God Isn't Trying To Break You

Don't despise the pressure.

Clay doesn't become beautiful by being left alone.

It is pressed.

Shaped.

Turned.

Refined.

Again and again.

Sometimes we ask God,

"Why is this season so difficult?"

When perhaps the better question is,

"What are You forming in me?"

The Potter never applies pressure without purpose.

Every turn of the wheel.

Every stretch.

Every moment that feels uncomfortable.

Every season that makes no sense.

Is in the hands of Someone who already sees the finished masterpiece.

The clay doesn't tell the Potter what it should become.

It simply stays in His hands.

Maybe that's the invitation for us today.

Stop fighting every difficult season.

Stop assuming every hardship means God has abandoned you.

Sometimes the pressure you're feeling isn't punishment.

It's preparation.

God isn't trying to break you.

He's shaping you into someone who can carry what He's preparing to place in your hands.

Trust the Potter.

Even when you don't understand the process.

Because the hands that are shaping you...

Are the same hands that created you.

But now, O Lord,

You are our Father;

We are the clay, and You our potter;

And all we are the work of Your hand.

Isaiah 64:8

- David Baugh

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"I am constantly working to transform your life. You need My help continually to keep your hope alive. I stand ready to help you at all times - during stormy episodes as well as times of smooth sailing. I am not only ever-living but also more abundantly alive than you can possibly imagine. There are no limits to what My great Power and Glory can accomplish! I can change the most 'hopeless' situation into outright victory. Moreover, as you affirm your trust in Me - no matter how difficult your circumstances - I am able to transform you: gradually, lovingly."

"Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed."

- Isaiah 49:23b

"Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young

When You’re Clinging to the Dust

My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.

Psalm 119:25

I was overwhelmed - thrown into the most difficult and desperate time of my life. I had trouble concentrating without tears welling up, my mind drifting, every thought leaving me more unsettled. I couldn’t picture the future, and I kept fixating on the worst possible outcomes.

Maybe you can relate to those feelings. Your painful season may look different from mine, but the heartbreak is often the same.

Everything unraveled right after my husband unexpectedly left our family, leaving me bewildered. I thought he loved me. I thought his distance was because of work. But now, as I sat sobbing in my closet, everything was uncertain. I couldn’t string a coherent thought together. My kids were confused and angry. God felt distant, and I didn’t know how to connect with Him.

Talking to friends was helpful, but I felt defensive when questions came up. And most of the time, there was no one to talk to. Everyone’s lives were busy, especially when I felt discouraged.

When no one was available to process things with me, I’d reluctantly settle for talking to God. I’d wander over to the table where my Bible and journal waited for me. I rarely wanted to open it, but I knew that, like medicine, this would be good for me. Honestly, it felt more like flossing than feasting - it was something I needed to do even if I didn’t feel like it.

Sometimes I would read and reread the same passage, my mind drifting to my problems instead of the words in front of me. I’d been in Psalm 119 for days, and the words were all blurring together. I couldn’t relate to the psalmist’s continual praise of Scripture.

Then I read, “My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word” (Psalm 119:25).

This I could relate to. That’s how I felt. My soul was beaten down, and I needed revival. So I prayed that verse - really prayed it. God needed to renew me because I couldn’t muster up anything myself.

As I kept reading, I sensed a surprising lightness as the words of Scripture came to life. God was reviving me as I watched my outlook, my hope, and my peace begin to change. The words that days earlier felt flat suddenly became vibrant.

That transformation was over 15 years ago, and Scripture has continued to meet me. It began with my desperate need - leaning on God’s Word to change me and waiting expectantly for Him.

If you’re walking through something difficult right now, the last thing you might feel like doing is spending time with God in His Word. But, friend, that is the very thing that will renew your soul, transform your perspective, and give you lasting hope. God is waiting to meet you in His Word - will you join Him there today?

Lord, I know Scripture has power, but sometimes reading it feels like a chore. Give me a desire to read Your Word, and transform me through it. Revive me according to Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

- Vaneetha Rendall Risner

Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"

At Midnight

Paul and Silas Imprisoned
Acts 16:16–26 (NKJV)

Before there was a midnight praise, there was first a daytime beating.

Paul and Silas were not in that prison because they had failed God.

They were there because they had obeyed Him.

They delivered a young woman from demonic bondage, and instead of celebration they were accused.

Instead of honor they were humiliated.

Instead of gratitude they were beaten.

Scripture says they were thrown into the inner prison and their feet were fastened in stocks. Not the front cell. Not the holding room. The inner prison. The deepest place. The darkest place. The place designed to break a man’s spirit.

Their backs were bleeding.

Their bodies were bruised.

Their future was uncertain.

And then Scripture introduces one of the most poignant phrases in the entire Bible:

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25)

Midnight.

Not morning.

Not when the sun came up.

Not when the pain subsided.

Midnight is the hour when strength is gone.

It is when the body is tired and the mind is heavy.

It is when doubts grow loud and hope feels thin.

Midnight is when most people grow quiet.

But Paul and Silas did the opposite.

They did not wait for the chains to fall before they praised God.

They praised God while the chains were still on them.

They prayed while shackled.

They sang while wounded.

They worshiped in the very environment meant to silence them.

Jesus Wants You To Know...

When you thank Me during a difficult day, you are assuming the proper stance for a child of God. If you persevere in this thankfulness, resisting the temptation to grumble, you can find Joy and Peace in the midst of your struggles.

"Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe." - Hebrews 12:28

- "Dear Jesus" by Sarah Young

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"One of the hardest things about trials is the uncertainty about how long they will last. Usually, you can’t predict or control the unpleasant circumstances. You just have to live with them indefinitely. At times you may feel as if you can endure no more, but you can always reach out to Me for help. As you cling to Me moment by moment, I enable you to persevere. This produces in you not only endurance but also a harvest of righteousness and peace." "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11 - "Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young

Meme: I'll Never Lose My Faith In God!

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"Don’t waste your time thinking about how things should have been. Don’t try to run away. Start right this minute - accepting things exactly as they are - and search for My way through your challenges. Learn to look for the blessings and the opportunities I have hidden in those difficulties. Trust Me and lean on Me."

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. - Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)

- "Jesus Calling for Kids" by Sarah Young

Meme: Don't Forget...

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"Do not grow weary and lose heart. When you are dealing with difficulties that go on and on, it’s easy to get so tired that you feel like giving up. Chronic problems can wear you out and wear you down. If you focus too much on these troubles, you’re in danger of sliding into a black hole of self-pity or despair... Worshiping Me is a wonderful way to renew your strength in My Presence. When you take steps of faith by praising Me in the midst of difficulties, My glorious Light shines upon you."

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:18

- "Jesus Always" by Sarah Young

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"I am training you to thank Me not only for obvious blessings but also for situations you would never have chosen - a wayward child or spouse; loss of health, home, or employment. This is counterintuitive thankfulness, and it is possible only to the extent that you trust Me at a deep level. It is also a matter of self-discipline: willing yourself to thank Me even when your circumstances are screaming at you to find a way out.

Though it is wise to look for ways to improve your situation, you cannot force My hand - or My timing. Just keep coming into My Presence with thanksgiving. Your persistent thankfulness may actually provide the long-awaited key I will use to unlock major difficulties in your life. Giving thanks to Me can open doors in ways that transcend your understanding." - "Jesus Today" by Sarah Young

Prayer: Difficult Circumstances

Meme: Someday...

Victory Versus Defeat

The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

Deuteronomy 28:7 (NKJV)

As the Israelites were preparing to enter the Promised Land, God set before them a choice: Heed His voice, obey His commandments, and experience continued victory. Or turn from God, disobey His word, and experience repeated and resounding defeat. It was a simple choice. The choice they made would be evident by the results on the battlefield.

The assurance of victory did not mean that the Israelites would not have to strap on their armor and go to battle. It did not guarantee them effortless victory. At times their enemies fought fiercely, and the battles raged back and forth. Nevertheless, as the Israelites walked closely with God, they knew that their efforts would always result in victory.

God gives us the same choice He gave the Israelites. If we walk with Him, in obedience to His Word, He will stand with us and ensure victory over our challenges. We must face the battle, but God promises us victory if we remain in His will. However, if we choose to disassociate from God, we surely will be overtaken by difficulties. As with the Israelites, our decision will be evident by the outcome. If you are continually being defeated by everything you face, your heart has departed from God.

If you have been experiencing defeat in the challenges you face, examine your heart. When you are buffeted by the crises of life, your heart may have shifted away from God. Choose to listen to God. Then obey what He tells you, no matter what you face, and you will experience victory.

Excerpt from “Experiencing God Day-By-Day” by Henry and Richard Blackaby

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"It’s okay to be tired. It’s okay to be weak. I understand how difficult things have been. I don’t want to judge you. I just want to wrap you up in My everlasting arms and let you rest. Forget about the world, forget the things you need to do, forget the pressures - just come to Me and rest."

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

- Isaiah 42:3 (NIV)

- "Jesus Calling for Kids" by Sarah Young

How Your Thought Life Affects Your Peace

If we’re being honest with ourselves, most of us aren’t who or what we think we are. Our thinking is marred at best, off-track, and in most cases, needs to be changed.

How do I know this to be true? Aside from my experience pastoring so many through the years, God’s Word calls us to a “renewal” of our minds. That means trading in our old perceptions, opinions, ideas, beliefs, and self-centered attitudes for a new set of perceptions, opinions, ideas, beliefs, and attitudes that God develops in us. These godly responses are nurtured by regular reading of Scripture and meditating on what’s been read in the Bible. Christ’s followers are urged to avoid being “conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

Out of a renewal of our thinking comes a change in our speech patterns and our behaviors. As our speech and behavior become renewed, our relationships with others become renewed. And as our relationships become renewed, our immediate world is renewed as well. It all begins in the mind with what we choose to think and what we choose to dwell upon.

You have the ability to determine what you’ll think. At any time, you can refocus your mind to a new topic, task, or problem to solve instead of negative thinking that will steal your peace and/or cause you to venture into rebellion or sin. You have the ability to say, “I choose to trust God,” in any situation you face or thought you have.

Furthermore, any child of God who takes a willful stand against thought patterns that clearly are harmful is going to be provided a way of escape from that circumstance. God will help you focus your mind on something other than your problem or bad thought pattern if you will make the initial step in His direction. 

When you guard your mind, you guard your peace. When you offer prayers to God with faith and thanksgiving - no matter what trials you face - He assures you inner peace (Philippians 4:6-7). And when you focus your thinking on what’s true, noble, virtuous, lovely, pure, and praiseworthy, you rely upon God with increasing faith and trust. 

You can never fully exhaust your ability to think about the goodness and greatness of God. Choose to respond to life the way Jesus responded. Guard your prayer life. Guard your thought life. Seek the Father and all that’s godly. His Word promises that when you fill your mind with what is virtuous and praiseworthy, “the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).

- Dr. Charles F. Stanley

(Excerpt from reading plan “Finding Peace" [Day 13])

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"I am training you to be an overcomer - to find Joy in the midst of circumstances that previously would have defeated you. Your ability to transcend trouble is based on this rock-solid fact: I have overcome the world; I have already won the ultimate victory! Nonetheless, as I taught, you will have trouble in this world. So expect to encounter many difficulties as you journey through life. You inhabit a planet that is always at war, and the enemy of your soul never rests. But don’t be afraid, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. This is good reason to rejoice!" - "Jesus Always" by Sarah Young

Quote: Oswald Chambers

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"At times you feel so weak and tired that you just don’t know if you have the energy to keep going. You feel like the flame of a candle that is flickering and about to burn out. Perhaps you think about coming to Me, but you are afraid I will demand something else of you. And you are just so tired. Or perhaps you worry that I will see your weakness as a lack of faith. So you avoid Me. It’s okay to be tired. It’s okay to be weak. I understand how difficult things have been. I don’t want to judge you. I just want to wrap you up in My everlasting arms and let you rest."

"A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth." - Isaiah 42:3 (NKJV) - "Jesus Calling for Kids" by Sarah Young

Meme: It's all God's Business...