The presence of God is an amazing thing. To think that God is with us is incredible. God is omnipresent. He is always with us. In fact, He promised to never leave us or forsake us. But if that is true, why don’t we experience more peace? The answer is that we are not always aware of God’s presence.

Main Points:

1. J. Oswald Sanders - “Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.”

2. Most often, we are more aware of our fears, anxieties, problems, and struggles. These present difficulties occupy our thoughts and emotions. We can let them take over. But when we are consumed with fear, worry, and anxiety, we are less consumed with thoughts about God. So, the issue is not about God’s location. The issue is with our awareness of His presence.

3. So, let me ask you: How aware are you today of God’s presence? Are your thoughts focused on the Lord? Have you spent time with him today? Have you read His Word and allowed it to speak to your soul? Have you made time to worship and pray? Spending time with God is the most important thing you will do today.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Philippians 4:6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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Remember this: our hope in God isn't just a wish or a dream, but a sure confidence that what God says will happen. Every other hope will disappoint. Every other hope will come up short. God is the one who never fails, he never leaves us, and he never forsakes us.

Main Points:

1. Today, I ask you to let the Word of God penetrate the dark place in your soul. Let the light of God’s truth illuminate your situation. If you feel hopelessness, despair, discouragement, or depression, receive this Word from the Lord.

2. Just because you can’t see him, it doesn’t mean God is not at work in your life. Just because you don’t recognize it at the moment, it doesn’t mean there is no way out. Just because you don’t feel him, it doesn’t mean the Lord is not with you.

3. Discouragement, despair, and hopelessness are not God’s will for your life. Let his truth fill your heart and mind. Meditate on His Word. Let God restore your hope.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 34:17-19 - “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.”

Psalm 113:4-5 - “For the Lord is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens. Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?”

Matthew 19:26 - “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

1 John 4:16 - “ We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”

Psalm 25:3 - “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame”

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I’m fascinated with the idea that we are to love God with all of our minds. The Bible sees the mind as a place of our thoughts, judgment, and intention. Our minds allow us to be rational, weigh evidence, make decisions about right and wrong, and to develop opinions. Our minds allow us to worship, praise God, love, repent, and trust.

Main Points:

1. Why is it important to consider loving God with our minds? Because during a typical day, we constantly use our minds to make decisions. How many thoughts pass through your mind every day? Several studies have shown that we think around 6,000 thoughts per day. Our mind is a huge part of who we are.

2. Loving God with our minds is critical because our minds are connected to our emotions and our actions.

3. God gives us the power to change how we think, so through even our thoughts, we are loving and honoring God.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Mark 12:29-30 - “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”

2 Corinthians 10:5 – “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Colossians 3:2 - “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Romans 12:2 - “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Colossians 1:9 - “So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

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Know this: God always has a next step for us. Until we see Jesus in glory, God is not finished with us. This work of ongoing spiritual growth and development is called sanctification.

Main Points:

1. The basic meaning of "sanctify" is to set apart to God, for His use. This work of “setting us apart” is the ongoing spiritual growth that makes you and me more like Jesus.

2. Sanctification is the work of God in our lives to call us away from sin, ungodliness, and worldliness, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, enable us to live holy and righteous lives that reflect Christ.

3. Salvation is a momentary act, bringing us from spiritual death to life. It is exclusively God's work. Sanctification is an ongoing process; it is dependent on God's ongoing work in our lives, but it also requires our continuous fight against sin.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

1 Thessalonians 4:3 - “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.”

Romans 8:29 - (God is) “conforming us to the image of His Son.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 - “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 - “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”

Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”

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It’s always better to listen to the caution of the Holy Spirit and to guard our hearts against pride. If we do not live in humility before the Lord. God himself will humble us, and it is not pleasant.

Main Points:

1. What is Humility? Humility is an accurate estimation of our self-importance in relation to God and others. Humility is having a right view of yourself because you have a right view of God.

2. Humility is not thinking too highly of yourself. It’s also not thinking too low of yourself. It’s having an accurate estimation of our self-importance in relation to God and others.

3. So, how do we humble ourselves? We focus on the greatness of God. In my life, I cannot be prideful, and God be great. It can’t happen at the same time. Either I think God is great or I think I am great. It’s having a right view of yourself because you have a right view of God.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

James 4:10 - “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Luke 14:11 - “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” (Romans 12:3)

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In my life, I have discovered that when it comes to the choices of fear and faith, it’s not always one or the other. Life produces fear, it’s an emotion we feel, but with God’s help, I can choose faith anyway. Though I may feel fear, I choose to trust God.

Main Points:

1. As Christians, we acknowledge that fear is a choice. We can also make another choice. It’s the decision to live by faith.

2. Having faith doesn’t diminish the reality of what we are facing, it doesn’t deny it or sweep it under the rug. Faith is not pretending the hard times aren’t there. Faith is choosing to believe that God is with us in our battle and that the ultimate outcome is in His hands. He is involved in every detail of our lives.

3. Faith brings God into the equation. As I face my fears, I remember what the Bible says about God’s character and his power. God is both loving and strong. He is compassionate and powerful.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 23:4 - “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

Psalm 86:15 - “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

Ephesians 3:20 - “God…is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”

Psalm 56:3 - “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

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There is a very common type of fear identified in the Bible that is not talked about much. It is the fear of man. It’s a fear of people and it can include intimidation, peer pressure, social anxiety, isolation, and insecurity. The fear of man can lead us to make choices that aren’t right for us or avoid making decisions at all.

Main Points:

1. When we are filled with the fear of man we are no longer focused on God, his presence, and his power in our lives. The fear of man leads us to a place of bondage and enslavement. We become slaves to our fears and unable to move forward.

2. The fear of man asks: What do people think of me? Will they accept me? What if I’m rejected? What if they don’t like what I’m doing? How can I face something like that?

3. The will of God for your life is peace and rest. God’s will is for you to live with confidence in your Heavenly Father’s love. When we fear others we live for their approval. As believers, we are to live for the approval of God.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 29:25 - “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

Hebrews 13:6 - “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Galatians 1:10 - “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Psalm 27:1 - “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”

Proverbs 14:27 - “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

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I discovered that Jesus could offer me something that nothing or no one else could offer. He could quench my spiritual thirst. He offered me a relationship. He offered me purpose for my life. As I began to sincerely follow him, my life was filled with contentment. I realized that Jesus could satisfy the thirst and the longing that I had inside.

Main Points:

1. You and I have experienced physical thirst. But we have another kind of thirst. It’s spiritual thirst, and yes everyone experiences it, sometimes without realizing it. Inside all of us there is a thirst that nothing in this world can satisfy. There is a thirst within us that only God can fill.

2. All of us have tried to satisfy our thirst. If a person is thirsty, they are going to search for water. It’s the same way with our spiritual thirst. We are all looking for a way to quench our thirst. We search for meaning and purpose through a person, through possessions, or by pursuing pleasure…only to find that our souls are still parched.

3. We experience this living water when we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. It’s only then that we can experience the satisfaction of our thirst being quenched.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

John 6:35 - Jesus says, “He who believes in me will never thirst.”

John 7:37-38 - : “‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’

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