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New Hope for the Week | Page 8
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Remember, if you fill your heart with the right things, that is what you will speak the most.

Today I will:

  • choose my words wisely
  • speak truthfully in love
  • seek the feedback I need to make me a better person and do my job more effectively

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.  (12)  Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. Proverbs 25:11-12 (ESV)

The power of the right words or the right idea at the appropriate time is immeasurable. David's words to Saul as Goliath marched back and forth mocking Israel snatched victory from the mouth of cowardice. (See 1 Samuel 17:33-37.) Nathan's timely rebuke in the form of the parable of the rich man stealing the only lamb of a poor man brought King David repentantly back to God (2 Samuel 12:1-13), keeping him the man after God's own heart and correcting the course of Israel for a generation or more.

The right words can inspire, redirect, and empower. However, the timing is often as important as the choice of thoughts and ideas to convey, and discerning that timing and that choice of words can be difficult. In fact, there are even times when the best thing to do is to hold your peace. As the Bible aptly points out, "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue" (Proverbs 17:28 NIV).

As you pray today, ask God to help you keep guard over what you say, when you say it, and even if you should say anything at all. Determine in your heart that whatever comes out of your mouth will be to encourage and build others up, and not to appease your desire to feel superior or escalate yourself. Seek to operate as Jesus did: "I do nothing on my own authority, but I say only what the Father has instructed me to say” (John 9:28 TEV)

Remember, in pursuing God we must choose to put on His armor, not our own.

Today I will:

  • allow the Word of God to govern my thought life
  • take every thought captive
  • think like Christ

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:5 (NASB)

Ordering our thoughts by guarding our minds against ungodly imaginations is our first defense against the schemes of the enemy. The battle for our hearts and minds takes place in our thought life. We must purpose to think thoughts pleasing to God, filling our minds with scriptures declaring the promises of God.

In putting on the full armor that Paul speaks of in Ephesians 6, we must wear truth like a belt around our minds. Peter makes reference to the same concept in his instruction to "gird up the loins of your mind." After girding our loins with the belt of truth, we are told to put on the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate is something that guards the heart. We can use the righteousness of God to guard our hearts by remembering we've been made the righteousness of God in Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 5:21.) The enemy will do all he can to cause you to believe you are a failure, unworthy, and unacceptable in the sight of God. The truth (His Word), however, states otherwise.

In order to effectively wear the armor of God, we must continually be mindful of God, His Word, and His Holy Spirit at work in us. If we are girded about with the belt of truth, guarded by the breastplate of righteousness, shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, surrounded by the shield of faith, protected by the helmet of salvation, and wielding the sword of the Spirit, we will certainly be in pursuit of God's presence and in a position to be led by His Spirit. 

Remember, God is the Source of your life.

Today I will:

  • remember that it all begins and ends with God
  • entrust my life to the One who gives me breath and has the power to change my heart
  • ask God where He wants me to spend my time and invite Him into the circumstances and relationships of my day

The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; Psalms 37:23 (ESV)

What do you do when things don't turn out as you have planned? What happens when the one big thing that you had to get accomplished today doesn't get done because something else came up? Does it mean that your plans were worthless or misguided in some way?

Such occurrences always give us a place to sit back and reevaluate. The answers to these questions, however, may have more to do with our attitudes than with the quality of our planning. The question is, are we dedicating our plans to God or allowing God to alter our plans to touch someone or teach us something new? Could it be that for an hour, a day, a week, or even a year, God might have something more important for us to accomplish than just ticking off more steps towards the fulfillment of our goals?

If our lives are dedicated to God, then we need to realize that there are times He needs to intervene to get us back on the right track-His track. Joseph dreamt that his brothers would bow down to him (Genesis 37:5-7,9), but had he not been sold into slavery, gone to prison because of a false accusation, and spent years seeking God rather than seeking the fulfillment of his God-given dreams, then he would never have been a person worthy of his brothers' respect and admiration. God cares more about who we become than what we accomplish. 

Remember, faith without practical application is worthless and lifeless.

Today I will:

  • touch the lives of others in a positive way
  • reevaluate the quality of my relationships with others
  • take the time to be polite and courteous despite the pressures of the tasks before me

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, Romans 12:4 (ESV)

In the business world of modern, independence-minded America, we hear a lot about the importance of teamwork. Yet at the same time our culture and media honor heroes who stand out. It is not the whole team that gets their picture on the cover of magazines and newspapers, but the MVP athlete, most vocal government official, company president, the best-looking actor of the hit film or popular TV series. While it is the team that really accomplishes something, it is the stars who are recognized. Thus the pressure on the individual is to be the star rather than the team player, and this pressure often works to undermine the efforts of the team to accomplish anything worthwhile.

The star mentality teaches us that we are defined by our achievements.  However, the Bible tells us that we would more correctly evaluate ourselves by the quality of our relationships. Do we walk in love toward other members of the team? Do we exemplify the fruit of the Spirit when around them? (See Galatians 5:22.) Do we value them more than promotion and the money it might bring? Do we lord authority over them, or are we servant-leaders as Jesus exemplified?

The truth of the matter is that God has wired us to need each other. Without feedback from and interaction with others, we would never truly grow spiritually. While we might grow in knowledge of God in isolation, we could never grow in the practice of His principles and power.  Seek to make relationships your focus today.

Remember, how you choose to be today will determine where you’ll be tomorrow.

Today I will:

  • start with the end in mind
  • live for eternity, not the tyranny of the urgent or the attraction of the temporary
  • pray for vision to see the big picture

as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (ESV)

You've crossed another "to do" from your list, accomplished another task, fulfilled another function on your job description-but have you stopped to ask yourself, "Just why, exactly, am I doing this?"

For most of us, there was a time when getting a job and earning a paycheck was enough. The rent was covered, the cable bill was paid, and there was food in the refrigerator for the weekend. But after a while, is it still enough? What attracted you to your work in the first place? Why is it you show up each day and spend most of your energy doing what you do?

We can be busy all day long fulfilling others' expectations while never getting closer to realizing our God-given potential. People who work primarily for a paycheck will prioritize their schedules, but people of purpose schedule their priorities. Are you exercising your freedom of choice? How is what you are doing getting you closer to becoming who God created you to be?

Remember, God is at work in every situation fulfilling His plan for you.

Today I will:

  • remember that God is at work in every situation
  • choose optimism over pessimism
  • lean not on my own understanding

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28 (NIV)

It seems human nature to panic. Who doesn't sometimes expect the worst or keep expectations at a minimum? We all lie awake at night dwelling on the "what if's?" and the "how so's" or "how in the world's?" and sometimes the "God help me's."

Often it is all we can do to remember that the steps of God's children are ordered by Him-that God is working the good in every situation on behalf of those who love Him. We don't need to be anxious because we know that God is watching over us carefully and affectionately. We can let go of our concerns about how quickly we are reaching our destination and simply enjoy the journey.

If we are truly trusting in God, it is up to us to surrender control and let God carry us over life's rapids and rough places. Resting in Him can be the most difficult challenge. Determine to let the peace of God rule in your heart and mind. Purpose to rest in God's perfect peace.

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