“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NLT.
Whenever my children act out because they couldn’t get their way, I let them know, that was the wrong response. In life, there’s a right way to respond and there’s a wrong way. How do you respond to challenges, to adversity, and to change? How do you act when you can’t get your way?
Right before a speaking engagement I was told I couldn’t do something I really felt God was leading me to do. Disappointment can steal your joy and enthusiasm if you allow it. But before I allowed myself to respond in a negative way, I asked God to help me respond right and to give me His view on the situation. As He always does, He helped me. God doesn’t just want us to have a submissive heart to Him, He also wants us to have a submissive heart to each other.
God will help you. He will meet you at that point where you need Him most. He will help you have the right attitude while facing adversity. He will help you respond right when you can’t get your way.
In order to respond properly to life’s challenges, you will have to let God help you keep a right heart, a submissive attitude and a right perspective. This is what separates the girls from the women.
Prayer: Father God, I ask that you help me respond properly to the challenges I’m facing. Help me not to behave in a way that grieves you. Give me a right perspective and a submissive attitude that keeps the bigger picture in mind. Thank you Lord for growing me up in the things of you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
(Meditate on Ephesians 5:21)
Thank you lord for your words and help me to hear from you God
So absolutely true! It’s not about what happens to you but how you respond. The Bible makes it clear the difference between being led by the flesh or by the Holy Spirit. The latter paints a picture of one who has totally submitted to God while the other is still in control and has not submitted to allowing God having His way. It points to being a mature or carnal Christian. Walking in the Spirit brings that kind of peace which the mind can not comprehend. It is walking in Love, displaying Jesus’ character, bringing glory to God. It should be every Christian’s goal to display His image. Bringing glory to the One Who gave His life for us.
I didn’t grow up with love,there was a lot of” if you love me you’ll do this” I admit I do not know how to love,but I am learning to love me first, and how God wants me to be,I ask that you ladies of faith to please pray for me and my husband,I want more of Jesus and less of me, thank you for your time and prayers. Dee
Father God,
I pray for more of You, for me, Dee, and every sister who wishes to step in and be with us and King Jesus! We stand here in humility, me and Dee, and all of us here, who admit we have tried to do this our own way, and now we want to see what Your way really is about! Help us step up and stwp out! We admit we miss the mark, my Lord. We admit we need You more, my Lord! We admit that we don’t know what real love really is! I am just getting a taste of this, and it is relentlessly crazy, it is! I am swept up in a passionate love I can not explain! Nothing will ever be the same!!! This is something you don’t come back from! Those were the words of my sweet husband! He looks at me with new eyes now! But it matters not to me now!! I only care what my Lord and Savior thinks! And He says let him make his own mistakes, so I sink to my place, my Lord! You are more in me in my place of humility! Thank You, my Jesus for relentless crazy love like this!! Touch Dee in this way! The way You took my breath away and swept me off my feet! I pray that You would do that for every little girl at heart who just wants to know You and be loved by You and love You in return with all of her heart! In Jesus’ Name, make a way for hearts to melt in Your sovereign hand!!! Hallelujah!!! Ignite a desire for a love from the Lord like none other!!! We receive it!!! This love is relentless!!! It truly is!!! I shall love You forevermore until time ends where it starts and it all implodes into the final explosion of love!!! God bless me and my gifts and talents unto Your glory, my Lord Jesus! I receive Your love and acceptance unto fullness and completion in Jesus’ Name. It truly is powerful, my Lord. Some things take longer my Lord, but it is all worth it for the Glory of the LORD, my God! I love You, Jesus! I do! My phone battery is about to die! But love, life, and hope shall never die within me again! Thank You, for Your resurrecting power, my Lord! It is truly amazing! Your grace shall take me places!!! I know it will!!! In Jesus’ Name I pray and declare every promise as my own! In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.
Oh my God soin as i read ohine battery about to due a miliaecind before my battery warning came on. Criket cryatal beautifuly out as usual .. Yes I pray for same as you have and stand in agreement with you for our asiatets who want it ir need it or dontvknow they need it in jesus lovely name thankyou . i got what I needed I bid you goodnight my prescious DOTK. You hace impacted me beyond measure as my saviior has . pleaae forgive me for taking my relationships for granted including myself. And especially you Lord I truly want more of you. To kove this prescious lifre you have given me. To truly understand how prescious I am to you I love you all in Christ may you have sweet peace tonight Glory in you sleep and waking hours may he dance and visit each one in their dreams. Give them more revelation hiw prescious they really are how presciius you are. May we all be changed daily reflect his light his Glory his nature character attributtes on a greater scale than we have ever known so we can be in his presencehear his vouce take back our groubd our families chilsren churches cities and nation let your GLORY come and I thankyou ahead of time for all Ive asked and thankyou for my healing miracle i prayed and asked fir xo xo pure clean heart made whole totaly in love with my Lord and Saviir Helo me be complerly sold out for you. Youbare more than enough. You are the answer to all my prayers. may I walk in outrafeous obedience unfluence and love may I always make time for you in your presence truly know you go deeper father come Holy Spirit come my rock my anchir refuge kover of my soul my wonderful ciunsellor and friend my kivung father creator of all thinga
Bless you Dee thankyou for risk of sharing including me. Learning what love truly is and how to act it iut in adversity.that I am worth loving and not for what I do. How do I lovingly set boundaries with those stronng demanding oersonalities like mine. How do itake the stands and time I need for me. Takes the stands that I cant keep doing for you I gave value to nit just for what I do. i matter. To. i count to. How do i serve eith a servants heart when Id rather grumble complain when Id rather be doing something else. When do i get off the merry go round of busyness and truly take earned deserved time for self care selfless. Not self less. . truly be anxious about nithing casting my cares upon the Lord for his yoke. Is light rrest in him and thubgs important thingas get done. Do I inquire of the Lord what shouls I be doing getting done tbat day leave a little earlier stay a little longer. Inquire is this of you Lord . is this a goid decision Lord hiw do I act in this Lord. when do I say something when diO I Hold back timing us preecision intentional. How do I deliver this message how do i let you take over hiw do I give you the reins guve up my control. How well do I liaten ti myaelf otvers family My Lord how do I just be not do. Tall order thank God we have a grascious God who truly loves us and wants whats best for us to believe and trust what your word says what you say who you say we truly are I welcome your presence in every area
So awesome . well put. Makes it so clear. And to be submissive to each other like our spouses and children even our parents the easiest people to push my buttons. Yes how do i show them a better way. How do i not jump on the band wagon of negativity. For if I react I lose ground. The enemy wins that battle nothing resolved. Prayed through a bad storm bigger than me . almost reacted . thought it would never pass when it was over the tempest past i had total victoey. Thank God . we were able to talk honestly openly and listen and hug. Im learning to teach oeople gow to treat me. Ii want grace and mercy forgiveness kindness goidness self control i must give it. When I dobt get my own way. Do i have a temper tantrum ir pray for peace . . do i take my friends and family for granted. Ny time with God. On occasiin .do I spend qualiry time. Do I encourage theur dreams. Do I hold a grudge. When do I need to walk away even if its the other room the bathroom and pray. starts in the home start with in me christ within me
Love what keeps me.
I needed to read this today thank you God.love is what keeps me.i needed to hear this word and read it today
Thank you Father for this word and helping me to respond in the right manner. Thank you God.
Amen!
My daily prayer is Lord,help me to RESPOND and not to REACT.
Lord, help me to keep a optimistic attitude, respond the way you would have me,injn Amen
Soldier might say it, to a new way of walking.
Illustration
As a prisoner, as one who was paying a dear price for his faith, he urged others to live the life he would life, if only he were free to be among them. He urged them. He begged them. Remember when Jacob heard that Joseph was dead? Remember when Isaac heard that his mother had died? The Hebrew word that matches the word Paul used right here is the same one. It’s a word picture of people breathing deeply, gasping for breath, because the news is so urgent. Because life has changed so much. It’s an emergency of emotion … and it’s the same word Luke used to describe the way Peter preached when the Holy Spirit arrived at Pentecost … with the wind of God bearing down on the city, with miracles happening all around, Peter urged the people to pay attention … Jesus was the Messiah … you crucified him … but he loves you, and he wants you … accept him!
Paul says, nearly breathing deeply with the desperation of it all: “I urge you to walk in a way that honors Christ. I’m begging you to do this!
Ever been called to jury duty? It’s a “summons,” or an invitation to participate in the judicial process of your country. However, this invitation, this “calling,” isn’t really an invitation that leaves an option of whether or not to attend. If you know a good “calling” when you see it, you’ll show up for jury duty! That’s the exact concept Paul used when he asked his church in Ephesus to live a life worthy of their calling. It’s an invitation to participate in the Christian lifestyle, but it’s not an invitation that provides an opportunity for us to decline. God expects us to walk – or live – in a Christ-honoring way the same way a judge expects you to show up when he or she “invites” you to court!
But before we consider how we might live in 2016 we can’t miss a foundational point of the Bible’s message of how we come to be included in this invitation to walk a certain way.
I. The way you live has nothing to do with the way you were saved
Ephesians 2:8-10 – For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation – created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.
Paul is always careful to remind us that we’re saved by grace, and by no other means. You can’t avoid enough sins, bake enough pies, make enough hospital visits, read enough Bible, or give enough money to be saved. Just can’t. You can’t “walk in a way that honors God” and hope that’ll be enough to walk your way into heaven. If we haven’t accepted the gift of grace, there will be no grace at all.
Christmas gift. It’s easy, it’s wonderful, and it’s common.
But that is the point. Receiving the gift of salvation, receiving the ultimate Christmas gift is easy, it’s wonderful, and it’s even common. Millions and millions of people believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior.
But there’s as big a step between receiving Christ and living a life that’s worthy of that gift as there is in receiving an MP3 player and actually figuring out how the thing works. A person with a personal computer who takes the time to learn how to use it effectively is a completely different animal than a person with a personal computer who is just flabbergasted by the thing. How different an animal? It’s like this. The people who got in there and figured out the computer first, made the most money. Some of them are the richest people in America. The people who first saw the potential of the Internet were the people who made the most money from the Internet. Even today, now that the Internet has become a common part of life, some people make money off their junk by selling it on E-Bay, but millions of Americans haven’t taken the time to understand how E-Bay works, so their junk just takes up space, and the potential profit slips away.
Paul discovered, after he was saved by grace, that through his faith in Christ, he could better control his thoughts, his lusts, his anxiety, his anger, and his feelings of guilt. He didn’t find a prison of things he couldn’t do because he had accepted Christ … he actually found a freedom from knowing Christ that allowed him to sing while he was in prison! And because he knew all that would happen, if people would just plug into what was available to them.
So get it clear right from the start that there’s a huge difference between receiving the gift of salvation, and then using that relationship. Huge difference. And your actions in life have nothing to do with how you are saved. Salvation is by grace alone, grace made available only by the death of Jesus on the cross.
The letter to the Ephesians is a letter to Christians, and this message to Christians.
WE MUST GET UP, STAND UP STRAIGHT, LOOK UP TO JESUS,
The Lord Jesus Christ did not give anyone permission in the house of God (church ) too dictate ones life put you on a jurisdiction broad too see if there is another side to individuals life we all I find need so many things to get down on our knees for trying to make others people’s life a living hell
JESUS BE A FENCE AROUND BONNIE IN THE SISTERHOOD DON’T ALLOW ANYONE TO TAKE YOUR INTERGALACTIC, LIFE, FAITH. …. EXPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE KNOWN YOUR STORM, FIRE, ECT. IN YOUR LIFE
Remember Jesus knows what we don’t know the plots, schemes, traps, the enemies has for your life, but your better know Jesus knows the individual’s who keeps applying pressure to your life every dog’s day is coming just away of putting it Jesus knows the acupressure in believe they will be judged. …………..
Paul says, “I urge you to walk in a way that’s worthy of the calling you have received.” This is a letter to people who’ve already received the gift. If you’ve never received the gift, and you try to plug these principles into play, it just won’t work. You might feel better for a while … you might even see some positive results … kind of like a person who makes and keeps a New Year’s resolution … but it won’t be the same thing.
Can I ask a fundamental question here? Have you ever received the gift? If not, wouldn’t you like to do that, on the first day of a new year? Wouldn’t you like to start off the year by making the single best decision a person can ever make?
II. The way we walk is seen in how we treat others
Ephesians 4:1-3 – I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds [us].
Look at the qualities Paul lists immediately, while his instruction to walk in a way that’s worthy of your calling are still echoing in the air.
Humility.
Gentleness.
Patience.
Bearing with one another.
Loving people.
Working hard to keep the unity among believers.
It’s pretty simple. When you make an effort to live in a Christ-honoring manner, it immediately affects the people around you. It’s like the foot washing in the upper room. It’s a way of living that goes against the grain. It shocks people … all the humility and gentleness. It stuns people, at the strength they find in such a person.
If this is you, then it’s like this. The people around you go first. Other people get the best portion. People you live with, people you work with, people you study with, play with, hang out with … they get more than you do. They get more honor. They get more prestige. They get more joy. They might even have more stuff, more money. It’s a lifestyle that says you will be the servant, and they will be the served.
Why? Because you make sure it happens that way.
You know what’s really fun? When you fill a house with people who’ve all made the decision to live in a manner that’s worthy of the calling they’ve received. It’s incredible. In a marriage, you’ve got a husband and a wife trying to out-give each other all day long. And both of them can’t believe how good it is to be in that marriage. Wow! And when siblings try to take care of the other one? It’s overwhelming. It’s the stuff your favorite stories are made of … when a big brother stands up for his little brother, when a little sister brags on her big sister to her friends … when siblings can’t think of anything better to do than spend time with that brother, that sister, when there’s genuine admiration for the good grades, or the sports talent, or the musical skill, or the way she has with people … or whatever it is.
When a church is filled with servants … servant leaders, I like to call them … miracles happen. Look just one paragraph above this little passage in Ephesians 4 and you’ll get this incredible statement:
Ephesians 3:20-21 – Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think -according to the power that works in you- to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
The only way this ever happens is through is best called spiritual maturity. A young person, a young adult, can be spiritually mature. An older can still be a spiritual child, still be horribly immature when it comes to caring more about others than self. Patience isn’t a quickly or easily learned trait. Bearing with one another sometimes takes all the effort you’ve got. And only the strongest will pull it off.
BE SO LOVED BY JESUS, JUST IF YOU COULD ONLY KNOW JESUS WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU WHEN YOU’RE HEART IS OVERWHELMING TELL JESUS TO LEAD YOU TO THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I (ME)(US)
HALLELUJAH AMEN!
JESUS IS SO COMPASSIONATE WORTHY OF WORSHIP AND PRAISE !
PRAISE YOUR WAY OUT OF ANY (circumstances)
I’m praying that we SISTERS In Christ if We only just give ourselves away for Christ sake
LOVE
LOVE
LOVE! !!
Awesome Bonnie, you made it so clear! Father bless her and all who wants this change. Help us to be more like You. Nothing of us but all of You. Amen
So refreshing the truth shall set you free set me free. Very clear precise intentional a great road map to follow accept walk out thankyou so much and I thank youbfir that prayer of protection couple convictions edification and encouragement definatlybsmiling and laughing nodding learning walking outs thibgs in great perspective fir me thankyou and bless you
Amen to the word. May God grant us the desire of our hearts as we love Him and love our neighbours as we love ourselves
Lord help me to be your humble servant. The grace and love you gave to me help me to share it. It is such a precious precious gift i
Create in me a clean heart oh God and renew the right spirit within me. The spirit helps me disern when you are speaking and not the voice of the enemy. Your weakness is my strengthen
God is love and through His perfect love He enables us to love.We can’t do anything without Him.Even though there is different dynamic of love ,such as sister love,brother love,friend love Ect. But those can come with conditions but Gods love is unconditional love,once you experience His love,it is then you will truly know what true love is.It gets sweeter as the day go by!God Is Love!!!God bless!!!!
POWERFUL❗💘🙏🙏🙏🙌👏👏👐👐💯🎁🎀🎉🎉
hallelujahhh SWEET JESUS 👑👑👑
God there’s so much to learn from you Lord, please grant me a renewed wisdom and strength each day. I confess to you Lord I didn’t always took the right approached in resolving a problem when a situation arise, think I’ve been mistreated, hurt or treated unfairly by anyone. Forgive me Lord, teach me how to develop the right attitude towards others and consult you about everything. I’m ready to be submissive to others so help me Lord and take control of my heart. In Jesus Name, Amen
I needed this word of encouragement. Thank You Lord. Amen.
Yes lord you are the truth. I have crazy faith that you will reveal yourself to me today because your promises are yea and amen.