Category Archives: Live Joyfully

Blog posts by Krystal R Simpson cover a variety of topics to help Christians live joyfully without fear, stress, and regret.

Five Decisions True Christians Decide Daily

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Five Decisions True Christians Decide Daily

Living the Christian life is a journey. More importantly, it can be considered an individual journey, and along the way, there are many decisions to make. As we travel along life’s path toward living out our God-anointed purposes, we must decide to live as Christ commands. Although our journeys, callings, talents, and struggles may differ, there are five decisions that true Christians make daily. These are daily decisions, and as we stay focused on our goal to live for God, we commit to these decisions.

Five Decisions True Christians Decide Daily

These five decisions are simple yet powerful because each determines whether we are indeed a child of God or not. The Bible is clear that we should follow Jesus as our example. In the end, we want God to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). We do not want to hear, “I never knew you”(Matthew 7:23). Let’s look closely at the five decisions we need to make, and let’s choose to make them today.

  1. Decide to accept the gift of salvation.
  2. Decide to turn away from sin.
  3. Decide to put your faith in Jesus and trust him.
  4. Decide to love and forgive others.
  5. Decide to spend time with God.

Decide To Accept The Gift of Salvation 

When Jesus walked on the Earth, He trusted the will of the Father. We know it led Him to the cross, which purchased our salvation. To be a child of God, we must accept the work that Jesus did on the cross as payment for our sins, and we must receive salvation as a gift from God through faith. 

Decide to Accept the Gift of Salvation

We receive salvation by confessing Jesus is the son of God, whom God raised from the grave. Next, we get baptized as an outward sign that we are dead to sin and raised with Christ. Salvation is not difficult. It is a decision. We must decide to accept what the Bible says about salvation as truth. Salvation is for everyone. We all make mistakes, and we all need forgiveness for our sins. God offers a way to be forgiven and welcomes us into his family through faith in Jesus. “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).

The Bible states that we must recognize that we have sinned and need forgiveness. We ask for forgiveness by repenting. “Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19, ESV). Repenting causes the angels to rejoice (Luke 15:10). It means realizing that we have sinned and are ready to change by turning away from our sin and darkness toward the eternal life that Jesus died on the cross to give us. 

Decide To Turn Away From Sin

As Christians, we strive to live our lives in a way that represents our love for and obedience to God’s Word. God helps us to turn from sin, and his Spirit helps us to leave the practice of sinning (1 John 3:9), but we choose to do so and ask for His help. Having a new desire to live a life free from sin leads us to our knees, asking God to deliver us and set us free from every chain trying to bind us as we pray in the name of Jesus.

Only Jesus lived this life without sin, and He will help us to turn from sin. When we receive salvation and ask God to forgive us for our sins, we give up a life of sin and turn our lives toward Jesus. Jesus washes our sins away and comes to life in our hearts. He helps us live a life free from sin, and if we fall short, He will help us get it right. Jesus stands ready to forgive us and help us live this life. All we must do is ask Him.

Heaven is not for Good people

Living this life as a child of God means we begin a journey toward becoming more like Jesus. It will take a lifetime and will require many decisions along the way. First, we surrender our will and old ways by taking steps toward living in a manner that brings glory and honor to God. As we choose, we decide to stop compromising or making excuses for sin, but instead, we begin repenting and praying for God to change us.

Decide To Put Your Faith In Jesus And Trust Him

After we receive salvation, Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). Just as Jesus did the will of his Father, we must decide to trust God with our lives and do the same. Living as children of God means we are like sheep listening to our Shepherd’s voice, Jesus; as He leads, we follow Him.

Decide To Put Your Faith In Jesus And Trust Him

As sheep, we place our trust in God and His Word. We trust God in everything. Even when we can not see the outcome, we must believe that God is for us and not against us. He has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11), and even when we go through the testing of our faith, the purpose is not to harm us but to produce steadfastness (James 1:2-4).

Decide To Love And Forgive Others

As followers of Christ, God commands us to love others as Christ loved us. God is love. God so loved us that He gave his son (John 3:16) for our sins. Jesus Christ loved us enough to lay down His life for us (Ephesians 5:2). The Bible says that whoever loves has been born of God and knows God, and anyone who does not love does not know God (John 4:7-8). We must do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14) and love all people, even our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

Decide to Love and Forgive Others

In return for receiving God’s love and forgiveness, we extend the same forgiveness to others. Just as God forgives us, He wants us to forgive others. Jesus is our example. Jesus asked the Father to forgive us even as He died on the cross. The Bible states that if we do not forgive others, our Father will not forgive our trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15).  

Decide To Spend Time With God

Spending time with God includes praying, worshipping, and learning more about Him and His Word. Our faith comes when we hear the Word of God (Romans 10:17), and we gain strength when we seek the presence of God (1 Chronicle 16:11). Jesus proclaimed that He did the work of his Father, and he commands us to be doers of the Word and not just hearers only. As we study the Word, we learn God’s character and can better learn to live by Christ’s example.

This is the day which the Lord hs made scripture

The Bible says that there were times when Jesus would rise early to go away to pray (Mark 1:35). When we pray, we have the opportunity to pray for ourselves and others. In prayer, God speaks into our lives and gives directions and strength. The Holy Spirit helps us pray. Spending time with God is essential, and we must always rejoice, pray, and give thanks  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). 

A Prayer for the New Christian’s Journey

Whether we are new believers or have been Christians for a long time, we must examine ourselves and judge whether we have truly committed our way to the Lord. If we have fallen short in our decision to live for God, we can pray and ask God to help us. This prayer is for the Christian’s journey who decides to stay committed to living for God.

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How To Have Faith In God’s Word

Posted by Live Joyfully, Have Faith 4 Comments
How To Have Faith In God’s Word

Have you learned to develop faith in God’s word? The events of 2020 have taught us that life can be unpredictable and full of surprises. No one expected a pandemic or the closure of churches, schools, and workplaces. It’s possible that many of us were caught off-guard by all the unexpected changes. However, we must always remember that God is still in control, even when things are not going as planned.

How to Have Faith in God's Word

When everything around us changes, there are two choices. We can go through the situation with or without the help of our Heavenly Father. God allows us to choose, but we should always strive to place our faith in God and his Holy Word.

I can still vividly recall the day I received the devastating news that I had contracted COVID-19. As a Speech-Language Pathologist working in a school, I had to stay home and isolate myself from everyone. Sadly, my positive COVID test resulted in the school authorities sending 56 students home to quarantine as a preventive measure. In my heart, I was aware that I had been extremely cautious, using hand sanitizers and wearing masks, which left me wondering why I still got sick.

During this time, the enemy tried to make me feel like my positive test was an indication of something wrong in my relationship with God. The enemy wanted to weaken my faith, but I prayed and asked God for help. As I stayed home and recovered, I continued to pray and spend time with God, and I learned so much during this time.

Humans tend to gravitate toward something whenever things shift, leading us down unfamiliar and uncharted waters. The enemy will try to use this time to lure people to abuse substances, partake in domestic violence, or succumb to emotional instability. God wants us to run to Him. Rather than turn down dark pathways that will not bring us closer to God, we must rightly choose to draw closer to God by activating our faith in the one who never changes.

How Does the Bible Define Faith, and What is Great Faith?

Defining faith is not easy, but we look to the Bible to help us understand as we ponder a definition. The Bible explains that “now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 KJV)”. Faith reminds us that God works even when we cannot see it.

Hebrews 11 is often cited as “faith’s hall of fame” because it recounts people’s faith in the Bible. As we look at the Bible, we see that regardless of who the writer wrote about in Hebrews 11, the common thread was that they obeyed God’s Word.

  • By faith, Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear, constructed an ark to save his household.
  • By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
  • By faith, Sarah herself received the power to conceive, even when she was past the age since she considered him faithful, who had promised.

As we look closely, we see that the Bible shows us that faith is related to hearing God’s Words, believing, and moving in obedience. There are instances in the Bible where Jesus declares that someone has “great faith.”

In Matthew 15:21-28, A Canaanite woman comes to Jesus because she wants Jesus to heal her daughter, oppressed by a demon. As she spoke, the Bible says that Jesus initially did not answer her, and the disciples tried to send her away. As we read the account, we realize that the Canaanite woman was relentless. She understood the power that would come if Jesus spoke to her situation. She was willing to wait for Jesus to give her just a crumb. Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Matthew 15:28 ESV

Another time where Jesus states that someone had great faith is noted in Luke 7 when a Centurian sought Jesus to heal his servant. The Centurian did not feel worthy to come to Jesus or to have Jesus come to his home, but he truly believed that if Jesus spoke a word, his servant would receive healing.

In Luke 7:7 KJV, the Centurian says, “Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.” The Centurian showed that he knew what it meant to be taken at his word and obeyed. He clearly understood the power in Jesus’ words, and it seems this is what caused Jesus to say that the Centurian man had great faith.

Have Faith in God

Faith Has Life-Altering Benefits

While studying and writing this post, I was awakened at night and grabbed my pen to write the definition God spoke into my spirit. Faith is a belief, trust, and obedience to God and His Word, leading to life-altering benefits. It is a belief that if God speaks into a situation, the situation will change despite the odds or what it looks like, and faith requires being all-in despite earthly consequences.

We understand that faith has life-altering benefits when we look again at Hebrews 11. We can see that all of those mentioned in Hebrews 11 experienced life-altering changes when they believed in God’s Word. Think of the chain reaction of events that happened because of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Sarah’s obedience. God blessed the faithfulness of His people. The Bible shows us the relationship between faith and obedience to God’s Word and the life-altering benefits that faith brings throughout Hebrews 11 and all of the Bible.

As children of God, when we obey God’s Word and trust God with our lives through faith in Jesus as our Savior, we can experience the life-altering benefits that God offers. As we continue to live surrendered lives, he changes us, directs our paths, and blesses others through our obedience.

Have Faith In The Word of God

We must learn to have faith in the Word of God because it holds the power to win every fight against the enemy. The enemy knows that there is power in the Word of God, so he will try to attack our belief in the Word. The enemy works so hard to keep us from reading the Bible, attending church, or doing anything that will cause our faith in God’s Word to grow. The Bible tells us that faith grows when we hear the Word of God (Romans 10:17), and if we are of God, we hear His Words (John 8:47).

Have Fatih


God tells us that His Word will not pass away (Matthew 24:35) but will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8), and will go out from God, and not return empty, but accomplish and succeed the thing for which it was sent (Isaiah 55:11). Every Word of God proves true (Proverbs 30:5), and nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). God tells us to take up the shield of faith against the enemy because it can extinguish all of the enemy’s fiery darts. (Ephesians 6:16).

Jesus showed us how to battle the enemy with the Word of God. He did this when the enemy came to him in the wilderness after Jesus had been fasting. The enemy knew that Jesus was hungry, so he tempted Jesus to command the stones to become bread. Jesus refuted the enemy with the Word of God.

Man shall not live on bread alone

Each time the enemy came, Jesus stated, “It is written.” the enemy continued to bother Jesus (Mathew 4:7,10), but each time Jesus responded by quoting God’s word to the enemy. In doing so, Jesus shows us that the Word of God defeats the enemy.

With Jesus as our example, we learn that we must activate God’s Word as our weapon of faith against all the enemy throws at us. Whether it is a sickness, financial lack, or if we battle some addiction or sin, God has given us the keys to victory. We can find all of the answers that we need in His Word.

Faith Must Be Unwavering

Our faith must be unwavering. In Romans 4, the Bible tells us more about Abraham’s faith as it declares that “no unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:20-22).

Ask in Faith Nothing Wavering

Obedience and unwavering trust in the Words spoken by God are essential to the definition of faith. Jesus reminds us in Mark 11:22-24 to have faith in God and tells us the importance of speaking and not doubting when we pray.

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Mark 11:22-24 ESV

Additionally, it is crucial to discount and not rely on what we see with our physical eyes. We must put all faith in God and His Word. God expects us to be all-in and unwavering. Our faith does not depend on what we see, feel, or think but relies only on God’s words and what we know that He can do.

Expect Faith To Be Tested

We must expect testing of our faith as God’s word says that our faith becomes steadfast through the tests, which means it becomes firm and unwavering. The Bible tells us that even though Abraham knew that God had given him Issac, God tested Abraham’s faith when He told Abraham to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22). When Abraham demonstrated that he was willing to obey God’s words, God supplied a ram to offer instead.

Testing of Faith produces steadfastnes

When I received a positive Covid-19 test, I had to decide how to handle the news. Would I trust God and His Word, knowing He can heal and protect me, or would I become fearful? I had to remember that there is power in the Word of God that is bigger than any fear or sickness.

A Simple Prayer For Increased Faith

Jesus is the Word of God that became flesh and walked among us to show us the way (John 1). He offers us a way to defeat the enemy. We must believe and trust God’s Word. Let’s pray in faith, asking God to help us. Let’s learn to use God’s Word when we pray to defeat the enemy and enjoy the life-altering benefits that faith produces.

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An Easy Way to Understand God’s Calling For Our Lives

Posted by Live Joyfully, Christian Living 4 Comments
An Easy Way to Understand God’s Calling For Our Lives

Have you ever wondered what God’s calling you to do in life? Do you hear people talk about being “called” and want to know your God-given purpose? Maybe you wonder whether you are working in the right job, living in the proper city, or pursuing the right path. God does not want us to be confused about this because sometimes, we can become afraid to make any moves as we try to figure out God’s calling. Let’s look into the Word to learn how to know your calling from God for your life.

God's Calling For Our Lives

As we live this life, we are mindful that God has a plan for us. His divine purpose for our lives was determined before birth (Jeremiah 1:5). God is not random, and Everything He does is perfectly designed.

There is a reason we were born to our parents at the time we were born. God uniquely created each of us, giving us the gifts, talents, and abilities needed to fulfill our purposes. Prayer and Bible study will always lead us toward finding our purpose and God’s calling.

God tells us how He wants us to live in Romans 12. He wants us to present our bodies as living sacrifices to Him, which means we live for Him and are open to His plans. As Christians, when we realize how much God loves us and all He did and wants to still do for us, our response should be, “Here I am, Lord.”.

God’s Ultimate Calling For All Christians Never Changes

God’s ultimate calling for each of us is to bring Him glory. Our purpose is to glorify God (Romans 11:36). Everything was created for God and through God; no matter what we do, we are to bring Him glory. Glory is high honor and distinction by notable achievements in which the Father can take great pride.

God's Calling For Our Lives Scripture

The Bible says God has called us to a relationship with Himself through faith in Jesus Christ. The first step in living out God’s calling is to receive salvation and belong to Jesus Christ (Romans 1:6). When we become children of God through salvation, we become individual members of the collective body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27).

God has given us gifts and talents, and He expects us to use those talents as members of the body of Christ for His glory. God gets praise when we use our abilities to help others or offer our gifts in worship to Him. We should never bury or hide our talents, but we must be careful not to be lifted in pride by our skills and abilities.

Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

2 Timothy 1:9 ESV

God’s Calling For All Christians is Not Hidden

God has not hidden our calling and is not waiting for us to find it. He expects us to grow and develop in His Kingdom. We begin our journey as babes in Christ when we ask for forgiveness and accept His gift of salvation. We must start by being faithful, obedient, and patient as we wait for the Lord to exalt us in His perfect timing.

The problem is that sometimes, as believers, we get confused and disheartened. We may feel that we must find God’s calling. God’s calling isn’t lost. Our calling should bring God glory and bring others into the Kingdom. There is a call on our lives; it is not a secret. We should live for God every day. God calls us right where we are when He invites us to become His children.

When we look to the Bible, we find countless examples of those called and used for Kingdom purposes. Names of men and women in the Bible include Moses, Paul, Abraham, Esther, and Mary. These gospel greats were indeed called to do something great for God but were never recorded as searching for God’s calling.

God’s Calling and Job Are Not Synonymous

God may call us to be a light at our job, be an example in the community, or serve others. We must do whatever we do from our hearts as we do for the Lord (Colossians 3:23). We must be faithful (Luke:16:10).

God’s calling and jobs are not synonymous. God’s “calling” may not look like preaching from a stage, writing a bestselling book, or becoming a missionary living abroad. Your calling right now may be to be a good mom, a good wife, a teacher, or a volunteer in your community. Most importantly, we strive to bring God glory while we live each day.

Our life may not feel important enough to our pride and flesh, but remember, God calls us right where we are and changes us from there. We must be careful because the enemy may be trying to get us to move from where God wants us to develop, grow, and bless others. God’s calling is not about making money or a name for yourself but about living for God and blessing others.

An Easy Way to Understand God's Calling For Our Lives ! Peter 4:10 ESV

The enemy likes to bring confusion and doubt. He wants us to question whether we are on the right path for God. If we mistakenly believe we should have what we think is a more important job for God, we may move prematurely from where God wants us to bring Him glory. We may even find ourselves walking in pride. We must allow God to take the living sacrifice of our lives, use it, and develop us in His timing.

God’s Calling May Not Be Where You Feel Talented

God wants us to stay biblical, which means we should look to the Bible for answers because sometimes ideas sound acceptable to our human minds, but we must look at them from the lens of God’s Word. For example, many recommend inventorying our skills and abilities to decide our purpose and God’s calling.

I have read authors who suggest that our talents and gifts help us to know our calling. The problem is this teaching is not biblical, and nothing in the Bible supports this logic. We can’t assume that God will use us in an area where we seem to have natural ability and talent.

While determining your strengths and talents may help decide a career path or an area of study in college, I do not believe that the Bible encourages us to find God’s calling by looking at our strengths, skills, and abilities. The Bible says the opposite.

For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

1 Corinthians 1:26 KJV

For most people in the Bible, the Scripture records that they had weaknesses, but God used them anyway. God’s glory reveals itself when what seems impossible becomes possible through faith and obedience in Him. The Bible says that God will use foolish things to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). Your purpose as a believer is to build the Kingdom of God. Your role in His Kingdom will require your natural gifts and talents, but God will develop you and reveal your calling in His timing.

There is an easy way to understand God's calling for our lives. Do you wonder what God wants you to do in life? Do you want to know your God-given purpose?

God’s Calling is Fluid For Each Day and Season

God’s calling is not some future event. We must understand that God will develop us, and our calling may differ depending on our seasons of life, readiness to grow, and God’s purpose on Earth. We must be willing to be used as a vessel for the Kingdom of God each day and be ready to change when God leads.

We must stop worrying about “missing” God’s calling because the enemy will try to convince us to work within our strength rather than wait for God’s direction. We must understand that God will not let us miss our calling. If the enemy can cause us to do something prematurely, we may find ourselves frustrated with the outcome, but if we wait on God, He will get the glory, others will be blessed, and our faith will increase.

god's calling Bible verse

A Prayer For When You’re Unsure Of God’s Calling

After receiving salvation through Jesus Christ, God calls us to live for Him every day. He wants our lives to bring Him glory as we use our talents and gifts to praise Him and bless others. The easy way to understand God’s calling for our lives is to draw close to God and learn His ways.

We must pray and read His Word to build a stable relationship. We want to know the Lord’s voice and listen daily for instructions He would give us. We must make it through tests and trials as faithful servants and get busy showing the Father’s love to the world around us for God’s glory! Let’s pray and ask God to help us.

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What Does The Bible Say About the Holy Spirit?

Posted by Live Joyfully, God's Supernatural Promises 1 Comment
What Does The Bible Say About the Holy Spirit?

As I prayed about writing this week, I felt strongly that I was to write about the Holy Spirit. Understanding the Holy Spirit and His purpose is crucial to living a joyful and peaceful Christian life. We know God as our Father, who sent His son, Jesus, but the Holy Spirit is often less understood. The enemy thrives on our confusion because He understands the importance of the Holy Spirit. God does not want his children confused about anything, including the function of the Holy Spirit. Now, more than ever, we must be able to answer what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit.

What Does the Bible Say About the Holy Spirit

When Jesus was on Earth, John the Baptist baptized Him, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him as a dove (Luke 3:21-22). When Jesus prepared to be crucified, buried, and resurrected, he spoke with the disciples (John 16). Jesus told them that He would be going away but would send the Holy Spirit to them, and He told them to wait. Jesus told the disciples that it was to their advantage for Him to go away so that the Holy Spirit could come. While Jesus could be with us on Earth, the Holy Spirit could dwell in us (John 14:17). Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit (the comforter) would be with us forever (John 14:16).

John 16:7 ESV

The Work Of The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God and Jesus, is available to all Christians, but He will not come into our lives without an invitation. He wants to live within us, comfort us, and teach us. He wants to help us on our everyday journey, but we must ask Him to direct us. He will not push his way into our lives.

Understanding the Holy Spirit’s work will help us know why we need Him to dwell in us and help us invite Him into our lives. The Holy Spirit has numerous functions, but they represent three primary functions for a more fundamental understanding.

  1. The Holy Spirit teaches.
  2. The Holy Spirit gives power.
  3. The Holy Spirit changes us.

The Holy Spirit Teaches

The Holy Spirit helps us understand the Bible and truth as He testifies Jesus (John 15:26). The scripture says that the Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself but glorifies Jesus, guides us in truth, speaks of what He hears, and reveals things to come (John 16:13-15). The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and revelation so that we can know Jesus (Ephesians 1:17) and the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10), which is why we need Him as we read and study the Bible.

John 14:26 KJV

The things of God are Spirit and do not make sense to the natural man. Still, when reborn in the Spirit, we are Spirit-led and better able to understand spiritual concepts (1 Corinthians 2:14). The Holy Spirit gives us the power to witness and teach others. He guides us and tells us what to say (Mark 13:11), but He also helps the person we are talking to receive the spiritual message. The Holy Spirit allows us to recognize our needs and helps others understand their need for a Savior. As the Holy Spirit gives us the words to say, He convicts us of sin (John 16:8), and God draws people to Jesus (John 6:44).

The Holy Spirit Gives Power

As we live this life, we need the Holy Spirit’s power to help us be victorious as we fight the enemy and produce eternal results and fruits that benefit the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, we want to be changed. We want to be more like Jesus by allowing the Spirit to live in and through us. Jesus explained that because He was going to the Father, He would send the Holy Spirit’s power to allow us to do greater works (John 14:12).

The Holy Spirit anoints and gives power. Remembering that we are to pattern our lives after Jesus is important. After his baptism, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove (Mark 1:10). The Holy Spirit anointed Jesus to preach the Gospel, preach deliverance, give sight to the blind (Luke 4:18), do good, and heal those oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38).

Luke 3:22 ESV

Today, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to live a Christian life as a witness for Jesus (Acts 1:8). He fills us. He equips us with the ability to speak the Word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31). The Holy Spirit strengthens us in our inner man (Ephesians 3:16). It gives us the power to walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh (Romans 8:13). When we are weak and do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit helps us by making intercessions (Romans 8:26).

The Holy Spirit Changes Us

The Holy Spirit brings the new birth (John 3:5, John 3:8) to help us change into Christ’s image. When we are born of the Spirit, He seals us (2 Corinthians 1:22) and bears witness that we are now part of the family of God (Romans 8:15-16). Being adopted into the family of God through faith in Jesus brings Abraham’s blessings and is available to all (Galatians 3:4).

No Christian has to live without the Holy Spirit, nor should they want to. The Holy Spirit washes, sanctifies, purifies, and justifies us (1 Corinthians 6:11). He confesses Christ’s Lordship (1 Corinthians 12:3), changes us, and helps us produce fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). He releases love (Romans 5:5), righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17).

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is called oil, fire, wind, a river, and wine. Most importantly, the Holy Spirit is a gift poured out and given liberally to those who ask (Acts 2:17). The Bible says that He comes upon us, moves on us, falls on us, anoints us, baptizes us, fills us, dwells in us, and flows out of us. There are different depths of the Holy Spirit; we can grow by faith as we seek Him.

How to Be Led By The Holy Spirit

To be Spirit-led, we must repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38). Next, the Bible says God will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13). When we truly desire to live life as a converted Christian, we must ask God to help us. When we seek Him, we find that we thirst after His righteousness, which means we genuinely desire to live a life that pleases Him.

Stay Thirsty

As we diligently seek God, we have the promise of our Savior, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled (Matthew 5:6).” As we confess our sins, ask God to help us with our weaknesses, and submit our lives in obedience, He will fill us with His Spirit. As the Spirit reveals areas of sin, we must repent and ask God to help us. As we turn from sin and our old nature, we invite the Spirit to fill us, lead us, teach us, and strengthen us, and we believe that God will answer our prayers by faith.

Acts 2:38 KJV

A Prayer To Be Led By The Holy Spirit

We know that Jesus has returned to the Father, but He promised to send the Holy Spirit to be with us in His absence. The Holy Spirit teaches, gives power, and successfully changes us to live this Christian life. The enemy does not want us to understand the Holy Spirit. He wants to see us continue to try to fight Him in our strength. Let’s pray and ask God to help.

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Find Joy And Peace By Putting God First

Posted by Live Joyfully, Surrender To God 7 Comments
Find Joy And Peace By Putting God First

What was your last thought before you went to bed last night? Did you go to sleep with worry, stress, or fear? What was your first thought when you woke up this morning? Did you wake up with the same or similar feelings? So many things fight for attention and priority in our lives, but no matter what, we must find joy and peace by putting God first. God does not want us to live with fear, stress, and regret but to live joyfully. Putting God first means we allow God into every area of our life, and we trust Him to handle everything.

Find-Joy-and-Peace-By-Putting-God-First

Unfortunately, when we think of putting God first, we immediately consider the tasks we should do. For example, we may think of praying, attending church, reading the Bible, fasting, or giving. We must deal with our thoughts before our actions can get in line. We must evaluate what takes up our headspace and determine if God is first there.

Live Joyfuly

We must ask ourselves what or who is consuming our thoughts and actions. If we are not waking up with joy and peace, we may have some things out of order. When God is first, everything else falls in line perfectly. Not putting God first is like skipping the first buttonhole on our shirt, and everything is out of order. A genuine relationship with God begins with our belief in who God is and where He fits in our lives. If God is the most important to us, we will live praying, loving, believing, and trusting Him, leading to peace and joy.

Make a Decision To Put God First

Every day, we decide to respond to life’s circumstances according to God’s Word or rely on something or someone else. As we deal with life’s ups and downs, we must decide whether to depend on ourselves, our feelings and strength, or God’s commands and promises. We must also determine the most important: our fleshly desires and comfort or God’s Kingdom purposes and plans.

We must be careful because anything that is above God in our lives is an idol. We must be careful not to let anything become more important or more of a priority than our relationship with God and His purpose and plans for our lives. Nothing can be allowed to consume more time in our minds or actions than God, including:

  1. People
  2. Emotions
  3. Possessions
  4. Addictions

Put God Before People

The first commandment reminds us to put God first (Deuteronomy 5:7 ESV). We should love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds (Mark 12:30). God also wants us to love others, starting with our spouse, kids, and parents. We reap spiritual benefits for generations when we love our family as God has commanded. In addition to our family, we are called to love other people, but no one comes before God. Everything and everyone in our lives must come second as we put God first. When problems arise with people, we must pray for them and trust God to intervene.

Put God Before Emotions

When we serve God wholeheartedly and put Him first, our soul prospers, and our joy and peace increase. Our emotions cannot be trusted, and we must be careful not to let them rule our actions or take up more headspace than they ought. Our relationship with God and obedience to His Word must not rest on our feelings or emotions.

If the enemy thinks that He can control us by messing with our emotional responses, then that is where He will aim. The Bible warns that we must go through seasons, but no matter what, we run to God and keep Him first. There will be times of joy and pain. When we are happy, we should praise God; when we’re sorrowful, we should pray to God.

Ecclesiates 3:4 ESV

When we put God first, we trust that God will take care of us (Joshua 1:9). Instead of panicking and withdrawing, we give all of our worries to God, and we face our trials and tribulations with bold confidence in Him (Ephesians 3:12). We do this by casting all of our cares upon Him in prayer, asking, and believing with faith that He will handle our situations. Even when it looks complicated, and we can not see our way out of trouble, we must believe God has a plan. We must look at whatever is causing us emotional pain and consider it a mountain that is not too big for God to handle. We can not let the problem be more prominent in our lives than our God.

Put God Before Possessions

When I was younger, I wanted to live with a big house, a maid, fast cars, and a big yard. Nothing is wrong with having hopes, dreams, and desires, but God wants to be first. If our desire to have something takes us away from the pursuit of having a stable relationship with God, there is a problem, and our priorities are out of order.

Seek God First Matthew-6-33 KJV

God knows what is best for us, and we must trust Him to bless us in a way that will be good for us and bring Him glory. I know now that the maid would have made me lazy, fast cars would have led to reckless driving, and the big house may have caused prideful living. We must understand that God desires to give good gifts.

Our possessions cannot become idols or stumbling blocks in our lives. God wants us to seek Him first and be willing to be content without earthly treasures. We should never be so determined to get something in this life that negatively impacts our relationship with God.

Psalm 37-4-5 KJV

Put God Before Addictions

As Christians, we should be free and not bound to anything, but sometimes, we have habits or addictions that control us. We can not allow any substance or behavior to enslave us, master us, or dictate our thoughts and actions. Whenever we allow something to draw us into repetitive behavior that does not bring glory to God, we must ask God to help. The problem with addictions is that they consume us and become idols in our lives. When we turn to addictions rather than God, we are not putting Him first.

Put God before flesh|Galations-5-16 ESV

God wants us to run to him at all times, but sometimes people mistakenly run away from God and toward an addictive behavior or substance when dealing with stress. Addiction satisfies the flesh, but God calls us to set our minds on the things above. God can deliver, heal, and restore us, but we must be willing to ask for His help and work through becoming free.

God can offer instant freedom from addictions, but often, we must break free by trusting Him daily and step by step. God wants to give us a new life free from all the chains that bind us, but we must allow Him.

A Prayer Find Joy And Peace By Putting God First

When we put God first, everything else falls in line correctly. Sometimes, we carry stress, fear, and regret when God wants to give us peace and joy. It is far better to allow God and His love, mercy, and promises to have center stage. Let’s pray and ask God to help us put Him first so that we receive His peace and joy in our lives.

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What It Means To Fully Surrender To God

Posted by Live Joyfully, Surrender To God 2 Comments
What It Means To Fully Surrender To God

I would like to humbly share a little about my journey this week because it illustrates my point. I hope that my testimony and authenticity are a blessing to someone else. Would you please allow me to reintroduce myself? I am Dr. Krystal R. Simpson, a child of God, a work in progress, a mom, a wife, a long-time Avon lady, an author, and a teacher. As an occupation, I work in a school as a speech-language pathologist, meaning I teach children with speech and language difficulties.

What It means to fully surrender to God

I felt inspired to return to school to earn my doctorate a few years ago. I thought that I was going back to school to begin teaching the younger Speech-Language Pathologists. I imagined that I would apply to work at a university as a professor or clinical supervisor, but God had other plans.

After finishing my degree, I played around on the computer one day and stumbled across a marketer who sold a course I could participate in online. The course promised to teach me how to build a website. I paid for the course and planned to build a website for network marketing. As I tried to build that site, I could not create anything that made sense. Nothing was working.

I can not adequately explain it, but I felt that God led me to abandon my ideas for the website by putting Him first and creating a website that would teach others about Him. Everything the course showed how to do suddenly made sense when I was obedient, and I started the website. I wish that I could tell you that it was an instant success, but the truth that God is leading me to share is that I was reluctant to share the blog posts. I wrote, but I did not publish the material. Everything remained in draft mode for months.

One evening, a friend who lives far away called, and I shared with her that I had created a blog. There was a post on the site that I thought would help her. When she asked for the URL, I shared it with her. From then on, I knew she would not see subsequent posts if I did not publish them. God used my friend to help me get over my reluctance.

After graduating with my degree, I applied for new jobs but did not even get a phone interview. Initially, I was discouraged because nothing was going as planned or meeting my expectations. Then suddenly, COVID-19 came, and I realized that changing jobs would have been challenging. I can better see that God had a plan, and I am thankful.

Benefits of Surrendering To God

There are benefits to surrendering to God and His plan for our lives. It is often difficult to understand God’s heart and why He would want to use broken people to partner with Him for Kingdom purposes. All we know is that God is not human, and His grace and goodness are beyond our explanations.

God has a plan, it is a good plan, and we are all part of it (Jeremiah 29:11). God wants us to live passionate, abundant lives that bear fruit of eternal value. We shouldn’t live a life whose impact only lasts for this life. God has called us to share His heart with the world in His grace and love. If we allow it, He will use us to multiply His love and grace to others.

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

Obedience and Surrender To God

Our God is intentional. Although some things seem to happen out of the blue, God is not random and always has a plan. His plans are for our benefit and others. He invites us to partner with Him for the Kingdom, but we must accept the invitation. God is looking for obedience as we surrender. We will not feel adequate regardless of what God calls us to do. We aren’t qualified, but we should strive to be willing vessels. Our obedience and surrender to God is a step of faith; we trust Him.

Think back to Moses in Exodus 3, when God tells Moses he will lead the Israelites out of bondage to Pharoah in Egypt. Moses felt unqualified and even questioned God. God did not get angry but lovingly replied to Moses and helped him through his reluctance.

Esodus 3:11 NIV

In another story from the Bible, God called Jeremiah to become a prophet. At first, Jeremiah’s initial reaction was to tell God that he did not know how to speak and was too young for the task. However, God was able to help both Moses and Jeremiah understand what they were supposed to do. More importantly, God supported them through their reluctance to fulfill their destiny and Kingdom purpose. God used them despite their initial feelings of inadequacy because they were willing to be obedient and surrender to His will.

Total Surrender To God

When we ask God to use us in the Kingdom, we usually want to help God choose how to use us. We typically wish to have a simple assignment. We want the one that is only “one day a week or just a few hours” kind of ministry. God wants us to permit Him to do what He knows is best for us. Giving God our total surrender allows Him to exchange our plans for His.

Surrender all

The world tells us to map out our future, plan, and grind it out to make it happen. It is not easy to give control away, but that is what God asks. He wants us to trust Him and surrender to His will and way. If we agree, God will equip us, lead us, and multiply our efforts. He promises that He will give us abundant life. For some, the problem is that we think that we have an abundant life now. We would instead hold tightly to what we have rather than trust what is unknown. The bottom line is that we must be willing to be obedient even when we feel reluctant.

The enemy uses fear to cause us to become reluctant to surrender to God. We must be aware of his schemes. First of all, the enemy causes us to fear our failures, ineptness, and lack. Secondly, He also tries to make us scared of what God would ask of us. He wants us to fear that God will ask something too hard, cost everything, or be unenjoyable. We combat these thoughts by remembering that God is a good Father, and He wishes to bless His children.

Luke 12:32 ESV

The Power of Surrendering To God

As I write new blog posts, I have been growing more comfortable publishing posts and prayers each week, but God keeps nudging me. God wants to perfect us, which requires our faith, trust, and constant surrendering of our will. God knows that it is not easy, and He will help us understand when we ask. In our humility, we will often feel and sound like Moses as we pray and ask God, who am I?

Allow me to share the answer that God gave me today. Today, my answer came from a preacher who reminded me that when I surrender my will, I am in Jesus, and His Spirit lives in me. In this way, I am like a piece of paper folded up and nestled safely in the Bible, which is the Word of God. As long as I am in the Word (Jesus), what is seen is not me but God and His all-powerful word. In other words, it is not about who I am but where I am and who is in me. God lovingly reminded me that I am hidden, but there is power in my place in Jesus Christ.

Life Is Hidden with Christ In God

God showed me the power of His multiplication. He will multiply everything that we are willing to do for Him. For instance, He showed me how one blog post or prayer received hundreds of thousands of views worldwide in one month.

Like any multiplication problem, God reminded me that we get zero if we multiply anything by 0. God showed me that although there were people who His Word and messages could bless if we let fear and reluctance control us, we would be multiplying His powerful potential by zero.

We must understand the power of surrender in our own lives. Obedience yields an increase of good fruit in God’s hands. We are all different and have a God-given ministry or sphere of influence. Never downplay that. Sometimes, we may see our sphere of influence as small, but it becomes exponential when God multiplies our reach with His power.

A Surrender To God Prayer

Every encounter with the children and staff at school, my immediate and remote relatives, my church family, and every person I meet represents an opportunity to spread God’s love. The same is true for you.

Your life is also multifaceted. Like me, I know that you wear many hats. No matter how you introduce yourself, if in your heart you also say, “I am a child of God,” then you have a purpose, plan, and sphere to influence. God wants to live in and through you, each of us, to affect those around us. Too often, we think that God only uses certain people. He wants to work through His people. The question is, will you surrender and be obedient? Let’s ask God in prayer to help us.

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What To Do When We Are Guilty As Charged

Posted by Live Joyfully, Forgiveness and Salvation 2 Comments
What To Do When We Are Guilty As Charged

How do we handle being guilty? I believe that God gave me this topic to write about this week because He wants us to understand His view of this critical concept.

What to do when we are guilty as charged

First of all, what is guilt? Dictionary.com explains that guilt occurs when we commit an offense, crime, violation, or wrong, especially against moral or penal law. Additionally, guilt is a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc., whether real or imagined. 

So, in essence, we can be guilty and feel guilty. We will deal with both in this post, but let’s ensure we understand that this post is for everyone. The Bible tells us that we all make mistakes and sin, so we have all been and felt guilty. Only one lived on Earth without sin, and that is our Savior, Jesus Christ. God wants us to know what to do when we’re guilty as charged. 

Romans 3:23 KJV

The Bible contains stories to help illustrate what God wants from us. We can use a familiar story of David and Bathsheba, which is found in 2 Samuel chapters 11 through 12, to demonstrate guilt. In this story, David wrongfully sleeps with Uriah’s wife, and she becomes pregnant. Uriah is a soldier fighting in battle, so David sends for him, hoping that he will spend time with his wife, but Uriah is too committed to the fight and doesn’t go home. Next, David resorts to sending Uriah into battle and placing him on the front line, where Uriah dies. After Uriah’s death, David marries Bathsheba, and the prophet Nathan visits David because what David did displeased God.

When the prophet visits, he tells David a story about a rich man who took a poor man’s only lamb. In hearing the story, David did not initially realize the prophet talked about him taking Uriah’s wife. When the prophet told David that he was the rich man in the story, David admitted that he was guilty of sin against God and repented.

The Wrong Way To Handle Being Guilty

John 3:17 KJV

Unfortunately, the enemy will try to convince us to deal with guilt wrongfully. The enemy does not want us to confess or repent. He wants to condemn us and prevent us from finding forgiveness, grace, or mercy. The enemy wants our guilt to separate us from God, but God wants to forgive us and help us do better. We must watch out for the three ways that the enemy wants us to deal with guilt wrongfully:

  • by lying
  • by letting someone else take the blame
  • by excusing the wrongdoing

Don’t Deal With Being Guilty By Lying

As parents, when our children make mistakes, we watch how they handle guilt and realize that we all have an innate desire to deal with guilt incorrectly. Sometimes, our children choose to deal with wrongdoings by lying, but I think we have all been guilty of lying.

Even when we feel terrible about what we have done, we may hide behind a lie and deny our guilt rather than confess our wrongdoings. Similarly, sometimes we may admit our wrong, but we may lie about whether we knew it was wrong.

Don’t Deal With Being Guilty By Letting Someone Else Take The Blame

Sometimes, we may do something wrong and allow someone else to take the blame. For example, we wrongfully do this if we break something accidentally but walk away only to let the next person deal with it. We avoid confessing our actions and unfairly try to cover up our wrongdoing, hoping that no one sees our error, but we must know that God sees all.

Walk Upright

Don’t Deal With Being Guilty By Excusing Actions.

Similar to lying, sometimes, we wrongfully deal with guilt by excusing our actions. For example, we may condone taking copy paper or supplies at our job by saying that no one will miss it since there is so much. Worse yet, we justify the wrongdoing by explaining the boss does not pay us enough anyway.

In our relationships, we may repay a wrong with a wrong and justify that the other person had it coming. Additionally, rather than confess that we have hurt someone else, we may excuse our actions by telling the other person they are just too sensitive. We must be careful when justifying our actions rather than admitting a mistake or wrong choice.

Repent and Deal with Being Guilty God’s Way

To David, God sent the prophet Nathan to convict him by bringing the mistake to his attention. Feelings of guilt or conviction help us to become aware of our mistakes. These feelings are not to hurt us but to alert us that we must rectify our wrongdoing. It’s not God’s purpose to condemn us; he desires to take away our sins, to keep us from sin, and to save us through Jesus Christ. When we realize that we have done something wrong, we should be quick to ask for forgiveness and repent as David did.

1 John 1:18 KJV

The first thing we must do to deal with guilt in God’s way is to confess that sometimes we make mistakes. Our Heavenly Father loves us, and he will allow us to be convicted of our sins so that we can repent. He wants to forgive us, but we must be willing to admit and confess our faults. If we could live this life without making mistakes, we would not need a Savior. God knows we can’t live this life correctly without sin, so He sent Jesus. We must trust and allow Him to help us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

Christians do not have to live this life trying to convince others that we are innocent. We must live this life forgiven. We strive to do the right thing but must be humble enough to be convicted and corrected when mistakes occur. When we feel convicted of wrongdoing, we need to activate our faith and believe through confession, repentance, and forgiveness that the blood of Jesus washes us clean and helps us do better.

A Prayer To Help Us Deal With Guilt God’s Way

Sometimes, our errors have consequences, but God is faithful to forgive and restore those who repent. The first child born to David and Bathsheba died, but God was faithful in allowing David to have another son, Solomon, who was blessed to be the wisest king ever to live. No matter what we have done, God promises that nothing can separate us from His love. His forgiveness and help await all those who ask. Let’s pray to ask God to help us deal with guilt His way.

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7 Steps To Lasting Change As A Christian

Posted by Live Joyfully, Christian Living 7 Comments
7 Steps To Lasting Change As A Christian

No one likes to change. When we think about change, certain sayings come to mind: “Rome wasn’t built in a day” or “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” These sayings are not very encouraging. Remember, lasting change is a process, not an event. It takes time, effort, and perseverance. But if you are willing to work, God will help you make lasting changes.

7 Steps To Lasting Change as a Christian Title

As Christians, God wants to make us more like Jesus, but the enemy wants us to believe it is too hard. How does change happen? It requires more than just the motivation to do something differently. There are seven steps to creating a lasting change as a Christian.

Step 1: Change Your Prayer

Whether we want to change a bad habit, like breaking an addiction, or creating a healthier lifestyle, like getting in shape, we should start everything with prayer as Christians. Perhaps we may feel as if we have prayed before, and if that is the case, we may need to look very carefully at our prayers. Sometimes, we pray a half-hearted prayer. Our Heavenly Father knows our hearts, and He waits until we turn to Him with sincere devotion.

But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

2 Chronicles 15:4 KJV

Sincere, authentic, heartfelt prayer only occurs after we exhaust our ability and come to God humbly, understanding that He is our only answer. When we reach this point, we admit to God that we are powerless without Him and begin praying from a different place. Sometimes, we must reach a breaking point and line up our desires with Kingdom purposes. 

Step 2: Change Your Thoughts

How we think of a situation will guide our actions. Our thoughts are significant, so we must get our minds in line with God before we can create lasting change in our lives. For example, if we think our bad habit is not a big deal, we will justify it rather than condemn it. If our thoughts are not right, we may continue to make allowances for sin, and we will not be adequately motivated to create lasting change.

Romans 12:2 KJV

The Bible tells us to renew our minds and transform our thinking. We must stop judging our thoughts and actions by society’s view of right and wrong and align our ideas with God’s Word. In other words, we must bring our beliefs and acts in line with how Christ would see them. To view our deeds as Christ will cause us to quit excusing, rationalizing, and justifying our actions and makes us willing to follow God’s path to deliverance and healing.

Before becoming Christians, we lived our lives doing whatever felt good, or we thought was okay, but we should strive to live our lives differently as Christians. Through the Holy Spirit, we gain the mind of Christ, and we learn to think about what Jesus would do in each situation.

Step 3: Change Your Spiritual Diet

To make lasting life changes, we must change our spiritual diet and consume a “faith-filled diet.” We must focus on activities that build our faith and avoid those that do not. Praying, fasting, reading our Bible, attending church, and singing praises to God are all activities we should be consuming and partaking in.

Faith Building Activities for lasting change

As we get closer to God, we gain strength and faith, but if we surround ourselves with negative people and actions that do not bring glory to God, we can begin to go backward. The enemy will attempt to convince us to stay where we are. He will make sin seem alluring as he wants to inhibit our change.

To end bad habits, we must be careful about who and where we spend our time. We must strive to feed hope and faith and starve negativity and feelings of hopelessness.

Step 4: Change Your Commitment

When we are ready to make lasting changes, we can not just hope and believe that change will come; we must act in faith. God will open the door to allow us to make lasting changes, but it will usually require action from us. We all have separate journeys, and we must pay attention to how God sends our deliverance and obey God’s instruction.

Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.

Proverbs 4:13 NIV

We have to commit to action if we want lasting changes. God will help us eliminate procrastination and excuses as long as we start and become intentional in our quest for change. God may encourage us to go to a treatment center, start a cessation program, join a gym, join a support group, or quit something cold turkey. God may show us how to achieve our goals by sending someone to help us, but we will typically have to do our part as He helps.

Step 5: Change How You Fail

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we slip. The enemy wants us to fail and then quit trying to succeed, but God wants to send grace and forgiveness. We must change the way we die. Rather than make a mistake and give up trying, we must see failure as an opportunity to ask God for more help.

1 John 1:9 KJV

God wants us to repent and try again. We must be willing to keep trying by becoming relentless and determined to see lasting change. As we sincerely ask for forgiveness, our Father will be faithful in forgiving and helping us when we pray.

Step 6: Change Your Ability To See The Enemy’s Tricks

When we are on the right track, and because we are so close to our breakthrough, the enemy will cause us to lose focus. We must be able to see temptation before it causes us an issue. The enemy will do anything to throw us off track, so we must be ready by clinging to our faith.

The enemy has many tricks, but he tries to tempt us to go backward by making us lose focus on why we want to change. He tries to convince us not to create lasting change by showing us someone who seems worse in our eyes so that we may return to seeing our sins or issues as “not so bad.”

Looking around at others to compare ourselves to others can lead to us becoming judgmental, and God does not want us to do that. The enemy will cause us to notice others’ flaws while we ignore our weaknesses (Matthew 7:1-5 KJV). We have to resist focusing on anyone else but ourselves. The only one we want to be like is Jesus.

Proverbs 4:25 ESV

The enemy may also try to tempt us to return to a bad situation by convincing us that we are strong enough to handle the temptation. He will tell us things like “just once” or “just a little.” The enemy wants us to feel that we no longer need God’s help and to handle things independently. We must be careful and watchful.

Step 7: Change Your Ability to Wait

Psalm 130:5 ESV

Lasting change takes time. Living a Christian life, we strive to become more like Jesus. We must expect that making a lasting change will take time. We go from glory to glory, meaning we continue to grow in God, and this transformation is not instant. We must never stop becoming more like Jesus. The Christian life is a journey that will take a lifetime to master. We must be willing to grow, change, and yield to God’s plan and purpose.

A Prayer To Make A Lasting Change

Lasting change starts with prayer and ends with patience. Change is possible with faith regardless of the giant or issues we face. The process may not be simple and requires us to become determined, relentless, and committed. Let’s pray together.

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What To Do When You Are Reaching Your Breaking Point

Posted by Live Joyfully, How To Pray 7 Comments
What To Do When You Are Reaching Your Breaking Point

I prayed about what to blog about this week and kept hearing the words “Breaking Point.” I believe that God is trying to tell us to hold on despite feeling like we have reached a breaking point. Perhaps God wants us to see how He uses breaking points so that we learn not to become fearful or stressed. I pray that the words in this blog post are a blessing and that God will use my fingers to type the message He wants us to hear.

What To Do When Reaching A Breaking Point

Reaching a breaking point sounds like a negative state of affairs, as these words cause us to think of being at the end of our rope with our backs against the wall or distraught. Even though the words paint the picture of hopelessness, our faith as Christians reminds us that no matter what situations we face, our God is in control, and He’s a good God.

Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants to protect, provide, and prepare the way for all of his children. When God created us before He formed us in our mother’s belly, He planned for us just as He did for Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5). No matter what we see happening in this world; we must remember who our God is and take comfort in his ability to get us to our destiny.

I am convinced that we may not ever understand all of the reasons why things happen on Earth. The Bible warns us that God’s thoughts and ways are above ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). God knows everything and can work everything together in ways that only make my head spin thinking about it all.

Isaiah 55:9 KJV

If we use examples in the Bible, we can see that sometimes “breaking point” situations help get us right where God wants us. We may get “good and tired” or “reach our wit’s end” before we seek God. Unfortunately, sometimes change won’t come from a gentle “nudge” but instead requires the cumulative effect of many situations or sustained pressures.

Reaching A Breaking Point – A Cumulative Effect

The Bible is full of stories about breaking points. Do you remember all the plagues God sent to the Egyptians as He told Moses to tell Pharoah to let the Israelites go free? The Book of Exodus explains that there were ten plagues. The plagues that afflicted the Egyptians were water turning to blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock killed, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death of the firstborn.

Each time a plague came, Pharoah refused to let the people go until the last one when his firstborn son died. That was Pharaoh’s breaking point. Pharoah should have allowed the Israelites to go before then, but perhaps it took the cumulative effect of each plague to bring about the desired end. Ultimately, Pharoah’s breaking point offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the children of Israel to walk out of captivity.

Reaching A Breaking Point – Sustained Pressure

Another story in the Bible used to highlight the “breaking point” occurs in 1 Samuel. In this story, Hannah is one of Elkanah’s two wives. The Bible tells us that the other wife, Penninah, had children, and she provoked Hannah because she had no children. Every year, the family made a trip to worship and sacrifice. Hannah was so upset during this specific trip that she could not eat. The Bible clarifies that this was a yearly trip, so we can assume that Hannah reached a place where she was ready to see change on this visit.

As the story continues, Hannah goes to the temple to pray. She prayed a “pour it all out” sort of prayer. I can picture that Hannah probably didn’t care what her sobbing and sniffling looked like to anyone. Hannah just needed to have a moment with God. The Bible states that Hannah was so upset that she wept bitterly. Hannah prayed so hard that the Prophet, who saw her praying, thought she was drunk.

As she prayed, she vowed a vow. She asked God for a son and promised that if He blessed her with a son, she would return the child to God.

And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

1 Samuel 1: 11 ESV

Hannah asked God for a son in this prayer and vowed to raise him for the Lord. As I look at the story, I believe that as Hannah reached a breaking point, she prayed and was able to bring her desires in line with God’s will. Perhaps at one time, she wanted lots of children. Maybe she even wanted to have a child to hush Penninah, but in prayer, she found a way to honor God with her request.

I want what God wants

Many of us can identify with wanting God to bless us and not wanting to be uncomfortable. No one wants to be the exception. If everyone else has children, we also want them. If everyone is married, we think we want the same. God is not as interested in helping us keep up with everyone else. God wants us to impact the Kingdom for His glory. Hannah was ready for a blessing because she was willing to pray to God for what she wanted by aligning her request and desire to have a son with a Kingdom purpose.

Reaching a Breaking Point In Everyday Life

In our everyday lives, we may go through many difficulties. For example, when we want to build a business, we may find ourselves struggling and working overtime, but it may seem that nothing is going right. Perhaps we go back to school, and there is one class that seems too complicated and makes us want to quit. Another example can be when raising a challenging child or going through a tough time in a marriage. These situations can feel overwhelming, but we need to see them as an opportunity to remember to keep God in our plans.

No matter what we go through, our response is always to pray first. Most of us pray to God only after we feel a cumulative effect of difficulties or sustained pressures. Sometimes, the first or second “plague” doesn’t fully get our attention, or the first injustice goes unnoticed.

When reaching a breaking point always Pray First

We need to be quick to pray, and we should pray often. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing and to pray about everything. Besides praying about what we want, we need to consider, like Hannah, how what we desire could benefit God’s Kingdom. Imagine what would happen if we prayed to God and vowed to use the new business or completed degree for God’s glory to help our community meaningfully. What if we promised God we would share our testimony and help someone else? Is it possible that we can start lining up our dreams and hopes with a Kingdom purpose? Of course, we need to mean and keep our promises.

Imagine how different things could be if we addressed concerns before reaching our breaking point. We should have consistent prayer lives and not allow situations to compound. We should speak to God about every plague and injustice, but we should also talk to Him about every victory, giving God glory and honor. 

A Prayer When We Have Reached a Breaking Point

When reaching a breaking point, it affects our health and well-being. It is common to stop eating right and isolate ourselves. In those moments, it is best to spend alone time in prayer to God. We must be careful not to be alone with negative thoughts as this can let the enemy step in, but instead, we should get quiet in the presence of God. We serve a mighty God, and no problem is too difficult for Him. Let’s agree with God’s will for our lives and look for ways to benefit God’s Kingdom with our talents, gifts, and dreams as we pray.

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A prayer when reaching a breaking point

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What To Do When Trouble Comes

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What To Do When Trouble Comes

If we live long enough, we will have our share of difficulties in this life. Grief, pain, broken relationships, sickness, and persecution are all examples of the problems that we can face. These trials are a part of the human experience. Jesus warns us, “In this world, you will have troubles” (John 16:33 NIV). Since it is not a question of “IF” but “WHEN” the difficulties will come, we must prepare and know what to do when trouble comes.

What to do when trouble comes

There are many examples of trials and trouble in the Bible. A crisis can affect a country, a family, or an individual. Some difficulties hurt many people; for example, David and his men lost their wives and children because they were captured in a raid at Ziklag by a people called the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:1-6 KJV). Some troubles only affect individuals and their families, like Job, who suffered when he lost everything (Job 1:13-22 NKJV).

As I’m writing this, some individuals in my neighborhood are experiencing grief and mourning the loss of their mother, who was a prominent figure in the community. Meanwhile, others are finding it difficult to cope with the rising prices of gas and groceries. It seems like many people are struggling with various issues, and I believe God is concerned about all of us.

Psalm 121:1-2 KJV

Jesus Taught Us What To Do When Trouble Comes

When Jesus went to the cross, the Bible says that he knew what he must do, but it caused agony, so much that he sweat tears of blood. The previously written prophecy stated that the Messiah would be beaten and crucified. Jesus knew all that would happen, which was troubling, so what did He do? He prayed and trusted God.

And he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

Mark 14:33-35 ESV

Jesus asked others to keep watch but ultimately had to pray alone. When Jesus prayed, he asked God to help. After asking in prayer, Jesus surrendered to the will of God in obedience and trust. He willingly endured being beaten and killed, knowing that the pain of the cross would bring us the joy of salvation.

Mark 14:36 ESV

As we look at the prayer that Jesus prayed, we see that Jesus acknowledges that God could remove the trouble because He states, “All things are possible for You.” Jesus’ words show that He is confident in God’s ability. He asks God to take the trouble away; perhaps he wishes there was another way. Finally, His “nevertheless” demonstrates that He surrenders to God’s method and will; even though it would not be easy, He trusted God.

Believe, Pray,, Trust

Trouble Will Come, Nevertheless

We will have trouble in this world. There will be times when we lose a loved one, and grief feels unbearable. Sometimes, we or someone we love has to fight sickness, which feels unfair. Other times, we may even step right into a pit of our own making and suffer the consequences of our mess. (I can hear my mom say something like, “You made your bed hard, and now you gotta lie in it.”) The beauty is that God promises to be with us no matter where we are. We will never be too far from his reach. He will help if we call on Him in our times of trouble.

Troubles come and go. Hopefully, as we overcome our difficulties, we grow closer to God and learn to trust Him more. It may be hard to have strength in times of trouble, but if we can only muster the faith to say, “God help me,” He will come to our side. He can and will assist us through our troubles.

Each time we go through problems, we have an opportunity to know God in a new and more profound way. God reminds us that as His children, we will never go through anything that He has not prepared a means of escape.

Scripture about temptation 1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV

We must remember that this world is a product of sin. Because of sin, there will be troubles. Being a Christian does not exempt us from sadness or unwelcome pain. We can only take heart that God promises to be there with us. He will walk with us in the valley (Psalm 23). He will comfort us in our time of grief, and one day, He will take us home to a place without sadness.

Until God takes us home to live with him, He does not want us to be troubled but wants us to trust his ability to provide for us. We may go through troubles, but God wants us to have peace and not fear. No matter our difficulties, our response should be the same as Jesus’ at the cross. We should pray and ask God to help by acknowledging that God has the power and ability to change all situations. Lastly, we must be willing to accept God’s will as our own and trust His method. We must say what Jesus said, which is “Nevertheless.”

What does the Bible say about trouble

A Prayer to Deal With Trouble

When trouble comes, it sometimes feels like it catches us off guard. No matter what the situation, our first response should be to take our burdens to God in prayer. Our heavenly Father specializes in answering prayers. He can remove our troubles, but sometimes, He only strengthens us to help us make it through. When we come out on the other side, we must remember to thank God. Trouble will come and go as a cycle as we grow and continue to live this life. There will always be ups and downs on this side of Heaven. Let’s pray together for God’s help today.

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A Prayer to deal with Trouble

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