TRAINING FOR THE PRIZE

 

1 Corinthians 9:25

 

"Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable." ESV 

Olympic hopefuls spend hours every day perfecting the necessary physical moves and sharpening their concentration to perfection. Like all other things in this world, their bodies will deteriorate and their gold medals will perish. As Christians, how much more should we be training for that eternal reward in heaven. We will win the everlasting prize of sitting forever at His feet.

 

Lord, thank You for giving us all we need to win the prize of eternal life. Help us to be diligent as we go through this life so that when we stand before You on that day we will hear You say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." In Your eternal name we pray, Amen.

©2008-2015

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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OUT OF CONTROL?

 Proverbs 25:28 

"A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." ESV 

 

We are responsible for our own self-control. It is critical for us to maintain self-control in a world that is spinning out of control. If we don't exercise self-control according to the teachings of Jesus, we will be like little lambs forsaken in the middle of a wolves den. How do we get self-control? Pray for the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

 

Heavenly Father, we stand in need of Your forgiveness for our complacency in this world. Make us aware of our need for self-control. We ask for the fullness of Your Holy Spirit that we might walk every second in His power and have victory with self-control. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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DO WHAT?

 

1 Peter 4:7

 

"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers." ESV

 

 

Think for a moment how much thought we put into what we will say to someone we are going to meet for the first time. How much effort do we put into making ourselves presentable to others? Are we putting that much thought and effort into our prayers, knowing Jesus Christ is coming back very soon?

 

Heavenly Father, we earnestly ask You to help us stay focused and aware of the coming of Christ. Give us hearts of prayer for the lost. Help us to always be about Your business, that You may find us faithful servants. In Jesus' name, Amen.

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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SAYING NO BECAUSE WE CHOOSE TO DO SO

 

Titus 2:11,12

 

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." ESV

 

Jesus Christ is the Grace of God sent to provide salvation for everyone, everywhere, at all times. No one is excluded except those who choose not to receive His free gift. If we accept this gracious, free gift of salvation, we are free to say no to sin, impurity, immorality, and ungodliness, the ways of the world. It's not that we are bound by a set of rules to stay away from these things. We are set free to choose to stay away from these things. Without salvation, we are imprisoned to be caught up in them.

 

Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for Your grace that gives us eternal life and freedom to live Godly lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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LISTEN UP!

 

 

1 Peter 4:7

 

"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers." ESV

 

These times of the end are so chaotic and difficult. It requires very deliberate effort to stay focused on the things that are really important, that are of eternal consequence. Let's make every effort to keep our attention on God's unfolding plan so that our prayers will be in harmony with His will, not ours.

 

Heavenly Father, forgive us for getting so distracted by this chaotic world that we fail to remember You are unfolding Your plan. Forgive us for continuing to ask for our wants and fretting when things seem to be going against us. Put the fullness of the Holy Spirit within us so that we will be self-controlled and attentive of the working of Your mighty hand in our world today. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.

 

          

©2008-2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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WATCH YOUR MOUTH

 

 

Proverbs 21:23

"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble." ESV

Sometimes our desire to speak what's on our minds is stronger than the control we have on our mouths. It is a matter of the heart. Jesus said it is what comes out of a man' mouth that defiles him. Our responsibility is to be so full of Christ that we will not let our mouths take control. Control takes discipline. Discipline takes effort. Effort takes motivation. Motivation comes from our desire to be like Christ.

Heavenly Father, how we stand in need of forgiveness for allowing our desire to speak to override the control of what we say. Fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we will be motivated to make the effort to be disciplined. Help us to watch our mouths. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

         

©2008-2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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OUT OF CONTROL

 

 

Proverbs 25:28

"A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." ESV

Here in America, we don't see walled cities. However, we are all too familiar with gated communities. It's the same idea spoken in the scripture. Why do these subdivisions have gates around them? It is to keep within the gates, peace, security, protection from harm, and a sense of community. The gates also keep outside of them danger, thieves, or any type of threat and disruption to the daily lives of those within the gates. Self-control serves as a wall around us to keep us from allowing ourselves to be open to all kinds of destructive and evil things. Without self-control, we open ourselves up to the evil one who can deceive us and rob us of all good things.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for not staying alert to weaknesses and gaps in our self-control. Search our hearts and give us awareness of those places we have let down our guard. Give us a fresh outpouring of Your Holy Spirit so that we will produce healthy spiritual fruit, among which is self-control. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

         

©2008-2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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DAILY SUPPLEMENT

 

 

2 Peter 1:5-8

"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love." ESV

The 'reason' spoken of in this verse is referring to the great and precious promises of God that, accepting them, we will take on His divine nature and be protected from getting swallowed up by this evil world. So, we are commanded to put out great effort in putting on godliness to supplement (reinforce, complete, make efficient) our faith. In doing so, we will be like Him.

Heavenly Father, our desire is to be more like You. Help us to put forth the effort necessary to complete our faith and become more like You. Without You we can do nothing. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

        

©2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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BE ON THE ALERT

 

1 Peter 5:8

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." NIV

 

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." KJV

 

As Christians we are to always be watchful and on the alert to the deception that surrounds us with well hidden traps. The deceiver is the evil one and seeks to get us off the true path in these ways: Subtly, through our senses and thoughts; masquerading as the truth with logical spiritual and religious philosophies; and, forcefully, through tribulations and trials that discourage us and cause us to question our Lord. Watch out for these traps, they are everywhere.

Heavenly Father, we are so aware that the deception in this world is so rampant that we are in danger of falling into it without the fullness of Your Spirit and the gift of discernment. Help us to know how critical it is to be watchful and alert. Keep our eyes open and our minds ready to stand firm in the Truth. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

       

©2012

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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IN OUR RIGHT MINDS

 

2 Timothy 1:7

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." NIV

"For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." KJV

Still today, some see God as harsh and ready to strike down anyone who so much as makes one little error. When Christ came, He showed us that we serve a God of love. When Christ returned to the Father, He sent His Holy Spirit. Do we realize what that means? We no longer approach, live, and serve God fearfully, but as a loving Father. He in turn, gives us the power to allow Him to work His mighty deeds through us. We are filled with His love, not for ourselves, but to give out to everyone in our path. He gives us the ability to understand His Word, to be discerning and wise. God gives us all we need to live a life of victory and fruitfulness in a lost and dying world.

Heavenly Father, we cannot praise You enough for Your mercy and grace to us. Help us to let go of the fears we seem to harbor and rest fully in You. Give us grace to allow the Holy Spirit to perform this wonderful work in our lives so that we will be worthwhile and productive for Your kingdom. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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WHAT ARE WE DOING?

 

Haggai 1:7

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Give careful thought to your ways.'"NIV

"Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways."KJV

Our daily schedules are so busy we have organized our tasks by doing things by mindless routine. Unfortunately, it is easy to get into a mindless routine of daily Bible reading and prayer, if we have worked that into our day at all. When we are going along on auto pilot through our day, the enemy has a perfect playground in our minds and lives to set us up for temptation and sin. Take heed of what the Word tells us to do.

Heavenly Father, we ask for Your forgiveness for going through our day without giving thought to what we say or do, but live in mindless routines. We pray for mindfulness of all that we think, say, and do so that we will bring honor and glory to Your name. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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ANGER CONTROL

A person given to anger means he is controlled by anger. Out of his
mouth flows all the bitterness and resentment that fills him inside. He
has no control. The wise person also experiences anger, but by God's
grace, has self control to deal with the anger in a Godly way.

Read Proverbs 29:11

"A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under
control." (NIV)

"A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards." (KJV)

KEEP ALERT

Living in the end times is very chaotic, distracting, and difficult.
It takes conscious, deliberate effort to stay focused on the things
that are really important and of eternal consequence. We are to
make every effort to keep our attention on God's unfolding plan so
that our prayers will be in harmony with His will, not our own wants
and needs.

Read 1 Peter 4:7

"The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and
self-controlled so that you can pray." (NIV)

"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and
watch unto prayer." (KJV)

THINK ABOUT YOUR ANGER

It is so easy to act on our anger and emotions. We are emotional
beings and it is in our nature to express them. Sometimes our
emotions, anger in particular, are best kept under control. It is far
better to give ourselves time to think about why we are feeling this
way and listen to our heart. Our own hearts will counsel us to do the
right and honorable thing if we are serving Christ. Many sins and
heartaches have been avoided by heeding this wisdom.

Read Psalm 4:4

"In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your
hearts and be silent." (NIV)

"Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon
your bed, and be still. Selah." (KJV)

LIVE FOR HIS RETURN

It is in our own control to keep our minds ready to meet with whatever
this world brings our way. What we do now should be with the future of
Christ's return in mind. Hold on to the promise of God's grace no matter
what happens in your life now. His promise is sure. Trust Him and you
will not be disappointed.

Read 1 Peter 1:13

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your
hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."
(NIV)

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (KJV)

TAKE CARE OF YOUR ANGER

Anger is a normal emotion that all of us experience whether
we like it or not. There is no sin in being angry. The sin is
in the wrong way we deal with anger. The most common ways
we mishandle our anger are to hold on to it, rehearse it, dwell
on it, and feed it. Then the evil one seizes the opportunity to
add his mixture of venom to it and takes control. Then the anger
festers and becomes destructive. Let the Lord have control of
your anger as soon as you are aware there is anger.

Read Ephesians 4:26,27

"In your anger do not sin; Do not let the sun go down while you
are angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." (NIV)

"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Neither give place to the devil." (KJV)


  
Daily Grace
Bobbi Craigmyle
drbobbijo@yahoo.com
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THE TONGUE

Did you ever wonder why the tongue is small and rests hidden inside the mouth? If its size and placement on our body were in proportion to its capability it would be the first, if not the only thing others would see. It is incredibly powerful. It brings out the thoughts and intents of the heart. It can encourage, yet it can destroy. Thank the Lord He has given us the ability and the choice to control it.

Read James 3:5

"Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark." (NIV)

"Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things.
Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" (KJV)


  
Daily Grace
Bobbi Craigmyle
drbobbijo@yahoo.com
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