CAST ALL YOUR CARES UPON HIM

Good Saturday morning! I can't wait for the warmth to hit today. What a beautiful day it's going to be!  Set your mind to say you are going to have a great day today despite anything that comes your way and you are not going to worry, but cast all your cares upon Him. Just want to share some things that I think can help you today and deliver you in your mind.

In I Peter 5:6-7, it says "Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation ] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties] all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all ] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully."

It is very important that we as Christians, learn to humble ourselves and cast our care upon the Lord. God wants to lay all of our concerns at the foot of the cross, when He so clearly has told us in His Word to do exactly that. The word casting means to throw, hurl, arise, send, strike, thrust, drive out or expell. All of these meanings are rather forceful terms, wouldn't you say? God considers worry or care a sin. We have to become spiritually violent about casting our care upon the Lord and abiding in His secret place. There have been several times in my life when I have been burdened with guilt and worry and anxiety. It eats away at you. I knew at that time mentally and spiritually that I had been made the righteousness of God in Christ because of what He had done for me at the cross, but I still had a hard time accepting it and living it out.

The devil has come to steal, kill and destroy. He loves to attack our feelings and make us feel guilty about the past. We cannot allow it!! We have to repeat over and over, "I have been made righteous and I won't believe your lies, Satan! I will not carry that care anymore! I am casting it upon the Lord."  We have to become angry enough to rise up against all of the devil's schemes, powers and wickedness and start enjoying all the blessings God has for us!! We can't enjoy all of these blessings if we're constantly worrying and feeling angry inside and letting the devil win! It will hinder us from the joy, peace and rest that the Lord wants us to have.

Paul captured this and wrote to the Corinthians saying: "But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ may rest upon me!" - 2 Cor. 12:9


Be encouraged today in knowing that God can deliver you and set you free! We need to humble ourselves and then throw off the cares and worries of the devil! Be happy today!! Be worry-free!!

Have a great day!!

Jenny Mushegan

Think and Become Like Him: Empty Yourself

Good morning! The great thing about today is we can start with a clean slate and a fresh start. We can think positive today, be a difference in someone's life today, be an example today, help someone out and be kind today and most importantly, we can think and become more like Jesus today.

As Christians, we need to be learning to think and become like Jesus every day. How do we do that? Well...how do you get to know someone better? How do you get to know your spouse or your best friend better? Well, first off you spend a lot of time with them. If you're really interested, you want to know a lot about their life. That's how we should be with Jesus. The only way we're going to get to know Him better is to spend a lot of time with Him...talk to Him! We do that by reading his life, putting ourself next to Him, seeing people the way He sees them. That's a big one! Think the way He thinks. . .

You're probably asking, "How can I think the way Jesus thinks?"  Well for one, Jesus emptied Himself. To empty oneself is to seek to do God's will at ALL costs. This is what Jesus did. He became a servant and obeyed God even to the point of death on a cross. By emptying Himself, he encouraged and provided for relationship with God. Emptying is recognizing what you have and giving it up for another. We, as Christians, need to take a lower position to serve one another. That will enable us to have a deeper relationship.

In Philippians 2, it says to Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but did not think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!  It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death--- and the worst kind of death at that---a crucifixion. And because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever.

In 1 Peter 4 it tells us simply that Jesus went through everything we're going through and more. So we need to think more like Him. Think of your sufferings as weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being dominated by what you want.

1 Peter 4:3-5 is a heavy scripture, said very plain and simple in the Message Bible. "You've already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it's time to be done with it for good. Of course, your old friends don't understand why you don't join in with the old gang anymore. But you don't have to give an account to them. They are the ones who will be called on the carpet---and before God himself!!" If your close friends and family don't want to make the same steps you are and begin to live the new life you are, that's okay. Do it any way. You make that first step. You'll be surprised who follows.

I encourage you today to change your mindset and put your time in for something that matters, and that's Jesus Christ! Learn to think like Him and you will see your life do a complete 360.


Jenny Mushegan

You are More than a Conqueror!

Good Saturday Morning!! I woke up this morning with a friend heavily on my heart, someone who has been battling depression and anxiety, with it attacking every area of their life. I am reminded of the scripture in Psalm 91 that speaks about God being our refuge and our deliverer. I'd like to share with you a few verses in that chapter from The Message Bible. Say this: "God, you are my refuge. I trust in you and I am safe!"  That's right- He rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you- under them you're perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing- not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succcumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even gaze you. You'll stand untouched (my favorite part) , watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God's your refuge, the High God your very own home. Evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through your door. He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they'll catch you, their job is to keep you from falling."   Now if that doesn't encourage you???

People tend to say that nothing can heal them; that their problem is too big...not even medicine can help their problem. But God says to us that if we hold on for dear life, He will get us out of trouble. He will give us the best care, if only we'll get to know Him and trust Him. He then tells us in verse 16 of chapter 91 that if we call, He'll answer and be at our side in bad times; He'll rescue us and give us a long life. That's the promise that I'm holding onto. What an amazing promise that is!!

We've been made more than conquerors, overcomers in this life! Some people believe the only way to victory is to somehow avoid having problems! Real victory I believe is not being problem-free. True victory comes when there is still peace in our soul right in the midst of a huge storm and when tragedy is striking and opposition is coming at us in every direction! When everything is raging around us, we can say "It is well with my soul." This can only happen when we are looking and trusting in Jesus for all our answers to all of our problems, not man, medicine or our big circumstances.

The key to having victory is understanding there is a God who is bigger than all of this mess, who loves us and who wants to deliver us.  If you are facing problems today that seem absolutely unconquerable, remember you and I are conquerors through Him and only Him. Allow God to strengthen your inner man and know that when you are strong inside, you can defeat ANYTHING that comes against you.

I hear my husband say this all the time..."Be encouraged today knowing that greater is He that is in you than he that is in this world. " -1 John 4:4

God Bless-

Living An Unselfish Life

 

I wanted to share with you something on my heart today. It is about living an unselfish life every single day. It's easy for all of us to think me, myself and I...what do I want? What do I feel like? What is in it for me??  But God is calling us to live a giving life, an "unselfish life."

 

In Proverbs 11:26-27, it says "The people will curse him who withholds grain, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it." I think what that is bascially saying is that Generosity prospers a person, but stinginess impoverishes.

 

At an earlier time in my life, I was living selfishly before I finally realized that true joy comes in giving and reaching out to other people. We do not need to be fearful of losing our goods or ending up with nothing, because the Word of God is true!!

 

Trust me...you will get joyful when you begin to think about how you can bless somebody else.  Consecrate (hold in highest regard) your gift to God, saying, "Lord, I give myself to You...my life, my talents, my finances, my family, my marriage, my job." Pray today that God will bless you and make you be a blessing to others.

 

This is a shorter devotion today but it's simple..."It is more blessed to give than to receive."  See whose life you can bless today and how you can honor and respect God with your gifts.

 

 

Acts 20:35 says "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord, that HE said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

 

The scripture above refers to our time as well as our money, for by laboring like this we support those who are less fortunate.

 

 

 

God loves you! Have an awesome day!