows. You become calmer; you are easier to get along with; you do not lose control of your emotions as quickly. Your patience increases, wisdom is manifested through you, and your heart soon understands what God likes and what offends Him. As with any friend, the more time you spend with God, the more you become like Him. Spend time with God today. Make it a priority. Your life depends on it because He is your vital necessity.
The Everyday Life Bible
The Power of God's Word for Everyday Living
Amplified Version
Featuring Notes and Commentary By: Joyce Meyer
And all ways remember God love you, go ahead spend some time with God in His Word, get to know him. He will give you Love, Life, Light, Joy, Peace, Hope, and much, much, more. God is all that and More.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
(Life Point) pg. 1193
The Lord sees not only what you are right now, but also what you can become. He knows the plans He has for you, and, according to Jeremiah 29:11, they are good plans for progress and success, not defeat and failure. Let me encourage you to give God everything about yourself. He will be patient with you as He works His good plans in you.
God's good plan Page. 1193
According to Jeremiah 29-11, God has a plan for each of us, a plan that should give us great hope for our future, It is our destiny. But that plan is a possibility, hot a "positively."
If someone prophesies over us wonderful things in the name of the Lord, what they say to us may express the heart, the will, and the desire of God for us. But that does not mean it is positively going to happen just as it is prophesied. This is because it cannot and will not come to pass if we choose to refuse to cooperate with God or to stray away from His will.
God does have a plan for our lives, but we have to participate in that plan for it to come true. God is not likely to do anything in our lives without our cooperation.
We need to cooperate with God every single day of our lives in order for our potential to be developed. Every day we ought to learn something. Every day we ought to grow. Every day we ought to discover something. Every day we ought to be a bit further along than we were the day before. We should be "lifetime learners."
We must understand that no other human being on the face of the earth can develop our potential for us. We must each discover our own God-given gifts and talents, what we are truly capable of, and then put ourselves to the task of developing those gifts, talents, and capabilities to their fullest extent.
God has a plan for each of us. It is a good plan, an uncommon plan, a grate plan; it is not an average, mediocre plan. I encourage you to seek that plan and cooperate with God so that it will be wonderfully fulfilled in your life.
(Life Point) Page. 1194
Jeremiah 29:13 is an awesome promise; God says, "Then you will seek Me, inquire for , and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." Notice that we are to require God "as a vital necessity." In other words, the wonderful life Jesus died for us to have depends on our personal relationship with God. We need Him just as we need food, water, and air to breathe.
When you spend time with God, everyone knows. You become calmer; you are easier to get along with; you do not lose control of your emotions as quickly. Your patience increases, wisdom is manifested through you, and your heart soon understands what God likes and what offends Him. As with any friend, the more time you spend with God, the more you become like Him. Spend time with God today. Make it a priority. Your life depends on it because He is your vital necessity.
The Everyday Life Bible
The Power of God's Word for Everyday Living
Amplified Version
Featuring Notes and Commentary By: Joyce Meyer
And all ways remember God love you, go ahead spend some time with God in His Word, get to know him. He will give you Love, Life, Light, Joy, Peace, Hope, and much, much, more. God is all that and More.
Keep Your Appointment
You will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necesity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
(Jeremiah 29:13)
We may have to deal sternly with our flesh to resist the spirit of passivity that tries to keep us from growing in the knowledge of God. A commitment to spend time with God is a serious a commitment as any we will ever make.
If I needed dialysis because of kidney disease and had to be at the hospital twice a week for treatment at 8:00 AM, I certainly would not accept an invitaion to do anything else during those times, no matter how appealing it seemed or how much I wanted to do it. I would know my life depended on keeping my dialysis appointment. We should be that serious about our time with God. The quality of our lives is greatly affected by the time we spend with Him, so that time should have priority in our schedules.
Somethimes we become slack in keeping our appointments with God because we know He is always abailable. We know He will always be there for us, so we may skip or reschedule our time with Him so we can do something that seems more urgent. If we spent more "priority time" with God , we might not have so many "urgent" situations that tend to rob us of our time.
When we spend time with God, even if we don't fell His presence or think we are learning anything, we are still sowing good seeds that will produce good harvests in our lives. With persistence, you will reach the point where you understand more of God's Word, where lyou are enjoying fellowship with Him, and where you are talking to God and hearing His Voice.
GOD'S WORD FOR YOU TODAY: Keep your appointments with God.
Page 11
Hearing from God each morning
365 Daily Devotions
By: Joyce Meyer
And please remember God love you very much, go ahead and run back to your first love.
(Jeremiah 29:13)
We may have to deal sternly with our flesh to resist the spirit of passivity that tries to keep us from growing in the knowledge of God. A commitment to spend time with God is a serious a commitment as any we will ever make.
If I needed dialysis because of kidney disease and had to be at the hospital twice a week for treatment at 8:00 AM, I certainly would not accept an invitaion to do anything else during those times, no matter how appealing it seemed or how much I wanted to do it. I would know my life depended on keeping my dialysis appointment. We should be that serious about our time with God. The quality of our lives is greatly affected by the time we spend with Him, so that time should have priority in our schedules.
Somethimes we become slack in keeping our appointments with God because we know He is always abailable. We know He will always be there for us, so we may skip or reschedule our time with Him so we can do something that seems more urgent. If we spent more "priority time" with God , we might not have so many "urgent" situations that tend to rob us of our time.
When we spend time with God, even if we don't fell His presence or think we are learning anything, we are still sowing good seeds that will produce good harvests in our lives. With persistence, you will reach the point where you understand more of God's Word, where lyou are enjoying fellowship with Him, and where you are talking to God and hearing His Voice.
GOD'S WORD FOR YOU TODAY: Keep your appointments with God.
Page 11
Hearing from God each morning
365 Daily Devotions
By: Joyce Meyer
And please remember God love you very much, go ahead and run back to your first love.
Friday, December 31, 2010
We Do the Walking
The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.
(Psalm 37:23-24)
God is busy with our every step! That means we are never alone. When we fall down He helps us back up and encourages us to go forward again. No person will learn to be led by God without making some mistakes, but remember that God knew about them before they took place (see Psalm 139:16). Remember that God delights in you and is busy with your every step. If you fall, He will lift you up.
All of the great men and women we read about and admire in the Bible and throughout history made mistakes. God does not choose us because we are perfect, but so He can show Himself strong through us. He actually chooses on purpose the weak and foolish things of the world to amaze everyone and show His greatness
(see 1 Corinthians 1:28-29). Don't accept pressure from the enemy to be perfect and never make mistakes. Every day, do you best and trust God to do the rest! Don't ever be afraid of your mistakes, but instead have an attitude of learning from them. Let all of your mistakes be a college course in what not to ever do again!
God's Word For You Today: Do not fear; God is with you.
December 31, 2010
page 365
Hearing from God each morning
365 Daily Devotions
By: Joyce Meyer
(Psalm 37:23-24)
God is busy with our every step! That means we are never alone. When we fall down He helps us back up and encourages us to go forward again. No person will learn to be led by God without making some mistakes, but remember that God knew about them before they took place (see Psalm 139:16). Remember that God delights in you and is busy with your every step. If you fall, He will lift you up.
All of the great men and women we read about and admire in the Bible and throughout history made mistakes. God does not choose us because we are perfect, but so He can show Himself strong through us. He actually chooses on purpose the weak and foolish things of the world to amaze everyone and show His greatness
(see 1 Corinthians 1:28-29). Don't accept pressure from the enemy to be perfect and never make mistakes. Every day, do you best and trust God to do the rest! Don't ever be afraid of your mistakes, but instead have an attitude of learning from them. Let all of your mistakes be a college course in what not to ever do again!
God's Word For You Today: Do not fear; God is with you.
December 31, 2010
page 365
Hearing from God each morning
365 Daily Devotions
By: Joyce Meyer
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Spend Time in God's Presence
As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice, and right standing with You); I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You].
(Psalm 17:15)
There is a God-shaped hole inside every one of us, and we cannot buy something across the counter to fill that hole. The only thing that is going to fill that craving is God Himself. One prayer will not be enough. We have to have daily maintenance. The Bible says, "Ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit." (EPHESIANS 5:18)
I spent years trying to find a time to fit God into my day. God finally told me to stop trying to work Him into my schedule, but to work me schedule around Him.
Contentment is found in the Lord's presence. The Psalms proclaim that the fullness of joy is in God's presence: "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore." (16:11)
We will be fully satisfied when we awake to find ourselves beholding His form and having sweet communion with Him. When God is first in our lives to the point where He is the first thing on our minds when we wake up in the morning, we will have a depth of satisfaction that no devil can take away from us.
New Day New You
By: Joyce Meyer
pg. 345
(Psalm 17:15)
There is a God-shaped hole inside every one of us, and we cannot buy something across the counter to fill that hole. The only thing that is going to fill that craving is God Himself. One prayer will not be enough. We have to have daily maintenance. The Bible says, "Ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit." (EPHESIANS 5:18)
I spent years trying to find a time to fit God into my day. God finally told me to stop trying to work Him into my schedule, but to work me schedule around Him.
Contentment is found in the Lord's presence. The Psalms proclaim that the fullness of joy is in God's presence: "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore." (16:11)
We will be fully satisfied when we awake to find ourselves beholding His form and having sweet communion with Him. When God is first in our lives to the point where He is the first thing on our minds when we wake up in the morning, we will have a depth of satisfaction that no devil can take away from us.
New Day New You
By: Joyce Meyer
pg. 345
Saturday, September 25, 2010
“I will remember your sin no more.
No matter what your problem is or how badly you feel about yourself as a result of it, God loves you. In Jesus Christ He has given you a new life. He will provide new friends to love, accept, appreciate, and uphold you. You are okay, and you are going to make it because of the One Who lives inside you and cares for you.
Regardless of what you may have done, you need a deeper revelation of what God means when He says in Jeremiah 31:34, “I will remember your sins no more,” Once you have confessed your sins and asked for God’s forgiveness, if you continue to bring them up to Him every time you go to Him in prayer, you are reminding Him of something He has promised to forget-something He has removed from you as far as the east is from the west (see Psalm 103:12). You need to realize that once you have confessed your sins to God and asked Him to forgive you of them, He has not only forgiven them, but He has actually forgotten them.
You may have to look at yourself in the mirror and confess your deepest failure. You may need to say to God something like, “I had an abortion.” Or, “I committed adultery. I did that, Lord, and it is a marvel to me to realize that I can stand here and look myself in the eye. But I can do so because I know that even though I did something so wrong, You have put my sins as far away from me as the east is from the west, and You remember them no more!”
Whatever your sin or failure, you need to confess it to God and then let it go. Stop punishing yourself for something that is in the past. Refuse to remember something God has chosen to forget.
Pg. 1199
The Everyday Life Bible
The Power of God’s Word for Everyday Living
Amplified Version (Featuring Notes And Commentary By: Joyce Meyer)
Regardless of what you may have done, you need a deeper revelation of what God means when He says in Jeremiah 31:34, “I will remember your sins no more,” Once you have confessed your sins and asked for God’s forgiveness, if you continue to bring them up to Him every time you go to Him in prayer, you are reminding Him of something He has promised to forget-something He has removed from you as far as the east is from the west (see Psalm 103:12). You need to realize that once you have confessed your sins to God and asked Him to forgive you of them, He has not only forgiven them, but He has actually forgotten them.
You may have to look at yourself in the mirror and confess your deepest failure. You may need to say to God something like, “I had an abortion.” Or, “I committed adultery. I did that, Lord, and it is a marvel to me to realize that I can stand here and look myself in the eye. But I can do so because I know that even though I did something so wrong, You have put my sins as far away from me as the east is from the west, and You remember them no more!”
Whatever your sin or failure, you need to confess it to God and then let it go. Stop punishing yourself for something that is in the past. Refuse to remember something God has chosen to forget.
Pg. 1199
The Everyday Life Bible
The Power of God’s Word for Everyday Living
Amplified Version (Featuring Notes And Commentary By: Joyce Meyer)
Monday, September 6, 2010
A Personal Relationship
Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you,that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.
(John 3:3)
When the Bible says that we must be born again-it doesn't say that we must be religious. We must let Jesus come into our lives and sit on the throne of our hearts to rule and reign over every step we take. When He tells us to go a certain direction, He will also issue to us the power we need to do what He has told us to do. Jesus will never say, "Just do it!" He always gives us the power to do whatever He tells us.
The greatest hindrance to hearing from God is trying to get to Him through works instead of through a personal relationship with Him by being born again and fellowshipping with Him regularly. People can go to church for years and do religious things all their lives without ever knowing Jesus as the Lord of their lives.
It is frightening to realize that there are probable thousands of people sitting in churches every week who won't go to heaven. As I often say, "Sitting in a church won't make a person a Christian any more than sitting in a garage will make him a car." In Matthew 7:20-23, the Bible states that there are people who will say in the judgment, "Lord, Lord, have we not done many mighty works in Your name...?" and He will say to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands]." People can be doing good works and yet disregarding God's commands if they are not taking the time to be with Him and hear His instructions.
Page 248
New Day New You
366 Devotions for Enjoying Everyday Life
By Joyce Meyer
#1 New York Times Bestselling author
Thank you for your time, God bless you, and remember God love you always.
(John 3:3)
When the Bible says that we must be born again-it doesn't say that we must be religious. We must let Jesus come into our lives and sit on the throne of our hearts to rule and reign over every step we take. When He tells us to go a certain direction, He will also issue to us the power we need to do what He has told us to do. Jesus will never say, "Just do it!" He always gives us the power to do whatever He tells us.
The greatest hindrance to hearing from God is trying to get to Him through works instead of through a personal relationship with Him by being born again and fellowshipping with Him regularly. People can go to church for years and do religious things all their lives without ever knowing Jesus as the Lord of their lives.
It is frightening to realize that there are probable thousands of people sitting in churches every week who won't go to heaven. As I often say, "Sitting in a church won't make a person a Christian any more than sitting in a garage will make him a car." In Matthew 7:20-23, the Bible states that there are people who will say in the judgment, "Lord, Lord, have we not done many mighty works in Your name...?" and He will say to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands]." People can be doing good works and yet disregarding God's commands if they are not taking the time to be with Him and hear His instructions.
Page 248
New Day New You
366 Devotions for Enjoying Everyday Life
By Joyce Meyer
#1 New York Times Bestselling author
Thank you for your time, God bless you, and remember God love you always.
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