What I Learned About Worrying, and How to Overcome It

Text:

Matthew 6:25-34 (NLT) 

25  "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 

26  Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? 

27  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 

28  "And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, 

29  yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 

30  And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 

31  "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' 

32  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 

33  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 

34  "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. 

Observation:

Most people know that worry is destructive. However, we seem to lack the ability to resist the temptation to worry when we face difficulties in life. We know better, but we do it anyway.

I have a thorn in the flesh to remind me of the consequence of worrying. It happened about 45 years ago. I was at home recovering from surgery because of a gastric ulcer, and a pastor came to my home, and shared today's text with me.

I cannot say that I have not worried a day since then. However, I can say that when throughs of worry come into my head, I replace them with faith in God. The antidote for worry is to trust in God. God loves you, and will provide for your needs.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT) 

33  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 

Prayer:

Father, I praise and thank You for being a God who cares, and provides for Your people.

Matthew 6:27 (NLT) 

27  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 

Father, we know better than to worry; Father, remind us ,like You reminded Your servant Abraham, over and over about Your promises. Father, give us sufficient faith to trust You today, and leave all of our tomorrows in Your trusted, and faithful hands. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

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Who Is Your Guide for Living Your Life?

Text:

Proverbs 2:1-5 (NLT) 

1  My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. 

2  Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. 

3  Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. 

4  Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. 

5  Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. 

Observation:

Wisdom is a person to know, and that person is Jesus; this is the found in Proverbs 1. In Proverbs 2 we see that wisdom is a path to walk; a way of living our lives on a daily basis.

In our focal passage for today we see our responsibility. It is described in words like these: listen, treasure, tune, concentrate, cry, ask, and search. It describes this outcome.

Proverbs 2:5 (NLT) 

5  Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. 

However, there is another part in achieving wisdom. If we do our part, God will do His part, and He does the heavy lifting; He prepares the pathway that we are called to walk.

Proverbs 2:6-9 (NLT) 

6  For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 

7  He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. 

8  He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. 

9  Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. 

Are you walking with God? Are you doing your part? Are you listening to God as He speaks through His Word, and with the wisdom, and enabling power of the Holy Spirit?

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, I ask that You would open the eyes of our hearts to see You, and the ears of our hearts to hear, and obey You. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

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Are You Listening to the Voice of Wisdom?

Text:

Proverbs 1:20-23 (NLT) 

20  Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. 

21  She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate: 

22  "How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools hate knowledge? 

23  Come and listen to my counsel. I'll share my heart with you and make you wise. 

Observation:

I am amazed when I think about how much knowledge has increased in my lifetime, and especially since the time I completed my formal education. I discovered a long time ago that learning is a lifetime occupation.

Daniel 12:4 (ESV) 

4  But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase." 

The problem with knowledge is that it is not enough. It is wisdom that offers the solution to our problems, but you have to accept her. Wisdom is like a woman as our text says.

Proverbs 1:20 (NLT) 

20  Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. 

Have you accepted the invitation of wisdom?

Proverbs 1:23 (NLT) 

23  Come and listen to my counsel. I'll share my heart with you and make you wise. 

Do you know the source of wisdom? It is the wisdom of God, and it is personified in a person.

Proverbs 1:7 (HCSB) 

7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline. 

Colossians 2:2-3 (KJV) 

2  That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 

3  In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

Do you have wisdom and knowledge? When you have Jesus in your heart, you have both.

John 1:12-13 (HCSB) 

12  But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, 

13  who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. 

Prayer:

Father, we give glory and honor to Your most holy and righteous name. Father, we are so grateful that in Jesus, we have the answer to all of our needs.

Father, I am so thankful that wisdom is everywhere. I pray that by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit of God, that You would draw hurting and needy hearts to the source of life; not just temporal, but eternal life. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.a

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

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Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

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What Is the Most Dangerous Weapon In the Hands of Man?

Text:

James 3:5-8 (ESV) 

5  So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 

6  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 

7  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 

8  but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 

Observation: 

The most common answer to the question asked in the title is nuclear weapons; especially in the hands of people with evil desires to kill and destroy innocent people.

However, our focal passage for today describes a weapon that has destroyed more lives than all the wars of the world. It is the tongue, and we all have one.

In my reading today, I read Psalm 5. In this Psalm David talks about the enemies he was facing, and he knew that they could destroy him, but he also knew that God could deliver him.

In times like these there is great profit in looking to the Psalms for encouragement.

Are you a child of God? Then why not turn to the Lord in prayer, and put your troubles, and worries in His hand. David turned to the Lord in prayer.

Psalm 5:1-3 (ESV) 

1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. 

2  Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. 

3  O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. 

Prayer:

Father, we love and adore You. Father, if we ever needed You, we sure do need You now. Father, we associate ourselves with David in the final words of his lament before You.

Psalm 5:11-12 (ESV) 

11  But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. 

12  For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield. 

Father, we look to You for protection and deliverance. Father, we rejoice not in winning, but we rejoice in You. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

 

How to Live in Victory in a Trouble Filled World?

Text:

Psalm 3:3-6 (ESV) 

3  But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 

4  I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah 

5  I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me. 

6  I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 

Observation:

When I see the word but in the bible it gets my attention. I want to know what went before, and what comes after. I want to know what the but is there for.

This is what comes before:

Psalm 3:1-2 (ESV) 

1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 

2  many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah 

In this Psalm David laments over his son Absalom, who has risen up against his father. You don't have to be downcast, and defeated when you know the Lord. You can do what David did.

In his anguish, David cried out to the God of his salvation. And, in the Lord he found hope and help. When your faith is activated, your fears have to go. The Lord can turn sleepless nights into restful sleep, and He can turn strife into peace.

Psalm 3:3 (HCSB) 

3  But You, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head. 

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be You name. Father, I am so thankful to be able to call You, our Father, and know that You hear and answer the prayers of Your beloved people. Father, in times like these, I look to You; I seek Your face.

Psalm 46:1 (ESV) 

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 

Father, I pray that any who are facing defeat, adversity, or trouble in their lives; that they would cry out to You in the manner that David cried out to You, and find in You hope and help. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

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Are You Walking Daily With God?

Text:

Genesis 5:21-24 (NLT) 

21  When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 

22  After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 

23  Enoch lived 365 years, 

24  walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him. 

Observation:

In today's focal passage we are introduced to a man named Enoch. He was human like all men, but he was different; he was a godly man. His name describes his life; it means dedicated.

There are three things that leaped off the page, and into my heart as I read this passage.

1. Enoch lived in close fellowship with God.
2. Enoch walked in close fellowship with God.
3. One day God took him home to live with Him.

Hebrews 11:5-6 (NLT) 

5  It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—"he disappeared, because God took him." For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 

6  And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. 

Prayer:

Father, I look up to the heavens today, and I give praise and thanksgiving to You for You are a great God, and a loving, and good Father.

Father, I ask You to stir up the gift of faith that is within us, and that each of us would become people of faith who walk in close fellowship with You all of the days of our life. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

 

How Close Are You to God?

Text:

Genesis 3:7-10 (ESV) 

7  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 

8  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 

9  But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" 

10  And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." 

Observation:

Happy New Year! My prayer for you is that 2017 will be the best year ever. In the sermon yesterday the speaker said, "The Bible is a book about fellowship with God."

In my reading today I notice in Genesis chapter three that this fellowship was broken.

Genesis 3:6 (ESV) 

6  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 

Then when God drew near to them in the garden they hid themselves because of their shame.

God is everywhere. God is saying to you today, "Where are you?" God loves you and at another tree, God took your shame, and put Jesus, His only begotten Son, on the cross to pay the price for your shame. You don't have to play the blame game because of your shame. Jesus has paid for you sin debt in full. 

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) 

1  Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 

2  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Are you traveling on the path that leads to where Jesus is? If not, why not begin that journey today?

Prayer:

Father, I am so grateful that You have provided the means that we don't have to be eternally separated from having fellowship with You. Father, I am so thankful that Jesus went to the cross because of the joy that was set before Him, and His joy can be our joy.

O the joy when heaven comes down and fills my heart, soul, and mind with the presence of God. Then every day is a happy day. Lord, I thank You in the name of Jesus, Amen.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry