Welcome to Day 7 of our Bible based, Christ focused devotional.
Purpose: With so many people suffering during these tough economic times, I wanted to create a daily devotional which would promote faith in God as a solution to overcoming anger and fear.
Each devotional will provide a daily passage of Scripture for you to reflect on throughout the day. In addition, an “Action Item” will assign a daily, simple task to help you address your fears with faith and move forward with God's plans for you.
Thank you and God bless you for reading this devotional--please share it with others!
Steve Kendall
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DAY 7: A MIND LIKE CHRIST
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE FOR REFLECTION: For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16 (King James Version)
OPENING PRAYER: In your opening prayer, please ask God to help you develop a mind like Christ so that you can be at peace in your thinking when life's problems come along.
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DEVELOPING YOUR SPIRITUAL MIND: Well, we made it through our first week of this 40 day devotional!
Pat yourself on the back, you deserve it.
At the end of each week, please take time to reflect back on what we've discussed and how you're feeling.
Hopefully, you've noticed some positive changes in your life.
Some folks believe that once you become a Christian things will be just perfect and life will be without problems. Well, simply put, in my poor English--that ain't true. While were still in this world, doing God's will, planting seeds to help others to get saved, we will still encounter problems.
The title of this 40 day devotion is “Faith, Not Fear” and we want to keep that in mind as God did not make us to go through life to be fearful: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (King James Version)
Remember, this world is not your home. Heaven is where your home is and Jesus is preparing a place for you. While He's doing that, we have work to do as well.
Prayerfully, as we grow to be more like Christ, and strengthen our relationship with God, our Father, we will be better equipped to cope with life's difficulties and help others through bad times.
An excellent way to do all of this is to be fed, to have proper nutrition, Spiritually speaking, by reading the Word of God daily. One of our upcoming devotionals will deal with the issue of taking care of our physical Temple, our bodies, but to close out this week, we’ll focus on getting our minds healthy.
I've heard several preachers point out that you shouldn't just open your Bible on Sundays to read and hear the Word. If you ate food only on Sundays, you would die. We can begin to wither Spiritually by only reading the Word once a week.I used to do that and I was a deacon in my church at the time!
Just as our bodies need to be fed daily, to operate at our best, so too must our minds be fed daily with God's Word.
I try to read my Bible every day. I'll be honest with you, it was difficult at first, but after awhile, it became a welcome habit. I tried reading the Bible in a year, but I found that to be too much pressure, plus, I wasn't really spending quality time with the Word. I was just rushing to get through the Scripture assigned for each day instead of taking time to reflect and think about what I read.
The key thing is to carve time out of your day, for God, every day. The things of this world compete for and take up so much of our time. God has been good to us, with this gift of life, and it's not too much to ask for us to spend time learning more about, and growing closer to, Him.
Perhaps you have 5-10 minutes in the morning to read--do it then, but don't read, or pray when you're sleepy. Give God your best, your full attention, so that you will be receptive to His to will.
Before I read the Word, I ask the Holy Spirit (which we'll talk about a bit more in a future devotion) to open and illuminate my mind, and to provide understanding and clarity to what I will read.
Bible Reading Tips: Here are some tips if you're just getting started with daily Bible reading (I could call it "Bible study," which it is, but as we discussed yesterday, changing just one word like "study" to "reading," may help your mind have a more positive outlook
1. Find a version/translation of the Bible which suits you best. You can find numerous versions (Over 100 in 50 languages) online at http://www.biblegateway.com
2. Start with books of the Bible you might enjoy most. For example, I recommend reading Luke, followed by Acts. Both are believed to have been written by Jesus’ apostle, Luke, who was a doctor. Luke is not only precise and detailed, but he also writes in an exciting narrative style, which is closer to the structure of today’s novels (especially the Book of Acts).
3. Write down things you don’t understand, things you like, and Scripture that resonates with you. For the things you don’t understand, pray for wisdom and seek out your pastor, and/or someone whose judgment you trust is Christ centered and sound. Do your own research as well. There are tons of good online tools. You are welcome to share them with us at Bible Study Café in our Facebook discussion area.
4. Today’s Action Item is actually tip #4: Find passages of Scripture that you believe will help inspire and motivate you during tough times. Write them on index cards, or paper about that size.
Keep your Scripture cards handy, so that you can read them when a specific concern arises.
I have the following passages on cards at my desk and near my bedside: Mark 11:24, Romans 12:2, James 1:2-3, James 1:5-8, James 1:12, 2 Timothy 1:7, 2 Corinthians 12:9 and Proverbs 16:3 and 8
Share your favorite Scripture with us on Facebook.
You are also cordially invited to share with me how things are going with you and our devotions thus far. I welcome comments and suggestions as well. You can reach me via Facebook or my personal email address: Steve@BibleStudyCafe.com
CLOSING PRAYER: In addition to anything else you'd like to pray about, ask God to renew your mind so that you can change your thinking about the concerns of this world and focus more on serving Him and doing His will.
Until tomorrow, have a blessed day!
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Free Stuff For You! You are cordially invited to visit my ministry Web site, Bible Study Cafe.com, to download free stuff including a prayer journal. Join Bible Study Café on Facebook and follow my twitches and tweets on Twitter. ------------------------------------------
A True Relationship with God If you would like a relationship with God, the only way to do it is through His son, Jesus Christ. This is supported in the Bible: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. --John 14:6 (King James Version)
We begin this relationship by first accepting Jesus. Click Here for a link to more info:
