Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of lyrics from the group Hlllsong singing their song … Jesus You’re All I Need … gloriously singing of the reality of all we need in life … and that is our relationship with our Lord and Savior, … and to serve our King Jesus.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 40:12a [NLT] …
12a Who els (but God) has held the oceans in His hands? … Who has measured off the heavens with His fingers? …
… REALITY - we can’t handle this world … but GOD can!!
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 40:9-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Our God is the only One Who can handle the overwhelming problems of this world.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Solomon knew that the only way we can find our way thru life is to surrender, completely, to the One, … the ONLY ONE … to show us the way … His way!
Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Isaiah 26:3 [NLT] …
3 You (Lord) keep in perfect peach all who trust in You, … all whose thoughts are fixed on You!
… God, thru Isaiah, gives His people (you and me) His prescription for prioritizing the difficulties of life … i.e., focusing on our relationship with Christ.
Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … John 16:33 [NLT] …
33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
… Jesus is the ONLY ONE Who can handle the challenges of this world.
Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … Philippians 4:6-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul shows Christians how to handle life when things become overwhelming, producing anxiety, stress, or depression.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, used an illustration of the sometimes overwhelming stress we undergo in life and how we must handle it. The ODB author wrote: After I clumsily knocked over my glass on the restaurant counter, the spilled beverage began to cascade over the edge and onto the floor. Out of sheer embarrassment, I tried to catch the waterfall with cupped hands. My efforts were largely unsuccessful; most of my beverage rushed through my fingers. In the end, my upturned palms held little more than a meager tablespoon each, while my feet stood in puddles.
My life feels similar on many days. I find myself scrambling to solve problems, oversee details, and control circumstances. No matter how hard I try, my feeble hands are incapable of managing all the pieces and parts. Something invariably slips through my fingers and pools on the floor at my feet, leaving me feeling overwhelmed. No amount of contorting my hands or squeezing my fingers more tightly together makes me able to handle it all [see photo].
Fellow Christian, … have you ever felt overwhelmed by the challenges of this life? I think I sense a consensus of … “Been there, … got that T-shirt!” … Yeah, … we’ve all been there, haven’t we?
Recently, I seemed to have so many things that were slipping thru my grasp, much like trying to keep the water in my hands from an overwhelming cascade of challenges (again, as in the photo). And my inability to prioritize and handle it all actually had caused me to be diagnosed with clinical depression; and it was affecting my blood sugar (I’m diabetic) and causing bouts of hyper-fatigue.
Well, ... three physicians helped me with some medication and the recommendation to begin pairing some of the lower prioritized, highly stress producing, choices from my life. But the thing that helped me most was focusing on my relationship with my Lord; and looking to Him to help me set my priorities on those things HE wanted me to focus on most in my life. [see the reference Scriptures above]
And it’s working! ... My blood sugar measures are within normal limits. The episodes of hyper-fatigue have disappeared; and my quiet times with God - like right now - have become sweeter than ever. So, my friends, if you’re looking for more peace and less stress, … take the advice, from Gods’ truth above; and let the guidance of Hillsong in the linked song guide your life.
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … My LORD, …King Jesus, …You’re all I need. You have overcome the world; and I look to You for THE way! … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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