Philippians 4:6 – Thank Your Way To Peace

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

You would probably have read this verse before, but would you like to know how to apply it in your everyday life? Let me give you an illustration to help you.

Let’s say that you are one of those in your company eligible for a promotion and you will know tomorrow whether you get it. You want the promotion badly because it means more income for your family. So you lie in bed at night tossing and turning. You pray, “Father, please take away all my worries about this promotion. Give me faith.” One hour later, you are more anxious than ever. It seems like God is not answering your prayer!
How come? Because you are not doing it God’s way.

Pray like this instead: “Father, I cast all my worries about the promotion into Your loving hands because You care for me and love me.” The Bible tells us to cast all our cares upon the Lord for He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7) Then, say, “Father, I would like to have the promotion.” It is okay to ask Him for that. Now, here comes the most powerful part — thanksgiving. Finish off with thanksgiving.
Thank God for His faithfulness.

Say something like, “Father, whether I get the promotion or not, I thank You that You will always provide for my family with more than enough. You who feed the birds of the air and clothe the lilies of the field will take care of us. So I am not going to worry about this promotion. You are the source of all my blessings.” (Matthew 6:30, Philippians 4:19)

When you pray like this, all of a sudden, you are no longer held hostage by the promotion. I call this the “thank You” therapy. The more you know God’s Word, the more you can thank Him. The more you thank Him, the more His peace reigns in your heart. And many a time, before you know it, it is morning! You don’t even remember falling asleep. The peace of God reigns like that.

My friend, whatever your concern is, bring it to your Father in prayer and thank your way to peace!

(source: Pastor Joseph Prince's daily devotional)

Daniel 9:24 – Once Righteous, Always Righteous

…to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness… Daniel 9:24

You may have seen high-speed video footages of a caterpillar turning into a colorful butterfly. But have you ever seen a butterfly changing back into a caterpillar? Of course not! Why? Because it’s impossible!

It’s the same with your salvation. Once you are saved, you are saved forever. The righteousness that you have in Christ is an everlasting one—you cannot become unrighteous again. Once you are born again as a child of God, it is impossible for you to become “unborn.” Once you are a saint washed by the blood of Jesus, in God’s eyes, you cannot revert to your old, unsaved sinner state. Even if you fall into sin, you are still the righteousness of God in Christ because your justification is not by works, but by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16).

Let’s come back to the butterfly. Once in a while, the butterfly may fly around and land on a rubbish heap, instead of a pretty, nice-smelling flower. But does that cause it to change back into a caterpillar? No, and it’s only a matter of time before it leaves the rubbish heap for the flowers. Likewise, when a Christian falls into sin, he doesn’t lose his righteousness and transform back into an unsaved sinner. No, he is still righteous and it is this consciousness of his righteousness in Christ that will empower him to leave that sin and overcome future temptations (Romans 5:17).

Beloved, the more you believe that you have this everlasting righteousness from Jesus, the more you will live up to your new identity and reign in life!

(source: "meditate & believe right" by Joseph Prince)

Isaiah 54: 9 – 10 GOD is NOT angry with us :)

Genesis 9: 12 – 17
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Isaiah 54: 9 – 10
“For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

GOD is NOT angry with us.
GOD loves us and wants to be Our Father and pour His Favor on us.