thoughts by Gail Rodgers Archives - Page 3 of 16 - Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God

Published July 21, 2022

Making the Choice

When peace eludes us and anxiety seems to rule our hearts and minds we have a resource to use and a choice to make.

Listen to the great WISDOM God offers to us in Colossians 3: 15-17

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Do you hear it?

God invites us to LET the peace of Christ RULE in our hearts – it’s what we are called to.

W – Walk with God – thank Him and choose to look at your world with eyes filled with thanksgiving.

I – Interrogate God’s word – keep it close and ask God to speak to you as you read it.

S – Share what He teaches you – encourage one another with the wisdom from His word.

D – Delight in Him – keep gratitude singing in your heart.

O – Open your heart – keep listening even as you do your daily tasks – he will speak to you

M – Make it a habit – give thanks and praise him every day.

Do you see how thankfulness and gratitude are mentioned 3 times! We so often need the reminder!

Put that attitude alongside the priority of the Bible and maintaining encouraging friends and everything you do and say will be revolutionized!

Follow God’s wisdom. Choose today to LET peace RULE in your heart and be amazed at the difference it will make.

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

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Every day we choose our direction. Even when there are tasks that don’t particularly fulfill us or agenda items we might not have put on our top ten list … still, we choose our direction. Remember that where we focus we follow. What we fill up with will determine the direction we head.

Where are you filling up your mind these days? It’s good to take note of what has been spilling over in you lately. Are you going the direction you want to be heading … or do you need to pay attention to your feeding ground and where your focus has been?

Every day we choose what we fill ourselves with. Every day we have opportunity to decide our direction by being mindful of what we are filling our minds with. Thoughts lead to actions and actions lead to habits. Habits will greatly determine your direction in life.

God knows you better than you know yourself. His ways and His word give great guidance as you daily choose your focus. Don’t be tossed about by the events of your day today. Listen to the wisdom God gives to help you focus and choose your direction. He tells you what to do and then how to do it.

Colossians 3:16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

Let God’s word fill your thoughts today. It will be rich in bringing wisdom. Let His teaching fill you and put a song in your heart to share with others.

He tells us exactly where to start by letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly. Listen to the profound simplicity of it:

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)

Do what is right in front of you today as if you were doing it just for the Lord. Invite Him into it to walk with you through it and give you wisdom as you go. (If you can’t invite God into the activity you are doing then that’s a good caution to re-think going in that direction.)

Then thank God for the opportunity to do it. Thank Him for the people around you. Thank Him for His wisdom as you interact in your day. Ask Him to help His song of thanksgiving rise up within you.

Your focus and the direction of your day will change as you do this. Write out verse 17 and memorize it. As you think on doing your tasks for the Lord today and as you practice gratitude in your heart you will be filled with new peace.

Heavenly Father, Thank you that You give me the wisdom on how to go about my day. Thank you that I do not need to be tossed about by the things going on around me. Today please help me to act and speak as one representing You and Your love and care. Teach me gratitude and remind me to be thankful. Change my focus and my direction today as I fill my mind with the riches of Your wisdom. Encase me in Your presence today. Spill over through me with peace and joy as I go. I thank you and I ask this in the name of Jesus, amen.

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

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Tune My Heart

Shelly knew she needed to have her piano tuned. Notes just sounded sour lately and her music was off key. It was simply not the pleasant sound it used to be. It reminded me of the words of an old hymn… “Tune my heart to sing Your praise.”

Don’t we need our hearts tuned at times?

It’s easy to hit some sour notes of discouragement or bitterness or even just discontentment. Our praise to God gets out of tune. It is not the pleasant thing it used to be as it poured from a thankful heart.

Listen to these verses from God’s Word that tell us how to tune our hearts to sing His praise…

“I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of His glories and grace. I will boast of all His kindness to me. Let all who are discouraged take heart. Let us praise the Lord together and lift high His name.” Psalm 34:1-3 (The Living Bible)

If you are sounding a bit sour lately it may be that your heart is out of tune. Make an effort to do what God’s Word spells out…

• Speak of His glories and His grace. Declare, out loud, how He loves you and desires to help you no matter what is going on in your life right now. There is power in the spoken word.

• Boast of His track record of kindness in your life. There is renewed faith in remembering His hand in your life in the past.

• Find a friend to talk with and remind each other of the goodness of the Heavenly Father. There is strength in united praise that lifts up His name.

When you take the time to consciously “tune your heart to sing His praise” you will find encouragement begins to lift the discouragement from your soul. You will “take heart” and God will put His courage in your heart and mind. Give your praise a voice today and as you do you will find your heart will once again sing in tune.

Father God, It is easy for praise to slip from my heart and for discouragement to settle in. My heart becomes sour and the music of my soul is not the pleasant melody You intended for me. Forgive me and help me today to speak out loud of Your grace in my life. Let me boast of Your kindness and help me to join my voice with others who also want to praise You. Tune my heart to sing Your praise today. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Power in Prayer

Life is busy. There is much to demand our focus.

“If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” John 15:7

Life is busy. There is much to demand our focus. Perhaps that’s why God reminds us to be “watchful and thankful” as He calls us to be devoted to prayer. (Colossians 4:2)

Often our responsibilities more than fill the hours of the day. We may take time to read God’s word but then hurry off without kneading His truths into our hearts through prayer. Sometimes it’s hard to even remember what verse we read yesterday as His truths bounce off occupied minds.

Other times we may not make room to read His word but we do raise our cares to Him as we hurry on our way. Our cry of “Please, God, please” underscores each worry.

“The backbone of prayer is our agreement with God’s Word.” (Dr. Myles Munroe)

This quote highlights the profound simplicity of prayer. Keep God’s word and prayer close together as the power tool in your life.

God’s word reveals His loving heart and His faithful character. When we focus there our desperate prayers are transformed from “Please, please” to “Thank you, God, thank you”. As we focus on Him and all He is in our lives and situations we are moved from chaos to calm and we will walk in peace.

Heavenly Father, Please forgive me for letting dust settle on my Bible and praying mostly on the run. Give me a renewed desire to read Your word, to think on it and pray it into life. May Your word be fresh food for my soul. in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Focus on a specific scripture verse God has encouraged you with in the past. Write it out. Think on it and use that verse as the basis of your prayer throughout this day. Share it with us.

by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Live as Children of Light

This winter, in a far North community, I experienced 24-hour darkness for the first time. A deep respect grew in my heart for the people who live there year-round and simply take it in stride.

I received an e-mail from a friend there yesterday exclaiming, “The sun is back!” The days will lengthen rapidly now, and in four short months, the land that was shrouded in total darkness will experience total light. Children will run and play in the streets at midnight with the sun high in the sky. With the light comes new life to the village. With the light comes a freedom to run and play without the heavy clothes of winter and the fear of polar bears in the shadows.

Light dispels darkness. A Bible verse reminds us about this very thing.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8)

If you have received the forgiveness Jesus holds out to each one of us and have invited Him into your life, you have moved from darkness into light. Are you living today as a child of light?

Have you shed the heavy parka of guilt and shame? Have you kicked off the boots that make your feet feel leaden as you go your own way? Are you still wearing winter mittens that cause your hands to fumble as you try to do what God wants? Does your life feel encumbered by fear that came from the darkness but has no place now in the light?

As a child of the light you are called to freedom; freedom to run and play and dance in the Son. Freedom that comes as you ask daily to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Freedom to be who God created you to be and fulfilled in the very depths of your soul.

Ask Him today to fill you afresh with His Spirit. Ask Him today to help you shed the heavy clothes of winter that drag you down. He can help you break that habit or overcome that discouragement. He can give you wisdom and open new paths for your feet. He can help you rise above the fears you still carry of shadows in the dark. His Holy Spirit can fill you with His power to live life far beyond your own very best efforts. Today, live as a child of the light!

Heavenly Father, Today I invite Your Holy Spirit into my life in a fresh and new way. I ask for Your help in understanding how to shed the heavy winter gear and the fears that linger so I can live in freedom. Fill me today, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, with everything I need for every step I take. Today I want to live as a child of the Light. Thank You that in You, this provision is possible. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Confidence

The blow she felt seemed even beyond God’s help.

God has a promise for those who put their trust in Him.

Shelly wasn’t quite sure how to apply her faith in God right now. She knew God was in her life. But this was just too much. The blow she felt seemed even beyond God’s help. She cried out to Him. She felt like the waves, in this storm in her life, were truly going to wash her right out to sea. She felt like she could hardly think.

God has a promise for those who put their trust in Him. It’s not a casual promise. It’s not trite words that can’t meet the deep issues of life that threaten to overwhelm us. It is a promise that will help get you through the deepest pain and grief. And you will even be nourished…even blessed…even in your current storm!

This is for you… Listen:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; for its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17: 7 & 8

So how does it work when the pain is overwhelming? As a Christian you have access to the resources and the strength of God which is the water for your life. Believe He will hold you! Ask Him to increase your trust because storms always make us question our trust. Ask for a tenacity of faith!! He will nourish you in the hottest drought of your life.

How? Read His promises. Write this one out on a few post-it notes and put it on your bathroom mirror, in your day timer, or on the dash of your car. Allow music that praises God to wash over your soul. Find a friend to pray with over the phone whenever you feel like the waves will overwhelm you. Or pray alone…God hears you! Put your roots down. Cling to Jesus. He is the one who dispels fear when the heat comes. He can be trusted to hold you steady as you wade through your storm.

But Sunday faith won’t do it… this is faith in a God who walks beside you step by step by step. He promises that you will actually come out the other side, not shriveled and dead as you might think now, but green and with something to offer to others. I know you can hardly believe that at the moment but it’s true. His Holy Spirit will guide you. Expect it!

Dear Heavenly Father, The wind is blowing in my life today and I’m not sure I can stand against it. I declare that I trust in you. Even though all looks hopeless to me right now, I express my confidence in you. Help me step by step and moment by moment to lean hard on you to hold me today. I look to you to nourish my fainting soul. Encourage me and strengthen me even now by your Spirit. You are my hope! Thank you for your love. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Fear or Faith?

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

Worry is really just another word for fear. When we worry about our kids, our relationships, our finances, or any number of things, we are actually living in fear. And it can be paralyzing.

Fear displaces faith in our hearts. Faith is the assurance of God’s ability to give us help and strength and wisdom. When fear displaces our faith, we find it hard to believe that our God is able.

Faith displaces fear. When we take each and every fear to God and give it into His hands, trusting Him to be our help and our strength, our faith displaces that fear. His peace comes in. It doesn’t mean our problems all fade into the distance. It does mean however, that we will have the strength we need to face every challenge.

It also means we can expect our almighty God to work within our circumstances in unexpected ways. It means we can be more than just survivors — we can be overcomers.

To feel fear in the face of the unknown is a normal reaction. Yet God tells us we can live beyond that and let our faith extinguish our fear.

Take whatever worry is plaguing your mind and heart today and identify the fear that it truly is. Then invite God to help you lift the shield of faith to extinguish that fear. He is able and He will do it!

Father God, I thank You that You are more powerful than any of my circumstances. Today I ask You to increase my faith and to extinguish the fear that threatens to sap strength from my soul. Please help me to keep focused on You and not my fear. I lift up my shield of faith. In the name of Jesus, amen.

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Pursuing Peace in Relationships

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:14

Relationship help is one of the hottest topics searched on the Internet. Relationships can be messy. Love isn’t always easy. It takes courage to love well.

As always, the Bible has very practical help to offer. If you find yourself in a challenging relationship right now, start here. Take the five points right from the heart of God in Colossians 3:12-15. Ask for His help in putting them into practice and then watch the results. Whether at home, at work, or among friends, these five steps will take you to higher ground in the relationships you want to nurture.

1. As you get dressed in the morning ask God to clothe your heart with compassion and kindness in the particular relationship you are focusing on. Pray for a gentle, humble attitude.

2. Knowing God’s heart of forgiveness toward you, ask Him to help you forgive the grumblings against you. Ask for grace to not let them settle into your heart.

3. Ask God’s Spirit to strengthen and help you respond in love that helps create unity and not add to hostility.

4. Remember that you are called to be a peacemaker. Ask God for His peace in your heart and then let it spill over in this particular relationship. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way as you seek peace, and find a mediator if you need one.

5. Remember to be thankful for the good things you see in the other person and to choose to place your focus there instead of on the negative.

Father God, I need Your Spirit to clothe me with a soft heart today. May I help bring Your presence into the circumstances of today by being dressed with the characteristics Your Holy Spirit can bring to my life. Stir within me a thankful heart and use my presence to help bring Your peace into my relationship. I ask this in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

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Choosing What Rules Your Heart

Published May 1, 2022

Choosing What Rules Your Heart

Living in harmony doesn’t mean overlooking differences or living without boundaries. No, it means being willing to be a “peacemaker”, not simply a “peacekeeper”.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful”. Colossians 3:15

Busy, breathless, things seem a little crazy lately? Most of us know that kind of running. It just happens. Life happens. As things pile up, things fall behind. As we run, our quiet peace becomes a quickened pace. Our relationships start to show a frayed edge. The bank account of calm that we have carefully invested in, slowly gets drawn down until it’s in the red. Concern and unrest begin to rule our hearts and our minds and our behavior begins to show the edginess of impatience and irritation.

There is a prescription for just such times in life. It’s an age-old formula that works to restore peace to the center of our lives. It’s a way we can live in peace and confidence even when life swirls around us at a crazy pace.

The wisdom God reveals in the Bible is foundational wisdom that can carry us through our days and right through life. When it is applied, the power and strength behind it will amaze you. It will change your day-to-day living.

Choose peace to rule your heart.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful”. Colossians 3:15

Allowing or “letting” God’s peace rule in your inner being is a choice that involves being intentional about 2 things: living in harmony with other believers and being consciously thankful.

Living in harmony doesn’t mean overlooking differences or living without boundaries. No, it means being willing to be a “peacemaker”, not simply a “peacekeeper”. It means looking with gratitude at the situations and people around you and, from that platform of gratitude and harmony, create solutions with the help of God’s Holy Spirit.

Peace is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that you can ask for as you rely on God’s help in choosing peace to rule your heart.

Father God, So often I choose things other than peace to rule my heart. Right now I confess that _____________is ruling my heart. I ask You for Your peace to flow to me and through me by the power of the Holy Spirit. I choose to live in harmony with other believers as much as it is in my power to. Please give me wisdom. I choose today to be thankful in every way I can and especially for You as my help and strength. Today I will let peace rule my heart by the power of Jesus Christ in me. I pray this in His name, amen.

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Christ is Risen!

This Easter Sunday I was impressed with the newness that the Risen Christ brings to our lives. Being reminded of how His death conquered all that drags us down truly brings us back to the roots of our faith and our freedom. The “stuff of life” can easily distract and pull us away from the life changing truth that is ours on a daily basis.

With renewed commitment today I want to take to heart the words of Hebrews 12.

“… let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.’ Hebrews 12:1-2

1 Peter 1:13 tells us exactly how to do this in very practical terms:

– Prepare your mind. Keep scripture fresh in your thoughts.
– Be self-controlled. Pay attention to where your focus lies.
– Set your hope fully on the grace to be give you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Let’s receive the grace offered to us on a daily basis, knowing that the trials of life are not the enemy. Rather the enemy is the choice of becoming lost in the trail and failing to grasp the grace held out to us daily to sustain us through the trial.

So let’s run with the grace given to us for today, and trust God with the tomorrows of our lives. His grace will meet us when we get to tomorrow.

Christ is risen indeed! May we walk in the power and grace of the risen Christ.

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

What Are You Scattering?

“…you be an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12

“It’s not what you gather but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.” (Helen Walton)

I stood on the shore and watched the kids throw rocks into the lake. Whole fistfuls flew through the air. Each rock hit the water with the same result. No matter the size of the rock, ripples circled out, intersected with other ripples, and spanned far beyond the spot where each stone landed.

We are like these rocks. No matter how influential, or insignificant we see ourselves, we each send out ripples that circle further than we ever dream.

Words and deeds of kindness or cruelty, gentleness or abrasiveness, generosity or greed, all ripple out and touch other lives far beyond the boundaries we think they go.

Our families, co-workers, neighbors, and even strangers are often touched by an act or a word of ours that we never imagined would get that far.

My husband is good at skipping rocks across the water. The kids count the skips, the more the better. Sometimes we think we too can skip through life, independent, not touching others, hurrying on without time to stop and be concerned about anyone else. Yet the inevitable ripples still flow out. We do influence, we do touch others, even when we are not aware of it. God even reminds us of our ripples when He reminds us that we are examples.

As you go through your day today be reminded that you are sending out ripples. You have no idea how far they can go.

Heavenly Father, I sometimes forget that I am an influence in the places I walk each day. Help me today to be aware of the ripples I send out with my words and conversations and even my tones. Thank you that Your Holy Spirit will fill me today so that the ripples from my words and actions touch and encircle those around me with strength and encouragement. Help me to be an example of love and faith and purity today because You have placed me in this very spot to bring Your love to those around me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

You are Loved

Question: Do you find it easy or hard to accept how much God loves you?

You are precious in His sight. Today… yes, right now!

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19

Father in Heaven, What wonderful understanding Your word gives me. Today I ask that You would give me strength in my inner being. Thank you that You reach out to strengthen me from Your vast store of riches. Help me to remember that today I have the living Christ dwelling within me. Remind me that this is my Source today in all I need to do or face.

Lord God, help me today to grasp how very much You love me. Help me to see in fresh ways how I am grounded by that love and rooted in it as a sure anchor for my life. Help me to believe it! What a heritage I share with other believers… this wonder of Your equipping love in my life. How we need to remind each other of this strengthening power that we have access to through Your Spirit.

Today when I am tempted to fall into thinking thoughts that drag me down, remind me of this rich love that You pour over me and into my life. Remind me, by Your Spirit, that this love is wider and longer and higher and deeper than I can ever imagine. Let me feel wrapped and encased in that love today. Help me to grasp this truth when I am tempted to feel less because of my own limited abilities or resources or circumstances.

Father, thank you that growing in this understanding of the riches of Your love will fill me up with a fullness and a completeness that can come from nothing else. Set me on a journey today to reply on You in every detail of my life. Let me live in the fullness of Your love today like never before. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus with thanksgiving. Amen.

Question: Do you find it easy or hard to accept how much God loves you? How does His love change the way you face the day?

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Send Jesus to the Door

Today when stress and worry come knocking at your door, send Jesus to answer it.

She is 78 years old. Though not actually related to me through bloodlines, she is truly family. I have called her “Auntie Lorna” for as long as I can remember.

Auntie Lorna has had more than her share of challenges in life, yet her visits never fail to bring laughter into the room.

Recently we visited on a Saturday afternoon. As we peeled vegetables and puttered in the kitchen preparing a meal together, Auntie Lorna shared her life. Unknowingly she also shared a great nugget of wisdom.

She told me about the cares that flood her heart. And then she said it, the nugget of wisdom that is so worth passing on.

She had hung up from a phone call that brought great concern to her heart and now she needed to leave the house to get to her responsibilities of the day. She felt overwhelmed. She wasn’t sure how she could go with dry eyes today. Worry and stress were at the door of her heart. She said, “I told the Lord, “I can’t handle this right now”, and so I just sent Jesus to the door”. She went on, “Though I might cry all the way over to nursing home (where she gives her time regularly), Jesus answered the door and took the worry and I was able to go in with a smile.”

“Send Jesus to the door”. What a beautiful, simple, perfect picture of wisdom.

Today when stress and worry come knocking at your door, send Jesus to answer it. It’s not always easy, but it is simple. Let Him deal with it. Receive His love and strength and go do what needs to be done.

1 Peter 5:7 tells us to “Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you”.

Take that burden that overwhelms you today and cast it into His open arms. Send him to answer the worry and stress as they knock at your heart door. He is able.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:8

Thank you Lord, for Auntie Lorna and for her nugget of wisdom. Thank you for those You put in our lives to share light on our pathway. Today I ask that You would answer the door of my heart when worry and stress bang to enter. Thank you for the promise of Your care. Thank you that You are able to give me all that I need today to walk where You have called me to walk. Help me to do what is in front of me right now and grant me peace. I pray this in Jesus’ name and with a thankful heart, amen.

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

The Promise of Guidance

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3: 5 & 6

January is a time when we look ahead and plan into a new year. Sometimes the way is exciting and clear. Other times it may be foggy and uncertain.

God’s word gives us sure footing as we stand on the threshold of a new day. Every single morning His call to us is to trust Him with our day. He will direct our paths one step at a time.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will direct your path.”
Proverbs 3: 5 & 6

These verses go on to encourage us not to be wise in our own eyes and to walk in ways pleasing to God. The promise of this kind of trust even aids our health as confidence in God will even reduce our stress.

Acknowledging Him in every step and every decision is a wise way to live.

Heavenly Father, Today I want to declare my trust in You and in Your divine ability to guide my pathway. When I don’t know which way to turn I know You can direct me. Forgive me when I do my own best thinking about solutions and directions without acknowledging Your love for me and Your desire to direct me. Right now I do acknowledge that You alone know what is best. You alone can see around each blind corner and You alone can show me just what steps to take. Thank you for Your steadfast love and Your sure direction in my life. I love You, Lord and I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.

by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Come Near to God

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;

Shelly envied her friend. Nell seemed to feel God’s nearness and find comfort in His presence daily. Shelly had invited God into her life too yet He often felt distant and she wondered why.

God’s Word holds the answer. It says:

“Come near to God and He will come near to you.” James 4:8

Just how do you come near to God? How do you enter into His presence and feel His nearness and draw on His comfort?

Start with offering your thanks to God for His blessings in your life. Even when life is difficult find the blessings, however small they seem, and thank Him for them. God says we enter His gates with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving opens the door.

Next, begin to praise God for the faithful characteristics of who He is. Praise Him for His compassion toward you. Praise Him for His mercy and His forgiving heart toward you. Praise Him for His faithfulness and the fact that He can always be trusted, even in the dark. Choose to praise Him for His graciousness toward you.

Cultivate a thankful heart. Keeping the faithfulness of God in clear view through deliberate praise will open the door to His presence in new ways.

Begin today. Loosen the doubt and the lack of trust from your heart by going through the gate of thanksgiving.

Loosen the fear and skepticism from your heart by praising God for who He is. Take time to let the truths of His character penetrate your heart. He is good and He is faithful.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name, for the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:4 & 5

Prayer: Father God, My heart is hungry to feel Your presence close to me. Help me to enter into Your presence through the gate of thanksgiving. Remind me to draw near to You with praise for the wonderful qualities of who You are. You are good, Father God. I trust You to come near to me as I declare Your blessings and Your character. Let these truths penetrate my heart, shape my thinking and change my attitudes today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Category: <span>thoughts by Gail Rodgers</span>

When peace eludes us and anxiety seems to rule our hearts and minds we have a resource to use and a choice to make.

Further Reading

Further Reading

Don’t we need our hearts tuned at times?

Further Reading

Life is busy. There is much to demand our focus.

Further Reading

Further Reading

The blow she felt seemed even beyond God’s help.

God has a promise for those who put their trust in Him.

This is for you… Listen:

Further Reading

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

Further Reading

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:14

Further Reading

Further Reading

“…you be an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12

Further Reading

Question: Do you find it easy or hard to accept how much God loves you?

Further Reading

Today when stress and worry come knocking at your door, send Jesus to answer it.

Further Reading

Further Reading

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;

Further Reading