Saturday, June 30, 2012

EXALTED GOD

 
Psalm 56:5


"Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth."NIV


"Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth."KJV


To be exalted is to be lifted up high in honor. Our desire as Christians is that God be so exalted that His glory is seen from every corner of the earth and on out into eternal space. We can be a part of the holy Church that exalts Him if we give our hearts and lives to Him.


Heavenly Father, You are the only One worthy of praise and exaltation. Help us to live and breathe here on earth so that others will see Your glory. We look for the day when Your power and glory will be all that is and all that will every be. In Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Friday, June 29, 2012

HOW TO HONOR GOD

 
1 Corinthians 6:20


"You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."NIV


"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."KJV


Do we really understand how strong our own self wills are? Can we say that those around us can tell we belong to Christ just by the way we conduct ourselves? When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we no longer belong to ourselves. We belong to Him. Our bodies belong to Him, therefore, taking the utmost care of our bodies is honoring and worshipping our Lord. So it is with the way we live, speak, and approach life. Our spirit is a reflection of whoever it is we serve.


Heavenly Father, the ways of this world have such a strong pull on us and we often fall into its' practices along with those who do not belong to You. Forgive us, Lord. Keep us mindfully aware that we no longer belong to ourselves, but to You. May we reflect and honor Christ in all we say, think, and do. In Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Thursday, June 28, 2012

CARRYING BURDENS

 
Galatians 6:2


"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."NIV


"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."KJV


How can we help others with their problems when we have our own with which to contend? Yet, we are told to help others with their burdens. The Lord doesn't ask us to do anything that He doesn't give us the grace and power to do. If we love God with all of our being and we love others as we love ourselves, we will be able to come alongside and help others with their burdens. That is fulfillment of what Christ said are the greatest commandments.


Heavenly Father, forgive us for getting so caught up in our own lives and issues that we walk past those who are so burdened they cannot move forward. Give us hearts of love that we will fulfill Christ's law by giving of ourselves to our fellowmen when they are so burdened down. We pray in His precious name, Amen.


           
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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

TURN FROM THE FAITH?

 
Matthew 24:10


"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other."NIV


"And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another."KJV


What time is Jesus talking about here? He is talking about the last days just prior to His second coming. All of us are sure that we will not be one of those that fall away and betray fellow Christians. But Jesus said it would happen and He said many would do so. How can this happen? The falling away is not an abrupt waking up one morning and deciding not to follow Christ anymore. It is a slow subtle veering away from the Truth led by smooth talking men and women who call themselves Christians. They will teach enough of the truth to keep us listening while throwing in little bits of Satan's lies that don't seem to be harmful at all. If we stay in the Word of God and prayer, the Holy Spirit will let us know when deception is present. Be on guard. Turning from the faith can happen to any of us who aren't alert.


Heavenly Father, oh how we need discernment and dedication to Your Word. Give us more hunger for Your Word and prayer so that we will be equipped to stand strong and not fall away when the time draws near. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

LIVE IN PEACE AND HARMONY

 
1 Peter 3:8


"Finally, all of you, be like minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."NIV


"Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous."KJV


The way of this world is to tolerate everyone and let everyone do his own thing. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this method does not produce harmony, but just the opposite, chaos. The things one group does offends another group. The way some people live and believe infringes on the lives and beliefs of some other group. God tells us as Christians, to be like Christ, who was one with the Father, who was compassionate, loving, and humble. If we live and believe in this way, there will be nothing between people but harmony.


Heavenly Father, we see how the world tries to cater to everyone's diverse beliefs and ways of living. We see how the world is full of chaos, hatred, prejudice, and conflict. Give us hearts after Your own heart so that we will all be in one accord with Christ. In His name we pray, Amen.


           
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Monday, June 25, 2012

LIVING IN HARMONY

 
Romans 12:16


"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."NIV


"Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits."KJV


Harmony is an impossible thing to achieve if there is no standard ideal in which to line ourselves up. If we expect others to get in line with our own personal beliefs and ways, there will certainly be no lasting harmony. If we all use Jesus Christ as our standard of living and relating to others, it doesn't matter if we are rich or poor, there will be perfect harmony. What beautiful music the harmony of true believers make when Jesus Christ is the center of all things.


Heavenly Father, for the times we have expected others to line themselves up with us and our way of thinking, forgive us. Give us humble hearts so that we will always act in line with what Jesus would do and obey the Word of God. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Sunday, June 24, 2012

HEAVY LOAD

 
Proverbs 27:3


"Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both."NIV


"A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both."KJV


It is much easier to hold up and carry the weight of heavy earthly materials, like sand and stone, than it is to endure and hold up the weight of an unreasonable, irritated person. It is better to walk away than to try and carry that load.


Heavenly Father, first of all, forgive us if we are such that we cause heavy burdens for those around us. Show us where we are wrong and help us to change. Then, help us to forgive and pray for those who do cause heavy burdens and help us to not get weighed down with trying to carry their load. In Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Saturday, June 23, 2012

TRUE CHRISTIANS DON'T LIVE IN SIN

 
1 John 3:6


"No one who lives in him keep on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him."NIV


"Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him neither known him."KJV


When we have truly given our lives to Jesus Christ, our hearts cannot tolerate any ongoing sin in our lives because the Holy Spirit continually convicts us until we forsake the sin we have held onto. If we see anyone who claims to be a Christian and they have a lifestyle that includes things that are sinful, they have not met the Saviour nor given their lives to Him.


Heavenly Father, we ask that Your Holy Spirit search our hearts for any lifestyle or habitual sin we may be harboring and tuning out the Holy Spirit. We pray for those who do so. Give us hearts that are pure and work to stay away from sin. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Friday, June 22, 2012

TELL US WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR

 
2 Timothy 4:3


"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."NIV


"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears."KJV


When the truth steps on our toes, it hurts and we tend to step away or try to explain away why it does not apply to us. If we listen to the truth, we may have to give up some habit or possession. We might have to change our comfortable lives in some way. This is all just too hard, too inconvenient. So instead, we choose to follow so called Christian leaders who gloss over the truth and tell us things that make our comfortable lives stay comfortable. The danger here is that we will think we are growing spiritually when we are only growing more comfortable in our sinful lives. The truth may hurt and disrupt our lives, but it will set us free to grow in Christ and reap an abundant harvest for His kingdom. Most important, following the truth will grant us to stand before our Lord, hearing Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."


Heavenly Father, we really do like being in our comfort zone. But we know that the truth will take us out of that zone and into Your will for our lives. Give us the courage and desire to listen and respond to the truth, so that we will grow and be pleasing to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC
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Thursday, June 21, 2012

WORK OUT WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING

 
Philippians 2:12,13


" . . .continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."NIV


" . . .work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."KJV


Why would we have to work out our salvation? And why would we have to do it with fear and trembling? Weren't we saved when Christ gave His life on the cross? Of course Christ's death and resurrection gave us the way to God. And yes, our faith in that assures our salvation. But, are we always aware of the spiritual warfare that exists to steal our soul and how subtle it is? Knowing we are saved does not mean we can become lazy and complacent Christians. There is an enemy roaming around seeking someone to devour.


Heavenly Father, how thankful we are for the salvation Jesus Christ made possible for us at the cross. Give us wisdom and awareness so that we can stand firm to the end so that we are not deceived by the enemy. In Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC
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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

FORGIVE AND BE FORGIVEN

 
Matthew 6:14


"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."NIV


"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."KJV


To forgive those who have wronged us is not a natural inclination for us. But, the Lord says we are to forgive others or else we will not be forgiven. To forgive others is to put away any wrong they have done and never bring it back. That's what our Lord does with our sins. He throws them to the bottom of the ocean and remembers them no more. We all need forgiveness, so we also need to learn to forgive.


Heavenly Father, we ask for humble hearts to forgive those who have wronged us and hurt us. Make us aware of our own wrongs so that we can confess them and ask for Your forgiveness. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

PRAISE HIM OR THE STONES WILL

 
Luke 19:39,40


"Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples!' 'I tell you,' he replied, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.'"NIV


"And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."KJV


We are God's most prized of His creation. It is right that we praise Him continually for His great love and grace. If we as His prized creation stop praising Him, the stones that are a part of His lower creation will break out in praise to Him. We wouldn't want the stones to rob us of our great privilege to praise our Lord.


Heavenly Father, may we always have praise on our lips that come from hearts of gratefulness to our Lord who is worthy of all praise. We pray in His precious name, Amen.


           
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Monday, June 18, 2012

YOUR FRUIT REVEALS YOUR CHARACTER

Matthew 12:33


"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit."NIV


"Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit."KJV


When the Bible talks about fruit, most often it is referring to the attitudes, actions, and results of a person's life. The Lord has made this concept pretty simple for us. Just as a tree that has bad fruit is in truth a bad tree. A tree that produces good fruit is in fact a good tree. So it is in the spiritual world. If our lives are producing good attitudes, actions, and results, we are in truth Godly and good. Producing good and Godly fruit is directly related to how much we allow the Holy Spirit to rule our lives.


Heavenly Father, we all want to be seen as good. Unfortunately, some of us refuse to allow the Holy Spirit to direct our attitudes and actions. Give us Godly hunger to seek the producing of good fruit, not only that we will be seen as good, but that You will be glorified. In Jesus' name, Amen.




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Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

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Sunday, June 17, 2012

WHERE TO PUT OUR TRUST

 
Proverbs 3:5


"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."NIV


"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."KJV


It is our human nature to follow our own instincts and logic. The problem with it is that we cannot see the large picture of what is truly happening. Only God can see that and knows what is ahead. It takes great faith to trust an unseen God who sees the unseen future. But we know that faith in God is the victory in all places, at all times, and in all ways.


Heavenly Father, forgive us when we put our trust in our own understanding when we do not have all the information or the vision to see the whole picture. Help us to stir up our faith so that we will trust in You and not our own instincts and logic. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC
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Saturday, June 16, 2012

THE WAY TO HAVE PEACE

 
Isaiah 26:3


"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."NIV


"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."KJV


We live in a chaotic world where people are rushing to find peace. They go about it the wrong way because they follow their own human logic. They wake up to find all their problems have followed them and continue to clog their brains with stress. If we focus and meditate on God, who He is, His nature, and His love, we will find that the cares of this world will vanish and we will have the perfect peace of God in our hearts and minds.


Heavenly Father, we long for peace and You have told us how we can have perfect peace. Give us the desire to stop focusing on this world and get our minds attending to You and Your splendor. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC
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Friday, June 15, 2012

CONSIDER HIM

 
Hebrews 12:3


"Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."NIV


"For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."KJV


As Christians, many of us become weak kneed and miserable because of the stress we experience just living in this world. How many of us experience persecution because we are Christians? If we have trouble staying strong during life's trials, how are we going to stand up under true persecution for our faith in Christ?


Heavenly Father, help us to understand that our relationship with You is not all about getting us through the difficulties of this life. You have promised that You will always be with us through the good and the bad times. Give us hearts of determination and faith to stand when the enemy fights us because of our faith in You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Thursday, June 14, 2012

THE LORD'S REST AND REFRESHMENT

 
Psalm 23:2


"He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters."NIV


"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters."KJV


In a recent poll on stress, 75% of the people interviewed said they experienced physical and psychological symptoms of stress in their lives. If we are following the Lord Jesus Christ, we need not be one of those people. Our Lord provides rest and refreshment one day out of the week, although many do not stop to follow Him there. He will take us to a place of rest and renewal any time we ask Him, if we take the time to ask Him.


Heavenly Father, You are well aware of the stressful world in which we live. We confess that we have learned to live with dangerously high levels of stress rather than to follow You into the full day out of the week You have provided for us to rest. You gave us this day of rest for a reason, help us to stop our busy lives and rest with You in lush green pastures and beside still waters. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


           
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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

HOPE MAKES US RUN AND FLY

 
Isaiah 40:31


"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."NIV


"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."KJV


Just as Peter was able to walk on the water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, we too will be able to stand strong, walk any path ahead of us, and overcome. Remember what happened to Peter when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the crashing waves. So then let's hope in the Lord and not focus on the trouble surrounding us.


Heavenly Father, you know our weaknesses, but so does the enemy. Give us determination to keep our hope in You alone and allow the turmoil of this world to be under our feet. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.




           
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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

CONTROL UNDER FIRE

 
James 1:12


"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."NIV


"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."KJV


If we think about it, every trial, every tribulation, every difficulty is a temptation. They are opportunities for us to give in or give up. If we will keep our human nature under control and allow the Holy Spirit to empower our spirit, we will be able to persevere under any trial or temptation.


Heavenly Father, it is so hard to withstand difficult times and so often we feel like giving up. We ask for a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit so that we will have divine control when temptation comes our way. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Monday, June 11, 2012

KEEPING WATCH OVER WHO?

 
1 Timothy 4:16


"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."NIV


"Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee."KJV


If we don't watch how we live in this world, seeing to it that we walk as Christ did, who is going to do it for us. Well, the rest of the world of course. Even we ourselves, ignore our own actions and catch the mistakes and errors of others. There is a reason the Word tells us to watch our own lives. It is effortless to get caught up in the cares of this world and what others are doing that we can get far off the path of righteousness. Let's watch what we are doing.


Heavenly Father, for the times we have failed to watch our steps and have gotten off the path You have set before us, we ask forgiveness. Clear our minds and our eyes so that we can watch how we walk and live so that we will be a holy testimony to Your love and grace. In Jesus' name, Amen.


           
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Sunday, June 10, 2012

THE GREATNESS OF HUMILITY

 
Isaiah 66:2


" . . .These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word." NIV


" . . .But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word."KJV


We hear the word humble often. As Christians, we read in the Word about humility. But do we really understand what it is to be humble. The word 'humble' comes from the Latin word 'humus' which means of or on the ground. That speaks volumes doesn't it? To be humble is to remember that we are but dust. The more worldly things we have, the higher our education, the greater our place in society, the harder it is to remember we are but dust. The Word tells us to humble ourselves. Take heed to that, because if we wait for God to humble us, He is much more severe in His way of teaching us.


Heavenly Father, living in this world of status and material wealth, we often forget that we are from dust and will return to dust. Grant us that we will humble ourselves in Your presence and toward our fellowman, not only to receive Your favor, but to show Christ in our lives. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.


           
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